Santa Monica, Calif. (April 9, 2015) – A talent-laden preliminary card for May’s “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” event is starting to take shape with the addition of welterweights Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky “Sniper” Rainey (10-3), bantamweights Joe “The Juggernaut” Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Anthony “Tigre” Duarte (18-5) og fjervægt Jordan “Pretty Boy” Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar “Morceguinho” Neves Jr. (30-0).
The new additions complement the four-bout main card for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove,” which includes undefeated Bellator MMA World Middleweight Champion Brandon “Bull” Halsey (8-0) mod tårnhøje Hawaiian scrapper Kendall “Den Spyder” Grove (21-14), former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike “The Marine” Richman (18-5), lys sværvægtere Virgil “Rezdog” Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. “Razor” Razak Al-Hassan (12-4) og welterweights Fernando “Den Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez (23-13) vs. “Curtious” Curtis Millander (7-1).
“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” finder sted på Fredag, Maj 15, på Pechanga Resort & Casino i Temecula, Calif. The night’s main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. OG (6 p.m. PT lokal tid), mens foreløbige anfald streame på Spike.com.
Billetter til “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove,” der starter ved lige $50, er i øjeblikket til salg på Pechanga.com og Pechanga Resort & Casino box office.
Døre til “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” åben ved 3:30 p.m. PT lokal tid, og den første konkurrence foregår 30 minutter senere. Yderligere anfald vil blive annonceret inden længe.
Juarez, af Torrance, Calif., is a seven-time Bellator MMA veteran whose days with the company date back to the promotion’s second show. The 33-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2006 but is currently enjoying one of the best runs of his career at 5-1 in his past six appearances, a run that includes Bellator MMA wins over Ron Keslar, Joe Williams and Jordan Smith.
Rainey, of Gastonia, N.C., fights for the fourth time under the Bellator MMA banner. All three of Rainey’s Bellator MMA fights have ended in the first round, as he’s bracketed TKO wins over Johnny Cisneros and Andy Murad around a loss to top contender Michael “Venom” Side. Seven of Rainey’s 10 career wins have come by finish, including six by knockout.
A five-time Bellator MMA veteran, Taimanglo has quickly established himself as one of Guam’s top fighting exports. A scrappy 30-year-old, Taimanglo never fails to entertain. He fought most recently in September, scoring a decision win over Michael Parker.
Fighting professionelt siden 2006, Duarte hails from Tijuana, Mexico. He makes his Bellator MMA debut on the strength of back-to-back submission wins over Marco Beristain and Ed West. Fifteen of Duarte’s 18 career wins come by way of stoppage, Herunder 11 by tapout.
The 24-year-old Parsons, of Fargo, N.D., is a member of California’s famed Alliance MMA. Fighting professionally, Parsons has established himself as one of the top prospects in the world after winning 10 for sit første 11 professionelle kampe, including three by knockout and two by submission. Parsons made his Bellator MMA debut in April 2014, scoring a knockout win over Tim Bazer just four seconds into the second round.
Brazil’s Neves Jr. has compiled an incredible career mark of 30-0 despite being just 20 år. Konkurrerende professionelt siden 2011, da han var bare 17 år, Neves Jr. already owns a pair of Bellator MMA victories by TKO, as he downed Poppies Martinez in the first round of a September 2014 matchup and finished Josh Arocho in the second round of an April 2014 konkurrence.
“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” - Fredag, Maj 15, Pechanga Resort & Kasino, Temecula, Calif.
Hovedkortet (9 p.m. OG)
Bellator mellemvægt titel Fight: Champ Brandon Halsey (8-0) vs. Kendall Grove (21-14)
Bellator Featured Bantamvægt Fight: Eduardo Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike Richman (18-5)
Bellator Featured Light Heavyweight Fight: Virgil Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (12-4)
Bellator Featured Welterweight Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (23-13) vs. Curtis Millender (7-1)
Indledende Card (7 p.m. OG)
Bellator Welterweight Foreløbigt Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky Rainey (10-3)
Bellator Bantamvægt Foreløbigt Fight: Joe Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio Duarte (18-5)
Bellator Fjervægt Foreløbigt Fight: Jordan Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-0)