‘IRISH’ BRENNAN WARD WELCOMES EVANGELISTA ‘CYBORG’ SANTOS TO THE BELLATOR MMA WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

FOUR ADDITIONAL PRELIMINARY MATCHUPS ADDED TO THE MOHEGAN SUN EVENT IN CONNECTICUT

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (Mars 1, 2016) – The co-main event for "Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson " is set, with the news that Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (24-3) will compete against John "Macapa" Teixeira (19-1-2) in featherweight action on Apríl 22 á Mohegan Sun Arena í Uncasville, Conn.

 

Að auki, Connecticut er eigin "Írska" Brennan Ward (13-3) returns to action in his home state fresh off an impressive victory in Japan, þegar hann fagnar Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (20-16) í Bellator MMA áflog á 170 pund.

 

The two bouts join a main event that features the highly anticipated Bellator debut of Benson "Smooth" Henderson (23-5), eins og hann skorar welterweight meistari Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) fyrir beltið. Four preliminary bouts were also announced; additional contests will be added in the coming weeks.

 

Miðar fyrir "Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson " byrja á bara $30 og eru á sölu núna á Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com og Mohegan Sun Box Office. The atburður airs lifandi og frjáls á Spike á 9 p.m. OG/8 p.m. CT, en bráðabirgðatölur lota mun streyma beint á Bellator.com og The Bellator Mobile App.

 

For “Pitbull,” a fight on Apríl 22 is the first step back towards a shot at Daniel Straus’ featherweight title, a belt that Freire held before the two met at "Bellator 145: Með látum. " Á 28 years of age and with already 15 fights under the Bellator MMA banner, the Natal-native has been victorious in seven out of his last eight outings and emphatically finished Daniel Weichel in what was a knockout of the year candidate in 2015.

 

Undefeated in Bellator MMA, including an entertaining victory his last time out against Gleristone Santos; “Macapa” has not suffered defeat since 2012. A product of the highly regarded Nova Uniao team, Teixeira has previously competed in the UFC, where he was a competitor on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.” Apríl 22 will only be the fourth time the 29-year-old has fought outside of Brazil.

 

For Ward, fighting at the Mohegan Sun is like competing in his own backyard. Staðsett 10 miles from his home in New London, Conn., “Irish” has won four times at the Mohegan Sun, all by finish with three KOs and one submission. Nú nýlega, the 27-year-old former NCAA All-American moved up in weight and submitted former heavyweight Ken Hasegawa in Japan while representing Bellator MMA during Rizin FF’s inaugural event this past December. The win brought Ward’s current winning streak to five fights, all coming by way of finish.

 

Best known to fans as “Cyborg,” Santos enters the Scott Coker-led promotion fresh off a win already in 2016. A veteran of Pride FC and Strikeforce, “Cyborg” has been involved in some memorable tussles against names the likes of: Nick Diaz, Gegard Mousasi, Francis Carmont, og Melvin Manhoef (2x). Nú, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt will turn his attention to one of Bellator MMA’s fastest rising stars.

"Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson "Uppfært Fight Card:

Bellator MMA welterweight Heimurinn Title Bout: Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) vs. Benson Henderson (23-5)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Co-Main Event: Patricio Freire (24-3) vs. John Teixeira (19-1-2)

Bellator MMA welterweight Lögun Bout: Brennan Ward (13-3) vs. Evangelista Santos (20-16)

 

Forkeppni Card:

Bellator MMA Léttur Forkeppni Bout: Sam Watford (1-0) vs. Dean Hancock (2-0)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Forkeppni Bout: Chris Foster (8-4) vs. Felipe Lavandoski (5-0)

Bellator MMA Léttur Forkeppni Bout: Jason Bakanowski (3-2) vs. T.J. Hepburn (4-2)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Forkeppni Bout: pete Rogers (2-3) vs. Mike Mangan (0-3)