JUSTIN ‘THE BIG PYGMY’ WREN RETURNS TO ACTION IN EVENT’S FEATURED PRELIMINARY BOUT

Santa Monica, Calif. (February 2, 2015) –An injury to Mike Bronzoulis has shifted things during the SPIKE-televised main card of "Bellator 149: Utoto vs. Gracie " pa Feb. 19 pa Toyota Center ku Houston, Texas. Tsopano, the lightweight contest will pit Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) motsutsa Derek M'minda (15-6).

 

Kuphatikiza apo, Justin “The Big Pygmy Viking” Wren (11-2) returns to action in what will be his second appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, pamene akumana Juan Torres (4-4) in heavyweight fisticuffs.

 

The fights join a card that already features a double main event — Ken utoto (28-16-2) akukumana Royce Gracie (14-2-3) kwa kachitatu, Kimbo kagawo (5-2) asamenyana munthu amene wakhala ukuitanira iye kunja kuyambira ubwenzi wawo unatha zaka zapitazo, Dhafir Harris, imadziwika kuti "Chifuwa 5000" (2-0). In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sánchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11) and former light heavyweight titlist Emanuel Newton (25-9) nkhondo Linton Vassell (15-5).

 

Matikiti ili losanganikirana asilikali luso Motani Zimene Zimakhala Zofunikadi chiyambi panthawi $50 ndipo pa malonda tsopano pa Bellator.com, komanso HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.

 

"Bellator 149: Utoto vs. Gracie " akudzitukumula moyo ndi ufulu pa kukwera pa 9 p.m. Opuma / 8 p.m. CT, pamene ayi kuyambirira idzakhamukira moyo pa Bellator.com ndipo The Bellator Mobile App.

 

Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz m'mbuyomo chaka chino. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Texas native with plenty to prove. Of Guillard’s 32 Umapeza katswiri, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

 

Known as “The Stallion” to those familiar with his mixed martial arts career, Campos will come into his meeting with Guillard riding a two-fight skid. During his eight-fight tenure with Bellator MMA, the 27-year-old Texan has faced a plethora of top lightweight talent, going up against names the likes of: Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Brandon Girtz (2×), and Estevan Payan.

 

You would be hard-pressed to find a better story in all of MMA than the one that Wren can tell. The two-time National High School Wrestling Champion generated massive amounts of media attention on the road to his promotional debut at "Bellator 141: Guillard motsutsana. Atamangira,” where he defeated Josh Burns. His story begins several years earlier, mu 2010, when Wren confronted an opponent tougher than any he could face in combat sports: addiction.

 

With an opportunity to continue fighting on the table, Wren left the sport and began his recovery process. A chance meeting with a friend led Wren on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he came across and developed a deep connection with the Mbuti Pygmies, many of whom were enslaved, living on only the scraps the slave masters would pay them with. Wren found his calling there and wanted to do everything in his power to help the Pygmies. With multiple visits to the Congo, including a stint that lasted a year, Wren started a foundation called “Fight for the Forgotten.” Through his efforts, Wren and his staff of 17 have systematically bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.

 

Partnering with other groups like Shalom University and joining forces with Water4.org, Wren and his charity are responsible for drilling 26 water wells to help provide both the Pygmies and the former slave masters with clean water, and have plans to drill hundreds more. Kuphatikiza apo, the team has begun a sustainable farming project to benefit and provide food to both the Pygmies and non-Pygmies of the community.

 

Take a look below at the complete 19-fight "Bellator 149: Utoto vs. Gracie " card and be sure to tune into SPIKE on February 19 pa 9 p.m. Opuma / 8 p.m. CT for an event that has something for every fight fan.

Completed “Bellator 149: Utoto vs. Gracie” Fight Card

Bellator MMA Openweight Main Chochitika: Ken utoto (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)

Bellator MMA katswiri woposa onse Main Chochitika: Kimbo kagawo (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)

Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)

Bellator MMA opepuka Mbali podwala: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek M'minda (15-6)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Mbali podwala: Emmanuel Sánchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)

 

Kuyambirira Khadi:

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)

Bellator MMA Bantamweight kuyambirira podwala: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)

Bellator MMA Welterweight kuyambirira podwala: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)

Bellator MMA Middleweight kuyambirira podwala: Ruben Esparsa (1-0) vs. C.J. Hancock (Kuwonekera koyamba kugulu)

Bellator MMA Middleweight kuyambirira podwala: Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Daniel Santos (3-0)

Bellator MMA Middleweight kuyambirira podwala: Isaac Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)

Bellator MMA opepuka kuyambirira podwala: Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)

Bellator MMA opepuka kuyambirira podwala: Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)

Bellator MMA Bantamweight kuyambirira podwala: Manny Lozoya (Kuwonekera koyamba kugulu) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (1-5)

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Amateur Bout: Leomana Martinez (2-0) vs. Casey Jones (2-0)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Chris Solis (2-0) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Jonathan Davis (2-0) vs. Shawn Solis (1-0)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Amateur Bout: Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (1-0)