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Category Archives: mixed martial arts
Fighting on the main card is a match featuring featherweight fighters with contrasting styles as Luthuanian star Sergej Grecicho (pictured to left) takes on undefeated Russian prospect Magomed Idrisov (5-0-0, 2 KO, TKO, 0 SUB).
A student from the famed Gorets Club, Idrisov (pictured to the left) is coming off of a sensational win at M-1 Challenge 57 in May, in which he won a decision over German challengerMax Coga (4-0-0). Idrisov is unbeaten in M-1 Global fights having also defeated Brazilian opponent Yuri Maia (3-0-0) via a first-round knockout at M-1 Challenge 49 in June of 2014.
Esenbaev is a Russian freestyle wrestler who is 4-1-0 in M-1 Global competition. He has been fighting in Japan for the past year. Ismagulov (pictured to left) was born in Kazakhstan and lives in Orenburg, Russia. He registered a tremendous opening-round knockout of Pedro Eugenio Granjo in his last fight this past July on M-1 Challenge 49.FOX SIGNS DEVELOPMENTAL DEAL WITH NEW ENGLAND FIGHTS
Lewiston, Maine (August 27, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, is proud to announce the signing of “Sleepy” Norman Fox (4-2) to an NEF developmental deal. The deal will see Fox make his professional debut with the promotion in the flyweight division in early 2016.
“I’ve had a pretty successful run as an amateur with NEF, but it’s time to take things to the next level,” said Fox. “No one has seen what I’m fully capable of, but they will soon enough. The flyweight division is mine.”
A member of MMA Athletix in Bath, Maine, Fox debuted with NEF as an amateur in the summer of 2013. He won his first four fights in NEF all via stoppage. Fox is considered a rising star in a very thin, but burgeoning, regional flyweight division.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Norman with us as a professional,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Norman has developed as an amateur inside the NEF cage and is now ready to tackle the pro flyweight division. Norman is an exciting signing and we’re proud to have him as a part of the NEF roster. There’s a good chance that 2016 will be the year of the Fox.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better promotion to kick off my pro career with than NEF,” Fox said.
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX,” takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
COMBATE AMERICAS AND NBC UNIVERSO KICK OFF ALL-NEW MMA FIGHT SERIES “ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP” LIVE ON THUR., SEPT. 17 FROM LAS VEGAS
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51-YEAR-OLD WRESTLING COACH RETURNS TO MMA CAGE
Lewiston, Maine (August 26, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its nineteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XIX,” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of an amateur catchweight bout to the fight card. Pat Kelly (3-0) is scheduled to meet Ken Dunn (0-1) at a fight weight of 160-pounds.
Kelly is the 51-year-old coach of the Camden Hills Regional High School wrestling team in Rockport, Maine, where he has led the team to three state championships. He also teaches at the school. Kelly is a 2007 inductee of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame. He won a state title wrestling for Camden-Rockport High School in the early 1980s. He later wrestled for the University of Maine, winning the New England Championship and competing in the NCAA championships in 1986. Kelly made his MMA debut in the fall of 2014 at the age of 50 as a member of Bangor, Maine’s Young’s MMA. Earlier this year, he was the subject of international headlines after defeating the father-son duo of 46-year-old Dr. Steve Bang (0-1) and Steve Bang, Jr. (3-3) at separate NEF events.
Kelly’s opponent Ken Dunn is a member of Maine Kyokushin Karate (MKK) located in Norway, Maine. As a practitioner of Kyokushin, Dunn is well-versed in full-contact sparring and will no doubt bring his striking skills to bear against the wrestler Kelly. He will be making his debut in the NEF cage on September 12 in Lewiston.
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX,” takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
FIGHT NETWORK MMA, JUDO & KICKBOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Aug. 24-30, 2015)
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(U.S. only schedule.. For full Canadian schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com from your region.)
Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, boxing, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.
Below find highlights of this week’s programming:
Monday, Aug. 24
6:30 p.m. ET – Judo Budapest Grand Prix 2014 Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Budapest Grand Prix from June 21-22, 2014 in Hungary.
7:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
Tuesday, Aug. 25
1:30 a.m. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S. professional and amateur MMA events.
6:00 a.m. ET – Toe 2 Toe with Sam Stout – In-depth sit-down interview with Canadian UFC lightweight contender Sam Stout.
6:30 a.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.
4:00 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET — – 5 Rounds Today – Video podcast with John Ramdeen and Robin Black breaking down a wide variety of topics in the MMA world, including previews of upcoming events and all the latest rumors and headlines.
5:00 & 5:30 ET – Xtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based pro MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans.
8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invice special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET — Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others.
11:00 p.m. ET – Hard Knocks Fighting 21 – Featuring Ryan Dickson vs. Jason Fischer, Christ Franck vs. Joel Powell and Anton Tokarchuk vs. Todd Stoute from Mar. 20, 2015 in Calgary, Canada.
Wednesday, Aug. 26
2:00 a.m. ET – DEEP: 72 Impact – Featuring Takafumi Otsuka vs. Toshiaki Kitada, Daisuke Nakamura vs. Yuki Okano and Yuki Motoya vs. Jong Heon Chae from May 16, 2015 in Tokyo.
5:00 p.m. ET – Texas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage.
6:00 p.m. ET – Best of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the UK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Victor Belfort, Paul Daley and others.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ET – Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 50 – Featuring Robert Whiteford vs. Chris Fishgold, Mats Nilsson vs. Denniuston Sutherland and Aaron Wilkinson vs. Alan Johnston from Dec. 8, 212 in Glasgow, Scotland.
11:00 p.m. ET – MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.
11:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.
Thursday, Aug. 27
1:30 a.m. ET & 1:00 p.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 22: Warrior Creed – Featuring Alex Reid vs. Jason Barrett from Aug. 6, 2011 in London.
6:00 p.m. ET – Championship Fighting Alliance – Pro MMA from Florida featuring the likes of Josh Sampo, Mike Kyle, John Howard, Sean McCorkie, Luis Palomino and others.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Rookies Ep 9- Aspiring kickboxers climb the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at a higher level.
8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.
8:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge 34 – Featuring Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Konstantin Gluhov, Sergey Kornev vs. Marcin Zonteck and Yasubey Enomoto vs. Khusein Khaliev from Sept. 30, 2012 in Moscow.
Friday, Aug. 28
12:00 a.m. ET – It’s Showtime Special – The world’s premier kickboxing organization featuring Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Giorgio Petrosyan.
6:00 P.M. ET – M-1 Challenge – Pro MMA from Europe featuring top rising prospects and international stars.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.
7:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ET – Toe 2 Toe with Javier Mendez – In-depth sit-down interview with American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez.
8:30 p.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.
9:00 p.m. ET – KSW 14: Judgement Day – Featuring Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Eric “Butterban” Esch and Jan Blachowicz vs. Daniel Tabera from Sept. 28, 2010 in Warsaw, Poland.
Saturday, Aug. 29
1:00 a.m. ET – IMMAF Amateur MMA Championships – Coverage of the 2014 IMMAF Amateur MMA World Championships from June 30-July 6, 2014 in Las Vegas.
6:00 a.m. ET – Best of TKO – Featuring Hatsu Hioki’s epic battle against Mark Hominick from TKO 25, plus Martin Desilets in action.
7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Tyson Griffin vs. Urijah Faber from Gladiator Challenge 42.
8:00 a.m. ET – Best of SportFight – Top quality MMA from the Pacific Northwest. Hosted by UFC veterans Matt Lindland and Chael Sonnen.
9:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
3:00 p.m. ET – DEEP: 61 Impact – Featuring Kazunori Yokota vs. Shoji Maruyama and Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Young Choi from Feb. 16, 2012 in Tokyo.
7:00 p.m. ET- Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others.
8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.
8:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
Sunday, Aug. 30
1:00 a.m. ET – Ring of Combat 50 – Featuring George Sheppard vs. Jeff Lentz, Phillipe Nover vs. Dan Cion, Julio Arce vs. Thomas Vasquez and Chris Piriz vs. Leo Muniz from Jan. 23, 2015 in Atlantic City, NJ.
6:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
11:00 a.m. ET – Best of ADCC – Featuring compilations of the greatest grappling matches ever held, featuring Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Eddie Bravo, Fabricio Werdum, Marcelo Garcia, Ronaldo Souza and Royler Gracie.
12:00 p.m. ET – Elite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters taking on the renowned Thai National Team
5:00 p.m. – USA Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casber gives weekly news and analysis centering around USA Wrestling, the sport’s national governing body, including interviews, features, and a look back at the past.
5:30 p.m. ET – Judo Paris Grand Slam 2014 Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Paris Grand Slam from Feb. 8-9, 2014 in France.
11:00 p.m. ET – Enfusion Live #29: Amsterdam – Featuring Professional kickboxing from May 24, 2015 in Amsterdam, Holland.
INFORMATION:
Twitter & Instagram @fightnet
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| ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK: Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland, and Suddenlink Communications in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina.. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes in the U.S. and Canada, streamed live on website KlowdTV.com, and available on all major carriers in Canada and more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
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BELLATOR, WSOF & CFFC VETERAN STEPS IN TO FACE HEYLIGER AT NEF XIX
Lewiston, Maine (August 24, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its nineteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XIX,” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Earlier today, the promotion announced that Sidney “Da Gun” Outlaw (4-1) had stepped in to replace Brandon Chagnon (5-4) in a professional welterweight bout against Darrius Heyliger (4-2).
Outlaw is a veteran of the national stage, having competed for Bellator, World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) in the past. He trains out of Dante Rivera BJJ. Prior to going professional, Outlaw had a stellar amateur career of 7-1 and captured several regional titles across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
“This is an elite fight,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “You have two athletes who are maybe one or two solid wins away from getting the call up permanently to the major leagues of the sport. We always tell our fans to come see these guys now before you can see them on national TV and pay-per-view. This fight definitely falls in that category.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX,” takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
Marcin Tybura to defend M-1 Challenge Heavyweight Title Belt vs. Ante Delija M-1 Challenge 61 main event Sept. 20 in Ingushetia, Russia
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TICKETS FOR ‘BELLATOR 144: GALVAO VS. DANTAS 2’ ON SALE NOW
WELTERWEIGHTS MICHAEL ‘VENOM’ PAGE AND ‘IRISH’ BRENNAN WARD RETURN TO MOHEGAN SUN ARENA ON OCTOBER 23
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (August 21, 2015) – Tickets are on sale now for Bellator MMA’s return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Friday, Oct. 23. “Bellator 144: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” pits two former training partners against one another in a highly anticipated rematch between current bantamweight champion Marcos “Loro” Galvao (17-6-1) and former titlist Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (17-4).
Additionally, highly touted welterweights Michael “Venom” Page (8-0) and “Irish” Brennan Ward (11-3) will return to Mohegan Sun Arena, where both fighters scored brutal knockout victories at July’s “Bellator 140: Lima vs Koreshkov,” resulting in each man earning a spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10. Opponents for both Page and Ward will be announced in the near future.
Both London’s Page and Connecticut’s Ward will be featured on the televised portion of “Bellator 144: Galvao vs. Dantas,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET. Additional fights will be announced shortly.
Tickets for “Bellator 144: Galvao vs. Dantas,” which start at just $25, go on sale TODAY Friday, August 21 at Ticketmaster.com and the Mohegan Sun Arena box office. Doors for the event open at 6:00 p.m. ET local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.
HARVEY PREDICTS FIGHT TO THE FINISH WITH DIBARTOLOMEO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (August 21, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its nineteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XIX: HOMECOMING,” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Headlining the amateur portion of the fight card will be Josh Harvey (4-1) defending the NEF MMA Amateur Lightweight Title against Ryan Dibartolomeo(4-3). Recently, Harvey was the guest of NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson on the NEF Podcast.
Harvey was introduced to the mats early in life. He started wrestling in junior high school and continued through his high school years. He began boxing at the age of 15 and trained in the ring for the next seven years. It was not until he attended “NEF VIII: Nations Collide” in Bangor that Harvey realized he could have a future in the sport of MMA.
“When NEF came to Bangor and I watched Ray Wood capture the title, and I remembered him from high school wrestling, that was my cue to get in on this,” said Harvey. “I knew it was a true possibility to go somewhere in MMA. After college, there’s nowhere for wrestlers to go. MMA, that’s the outlet. That’s why you see wrestlers dominating in MMA all the way to the top.”
Soon after the event, then Young’s MMA wrestling coach Mark Heathcote reached out to Harvey through Facebook to invite him to train with the team. Harvey quickly found a home at the Bangor gym founded by Chris Young. He joined in on the massive success the team had already found in the MMA cages of New England.
“I was greeted very warmly at Young’s,” Harvey recalled. “Everyone was very kind over there. Bruce (Boyington, current NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Champion) was the first person to take me, not to say under his wing, but to get together outside of the gym and we became friends. As far as the success Young’s has had as a team, I’m not gonna say you can chalk it all up to superior coaching, but we’ve got the best around, at least in this state, possibly in New England.”
On his way to claiming the NEF MMA Amateur Lightweight Championship this past June, Harvey finished all three of his NEF opponents in a total of just over three minutes. Harvey, however, sees his future in the sport in the featherweight division.
“I don’t train to finish them all in the first round,” said Harvey. “That’s just how it wound up. Maybe you’ll see me go the distance as the competition gets thicker. That’s why I love this fight with Ryan (Dibartolomeo). He is, I believe, ranked number-two, so this is a good way to find out where I lay in that level. I’m not a 55er. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a 45er that’s fighting at 55. Best 45er? Amateur in New England? Yes. The game’s gonna change when I go professional. We’ll see where I stack up there.”
When Harvey began discussing potential opponents for “NEF XIX” with NEF matchmakers, he was very clear that he wanted the toughest opponent they could find for him. If he wanted tough, he will get just that in Ryan Dibartolomeo. Dibartolomeo is out of John Fain’s Team Triumph/Boston BJJ of Nashua, New Hampshire. After dropping his first three, Dibartolomeo has won his last four fights in a row, an impressive streak that began at “NEF X” in September 2013.
“All his fights that he’s won have been by decision,” said Harvey. “In my mind, he let the judges win those fights for him. Fights aren’t won by judges. Fights are won by fighters. My prediction is it’s gonna be a finish. I’m gonna go out there, kill or be killed. He’s either gonna finish me or I’m gonna finish him. That’s how it’s gonna happen.”
You can listen to the entire NEF Podcast interview atwww.NewEnglandFights.com/Podcasts/
You can follow Josh Harvey on his official Facebook fan page “hookonharvey.” For more information on Young’s MMA, please visit their Facebook page “Young’s MMA.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX: HOMECOMING,” takes place onSaturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX: HOMECOMING” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
FORMER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION PAT CURRAN FACES JUSTIN LAWRENCE AT ‘BELLATOR 145: VENGEANCE’
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (August 20, 2015) – Bellator MMA’s Featherweight Championship will be defended in the main event of“Bellator 145: Vengeance,” but another exciting 145-pound tilt will also emanate from Scottrade Center in Saint Louis on November 6, when former champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (21-7) meets Justin “The American Kid” Lawrence (8-2).
The contest will take place during the main card of “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET.
Top billing at the November 6 event features two world title bouts. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (24-2) defends his strap against Daniel Straus (23-6) and Will “Ill Will” Brooks (16-1) meets submission specialist Marcin Held (21-3) with the 155-pound belt on the line.“Bellator 145: Vengeance” on Spike will also feature Michael Chandler (13-3) and heavyweight Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (13-2) competing inside the Bellator MMA cage. Opponents for both fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which start at just $30, go on sale TOMORROW at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.com and at theFord Box Office at Scottrade Center. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.
Curran is a multi-time Bellator MMA tournament winner, emerging victorious in lightweight and featherweight iterations of the competition. “Paddy Mike” holds an impressive 11-4 record under the Bellator MMA banner and has been involved in some of the promotion’s most enduring fights, including his last-minute title win against Daniel Straus at “Bellator 112: Curran vs. Straus 2.” The 27-year-old bounced back from a two-fight skid to defeat Emmanuel Sanchez at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov” in July.
Making his promotional debut during the preliminary card of the record-breaking “Bellator 138: Unfinished Business” event,Lawrence’s finish of Sean Wilson was so impressive, it made its way to the Spike telecast. “The American Kid” is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor who went on to win the Resurrection Fighting Alliance title before signing with the Scott Coker-led promotion in early 2015. The Power MMA product has won four straight tilts and finished the last two within the first five minutes of action.
“Bellator 145: Vengeance” Updated Fight Card
Bellator Featherweight World Title Bout: Patricio Freire (24-2) vs. Daniel Straus (23-6)
Bellator Lightweight World Title Bout: Will Brooks (16-1) vs. Marcin Held (21-3)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Pat Curran (21-7) vs. Justin Lawrence (7-2)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Michael Chandler (13-3) vs. TBD
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Bout: Bobby Lashley (13-2) vs. TBD