New York, NY, April 7, 2016 – Matt Mitrione, a former NFL defensive lineman and current Bellator MMA heavyweight will join Bellator MMA play-by-play announcer and The Voice of the Boston Celtics, Sean Grande as the broadcast duo for Bellator’s inaugural kickboxing event, “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” on Saturday, April 16 from the historic Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy. The announcement was jointly made today by Bellator President Scott Coker and Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports and Specials, Spike TV.
Mitrione joined Bellator MMA in early March after a stellar start to his career in the UFC. His 14-bout stint with that promotion began in 2009 on “The Ultimate Fighter,” airing on Spike. His list of formidable opponents included: Kimbo Slice, Gabriel Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Derrick Lewis, Brendan Schaub, Roy Nelson, Shawn Jordan, and Travis Browne among others.
Prior to competing in MMA, Mitrione earned a scholarship to play defensive tackle for the Purdue Boilermakers, not far from where he grew up in Springfield, Ill. After college, he played in the NFL for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings until 2005.
Sean Grande has served as Bellator’s play-by-play announcer since July of 2015. Completing his 18th season in the NBA and 15th as the voice of the Boston Celtics, Grande’s epic account of the two-month run to the 2008 World Championship cemented his status as one of the nation’s elite play-callers. He is joined by analyst Cedric Maxwell for all Boston Celtics games. Since shortly after their 2001 pairing, “Grande and Max” have become one of Boston’s most popular and iconic on-air combinations.
On May 20, 2013, Grande made his Major League Baseball debut, after being named the alternate play-by-play voice of the World Champion Boston Red Sox. It completed his cycle of broadcasting major pro sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA and MLS).
“Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” will be televised Friday, April 22 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” on Spike.
Complete “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” Fight Card:
Bellator Kickboxing Middleweight Main Event: Melvin Manhoef (37-12) vs. Alexandru Negrea (8-2)
Bellator Kickboxing 165-Pound Feature Bout: Mustapha Haida (37-3-3) vs. Karim Ghajji (95-12)
Bellator Kickboxing Welterweight Featur
Bellator Kickboxing Flyweight Feature Bout: Denise Kielholtz (43-2) vs. Veronica Vernocchi (31-6-1)
Bellator Kickboxing Bantamweight Featur