RAFAEL CARVALHO SET TO DEFEND MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST MELVIN MANHOEF AT ‘BELLATOR 155’ ON MAY 20

PAT CURRAN RETURNS AGAINST GEORGI KARAKHANYAN IN FEATHERWEIGHT ACTION

Raug Monica, California. (Lub ob hlis ntuj 26, 2016) - Rafael Carvalho (12-1) will make his first defense of the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship against heavy-handed Melvin "Tsis hlub" Manhoef (30-12-1) nyob rau hauv lub ntsiab kev tshwm sim ntawm "Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef " on May 20 ntawm CenturyLink Arena nyob rau hauv Boise, Idaho.

 

Nyob rau hauv lub co-ntsiab kev tshwm sim, former Bellator MMA Featherweight Titlist Pat Curran (21-7) yuav rov qab mus ua hauj lwm rau tus thawj lub sij hawm txij li thaum lub rau hli ntuj, when he faces the always-dangerous Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1).

 

Daim pib rau "Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef " pib ntawm cia li $25 and go on sale next Friday, Lub peb hlis ntuj 4 ntawm Bellator.com, the CenturyLink Arena Box Office, CenturyLinkArenaBoise.com or by phone at 208-331-TIXS.

 

"Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef " airs nyob thiab dawb nyob rau ntawm cov ntsia hlau loj ntawm 9 p.m. THIAB/8 p.m. I, thaum ua ntej bouts yuav kwj nyob rau Bellator.com thiab Lub Bellator Mobile App. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Carvalho’s second-round body kick knockout of Brandon Halsey ntawm "Bellator 144: Halsey vs. Carvalho” was the third biggest oddsmaker upset in 2015, and extended his current winning streak to 12. The 29-year-old will be making his fourth appearance under the Bellator MMA banner and has an impressive finishing rate of 83 feem pua.

With a resume of knockouts as violent as Manhoef, it’s no surprise the Dutch competitor has been given the nickname of “No Mercy.” Known for his relentless striking style, the former K-1 and Strikeforce competitor is fresh off his emphatic knockout of Hisaki Kato ntawm "Bellator 146: Manhoef vs. Kato” nyob rau hauv Kaum ib hlis. Now the 39-year-old is in position to lay claim to the Bellator 185-pound MMA title, before returning to kickboxing competition in the newly founded Bellator Kickboxing league.

 

It’s hard to find a Bellator MMA fighter with as many memorable moments for the Scott Coker-led promotion as Pat Curran. The former featherweight kingpin has been involved in wars with fighters the likes of: current champion Daniel Straus, Patricio Freire, Daniel Weichel, thiab Joe Warren. Now “Paddy Mike” sets his sights on “Insane,” in a bout that surely has future title implications at stake.

 

Karakhanyan made a splash in his return to Bellator MMA in 2015, zawm tawm Bubba Jenkins in his first fight for the Viacom-owned promotion since 2011. Tam sim no, the Millenia MMA standout will put his knack for submitting opponents (14x) to the test against Curran, a fighter who has only been submitted once in 28-fights.

"Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” Updated Fight Card

Bellator MMA Middleweight ntiaj teb Title sib ntaus: Rafael Carvalho (12-1) vs. Melvin Manhoef (30-12-1)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Co-Main kev tshwm sim: Pat Curran (21-7) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1)

Sau ntawv cia Ncua