Tag Archives: Raphael Butler

LEGENDARY MMA GREATS SET TO MEET FANS DURING BELLATOR MMA FAN FEST AT CONNECTICUT’S DAVE AND BUSTERS

February 19, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

“The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko Returns to America to Join Fellow Legends of MMA Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz & Ken Shamrock at Fan Fest Prior to Friday’s “Bellator: The British Invasion” Event at Mohegan Sun

WHAT:	Bellator Fan Fest at Dave and Busters Fans of all ages are invited to Dave and Busters in Manchester, CT to meet and get autographs from some of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Fans will also have the opportunity to win tickets and great prizes, as well as snap a photograph with the Bellator ring girls.
WHERE:	Dave and Busters 100 Buckland Hills Dr. Manchester, CT
WHEN:	Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. ET
WHO:	Widely considered to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko is one of the most revered and respected fighters the sport has ever seen. Stone-faced and quiet, Emelianenko boasted one of the most impressive unbeaten streaks in the history of the sport. A multi-time World Champion in MMA and Sambo, Fedor returns to America for the first time in several years to participate in the “Bellator: British Invasion” fight week festivities. The name Gracie is synonymous with MMA, and that is largely in part to Royce Gracie, the man who is considered to have invented the sport as we know it today. The winner of the first several UFC events, Gracie would dismantle multiple opponents in a single night, many of whom were much larger than him. For many years there was no answer for the Gracie Jiu Jitsu technique that he brought into a fight. Today, it’s hard to find an MMA fighter who hasn’t trained in the art of jiu jitsu. Tito Ortiz is an undisputed legend of the sport who still fights for Bellator. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion is one of the fiercest competitors the sport has ever seen. With a rabid fan-base supporting him, his last fight at Bellator 131 against Stephan Bonnar drew over 2 million viewers! When Ken Shamrock participated in UFC 1, he already had three professional MMA bouts to his name. Much like the other legends, Shamrock is recognized internationally wherever he goes. Shamrock competed in, and won championships at several fighting organizations including UFC, Pancrase, Pride, King of the Ring, as well as WWF and TNA.
FIGHT INFO:	Bellator MMA returns to The Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, February 27 for “Bellator: The British Invasion” featuring four of the UK’s biggest and brightest MMA stars fighting on American soil. Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton defends his title against Liam McGeary in the headlining match, while “King Mo” Lawal meets Cheick Kongo in a heavyweight superfight. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office. FULL MEDIA FIGHT WEEK SCHEDULE 30 second event commercial spot

Bellator: British Invasion” – Friday, February 27, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Champ Emanuel Newton (25-7) vs. Liam McGeary (9-0)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (35-13) vs. Andre Santos (37-9)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Cheick Kongo (22-9-2) vs. “King Mo” Lawal (14-4)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Rameau Sokoudjou (16-12) vs. Linton Vassell (14-4)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Michael Page (7-0) vs. Curtis Millender (7-0)

Preliminary Card (6:45 p.m. ET)

Bellator Featherweight Dark Fight: Matt Bessette (13-6) vs. Josh Laberge (9-4)

Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Raphael Butler (8-1-1) vs. Josh Diekmann (15-5)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Brennan Ward (9-3)

Bellator Middleweight Prelim Fight: Jason Butcher (8-1) vs. Tamdan McCrory (12-3)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Bobby Flynn (4-2) vs. Neiman Gracie (2-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Marvin Maldonado (2-2) vs. Blair Tugman (6-5)

Dark Bout (approx. 11 p.m. ET)

Bellator Lightweight Dark Fight: Michael Mangan (0-2) vs. Dean Hancock (Pro Debut)

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Access the application for each fight by clicking on the banner below

Bellator, mixed martial arts

WATCH PARTY: BELLATOR’S COUNTDOWN TO THE BRITISH INVASION

February 18, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Take a closer look at Bellator’s talented team of fighters from the U.K. Paul Daley, Michael Page, Linton Vassell and Liam McGeary, as they prepare to invade the U.S. on February 27th at “Bellator: The British Invasion,” which takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

The highly anticipated event airs LIVE and FREE on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.

Countdown follows Team U.K. to London England for a look at their training, family life and a personal tour of their home land.

Grab some popcorn and click the image below to view the video!

Once you’re done enjoying it you can share it with your friends and family, so that they can watch it also.

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Bellator, mixed martial arts

“Bellator MMA: British Invasion” adds seven preliminary contests, including Butler vs. Diekmann, Juarez vs. Ward, Butcher vs. McCrory

February 7, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Easy Tweet: “BellatorMMA: #TheBritishInvasion prelim card is set w/ East Coast scrappers @ragingcannoli, @SwaggleBerryFin & #TamdanMcCory: bit.ly/1KjDoAM“

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (February 4, 2015) – Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton (25-7) puts his title on the line against undefeated Englishman Liam McGeary (9-0) in the main event of “Bellator MMA: British Invasion” on Feb. 27, and with a five-fight Spike TV-televised main card already in place, the night’s six-fight Spike.com-streamed preliminary card is now set, as well.

The official additions to the preliminary card include heavyweights Raphael “The Silencer” Butler(8-1-1) vs. Josh “The Freight Train” Diekmann (15-5), welterweights Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Brennan “The Irish Bad Boy” Ward (9-3) and middleweights Jason Butcher (8-1) vs. Tamdan “The Barn Cat” McCrory (12-3), welterweights Bobby Flynn (4-2) vs. Neiman Gracie (2-0), bantamweights Marvin “The Bulldog” Maldonado (2-3) vs. Blair Tugman (6-5) and bantamweights Randy Costa (0-0) vs. Carlos Hernandez (1-1).

A seventh preliminary bout, featuring six-time Bellator MMA veteran Matt “The Mangler” Bessette (13-6) against fellow featherweight Josh LaBerge (9-4) – who enters the bout on a seven-fight winning streak – takes place after the night’s Spike TV-broadcast main card and is being held exclusively for the evening’s live audience.

Tickets for “Bellator: British Invasion,” which start at just $25, are already on sale at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. The night’s finalized lineup will be announced shortly.

The three new matchups all stream live on Spike.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. PT local time) and precede the evening’s five-fight Spike TV-televised main card (9 p.m. ET).

Butler, of Rochester, Minn., has been fighting professionally since 2010 and opened his career with nine consecutive victories, including three-straight knockout wins under the Bellator MMA banner. The 31-year-old slugger has fought to a decision just once in his professional career and owns six career knockout wins and two victories by submission. Meanwhile, Diekmann, of Groton, Conn., is also a heavy-handed slugger who boasts 11 career victories by knockout and another four by submission. The 38-year-old heavyweight owns a pair of Bellator MMA wins – both of which averaged just under one minute in length.

Juarez, of Torrance, Calif., is a familiar face on the West Coast fight scene who has been competing professionally since 2006. The 33-year-old made his Bellator MMA debut in the promotion’s second event and has since earned a 6-1 mark competing for the promotion. He now meets Ward, of Waterford, Conn., a onetime Bellator MMA Middleweight Title Challenger who has been competing exclusively for the promotion since 2012. The 26-year-old former Division III All-American wrestler has developed into a heavy-handed mixed-martial-artist, owning six career wins by knockout.

Butcher, of Huntington, W.V., is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Jorge Gurgel who makes his seventh appearance for Bellator MMA. All eight of Butcher’s career wins have come by way of finish, with five submissions and three knockouts, while his lone loss came by way of decision. McCrory, of Cortland, N.Y., recently returned from a five-year layoff to register a devastating first-round knockout victory, needed just 21 seconds to secure the win.

Flynn, of Mashpee, Mass., competes under the Bellator MMA banner for the first time and has never fought to a judges’ decision in six professional contests. He meets New York resident Gracie, a Renzo Gracie pupil who also makes his Bellator MMA debut.

Maldonado, of Latham, N.Y., is also a Renzo Gracie fighter who has made two previous Bellator MMA appearances but is still in search of his first win. He meets Tugman, of North Haven, Conn., who earned a Bellator MMA win over Brandon Fleming in September.

Costa, of Tauton, Mass., makes his professional debut against Hernandez, of Lynn, Mass., who has earned split results in his first two contests.

“Bellator: British Invasion” – Friday, February 27, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.