Gurgel, Rogers Tapped for Bellator 78 in Ohio
Bellator Fighting Championships has announced the promotion will return to Dayton, Ohio for Bellator 78 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial free HD on EPIX from Wright State's Nutter Center on Friday, October 26. The night will feature the Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Semifinals, as well as the long awaited return of Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila Gurgel.
“From Bellator 5 in Dayton to Bellator 66 in Cleveland, the state of Ohio has been great to Bellator, so we’re excited to return to Ohio and visit the Nutter Center with Ohio favorites like Brian Rogers and Zoila Gurgel,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
The night will feature the semifinals of the $100,000 Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Tournament, which begins September 28 from Caesars Atlantic City. Headlined by Lyman Good, Jim Wallhead, Marius Zaromskis and Russian phenom Andrey Koreshkov, the tournament is loaded with world class Welterweights eager to earn their guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren.
For Brian Rogers, “The Predator” is eager to get back into the Bellator cage and showcase his skills in front of the Ohio faithful. While an opponent has not been finalized, Rogers is intensely focused on getting back into the win column and re-entering a future Bellator Middleweight Tournament.
“Last time I was in Ohio it was the biggest fight of my career and I embarrassed myself and let tons of buckeye friends and family down that spent their time and money to see me fight,” said Rogers. “It's rare that a fighter at my level gets to fight near home often. Fortunately I get that opportunity again in Dayton. I owe the state of Ohio a better performance and on October 26 when bright lights come on I'm going to show up and put on a great show.”
After collecting victories over Rosi Sextton, Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii, Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel is ready to re-introduce herself to MMA fans after spending over a year on the sidelines dealing with a string of injuries. Now calling Ohio home, Gurgel will have a huge following on October 26 from The Nutter Center in Dayton.
