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“Rampage” faces M’Pumbu & “King Mo” battles Zayats in Light Heavyweight Tourney Opening round February 28th From Mohegan Sun


Bellator MMA returns to Spike TV with a bang as the promotion kicks off its tenth season Friday, February 28 at 9pm ET/PT. The star-studded card includes the tournament debut of MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Emanating from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun, the night features Rampage in a Light Heavyweight opening round battle with former Champion Christian M’Pumbu, while King Mo Lawal returns to face Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats. The night will also feature the start of the Season 10 Featherweight Tournament. The official sponsors of Spike TV’s Bellator MMA Season 10 are Miller Lite and Dave & Buster’s.

After making his mark with his first round knockout victory over Joey Beltran, Rampage is ready to put himself through The Toughest Tournament In Sports and earn a Bellator title shot.

“This is what Bellator is all about,” Rampage said. “I’ve never felt better, and now it’s about getting the belt. Bellator is all about the tournaments, and if that’s what you need to do to get that belt, that’s what I’m going to do. M’Pumbu is up first, and when I finish him, it’s King Mo or Zayats, and then it’s onto the belt, simple as that.”

For Lawal, the former title contender has heard the critics and is looking for vengeance after suffering his second loss to Emanuel Newton. As the tournament moves closer, King Mo only has one thing on his mind. Getting the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m changing up my whole game plan, and you are going to see a new fighter,” Mo said. “That’s just not me. I know what I do, I know who I am, and that’s who you are going to see on February 28th, plain and simple. Me. It’s all about getting that belt.”

Bellator MMA, which features The Toughest Tournament in Sports, will showcase five tournaments this season in different weight classes including featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. The 12-week season, airing on Fridays at 9pm on Spike TV, will showcase many of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters from around the world in venues spanning across North America.

“Since we first partnered with Quinton, I’ve been working with him to get everything set for his inclusion in a Bellator tournament,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Working together, we’ve now made that a reality. This is without question the deepest Light Heavyweight Tournament we’ve ever done. Rampage, M’Pumbu, Zayats and Mo are all monsters and I can’t think of a better way to kick off our tenth season on Spike.”

Additional fight card information for Bellator 110 will be made available in the coming weeks.

Bellator Adds Featherweight Tournament to Already Stacked Bellator 110 at Mohegan Sun on Friday, February 28th Live on Spike TV


The Toughest Tournament in Sports will debut the opening rounds of the Bellator Season 10 Featherweight Tournament from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun on Friday, February 28th live on Spike TV. The night will also feature the Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinals as MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and former champion Christian M’Pumbu clash while King Mo Lawal takes on Russian powerhouse Mikhail Zayats.

In one of the most stacked Bellator divisions, Connecticut’s own Matt Bessette will face the Brazilian striker Diego “Guns” Nunes in the featherweight opening round. With a Bellator tournament run already under his belt, Nunes is ready to take the next step toward his chance to fight for the world title. For Bessette, facing Nunes will be his toughest opponent thus far in his career and he is ready to show his home state the hard work and preparation he has put in to propel his career to the next level.

“I am always excited to fight for Bellator,” Bessette said. “To be chosen to compete in the Toughest Tournament In Sports is life changing and I am happy to be given this opportunity. If I am preparing to fight the best at all times, I’ll always be ready come fight night and I have been ready for months now. Connecticut is home and Mohegan Sun will be on fire when I am in the cage on February 28th.”

No stranger to the Bellator cage, Mike Richman will look to collect another knockout as he faces the young and hungry Desmond Green. After a fierce back and forth battle against Frodo Khasbulaev in the Bellator Season 8 Tournament Final that eventually saw Khasbulaev with his hand raised in victory, Richman will stop at nothing to get back to the finals this season.

“If feels great to be back in the tournament,” Richman said. “No questions asked, I’m coming hard this tournament. Des Green is a tough grinder and he thinks he will take me down and keep me there, I guess we will have to wait and see. He won’t see my speed, but he will feel my power.”

Entering the Toughest Tournament In Sports for the first time, Scott Cleve heads into battle against the highly-talented German finisher Daniel Weichel. With 39 professional fights under his belt, Weichel has recorded 19 victories via submission, including three submission wins in his last three fights. In order to get past the submission-artist, Cleve plans on using the momentum from his current six-fight win streak and knows he will have to be one step ahead of Weichel to advance in the tournament.

“I’ve been working hard getting ready for this tournament and I feel more than ready,” Cleve said. “I almost feel like I can go into this fight with nothing to lose. I think that my speed and ground game will be my biggest asset. Weichel is very experienced and I have to be ready for a war.”

In a battle of fast finishers, a fight between Goiti Yamauchi and Binns Managements own Will Martinez will close out the tournament bracket. At only 21 years of age, Yamauchi steps under the bright lights with impressive 16-1 professional record, including 12 first-round victories. In a fight that will be Martinez’s toughest test yet, he is confident that he will hold his own against Yamauchi heading into this fight riding a seven-fight win streak all ending in the first round.

“I am excited beyond belief to be able to participate in the featherweight tournament,” Martinez said. “I feel like I have all of the pieces in place to make a successful run at the title. Goiti is a great fighter and the toughest opponent I have faced yet. We both love to finish fights as quick as possible. I would love to end this fight with a first round submission, but I am ready for a three-round war.”

BELLATOR 110:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (33-11) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (18-5)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (11-3) vs. Mikhail Zayats (22-7)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (18-5) vs. Matt Bessette (12-4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (16-3) vs. Desmond Green (9-2)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (31-8) vs. Scott Cleve (14-3)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (16-1) vs. Will Martinez (8-2)

Bellator MMA 110 Fight Card Finalized for Feb. 28


Bellator MMA returns to Spike TV in explosive fashion as the promotion kicks off its tenth season Friday, February 28 at 9pm EST/PST. The event features MMA superstar Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a Light Heavyweight opening round battle with former World Champion Christian M'Pumbu, while King Mo Lawal returns to face Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats. The night will also feature the start of the Season 10 Featherweight Tournament and a card full of local talent.

Two of Connecticut's best will battle as Andrew Calandrelli will fight fellow Connecticut native Ryan Quinn in hopes to improve his two-fight win streak. Calandrelli has won three of his last four victories via submission, but will have to hold off Quinn who maintains a perfect 5-0 Bellator record.

After making his Bellator debut in September and defeating Parker Porter with a first round KO, Josh Diekman will return to the cage and face Chris Birchler. Looking to finish the fight as quickly as possible, Diekman has won 13 of his 14 professional victories by first round finish.

Combining for 56 professional fights, Egidijus Valavicius will face Atanas Djambazov in a battle of light heavyweights. Valavicius has won seven of his previous eight fights and is looking to grab another knockout against Djambazov on February 28th.

After recording his first professional victory against Glenn Allaire by first round knockout at Bellator 98, Rico Disciullo will face Jake Smith. Putting his talents to the test, Smith will step under the bright lights for the first time and make his professional debut in a bantamweight battle against Disciullo.

No stranger to the MMA game, Dave Roberts will return to the cage after a six years absence from the sport and will fight the heavy-handed Pat Schultz. Known for his knockout power, Schultz has won seven of his eight professional victories by knockout, four coming in the first round.

Nine of New England's premier athletes will be featured on the preliminary card and all of the preliminary fights will be streamed live and free on Spike.com starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The full fight card is listed below.


BELLATOR 110 MAIN CARD:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (33-11) vs. Christian M'Pumbu (18-5)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (11-3) vs. Mikhail Zayats (22-7)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (18-5) vs. Matt Bessette (12-4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (16-3) vs. Desmond Green (9-2)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (31-8) vs. Scott Cleve (14-3)

BELLATOR 110 PRELIMINARY CARD:

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (16-1) vs. Will Martinez (8-2)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Egidijus Valavicius (25-10) vs. Atanas Djambazov (18-3)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Andrew Fisher (12-5-1) vs. Saul Almeida (13-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Ryan Quinn (8-4-1) vs. Andrew Calandrelli (6-3)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Chris Birchler (5-1) vs. Josh Diekman (14-5)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Jake Smith (Debut) vs. Rico DiSciullo (1-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Pat Schultz (8-2-1) vs. Dave Roberts (5-8)