Bellator Prepares To Invade The Midwest

[keithlewis]

For Immediate Release

Bellator Prepares To Invade The Midwest


Los Angeles, Calif. — April 10, 2009 — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today a lineup of highly anticipated fights taking place in world-class arenas in Oklahoma and Ohio.

The third event of the 12-week tournament series airing on ESPN Deportes will take place at the University of Oklahoma at Norman on April 17, 2009. The event will be held in the Lloyd Noble Center, home of the world-renowned Oklahoma Sooners. In addition to the announcement of updated fight card for the event at the Lloyd Noble Center, Bellator has confirmed that the first round of Bellator’s Semi-Final rounds (with a $50,000 prize for each winner) will be held May 1, 2009 at the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH.

“Fans in the Midwest are some of the fiercest MMA fans in the country and we are thrilled to be bringing a collection of electrifying single elimination, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final world championship tournament fights to Oklahoma and Ohio,” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney.

Bellator III on Friday, April 17, 2009 will feature a collection of highly-competitive, action-packed tournament bouts, including all four Middleweight (185 lbs.) first-round tournament bouts. Oklahoma-native and multiple-time state wrestling Champions, Jared Hess will go up against Spain’s greatest Middleweight MMA fighter, Daniel Tabera. According to Tabera, “I crossed the ocean to win this entire tournament and Jared is the first fighter I will beat.”

This spectacular event also features former UFC Champion Dave Menne in his first round tournament fight as well as one of the world’s best Middleweights, Hector Lombard. Also featured on April 17 will be a collection of special feature bouts, including the debut of Kerry Vera, wife of famed mixed martial artist Brandon Vera, and two very explosive heavyweight match-ups.

Tickets are on sale now at the Lloyd Nobel Center box office and through Ticketmaster. Ticket prices start at $20.00 for students with student identification and go up to $100.00 for cage-side seating. The match-ups on the event’s fight card are detailed below:

Tournament Bouts:
185 lbs. – Jared Hess (6-0-1) vs. Daniel Tabera (12-1-3)
185 lbs. – Alex Andrade (8-4) vs. Damien Stelly (8-2)
185 lbs. – Virgil Lozano (6-1) vs. Hector Lombard (18-2)
170 lbs. – Dave Menne (42-15-2) vs. Norman Paraisy (5-0)
185 lbs. – Edwin Aguilar (20-12) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (7-1)

Non-Tournament Bouts:
Light Heavyweight 205 lbs. – Mike Messina (2-1) vs. William Albrecht (5-6)
Heavyweight – Amedio Viola (0-1) vs. Tyler East (2-0)
Heavyweight – Jay White (4-5) vs. Eddie Sanchez (8-3)
Light Heavyweight 205 lbs. – Rudy Lindsay (0-0) vs. Wayne Cole (13-9)

Bellator Fighting Championships’ May 1, 2009 event at the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH will include the first semi-final bouts of Bellator’s 12-week, 4-weightclass tournament, featuring a spectacular Lightweight match-up between Jorge Masvidal and Toby Imada, as well as Eddie Alvarez versus the winner of the first round fight between Eric Reynolds and Thomas Schulte.

Not only will fans watch as the winners of these match-ups advance to the Lightweight Championship, but this fight card will also feature Sherman Pendergarst, Joey Beltran and Dave Herman in feature fights from their divisions.

A selection from the Bellator Fighting Championships’ Hara Arena fight card is listed as follows:

Tournament Bouts:
155 lbs. – Eddie Alvarez (16-2) vs. Winner of the Thomas Schulte/Eric Reynolds bout on April 10, 2009
155 lbs. – Jorge Masvidal (16-3) vs. Toby Imada (18-10)

Non-Tournament Bouts:
Heavyweight – Dave Herman (15-1) vs. Josh Barnes (1-1)
Heavyweight – Joey Beltran (6-2) vs. Sherman Pendergarst (11-12)
155 lbs. – Troy Gerhart (20-12) vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo (5-1)

Tickets for Bellator Fighting Championships’ event at Hara Arena are available for $19, $49 and $99 now at Ticketmaster.com.

The fight card previously scheduled for the World Arena in Colorado Springs, CO has been shifted to the Lloyd Noble Center and Hara Arena fight cards. “First and foremost, Bellator is focused on giving its fighters the best chance to succeed in the tournament and take control of their own destinies. This shift gives all of the Lightweight division fighter’s sufficient time to get back into top fighting condition before their semi-final bouts, ensuring that they are ready and fully prepared to compete on the highest level,” said Rebney.

Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events to be broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights on ESPN Deportes. The English-language broadcast becomes available on http://www.Bellator.com each Wednesday. The nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There are four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season one over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.

For more information about Bellator Fighting Championships, visit http://www.Bellator.com. The Spanish version of the website is available at http://www.Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.