Bellator 62 - Information

[keithlewis]

Martinez, Alexander Set for Bellator 62 Preliminary Card


Bellator Fighting Championships returns to Texas for the first time since the promotion’s third season as Bellator 62 kicks off from the Laredo Energy Arena on March 23. The night features the long-awaited rematch between “The American Soldier” Eric Prindle (@EricPrindleMMA) and Thiago “Big Monster” Santos (@BigMonsterMMA) to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament, as well as the quarterfinals of Bellator’s $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament and a host of Texas’ top MMA talent.

Laredo favorite Sonny Luque is back after being away from the cage for over a year. He’ll meet Brownsville native Luis Vega, who enters the fight with an impressive 7-2 record and brings a six fight win streak into the cage.

The always inspirational Rad Martinez is back with Bellator and will be in a featherweight battle with Amarillo native Douglas Frey. A dedicated family man, many MMA observers are familiar with Martinez after his incredible journey was documented on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” Click here to see more on Rad’s incredible story.

Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexander looks to continue his ascent up the MMA ranks with a victory in Laredo. Alexander is known for his world class kickboxing, and will put his skills on display against El Paso native Oscar de la Parra in a lightweight affair.

Welterweights collide as Joseph Daily is set to battle Dallas native Sean “Black Magik” Spencer. Both 170 pounders have been climbing up the welterweight rankings, and will be looking to keep their momentum intact.

McKinney native Steven Peterson is ready for action as he steps into the Bellator cage against Dallas resident Chris Jones. Both impressive featherweights hold identical 6-1 records.

Two familiar faces return as lightweights Jacob Kirwan and Dave Jansen do battle. Kirwin is coming off an impressive victory at Bellator 54, while Jansen is 2-0 in his Bellator career, including a dominating submission victory at Bellator 57 over Ashkan Morvari.

[keithlewis]

Prindle-Santos Heavyweight Final Added to Bellator 62


Everything is bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. Bellator Fighting Championships returns to The Lone Star State on Friday, March 23rd with a completely stacked night of fights at Bellator 62 live from the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas. The night will feature the long-awaited rematch between “The American Soldier” Eric Prindle (@EricPrindleMMA) and Thiago “Big Monster” Santos (@BigMonsterMMA) to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament. The night’s main event, which was originally scheduled for Bellator 61 on March 16, was moved to this Friday because of a commission mandate due to Prindle battling flu-like symptoms. Despite the minor setback, “The American Soldier” is itching to not only get his hands on Santos, but to get that heavyweight gold.

“I’m just ready to get into the cage and end this,” Prindle said. “I’m a warrior and want my shot against Konrad.”

But Thiago “Big Monster” Santos doesn’t agree with Prindle’s game plan; and the colossal Brazillian wants to make sure that he’s the one that earns the $100 K and world heavyweight title shot.

“Now I’ve just got one more week to train and one more week to think about winning,” Santos said. “It sounds like Eric may have been sick, and I don’t want to fight with any excuses. I want to beat him at 100 percent.”

“It makes sense that this huge fight between two Heavyweights is coming to Texas,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “When Oscar Enriquez and his team at Ultimate Warrior Fighting approached me about bringing Bellator live on MTV2 to Laredo, he had all of the right pieces in place and he made the decision an easy one. With our first trip to Laredo already packed with world class talent, adding this Championship fight makes this one of the best event line-ups we’ve ever put together.”

Not only will Bellator 62 decide Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Cole Konrad’s next title opponent, but the talent-laden Laredo card will also feature the quarterfinals of Bellator’s $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament as well a host of Texas’ top MMA talent.

Coming off an explosive knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino at Bellator 59, Patricky Pitbull (@PatrickyPitbull) is back and looking to start his ascent toward a title shot with a quarterfinal matchup against fan-favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (@mmacupcake). Patricky has produced a number of incredible Bellator “YouTube Moments” and has his sights set on adding another highlight to his collection.

Former U.S. Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn (@RickHawnmma) is making the drop to lightweight and meets the dangerous Ricardo Tirloni (@Tirlonimma). Hawn compiled an impressive 11-1 record as a welterweight, but is confident the drop in weight will make him even more dangerous.

“I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament,” Hawn said. “Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run in my last welterweight tournament, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage over everyone else.”

Also making the drop to lightweight is longtime Bellator veteran Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman). Always looking for a finish, “Weedman Nation” will be on full display as he battles Bellator newcomer J.J. Ambrose (@SuperJJAmbrose).

“I’ve already tested myself with a lightweight weight cut and I felt great,” Weedman said. “Over the last year, I’ve felt a little undersized as a welterweight, so I think lightweight is going to be a great spot for me. I’m excited to show off my new skills, and this tournament is stacked, so we’re going to put on a show this season.”

Rounding out an absolutely loaded tournament class, Rene “The Brazilian Bomber” Nazare (@Nazaremma) will square off with top prospect Thiago Michel. A product of Team Bombsquad, Nazare always has his eye on delivering the knockout, and nothing will change on March 23rd.