Amoussou makes quick work of Baker to win Welterweight Tourney, Vegh and Wiuff now meet after wins at Bellator 72

 

                                               

Daley and Zaromskis victorious in bouts from Tampa 

  

Tampa, FL. (July 20, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships made its return to “The Sunshine State” Friday night with the culmination of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament as Karl Amoussou became the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Champion while Attila Vegh and Travis Wiuff will now face off at Bellator 73 to determine the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship. Also, Paul Daley and Marius Zaromskis picked up impressive victories at Bellator 72 in Tampa, Florida from The USF Sun Dome LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX.

“Travis Wiuff continues to amaze with another completely dominating performance, while Paul “Semtex” Daley did exactly what we thought he would in his Bellator debut by delivering another brutal knockout,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “My hats off to Karl Amoussou, who came out as his usual explosive self and had everyone on their feet with a slick submission win. Amoussou vs. Askren is something I’m looking forward to, and should happen in short order.”  

For Bellator welterweights Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Karl “Psycho” Amoussou, a win Friday night would not only earn them the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Championship, but also $100,000 and a shot at Bellator Welterweight World Champion, Ben Askren. After briefly exchanging on the feet, Amoussou (16-4-2) swept the leg of Baker (18-4) and rather than taking the back, latched on to the leg of “The Beast.” Baker immediately felt the pain of the inverted heel hook and tapped quickly to halt the bout at 0:56 of the first round.        

“I’m really happy right now,” said an emotional Amoussou. “It’s been a lot of hard work, and I’m so happy to be at this point right now.”

When asked about his next challenge, reigning Bellator Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren, Amoussou didn’t hesitate.

“Lay and prayer, it’s time for you to face the Psycho. I think Bellator needs a real exciting champion. Somebody is getting knocked out, and that somebody is going to be him.”

Entering the Bellator cage for the first time Friday night, vicious striker Paul “Semtex” Daley was looking to impress Bellator brass when he met 6-time Bellator veteran, Rudy Bears at the USF Sun Dome. While Bears (14-11) appeared to have some success early on, Daley (30-12-2) ultimately showed why he is considered one of the best knockout artists in MMA. After landing a series of brutal knees to the body of Bears, Daley unloaded with a barrage of punches until the referee was forced to stop the fight at 2:45 of the first round.               

“Anybody who trades with me is getting knocked out. Much respect to Rudy Bears for stepping in here with me,” said Daley. “I’m looking to get in the tournament, and I’m going to win it.”

After choking out Zelg Galesic last month in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament, Attila Vegh was matched up with the toughest test of his career Friday night when he faced Emanuel Newton. Newton (18-7-1), was coming off a submission win of his own over Roy Boughton and looked to stop the momentum of “Pumukli.” The story throughout the fight was the aggressiveness of Newton and the counter striking of Vegh (27-4-2). For three close rounds, both men went blow for blow until a decision was rendered by the judges. Two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of Attila Vegh, who will now move on to the finals of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament.    

“It was hard to train for the awkwardness he brings. The kicks were coming out of nowhere,” said Vegh. “However, I was confident wherever the fight went. I trained for 15 minutes.”       

After earning a decisive victory over Chris Davis in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament, Travis “Diesel” Wiuff undoubtedly wanted to impose his will on Tim Carpenter when the two met Friday night in a semifinal matchup. For three rounds, Wiuff (68-14) controlled Carpenter (9-2), utilizing his takedowns and landing devastating strikes from the guard. After dominating for the entire fight, Travis Wiuff was awarded the unanimous decision victory.   

After the fight, Wiuff had choice words for Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion, Christian M’Pumbu. 

“Christian, I’m coming for you,” said Wiuff. “It’s only a matter of time, Christian. Next time I beat you, I’m taking that belt.”    

In the first fight of the evening, Bellator welterweights Waachiim Spiritwolf and Marius Zaromskis were looking to pick up where they left off in their previous contest and finally put a stamp on their epic trilogy. Throughout the fight, Zaromskis (18-6) was the aggressor, constantly moving forward and avoiding the power shots of Spiritwolf (9-11-1). Zaromskis also showed off his improved takedown defense every time Spiritwolf attempted to take the fight to the ground. After the completion of three rounds, two of the three judge’s cageside scored the fight in favor of Marius Zaromskis.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago.  Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. 

Rebney confirms, Paul “Semtex” Daley Debut at Bellator 72 This Friday will Stream Live to UK Fans on Spike.com

Bellator 72 to be streamed LIVE in its entirety to the UK via Spike.com Friday, July 20 

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 18, 2012) — When Paul Daley enters the Bellator cage for the first time on Friday, July 20 from the USF Arena in Florida, his friends, family and fans in the United Kingdom can have a front row seat to the action as it was announced today that Bellator 72 will be available on Spike.com to the entire UK viewing audience. As always, the action packed night of fights will air LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX in the United States at 8pm ET/7pm CT, or 1 AM in the United Kingdom. In addition to Daley, Friday night also features the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament as Bryan “The Beast” Baker battles Karl “Psycho” Amoussou, along with the semifinals of the Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament, and the third fight in the three fight trilogy between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf.

“Our UK fans have been incredibly patient with us we’ve worked to get Bellator distributed throughout the UK each and every week,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The single most asked question I get on line and via twitter is ‘how can I watch Bellator live in the UK?’ Well, this isn’t the long term answer, but with Semtex making his Bellator debut this week, I worked with our partners at Spike to secure the Spike.com stream live to the UK from the first streamed fight all the way through the entire televised card.  Friday should be a great, great night of fights and I’m happy our awesome fans in the UK will have the chance to see it.”

“I have a lot of fans in the UK that were desperate to see this fight, so when I got the news of Bellator on in the UK, I was thrilled to hear it,” Daley said. “I’m sure there are going to be a lot of people arranging fight night parties and things like that, and it’s just great that I know everyone has a chance to watch me in my Bellator debut.”

The full fight card for Bellator 72 is below:

MAIN CARD:

Welterweight Tournament Final Fight: Bryan Baker (18-3) vs. Karl Amoussou (15-4-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (29-12-2) vs. Rudy Bears (14-10)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Emanuel Newton (18-6-1) vs. Attila Vegh (26-4-2)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Tim Carpenter (9-1) vs. Travis Wiuff (67-14)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Waachiim Spiritwolf (9-10-1) vs. Marius Zaromskis (17-6)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Catchweight Feature Fight: Ben Saunders (13-5-2) vs. Brian Warren (18-15-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Chris Barnett (7-1) vs. Tom Sauer (25-12)

Welterweight Feature Fight:  Kenny Moss (5-2) vs. Raul Amaya (9-1)  

Featherweight Feature Fight: Matt McCook (8-5) vs. Shanon Slack (4-0)

Catchweight Feature Fight: Jason Carapelluci (6-2) vs. Paul Barrow (4-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams (2-1) vs. Ryan DeRocher (3-3)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Bellator Fighting Championships brings loaded event to USF Sun Dome on July 20th

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Daley, Baker, Amoussou, Zaromskis, Spiritwolf, Saunders and Light Heavyweight Semi-Finals headline huge Florida event

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 12, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships is headed back to “The Sunshine State” on Friday, July 20^th for Bellator 72 LIVE from The USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Featuring the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament between Bryan Baker and Karl Amoussou, Bellator 72 will also showcase the debut of dynamic knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley as well as a bad blood welterweight trilogy fight between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf. 

Additionally, the semifinals of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament will take place as Attila Vegh meets Emanuel Newton and Travis Wiuff will face Tim Carpenter. Also, a stacked preliminary card full of the area’s top talent will be in action. Tickets for Bellator 72 are on sale at all online Ticketmaster outlets as well as visiting the USF Sun Dome Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$120.

After competing in the Bellator Season 5 and Season 6 Welterweight Tournament, Ben “Killa B” Saunders will make his return to the cage as he squares off against longtime veteran, Brian Warren. Warren is currently riding a 5-fight winning streak and is looking to earn the biggest win of his career when he meets Saunders in this catchweight bout at 178lbs.

An intriguing heavyweight matchup will also be featured as once-defeated Tampa native Chris Barnett will face off against nearby Ocala fighter, Tom Sauer. Barnett, who owns notable victories over Jonathan Ivey and Kenny Garner, looks to build off back-to-back wins in his previous two outings while Sauer, a veteran of 37 professional fights, attempts to add to his impressive 3-fight winning streak.

Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinalist Raul “Smash Mode” Amaya will make his return to the Bellator cage when he meets fellow Florida fighter, Kenny Moss in a welterweight contest. “Smash Mode,” who owns a near-perfect 9-1 record with all 9 of his wins coming by stoppage, looks to get back to his winning ways when he faces Moss who is making his promotional debut inside the Bellator cage.

Undefeated wrestling phenom Shanon “The Heartbreak Kid” Slack will make his return to the Bellator cage opposite Tampa’s own, Matt McCook in a featherweight contest. Slack, a 2008 U.S. Olympic Alternate will try to build off his dominating performance over Booker Arthur at Bellator 69 while McCook faces the toughest test of his career when the two lock horns in Tampa.

A pair of local Florida fighters will meet inside the Bellator cage as Gracie Tampa product Paul Barrow will take the hometown support with him when he meets Orlando’s Jason Carapellucci in a contest at 150lbs. Carapellucci is currently in the midst of a 6-fight winning streak while Barrow, looks to upend his opponent when he enters enemy territory on July 20th.

A welterweight showdown between two Florida natives will round out the card as Ryan DeRocher battles Julien Williams, who calls Orlando home. Both competitors are known for their dynamic finishing skills and are prepared to entertain and impress the Tampa crowd when they kick start the action from The USF Sun Dome.   

MAIN CARD:

Welterweight Tournament Final Fight: Bryan Baker (18-3) vs. Karl Amoussou (15-4-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (29-12-2) vs. Rudy Bears (14-10)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Emanuel Newton (18-6-1) vs. Attila Vegh (26-4-2)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Tim Carpenter (9-1) vs. Travis Wiuff (67-14)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Waachiim Spiritwolf (9-10-1) vs. Marius Zaromskis (17-6)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Catchweight Feature Fight: Ben Saunders (13-5-2) vs. Brian Warren (18-15-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Chris Barnett (7-1) vs. Tom Sauer (25-12)

Welterweight Feature Fight:  Kenny Moss (5-2) vs. Raul Amaya (9-1)  

Featherweight Feature Fight: Matt McCook (8-5) vs. Shanon Slack (4-0)

Catchweight Feature Fight: Jason Carapelluci (6-2) vs. Paul Barrow (4-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams (2-1) vs. Ryan DeRocher (3-3)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

“Psycho” vs. “The Beast” Headlines Bellator 72 From The University of South Florida July 20

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals, plus Spiritwolf vs. Zaromskis III

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 2, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships will once again head to the Sunshine State as the promotion will host Bellator 72 from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome in Tampa on July 20 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The night will feature the Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Finals as the explosive Karl “Psycho” Amoussou takes on Bryan “The Beast” Baker, plus it’s the semifinals of the Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament and the highly anticipated trilogy fight between Waachiim Spirtwolf and Marius Zaromskis.

Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the Sun Dome Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Wal-Mart. Ticket prices range from $30 - $120.

For Amoussou, the French natural born finisher has produced fireworks throughout his impressive tournament run, collecting a devastating submission victory over Chris Lozano and a split-decision win against David Rickels in a spectacular fight in the tournament semifinals. Only one win away from a guaranteed title shot, “Psycho” knows what’s on the line July 20.

“This is the biggest fight of my career,” said Amoussou. “I’m going to win this tournament, and then I’m going to win the belt. I’m coming for Ben Askren.”

Long time Bellator veteran Bryan Baker is no stranger to tournament finals, as the former middleweight contender has three tournaments under his belt, including a Middleweight Finals appearance in 2010. With decision victories over veterans Carlos Pereira and Ben “Killa B” Saunders in the Season 6 Welterweight Tournament, Baker is ready to collect his first Bellator Tournament Title.

“I’m 100 percent focused on this fight and nothing else,” said Baker. “I want to make this a professional fight and just put on the best show possible for the fans. I know Karl is going to come out aggressive like always, and I don’t have much doubt this fight is going to end with a stoppage. I want this Tournament Championship more than anything, and I’m going to get it.”

Known across the MMA world as one of the most dynamic fighters in the game, Marius Zaromskis will once again lock horns with knockout artist and fan favorite Waachiim Spiritwolf. The two met at Bellator 68 as Zaromskis walked away with a controversial TKO victory after it was determined by ringside physicians that a cut above the right eye of Spiritwolf was too severe to continue. A 2010 matchup between the two welterweights was also marred in controversy, as their fight was stopped six seconds in due to an inadvertent eye poke to Spiritwolf. Now the score will finally be settled at Bellator 72 from The University of South Florida on July 20.

More fight information will be announced shortly….

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Global Spectrum Contact:

Sara Webster
USF Sun Dome
Director of Marketing
813-974-8924

Lightweight World Champ Chandler TKOs Gono, Baker moves to Welterweight Final & Ford KO’s Santos at Bellator 67 from Casino Rama

 Orillia, Ontario. (May 4, 2012) — Reigning Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler proved once again how dangerous he is in the cage – and this time he needed only 56 seconds to make his point as the undefeated mixed martial artist crushed proven MMA veteran Akihiro Gono with a big right hand and pounced the seasoned Japanese fighter for the first-round TKO victory Friday night in front of a packed house at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, Canada LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX. Bryan Baker had a big night as well as the red-hot welterweight now moves onto the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament with a win against Ben “Killa B” Saunders. Ryan Ford was able to score a huge comeback victory over Bellator veteran Luis “Sapo” Santos, and Damian Grabowski picked up a dominant victory in the night’s other televised bout.

“It was another spectacular night here at Casino Rama,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “The Canadian fans never disappoint and neither does Michael Chandler. With the Fight of the Year submission victory over Eddie Alvarez and now to put away a veteran such as Akihiro Gono in less than one minute, we’re witnessing something truly special. I also can’t say enough about Bryan Baker and Ryan Ford’s performances.”

For undefeated Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler, Friday night was an opportunity to build off his epic fight of the year bout with Eddie Alvarez last season and solidify himself as one of the greatest lightweight fighters in the world. In order to do that, he had to take out 18-year MMA veteran, Akihiro Gono (32-18). Almost immediately, Chandler began to stalk Gono, forcing the Japanese fighter to back pedal. As he pushed forward, Chandler landed a brutal straight right hand that put Gono on the mat. Chandler quickly jumped on top of Gono and unleashed vicious strikes that forced the referee stoppage at 56 seconds into the first round.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do, by no means am I complacent,” said Chandler. “I promise you I’m going to be the best lightweight in the world.”

With the TKO win, reigning Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler improved his record to 10-0 and will meet the winner of the Rick Hawn vs. Brent Weedman finals match that will take place later this year.

Ben Saunders and Bryan Baker have both been vocal about their disappointment with their previous performances in the quarterfinal round of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament. 

Both men were looking to come out and redeem themselves by putting on a dominant performance in front of the fans at Casino Rama. Through three rounds of back-and-forth action, both fighters displayed the crafty skills that have made them fan favorites when competing in the Bellator cage. Saunders, attempted multiple submissions in the first round, nearly finishing a deep triangle, and Baker stifled Saunders’ famous Muay Thai attack on the feet and implemented his devastating ground and pound through the final two rounds. When the final bell sounded, all three judges scored the fight unanimously for Bryan Baker.   

“Each fight I’m building more and more,” Baker said. “I’m going to do my homework and be even more ready next time.”

With the unanimous decision victory, Bryan Baker earned the 18th win of his career and will now move to the final round of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament against the winner of the Karl Amoussou vs. David Rickels matchup later this season. Ben Saunders drops to 13-5-2.   

There is no doubt that near-perfect Polish Heavyweight Damian Grabowski was looking to erase the memory of his last performance under the Bellator banner, a decision loss in the Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament semifinals to eventual champion, Cole Konrad. With a combined 21 first round finishes between him and his opponent, Dave Huckaba, many in attendance weren’t expecting a long fight. Instead, both fighters put on a back-and-forth affair that was highlighted by takedowns from Grabowski and counter-strikes from Huckaba. After three rounds, both fighters had to settle for a decision. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor for Damian Grabowski. With the unanimous decision victory, Damian Grabowski moves to 16-1 as a professional while Dave Huckaba, in a losing effort, drops to 17-5 in his Bellator debut.  

In a fight that had all the ingredients of being an explosive display of excitement, Bellator newcomer Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford and opponent Luis “Sapo” Santos were expected to bring fireworks when they squared off in front of an electric Canadian crowd. With a combined 52 finishes in 79 fights, both fighters are known for leaving nothing in the hands of the judges. Living up to its billing, the first round featured a head kick by Santos that put Ford on his back, struggling to get to his feet. Though obviously hurt, Ford was able to hang on until the end of the round. In the second, the tables turned. After landing a vicious knee to the head of Santos, Ford was able to drop the Brazilian and finish him off with strikes until the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:24 of the second round.

“I knew in the second round I was going to put it on him more,” said Ford. “The first round I was trying to feel him out, but in the second I wanted to put him away.”          

With the TKO victory, Ryan Ford improves his record to 18-4 while Luis Santos falls to a respectable 50-8 in his professional career.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Casino Rama hosts loaded Bellator 67 card on May 4

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 25, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships  heads back to Canada, as the promotion  returns to Casino Rama in Orilla, Ontario for Bellator 67. The night will feature Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler squaring off against 32-win MMA veteran and Japanese sensation Akihiro Gono. Also, a Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Semifinal bout between Ben Saunders and Bryan Baker will take place in addition to the return of Polish Heavyweight sensation Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski and the Bellator debut of Canada’s own Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford. Kicking off the night will be a stacked undercard full of the area’s top talent. Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Casino Rama Box Office. Tickets are priced from $25-$175.   

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Rising welterweight prospect Nordine Taleb will enter the Bellator cage for the second time. Taleb, who is on a six-fight win streak, looks to pick up where he left off with a hard fought decision win over Matt Secor at Bellator 64.

A pair of Ontario natives will clash as Will Romero and Matt Veal meet in a featherweight contest in front of an electric Ontario crowd. Romero, a two-time Bellator veteran with 10 professional fights, meets Veal, an exciting competitor that has only gone to a decision once in 16 bouts.    

Bellator 67 will feature the return of Brazilian Muay Thai champion kickboxer turned mixed martial artist Cosmo Alexander as he faces undefeated Lorwant-T Nelson in a lightweight matchup. “Good Boy” will be looking to build off the momentum of his first round knockout victory over Avery McPhatter at Bellator 58 when he steps in the Bellator cage against the 4-0 Nelson, who has stopped each of his opponents inside the allotted three rounds.  

Also, Minnesota bantamweight fighter Nick “The Big Hurt” Kirk will look to keep his perfect record intact when he meets Detroit’s David “Bo” Harris in a bantamweight tilt. Harris, a winner of three of his past four fights, will try to score the biggest victory of his career against Kirk at Casino Rama.        

The card will be rounded out as Ontario native Nathan Gunn will have the hometown support in the Bellator cage when he takes on fellow welterweight Dom O’Grady in a 170-pound affair. Both men are building impressive win streaks and will look to stay on the right path when they meet up at Bellator 67. 

You can find the full Bellator 67 Fight Card on Bellator.com: http://www.bellator.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205409198&DB_OEM_ID=23600

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

About Casino Rama

Operating since July 31, 1996, Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations commercial casino. The Casino offers a complete entertainment experience with over 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gaming tables, 10 unique restaurants, a world-class 5,000 seat Entertainment Centre, and a 300-room all-suite, full-service hotel, featuring spa and health club facilities.  Casino Rama is operated by Penn National Gaming, Inc.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator, Latin for Warrior, is partnered with entertainment industry leaders Viacom and Fremantle Entertainment, and is the world’s leading tournament-based mixed martial arts organization. Bellator’s Founder, Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.