Brian Rogers Now Set To Face Brazilian Striker Rafael Carvalho At Bellator 125 From California’s Save Mart Center

Brett Cooper Suffers Injury, Replaced By Carvalho

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 9, 2014) – The opponent changes continue for Brian Rogers, as the Ohio native is now set to take on Brazilian striker Rafael Carvalho after Brett Cooper has withdrawn from the fight due to a back injury suffered in training, After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Rogers will once again prepare for a new opponent. The night will be headlined by a middleweight clash as Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef squares off against Doug “The Rhino” Marshall.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

Rogers is coming off another highlight reel victory after a vicious flying knee knockout over Adrian Miles at Bellator 119. Carvalho is currently riding an eight fight winning streak that includes seven finishes, all by knockout.

With the change, the current fight card for Bellator 125 is listed below:

MAIN CARD: 

Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Rafael Carvalho (9-1) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD: 

Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-6) vs. Jesse Juarez (21-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Chris Honeycutt (4-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (29-10)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Granson Clark (2-1) vs. George Zuniga (2-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (2-0) vs. Sergio Cortez (9-8)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Oscar Ramirez (3-1) vs. Matt Ramirez (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Neal (3-0) vs. Paul Ruiz (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Nate James (13-8) vs. Anthony Ruiz (33-18)

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

Brian Rogers Now Set To Face Brett Cooper At Bellator 125 From California’s Save Mart Center

James Irvin Suffers Injury, Replaced By Cooper

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 29, 2014) – After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Brian Rogers will now turn his attention to Bellator veteran Brett Cooper as Irvin has suffered a leg injury that will force the California native out of the fight. The night will be headlined by a middleweight clash as Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef squares off against Doug “The Rhino” Marshall.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

Rogers is coming off another highlight reel victory after a vicious flying knee knockout over Adrian Miles at Bellator 119. Cooper is looking to bounce back after suffering a submission loss to Brandon Halsey at Bellator 122 that secured a title shot for Halsey against Alexander Shlemenko.

With the change, the current fight card for Bellator 125 is listed below:

MAIN CARD: 

Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Brett Cooper (20-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-6) vs. Jesse Juarez (21-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Chris Honeycutt (4-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (29-10)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Granson Clark (2-1) vs. George Zuniga (2-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (2-0) vs. Sergio Cortez (9-8)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Oscar Ramirez (3-1) vs. Matt Ramirez (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Neal (3-0) vs. Paul Ruiz (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Rafael Carvalho (9-1) vs. Anthony Ruiz (33-18)

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

Manhoef vs. Marshall Headline Bellator 125 On Friday, September 19th From Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 12, 2014) – With a near 40 KO’s between the two, a middleweight clash between Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef and Doug “The Rhino” Marshall will be can’t miss television on Friday, September 19^th as the two square off in the main event of the evening at Bellator 125 live on Spike.

Tickets for the event will be on sale Friday, August 15^th at 10am PST. Tickets will be available at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

A former Strikeforce and K-1 veteran, Manhoef is on a mission to continue to provide explosive finishes. The 38-year-old Dutch native has amassed a 28-11 professional MMA record, including an astonishing 26 knockouts during his nearly 20 year career. With Marshall now presented as his next challenge, Manhoef is eager to provide fireworks on September 19^th.

Marshall enters the fight riding a 4-1 record inside the Bellator cage, with victories over Kala Hose, Andreas Spang, Sultan Aliev and Brett Cooper. Marshall met Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko in 2013 and fell victim to the Russian phenom, but is looking to get back on the winning track with another notable victory in the form of Manhoef.

“This fight is like a dream come true,” Marshall said. “Two heavy hitters going for broke. It’s a classic don’t blink fight. Bet the house someone is going to sleep before the first round is over. And to be able to have this type of fight in front of all my friends and family that I grew up with makes it that much sweeter.”

The night will also feature a pair of middleweights looking to steal the show as Brian Rogers returns to Spike and takes on California’s own James Irvin. Known for his highlight reel finishes, Rogers believes Irvin is the perfect fight to continue his run of explosive fights inside the Bellator cage.

“I’m excited to welcome James Irvin to the Bellator Middleweight division,” Rogers said. “I’ve made my home in this division since 2011 and I plan on staying here for a long time. I know he’s probably planning on coming in here and reestablishing his career, but he isn’t doing that at my expense. I’m the worst person anyone can fight in the middleweight division right now. I want to get the word out to the middleweight division that this is my time. And when it comes to this fight, people better expect an extreme amount of violence.”

Featherweights collide as Goiti Yamauchi battles the UK’s Martin Stapleton live on Spike. Only 21, Yamauchi has already amassed a 17-2 record in his young career, including his most impressive performance to date at Bellator 120 with a dominate win over Mike Richman. The submission ace will have his hands full with Stapleton, who is fresh off a submission victory of his own.

The main card will be rounded out with a heavyweight affair between Raphael Butler and Javy Ayala. Still undefeated with an 8-0-1 record, Butler has his sights set on another knockout when he takes on the California native in Ayala.

Full fight card information will be made available in the coming weeks.

MAIN CARD:Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: James Irvin (17-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

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

Bellator Kicks Off Season 11 From Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino on Friday, September 5th Live On Spike TV

Connecticut’s Brennan Ward Battles Bellator Newcomer James Irvin; Main Event To Be Announced In Coming Weeks

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 28, 2014) – Bellator will kick off it’s highly anticipated Season 11 on Friday, September 5^th as the promotion returns to Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino to host Bellator 123 live on Spike TV. The night will feature the return of “The Irish Bad Boy” Brennan Ward as he battles James Irvin in a middleweight feature fight. The night will also feature the start of the Bellator Season 11 Middleweight Tournament. Participants for the eight man field as well as the main event of the evening will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Bellator 123 go on sale on Friday June 6^th at 10:00am EST and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Bellator 123 will broadcast live at 9 p.m. EST/ 8 p.m. CST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free on Spike.com beginning at 7 p.m. EST/ 6 p.m. CST.

Ward returns to the Bellator cage after suffering defeat at the hands of reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko in March of 2014. After storming through the Season 9 Middleweight Tournament with three straight finishes, Ward is looking to get back to his winning ways against Irvin on September 5^th.

“It’s my time and he had his,” Ward proclaimed. “I’ve been putting in the work and this guy is just in my way to getting back to where I need to be. The Sandman is going to get planked in the fourth minute of the first round, I’m already calling my shot!”

“The Sandman is back,” Irvin said. “This is where the road turns for me. I’m back, and fighting under the bright lights again for a huge promotion like Bellator, and have a tough test ahead of me in a guy like Brennan Ward. I know he likes to run his mouth and he’s a young guy, but I’m knocking this kid out on my way back to the top.”

“It’s going to be another incredible night at Mohegan Sun on September 5^th,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Mohegan Sun has hosted some of the most memorable moments in Bellator history and I couldn’t think of a better venue to kick off what will be a huge Season 11 for Bellator. I can’t wait to get Brennan back in the cage, our Middleweight Tournament will be stacked, and we are going to open our Season 11 in a huge way on Friday, September 5^th.”

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/BellatorMMA      

Jay Adams Rounds Out the Commentating Team for Showdown Fights – Burkman vs. Yager

Tampa, FL – August 22, 2012 – Utah’s leading cage fighting event is back! SHOWDOWN Fights presents"Burkman vs. Yager" on Saturday, August 25 at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. Emmy award winning host and MMA personality Jordan “Jay” Adams will round out the commentating team for the upcoming fight event. Adams will join Johnny Ritchie and MMA fighter Tandi Schaeffer to call the action.

“I’m very excited to be commentating for SHOWDOWN Fights - Burkman vs. Yager in Utah. The organization always puts on exciting fight events and this show is no exception! The card has a great main and co-main event, is stacked with compelling match up’s, and also features some very unique eliminator bouts.” stated Adams. 

The main event of this 12 bout pro/am card features UFC veterans Josh "The Peoples Warrior" Burkman (22-9) and Jamie "The Chosyn 1" Yager (6-2). In the co-main event, Sean O'Connell (12-4) battles James "The Sandman" Irvin (15-10) in a light heavyweight contest that has ‘fight of the night’ potential.

The event will also feature several unique eliminator bouts to determine who will face-off in November for the first ever SHOWDOWN Fights Lightweight Championship. Fighters David Castillo, Gordon Bell, Clay Collard and Justin Buchholz will participate in the eliminator bouts. 

SHOWDOWN Fights has quickly become the top fight organization in Utah and throughout the western region. They are known for their impressive fight cards and for having a roster stacked with the region’s top prospects. They are also part of the United Fight Alliance (UFA) Network.  

UFA is a one hour MMA television program that features exclusive fight footage, top-ranked fighters, interviews and more. Fans can tune in to watch recent SHOWDOWN Fight action on UFA’s networks including ROOT Sports, Comcast Sports Net – Chicago, Tuff TV and nationally via Satellite reaching over 88 million households.

Footage from ‘SHOWDOWN Uprising’ airs via UFA this month on the networks listed below. Please check your local listings for additional details. 

ROOT Sports Pittsburgh – 8/23/2012

ROOT Sports Northwest – 8/30/2012 and 8/31/2012

On August 25, fans can tune in to watch SHOWDOWN Fights ‘Burkman vs. Yager’ LIVE on internet pay-per-view exclusively at www.GFL.tv. Fight start airing at 8:30pn EDT. Click here to view the iPPV fight trailer. For more information on SHOWDOWN Fights, please visit www.showdownfights.com. 

For more information on Jay Adams or United Fight Alliance, please visit www.unitedfightalliance.com or inquire via email at info@brawlcall.com. 

Adams is currently a nominee for “Best MMA Personality” at the 2012 FLORIDA MMA Awards. Please click hereto cast your vote!

About Jay Adams:

Adams has over 25 years of hosting and production experience and currently hosts two popular combat sports television shows, United Fight Alliance and “Jay’s Brawl Call.” He is a passionate television pro who has received two Emmy Nominations and an Emmy win.  Throughout his career Adams has worked with some of the top media companies in the world, including FOX Sports Network, ABC-Miami, Disney, DIRECTV Sports Network and CNBC.Jay Adams can also be seen commentating for leading MMA promotions worldwide. Click here for highlights.

About United Fight Alliance:

United Fight Alliance (UFA), a one hour MMA television program, is an affiliation of MMA promotions working together to bring you the best MMA from around the world and to build awareness for the sport.   Watch as some of the biggest names in MMA fight toe to toe in the cage and you’ll see exclusive footage, interviews and fighter profiles.  United Fight Alliance features top ranked fighters, women’s fights, intense action and more. Learn more about UFA at www.UnitedFightAlliance.com.   UFA is now broadcast to over 88 million homes, airing on ROOT Sports, Comcast Sports Net – Chicago, Tuff TV nationally on DIRECTV, Dish Network and ATT U-Verse. You can also find us at your favorite sports bars throughout the nation.