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for Brian Rogers, as the Ohio native is now set to take on Brazilian striker Rafael Carvalho after Brett Cooper has withdrawn from the fight due to a back injury suffered in training, After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Rogers will once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 Hosts Live Weigh-Ins Thursday, March 6th at 5:00 p.m. from WinStar World Casino

Newport Beach, Calif. (March 4, 2013) – The weigh-in and pre-fight press conference for Bellator MMA will take place Thursday at 5:00 p.m. CST from Mist Nightclub at WinStar World Casino. Bellator MMA will take place from WinStar World Casino on Friday, March 7th with the first fight taking place at 6:00 p.m. CST and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 8:00 p.m. CST and will air LIVE on Spike TV.

All participants from Friday night’s event will be on hand, as well as Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney.

The event will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael C. Williams and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith.

As always the weigh-in is open to both the public and media.

MAIN CARD:
 

Bantamweight Title Fight: Eduardo Dantas (15-3) vs. Anthony Leone (13-6)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Ryan Martinez (10-3) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-8)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Peter Graham (9-6) vs. Mighty Mo (5-2)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Alexander Volkov (19-4) vs. Mark Holata (12-4)

PRELIMARY CARD:Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Blagoi Ivanov (9-0) vs. Rich Hale (21-6)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Daniel Miller (4-1) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Javy Ayala (6-3) vs. Eric Prindle (8-4)
Catchweight Feature Fight (190 lbs): Abdul Razak (1-0) vs. Matt Jones (4-6)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Brent Primus (4-0) vs. Chris Jones (8-2)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (2-1) vs. Chris Gutierrez (1-1-1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Treston Thomison (7-1) vs. Stephen Banaszak (2-1)

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

With Silva Injured, Anthony Leone Steps Up To Face Bellator Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas For World Title Friday, March 7th Live On Spike

Newport Beach, Calif. (February 5, 2014) – Bantamweight Title contender Rafael Silva has suffered an knee injury and will be unable to compete is his scheduled March 7^th title fight against reigning Bellator Champion Eduardo Dantas. While the injury will force Silva out of the cage, Former Bellator Tournament Finalist Anthony Leone will now step in and face Dantas for the Bantamweight Title on March 7thfrom WinStar World Casino, live on Spike TV.

“This was a difficult process with Silva suffering injury, but when we considered all our options, we felt like this decision made the most sense,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “After we heard the news on Silva, we immediately made the call to our other Bantamweight Tournament winner Joe Warren.  Joe informed us he was still rehabbing a previous knee injury and would be unable to compete on the March 7^th card, but he will be 100% ready to go for his originally scheduled fight in May. It’s always our goal to keep our fighters as busy as possible, and we didn’t want Eduardo sitting on the sidelines. With our Tournament Champion Replacement Clause in place, we contacted Anthony and are moving full steam ahead with our Bantamweight Title fight on March 7^th to headline a huge night of fights.’

“It was really hard to have to Bjorn call me and have to turn down a fight, but my knee just isn’t at a place I’m comfortable with, and my timeline has always been to get back in the cage in May,” Warren said. You know ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ will step in against anyone, and it would have been nice to take that belt away from Dantas a few months early, but I’m going to heal up, train like a madman, and whoever has that belt come May, they better shine it up for me, I’m taking it home.”

Only 26, Leone has was riding a four fight win streak, including an impressive victory over former Bellator Champion Zach Makovsky before suffering a close decision defeat against Silva in the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Finals. The submission ace knows the skills Dantas brings to the cage, but is ready to surprise the world and capture Bellator gold.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and when I got the call from Bjorn, I jumped at the opportunity,” Leone said. “Dantas is incredibly tough and I’m in for a tough fight, but I’m ready for this title fight, and I’m going to make the most of the opportunity.”

The full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:
Bantamweight Title Fight: Eduardo Dantas (15-3) vs. Anthony Leone (13-6)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Ryan Martinez (10-3) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-8)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Peter Graham (9-6) vs. Mighty Mo (5-2)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Alexander Volkov (19-4) vs. Mark Holata (12-4)

PRELIMARY CARD:Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Blagoi Ivanov (9-0) vs. Rich Hale (21-6)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Daniel Miller (4-1) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Javy Ayala (6-3) vs. Eric Prindle (8-4)
Catchweight Feature Fight (190 lbs): Emeliano Sordi (12-4) vs. Matt Jones (4-6)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Brent Primus (4-0) vs. Chris Jones (8-2)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Treston Thomison (7-1) vs. Stephen Banaszak (2-1)

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          

Full Bellator 111 Fight Card Finalized From WinStar World Casino, Friday March 7th Live on Spike TV

Dantas vs. Silva for Bantamweight World Title Fight;

Plus Heavyweight Tournament Opening Rounds

Newport Beach, Cailf. (January 31, 2013) – Bellator MMA returns to WinStar World Casino March 7^th live on Spike TV, as reigning Bellator Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas will clash with Bellator Tournament winner Rafael Silva in the main event of the evening.  The night will also showcase the opening rounds of the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament and a stacked card of local talent.

The event 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. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office.

The Spike.com show will begin with Brent Primus looking to maintain his perfect 4-0 record when he faces Chris Jones on March 7^th. Spending less than 10 minutes in the cage throughout his professional career, Primus has grabbed all of his wins by first round rear-naked choke.

Heading into this fight on a three-fight win streak, Emeliano Sordi will meet Matt Jones inside the Bellator cage. Only 22, Sordi holds an impressive 12-4 record and has won six of his previous seven fights, five coming by first round finish. Sordi will be making his Bellator debut after being discovered during Bellator’s recent Latin American tryouts.

Making his Bellator debut, Daniel Miller will put his training to the test as he faces fan favorite Cortez Coleman.  Fighting in front of his home state fans, the always exciting Coleman is always looking for the finish and is ready to put on an explosive fight for the WinStar crowd.

After defeating Thiago Santos in his Bellator debut in October, Javy Ayala will fight the heavy-handed Eric Prindle in a heavyweight battle. Stepping into the Bellator cage for the eighth time in his career, Prindle has collected five victories by knockout and plans on using his powerful striking to get past Ayala.

At 7-1 Treston Thomison will step into the Bellator cage for the first time as he battles Stephen Banaszak. Known for his strong ground game Thomison has five wins by submission, all coming in the first round.  

The full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:
Bantamweight Title Fight: Eduardo Dantas (15-3) vs. Rafael Silva (21-3)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Ryan Martinez (10-3) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-8)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Peter Graham (9-6) vs. Mighty Mo (5-2)

Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Alexander Volkov (19-4) vs. Mark Holata (12-4)

PRELIMARY CARD:Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round: Blagoi Ivanov (9-0) vs. Rich Hale (21-6)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Daniel Miller (4-1) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Javy Ayala (6-3) vs. Eric Prindle (8-4)
Catchweight Feature Fight (190 lbs): Emeliano Sordi (12-4) vs. Matt Jones (4-6)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Brent Primus (4-0) vs. Chris Jones (8-2)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Treston Thomison (7-1) vs. Stephen Banaszak (2-1)

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           

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 115 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom.  In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 175 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula.  Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.  Bellator is based in Newport Beach, California.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.  Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About mun2

mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34.  From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform.  Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.