Bellator 127 Set From Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino As Gonzalez Replaces Zaromskis, Duran Set To Face Bunch

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 23, 2014) – Bellator 127 is now set as the promotion will return to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday, October 3^rd as Daniel Straus will battle Justin Wilcox in the main event live on Spike TV. The night will also feature a former Bellator heavyweight champion Christian M'Pumbu’s debut at middleweight against Hawaiian native Kendal Grove and a full preliminary card of California’s top talent. Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at the Pechanga Box Office, Pechanga.com or Bellator.com.

Karo Parisyan was originally scheduled to face Marius Zaromskis in a welterweight affair, but Zaromskis has received a new opponent for a fight that will take place at a later date. With the switch, Parisyan will now face Fernando Gonzalez, who recently collected one of the biggest victories of his career with a win over Karl Amoussou at Bellator 122.

The full fight card for Bellator 127 can be found below:

MAIN CARD:Featherweight  Feature Fight: Daniel Straus (22-5) vs. Justin Wilcox (14-6)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (21-12) vs. Karo Parisyan (24-10-1)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Rafael Silva (21-4) vs. Rob Emerson (16-10-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Christian M'Pumbu (18-6-1) vs. Kendall Grove (19-14-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Thierry Sokoudjou (15-12) vs. Malik Merad (19-11)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Justin Baesman (14-5) vs. Johnny Mercurio (6-6)
Catchweight Feature Fight (177lbs): Johnny Cisneros (8-3) vs. Ricky Rainey (8-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Sergio Rios (8-0) vs. Saad Awad (15-6)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-7) vs. Ray Sloan (7-0) 
Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (15-13) vs. Joe Pacheco (7-2)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Shawn Bunch (2-1) vs. David Duran (2-2)

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

Bellator 127 Full Card Finalized from Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino Friday, October 3rd

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 15, 2014) – Bellator 127 is now set as the promotion will return to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday, October 3^rd as Daniel Straus will battle Justin Wilcox in the main event live on Spike TV. The night will also feature a former Bellator heavyweight champion Christian M'Pumbu’s debut at middleweight against Hawaiian native Kendal Grove and a full preliminary card of California’s top talent. Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at the Pechanga Box Office, Pechanga.com or Bellator.com.

After recording a first round submission win in his Bellator debut, Sokoudjou returns to the bright lights to face Malik Merad. Merad enters the Bellator cage for the first time riding a six-fight win streak with 11 of his 19 professional victories coming by submission. Ready to put on an exciting fight for his home state fans, Sokoudjou has posted nine KO victories with eight coming in the first round and is looking for the finish against Merad on October 3^rd.

Coming off of a first round TKO win over Joe Duarte at Bellator 122, Saad Awad will meet Sergio Rios in a lightweight bout. Looking to maintain his undefeated 8-0 professional record, Rios has recorded five wins by submission, but will put his skills to the test against Awad.  A former tournament finalist, Awad is known for his ability to finish fights and has won 14 of his 15 professional victories by KO or submission, 13 coming in the first round.

Closing out the preliminary card will be a middleweight matchup between California’s own Keith Berry and Joe Pacheco, along with fellow southern California native Johnny Cisneros facing Ricky Rainey.

A Season 10 Welterweight Tournament Semifinalist, Justin Baesman will fight California native Fernando Gonzales and Ray Sloan will look to keep his undefeated record intact in a light heavyweight battle against Nick Moghaddam.

The full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:Featherweight  Feature Fight: Daniel Straus (22-5) vs. Justin Wilcox (14-6)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (20-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (24-10-1)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Rafael Silva (21-4) vs. Rob Emerson (16-10-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Christian M'Pumbu (18-6-1) vs. Kendall Grove (19-14-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Thierry Sokoudjou (15-12) vs. Malik Merad (19-11)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Justin Baesman (14-5) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (21-12)
Catchweight Feature Fight (177lbs): Johnny Cisneros (8-3) vs. Ricky Rainey (8-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Sergio Rios (8-0) vs. Saad Awad (15-6)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-7) vs. Ray Sloan (7-0) 
Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (15-13) vs. Joe Pacheco (7-2)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Shawn Bunch (2-1) vs. TBA 

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

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader.  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. Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

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.

Bellator Returns to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino Friday, October 3rd as Daniel Straus Battles Justin Wilcox Parisyan vs. Zaromskis, Grove vs. M’Pumbu Featured

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 22, 2014) – Bellator 127 is now set as the promotion will return to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday, October 3^rd as Daniel Straus will battle Justin Wilcox in the main event live on Spike TV. Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at the Pechanga Box Office, Pechanga.com or Bellator.com.

Straus enters the fight coming off one of the most memorable fights of 2014 as the Ohio native suffered a last second submission loss in a Featherweight Title fight against current Bellator Champion Pat Curran. At 22-5, he is widely considered one of the best featherweights in the sport and has won six of his previous seven fights. Straus is well aware that he faces a strong competitor in Wilcox, but knows that a victory means another title shot awaits and Wilcox is the only thing standing in his way.

“I’m ready to get back to work,” Straus said. “I love to stay active, fight as much as I can, and now I have the opportunity to get back on the road to getting my title shot, and Justin is in the way of that goal. I’ve got to focus on myself and what I’m doing, but you better believe I’ll have my eyes on Curran-Pitbull on September 5^th as well.”

The night will also feature a battle of veteran welterweights as Karo Parisyan takes on Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis. A pure clash of styles, Parisyan enters the fight with half of his victories coming by submission, while Zaromskis has made his mark on the sport with dynamic KO’s, collecting 13 over his career. No strangers to the Bellator cage, Parisyan and Zaromskis have combined for 62 professional fights and are ready to put on an exciting fight for the fans on October 3^rd.

Making his debut in the middleweight division, former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M’Pumbu will take on Hawaiian native Kendall Grove. In a battle of finishers, Grove has grabbed 13 wins by KO or submission, with nine coming in the first round, but will have to hold off M’Pumbu who is looking to make his mark in the middleweight division and end the fight as quickly as possible.

The full fight card will be announced in the upcoming weeks.  

MAIN CARD:

Featherweight Feature Fight: Daniel Straus (22-5) vs. Justin Wilcox (14-6)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Karo Parisyan (24-10) vs. Marius Zaromskis (20-8)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Kendall Grove (19-14) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (18-6)

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

Weigh-In Results from Pechanga Resort and Casino

Temecula, Calif. (July 24, 2014) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from Cabaret Theater inside Pechanga Resort & Casino in preparation for Bellator MMA’s July 25^thevent, which will showcase the Bellator Middleweight and Welterweight Tournament Finals.

Bellator MMA will take place from Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday, July 25th with the first fight taking place at 4 p.m. PST and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 6 p.m. PST and will air LIVE on Spike TV.

MAIN CARD:Bellator Welterweight Tournament Final: Adam McDonough (170.5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (170.8)
Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brandon Halsey (185) vs. Brett Cooper (186)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Egidijus Valavicius (204) vs. Liam McGeary (203)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Phil Baroni (170) vs. Karo Parisyan (169)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Kelly Anundson (205.5) vs. Philipe Lins (206)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Dmitriy Sosnovskiy (240) vs. Manny Lara (251.5)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Poppies Martinez (145) vs. Bubba Jenkins (146)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Augusto Sakai (255.5) vs. Matt Frembling (236)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Linton Vassell (205) vs. Virgil Zwicker (206)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (170.6) vs. Karl Amoussou (170)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Joe Duarte (155) vs. Saad Awad (156)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Stephen Martinez (155.6) vs. Sergio Rios (154.9)

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

Parisyan vs. Baroni Feature Fight Added To Stacked Bellator 122 Main Card From California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino Friday, July 25th

Middleweight and Welterweight Tournament Finals Headline Bellator 122

Newport Beach, Calif. (June 17, 2014) – It’s a night of Bellator Tournament actionas Bellator MMA returns to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino to host the Bellator Season 10 Middleweight Tournament Final as Brett Cooper faces Brandon Halsey, while Russian striker Andrey Koreshkov battles rising star Adam McDonough in a Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals showdown.  As always, both tournaments hold high stakes as the winners will move on to collect a guaranteed world title fight. “The New York Bad Ass” will also make his promotional debut as Phil Baroni will take on Karo Parisyan in a welterweight affair live on Spike TV.

“From top to bottom, we’re bringing a loaded card to our second home at the beautiful Pechanga Resort & Casino July 25^th,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We’ve got two spectacular tournament final fights that headline the show, two amazing semi-finals in our Light Heavy Weight tournament and a battle between two great names in MMA, with the Bellator debut of “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni facing the resurgent and focused Karo “The Heat” Parisyan.  And, on top of that we’ve got a loaded prelim card that features a crazy amount of talent. The Southern California market has been fantastic to us, it’s our home, and we are delivering a great card top to bottom.”

Bellator 122 will be broadcast live from Pechanga Resort & Casino beginning at 6 p.m. PST on Spike TV.  The preliminary card will be streamed live and free exclusively on Spike.com starting at 4 p.m. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Pechanga.com, Bellator.com, or by calling the Pechanga Box Office at 877-711-2946 or visiting between noon and 8 p.m. daily.

Combining for over 65 professional fights, Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni will make his Bellator debut as he faces Karo “The Heat” Parisyan in a welterweight bout.  In a battle of fan favorites, Baroni has recorded 10 victories by knockout and is looking to put on an explosive performance and make his mark under the Bellator banner against the always exciting Parisyan, who won three of his previous four fights.

“I’m so pumped to be back with Bellator, they have treated me great here and I’m proud to be back in the cage,” Parisyan said. “This is going to be a fun one. I’ve known Phil for a long time, we have a strong friendship, but this is business, and an absolutely huge fight for both of us. Everyone knows the only chance Phil has is to try and knock me out, but I know I bring more to the table. It’s going to be your standard standup guy vs. a judo guy, but you never know what can happen. I’m not under estimating Phil, and we both know how important of a fight is for both of us. Our futures are on the line here, and I’m taking this incredibly seriously.”

After defeating Mike Mucitelli by knockout in the light heavyweight opening round at Bellator 118, Liam McGeary returns to face Egidijus Valavicius. Valavicius claimed victory against Carlos Eduardo in the opening rounds, but will have his work cut out for him against McGeary who maintains a perfect 7-0 professional record. McGeary has won all four of his Bellator victories by first round finish, accumulating for less than four minutes of time spent in the cage.

With a dominate first round submission victory in the opening round, Philipe Lins will battle Kelly Anundson in the semifinals to complete the other half of the light heavyweight tournament bracket. Lins has a 9-0 professional record with seven wins coming by KO or submission and is looking for the finish against Anundson on July 25^th. 

No stranger to the Bellator cage, Karl Amoussou will face Fernando Gonzalez in a welterweight bout. In a battle of finishers, Amoussou has recorded 12 of his 17 wins by KO or submission and will look to his previous Bellator experiences to hold off Gonzales, who recorded 14 finishes, 12 coming in the first round. 

Former lightweight tournament finalist Saad Awad returns to the Bellator cage to fight fellow California native, Joe Duarte in a rematch of their 2011 battle that saw Durate collect a huge second round armbar victory. After falling to Duarte, Awad has improved to 15-6 with 13 finish wins and is looking for redemption on July 25^th.  With the vast improvements he’s made in his game and his experiences in the cage since their last meeting, Awad is confident his fight with Duarte will lend a different result this time around.

Entering the fight with back-to-back first round submission victories, Poppies Martinez will fight one of MMA’s top prospects in Bubba Jenkins on July 25^th. With a 6-1 professional record, Jenkins has won five professional fights by KO or submission and will put his skills to the test against Martinez who has fought in 35 fights and recorded 18 submission wins throughout his career.

At 8-0, Russia’s own Dmitriy Sosnovskiy will make his Bellator debut against California native Manny Lara in a heavyweight battle.  A four-time Bellator veteran, Lara is ready to fight in front of his home state fans, but will need to stop the solid punching power of Sosnovskiy, who has recorded four first round KO victories.

Coming off of a 56 second victory in his Bellator debut, Stephen Martinez will fight submission ace Sergio Rios. With an undefeated 7-0 professional record, Rios has recorded five first round submission wins and plans on using his strong submission skills against Martinez, who is riding a six-fight win streak.

After recording a first round knockout in his Bellator debut, Temecula’s own Virgil Zwicker will fight Linton Vassell. Zwicker has recorded nine knockout wins, but will face his toughest opponent yet in Vassell, who has won eight-consecutive fights and has won 11 of his 13 victories by KO or submission.

Rounding out the Spike.com card will be a heavyweight battle between undefeated Augusto Sakai and southern California’s Matt Frembling. Frembling has won his previous six fights and will rely on his strong striking to come away with a victory in his Bellator debut.

The full fight card can be found below.

MAIN CARD

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Final: Adam McDonough (11-0) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (16-1)
Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brandon Halsey (6-0) vs. Brett Cooper (20-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Phil Baroni (15-17) vs. Karo Parisyan (23-10)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Liam McGeary (7-0) vs. Egidijus Valavicius (27-10)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Kelly Anundson (8-2) vs. Philipe Lins (9-0)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Poppies Martinez (26-9) vs. Bubba Jenkins (6-1)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (20-12) vs. Karl Amoussou (17-6-2)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Joe Duarte (10-3) vs. Saad Awad (15-6)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Dmitriy Sosnovskiy (8-0) vs. Manny Lara (4-4)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Stephen Martinez (10-2) vs. Sergio Rios (6-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Linton Vassell (13-3) vs. Virgil Zwicker (12-3)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Augusto Sakai (6-0) vs. Matt Frembling (9-2)

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          

GUNDERSON, GROVE TAKE HOME WINS AND TITLES IN NIGHT OF UPSETS AND GREAT ACTION AT SHOFIGHT 20

Main card of event to be broadcasted on Pay-Per-View on July 1^st

Springfield, Missouri (USA): This past Saturday, the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Missouri played host to ShoFIGHT 20, the first pro event in the company’s history. In the main event, John Gunderson made good on his welterweight debut, as he defeated fellow UFC vet Karo Parisyan via TKO to take home the ShoFIGHT 170-pound title. The co-main event showcased a back-and-forth scrap between TUF  season 3 winner Kendall Grove and rising Strikeforce star Derek Brunson. In the end, Grove had his hand controversially raised via split-decision. The win garnered Grove the ShoFIGHT middleweight belt.

ShoFIGHT will air on Pay-Per-View on July 1^st.

“It was an electrifying night of action for our local fight fans, and our fans up in Canada,” said ShoFIGHT Promoter JT Tilley. “From Gunderson to Grove to Beerbohm…there were some very memorable performances Saturday night. I can’t wait for the rest of the U.S. fans to get to see ShoFIGHT 20 on Pay-Per-View!”

After being taken down early in the fight, Gunderson (33-13-2) landed a brutal knee to Parisyan’s (20-9) eye, which was the beginning of the end of the fight. “Guns” quickly grabbed a guillotine, and Parisyan tapped at 2:47 of the first round. “The Heat” grabbed his face immediately in obvious pain. It was the first time he’d ever tapped out in an MMA cage.

“I was happy to get a big win and bring back another belt to my gym at Xtreme Couture,” stated Gunderson. “I plan on going back to my natural weight class at 155 pounds, but I look forward to defending my ShoFIGHT belt, regardless.”

After enduring an opponent change on only four days’ notice, Grove (15-10-0-1) went from facing a 5’8” pro boxer in Terry Martin to a 6’1” former amateur wrestling champion in Derek Brunson (9-1). The lanky Hawaiian handled the adversity, grabbing a highly-scrutinized split-decision victory over his less-experienced opponent. He worked effectively from his back, and Brunson was unable to take advantage of his takedowns. As a result, Grove came out with the win and the belt.

“I’m happy I got the win, though I wish I would have finished him,” explained Grove. “I was training for Martin for my whole camp, and then a week before my fight my opponent changed to Brunson, who is a totally different fighter. Our fight was at 190 pounds, and I was already on-point at 185 pounds. So, mentally, that messed me up a little. But I’m a fighter. I was ready to fight, so at that point, pulling out wasn’t an option. I came into this sport to fight and that’s what I did. We always wish we could have done better, but I feel like I put on a good fight. Don’t get me wrong…Brunson’s a great wrestler. But he got takedowns and did nothing with them. I did more on my back than he did on top.

“As far as what’s next, as I’ve said, I am a fighter, so I’m ready to fight. I have no injuries from Saturday’s fight, so whoever calls next, I’m game. Until then, I will continue my training in preparation of defending my belt,” he concluded.

Other notable winners on the card include Strikeforce Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, who bloodied PRIDE vet Marcus Aurelio en route to a dominant decision victory, Jonatas Novaes, a quick TKO winner in his bout with UFC vet Drew Fickett, Chris Gruetzemacher, who now has won ten straight fights, as well as Bellator vet Dustin Phillips and former UFC fighter Matt Lucas.

Here are the full results of ShoFIGHT 20:

Main Event - ShoFIGHT Welterweight Championship

John ‘Guns’ Gunderson defeated Karo ‘the Heat’ Parysian via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:47 of the 1^stround

Co-Main Event - ShoFIGHT Middleweight Championship

Kendall ‘Da Spyder’ Grove defeated Derek Brunson via split-decision

Lyle ‘Fancy Pants’ Beerbohm defeated Marcus ‘Maximus’ Aurelio via unanimous decision

Mike Wessell defeated Matt Kovaks via TKO (punches) at 4:50 of the 2^nd round 

Jonatas Noveas defeated Drew Fickett via TKO (punches) at 0:51 of the 1^st round

Chris ‘Gritz’ Gruetzmacher defeated Roli Delgado via TKO (elbows) at 3:24 of the 3^rd round 

‘Smilin’ Sam Alvey defeated Lucas Lopes via TKO (punches) at 1:39 of the 1^st round

Chris ‘Crazyman’ McDaniel defeated Charles ‘Kid Kaos’ Bennett via submission (triangle choke) at 2:52 of the 1^st round

Sevak Magakian defeated James ‘JP’ Reese via unanimous decision

Dustin Phillips defeated Allen Gibson via unanimous decision

Mike Brazzle defeated Karen Darabedyan via TKO (punches) at 4:15 of the 1^st round

Matt ‘Luke Duke’ Lucas defeated Lucas ‘the Hillbilly Lightstorm’ Overcast via unanimous decision

Jacob ‘Straight Jacket’ Ritchie defeated Robert Saborudden via TKO (punches) at 3:28 of the 3^rd round

Jason Ignacek defeated Gary Michaels via unanimous decision

ShoFIGHT’s next event is a “ShoFIGHT Contender Series Event” on July 28^th in Branson, Missouri, which will be followed by their next pro PPV event, ShoFIGHT 22, on Sept 8^th. Stay tuned to ShoFIGHT.com for more details!

For more information on ShoFIGHT, please visit http://shofight.com/. ShoFIGHT can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/ShoFight-MMA/113079148732416, and on Twitter @ShoFIGHT.