Alexander Shlemenko Returns To Defend Middleweight Title Friday, September 26th At Bellator 126 From Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University Arena

Shlemenko vs. Halsey Headlines; Held vs. Pitbull Featured

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 13, 2014) – A storm is heading to Phoenix as Alexander Shlemenko will return to the Bellator cage on Friday, September 26^th to defend his Bellator middleweight title against Brandon Halsey live on Spike TV from Grand Canyon University Arena. Tickets are on sale now and available at the GCU Arena Box Office, GCUArena.com or Bellator.com.

After a brief move to the light heavyweight division after challenging Tito Ortiz, Shlemenko returns to the division he has dominated, amassing a 50-8 career record, including 29 career knockouts. The Russian native will now face Bellator Middleweight Tournament winner Brandon Halsey, who enters the fight with a spotless 7-0 record, including recent victories over Brett Cooper, Joe Pacheco and Joe Yager.

The night will also feature the Lightweight Tournament Final as Patricky Pitbull will battle Marcin Held for a guaranteed title shot and a $100,000 tournament prize. Patricky earned his finals spot with dominate performances over David Rickels and Derek Campos. Held is currently riding a four-fight win streak with victories over Derek Anderson, Rodrigo Cavalheiro and Nate Jolly, and has his sights set on capturing his first Bellator title shot. The 22-year-old Polish phenom has now taken his fight training to the United States and is looking to elevate his game to the next level.

“I’m very excited for this fight, it’s been a long time coming and I’m ready to finally face Pitbull,” Held said. “I’m training at one of the best gyms in the world with Duke Roufus and Roufusport, and my sparring partners have really elevated my game. Even with my standup improving, my style isn’t going to change, I’m always going to look for the finish, but now I’m even more dangerous on my feet.”

Known across MMA as one of the best up and coming fighters in the sport, Bubba Jenkins returns to face Bellator newcomer Alejandro Villalobos in a featherweight feature fight. Known simply as “The Highlight Kid”, Jenkins has collected six finishes in his seven professional wins, and is looking to climb the featherweight ranks with a win on September 26^th from Grand Canyon Arena.

Bantamweights return as Ed “Wild” West returns to the cage for the first time in over a year when he takes on Mike Richman, who is making the drop to 135 lbs. Two long time Bellator veterans, the two finishers are looking to make their mark in the division and are both closing in on title contention.

"The weight cut and training are going great,” Richman said. “I'm fired up to get back in the Bellator cage and throw some thunda’ at bantamweight and begin my title run."

MAIN CARD:Middleweight World Title Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-8) vs. Brandon Halsey (7-0)

Lightweight Tournament Final: Patricky Pitbull (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (19-3)
 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Alejandro Villalobos (17-3) vs. Bubba Jenkins (6-1)
 

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Richman (15-6) vs.  Ed West (18-8)

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

BELLATOR’S MEMORABLE PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT “RAMPAGE vs. KING MO” TO AIR ON SPIKE TV FRIDAY, JULY 18 at 9:00pm ET/PT

Newport Beach, Calif. (June 25, 2014) – Spike TV will telecast an encore presentation of one of MMA’s most memorable events of 2014, “BELLATOR MMA: RAMPAGE vs KING MO” on Friday, July 18 at 9:00pm ET/PT.

For the first time on free television, fans that missed Bellator’s first-ever pay-per-view event can witness the highly-anticipated grudge match between Rampage Jackson and King Mo plus epic upset victories for Will Brooks and Tito Ortiz.

Fans can also decide for themselves whether the judges had it right in the controversial decision victories that went to Rampage and Brooks. Also featured will be the Russian heavyweight clash between Alexander Volkov and Blagoi Ivanov and an exciting and entertaining performance from rising star Michael Page.

Bellator MMA will continue its summer season the following week with Bellator 122 on Friday, July 25 at 9:00pm ET/PT on Spike. Emanating from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., Bellator 122 will include two exciting co-features, Andrey Koreshkov vs Adam McDonough and Brett Cooper vs. Brandon Halsey.

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 the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 140 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 180 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. 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.

Bellator Weight-In Results from the Landers Center

Memphis, Tenn. (May 16,2014) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from the Landers Center in preparation for Bellator MMA’s May 17^th event, which will showcase the Bellator Light Heavyweight Final and the Bellator Interim Lightweight World Title live on pay-per-view.

Bellator MMA will take place from the Landers Center on Saturday, May 17^th with the first fight taking place at 5pm CST and streaming live on Spike.com. The Spike TV portion of the night begins at 7pm CST, transitioning to pay-per-view at 9pm CST with five fights on pay-per-view.

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (205.9) vs. King Mo (205.6)
Bellator Interim Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (154.9) vs. Will Brooks (154.2)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (201.9) vs. Tito Ortiz (205.5)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (249.5) vs. Alexander Volkov (236.1)
Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (170.1) vs. Michael Page (170.5)

Bellator Spike TV Fight Card: 

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (235) vs. Eric Smith (253.8)
Bellator Catchweight (158lbs) Fight: Nate Jolly (158) vs. Marcin Held (158)
Bellator Catchweight (148 lbs) Fight: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (145.1) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (147.9)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (145.5) vs. Mike Richman (145.5)

Bellator Spike.com Fight Card:

Bellator Catchweight Feature Fight (153lbs): Zach Underwood (152.3) vs. Austin Lyons (152.4)

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Justin Frazier (264.5) vs. Mike Wessel (257.9)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Ben Brewer (170.2) vs. Andy Uhrich (170.5)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Anthony Lemon (170) vs. Codie Shuffield (170)

Bellator Bantamweight Fight: Cortez Phelia (125.6) vs. Brain Hall (125.6)

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           

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 140 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.

Bellator Pay-Per-View A Knockout With Sponsors

Memphis, Tenn. (May 15. 2014) – Even before the first punch is thrown, Bellator’s first pay-per-view on Saturday, May 17 is a knockout in terms of sponsorship.  The Bellator pay-per-view card, including a stacked prelim bout lineup airing LIVE on Spike TV, is sold out with an array of blue-chip sponsors. 

“Rampage vs. King Mo is HUGE, the biggest MMA card of the year, so you know we'll show it in every Dave & Buster's across the country. That's what we do with the big sporting events," said Sean Gleason, CMO Dave & Buster's, "Bellator and Spike deliver great events and they're just getting bigger. They've been a great partner, and we couldn't be more excited to be a part of this historic fight."

““We’re thrilled to have some of the biggest and best brands in the world integrated into this must see Pay-Per-View Saturday night. With one of the biggest most talked about cards of 2014, our sponsors support for Rampage vs. King Mo this Saturday on Pay-Per-View has been spectacular,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said.

“We are excited to be a part of this big event,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ubisoft. “It should be a great night for fans, because they’ll see a preview of one of the most highly anticipated video games of the year, Watch Dogs, and check out some of the best MMA fights of the year.”

“Victory Motorcycles and Bellator are a perfect match, both brands deliver exhilaration. Whether in the cage or on the road, only one-thing matters to both companies, performance.  We could not be more excited to be part of the promotions inaugural Pay-Per-View,” said Reid Wilson, Victory Motorcycles Marketing Director.

“Bjorn and the great folks at Bellator have really outdone themselves putting this PPV card together! With so many stellar fighters under one roof, we can’t wait to see some epic battles and unforgettable action come Saturday night,” said Bamboo Nutra Executive Vice President Leighton Dean.

 The lineup includes the following:

•           Miller Lite

•           Dave & Busters

•           Ubisoft® – Watch Dogs™ Video Game

•           Monster Energy

•           Everlast

•           AutoZone

•           Victory Motorcycles

•           Bamboo Nutra

•           Attack Poker

The Bellator 120 card includes the following fights:

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)

Bellator Interim Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (12-1) vs. Will Brooks (13-1)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (7-2) vs. Michael Page (5-0)

Bellator Spike TV Fight Card:

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs. Eric Smith (6-1-1)

Bellator Catchweight (158lbs) Fight: Nate Jolly (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (18-3)

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (19-3)

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

Bellator Spike.com Fight Card:

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Zach Underwood (12-5) vs. Austin Lyons (10-3)

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Justin Frazier (6-1) vs. Mike Wessel (13-7)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Ben Brewer (6-1) vs. Andy Uhrich (8-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Anthony Lemon (2-3) vs. Codie Shuffield (4-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Fight: Cortez Phelia (2-0) vs. Brain Hall (7-2)

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   

Submission Ace Marcin Held Returns Against Nate Jolly Live on Spike TV Pay-Per-View Prelim Show Saturday, May 17th

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 13, 2014) – Polish phenom Marcin Held is stepping back in the Bellator cage on Saturday, May 17^th as the submission ace will battle Nate Jolly from the Landers Center live on Spike TV. The night is headlined by the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final between MMA icon Rampage Jackson and King Mo, along with Michael Chandler facing Will Brooks for the Bellator Interim Lightweight Title, while Tito Ortiz squares off with Middleweight World Champion Alexander Shlemenko, all on Pay-Per-View.  

Previous scheduled to face Will Brooks; Jolly will now fight Held in a 158 lbs. catchweight fight live on Spike TV. Making his Bellator debut, Jolly holds a 13-5 professional record and has record five victories by KO or submission. Known for his ability to grind, Jolly looks to make his mark in the Bellator cage on May 17^th.

Held earned his spot in the Season 10 Lightweight Tournament final with dominate submission victories over Derek Anderson and Rodrigo Cavalheiro and is scheduled to face Patricky Pitbull in the Bellator Tournament Final in Fall 2014 live on Spike TV.  The Polish phenom has won eight of his previous nine fights and has recorded 10 of his 18 professional victories by submission. Only 22 years old, Held is looking for another quick finish from The Landers Center on May 17th  

The full fight card can be found below.

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)

Bellator Interim Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (12-1) vs. Will Brooks (13-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (7-2) vs. Michael Page (5-0)

Bellator Spike TV Fight Card:

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs. Eric Smith (6-1-1)
Bellator Catchweight (158lbs) Fight: Nate Jolly (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (18-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (19-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

Bellator Spike.com Fight Card:

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Zach Underwood (12-5) vs. Austin Lyons (10-3)

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Justin Frazier (6-1) vs. Mike Wessel (13-7)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Ben Brewer (6-1) vs. Andy Uhrich (8-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Anthony Lemon (2-3) vs. Codie Shuffield (4-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Fight: Cortez Phelia (2-0) vs. Brain Hall (7-2)

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   

Bellator Pay-Per-View Preliminary Card on Spike TV Features Four Explosive Fights Saturday, May 17th From The Landers Center

Newport Beach, Calif. (April 18, 2014) – Four explosive fights have just been added to the Bellator 120 fight card including the return of Cheick Kongo, along with two Bellator Tournament Finals. Bellator 120 takes place on Saturday, May 17^th from The Landers Center, located just outside Memphis. The night begins on Spike at 8:00 PM EST, transitioning to pay-per-view with five fights on pay-per-view, including the trilogy fight between Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, along with a Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final fight between Rampage Jackson and King Mo, along with Alexander Shlemenko vs. Tito Ortiz.

Tickets for the event are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com and The Landers Center Box Office.

Kongo is wasting no time getting back into the cage. After a five round affair that saw the French heavyweight fall to Bellator Champion Vitaly Minakov, Kongo is ready to get back to his winning ways against fellow heavyweight and Bellator newcomer Eric Smith.

“May 17^th is going to be very special for me,” Kongo said. “I had a great training camp before my last fight, and I still feel good after that camp. I wanted to get back into the cage as quickly as possible, and Bjorn made it happen. It will also be a great week as my friend Rampage Jackson is also on the card. We have trained together for many years, and it’s always special to me to fight together on the same card. May 17^th is also my birthday, so this year’s wish will be an easy one.”

The night will also feature the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Finals, as former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Alexander Volkov battles Blagoi Ivanov, who is looking to complete one of the greatest comebacks in sports history as the Bulgarian heavyweight has returned in explosive fashion after a brutal stabbing left Ivanov in a coma. The victor will receive their $100,000 Tournament prize as well as a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov.

“I’ve been Champion before, and I will become Champion again,” Volkov proclaimed. “Vitaly is a friend but we have fought before, and I want the opportunity to fight him again. Blagoi is a very tough opponent, but I know how to win a tournament, and that’s what I’m going to do on May 17^th.”

The Bellator Lightweight Tournament Finals will also be featured, as Patricky Pitbull will battle Marcin Held in a fight between two fan favorites. Only 22, Held owns an incredible 18-3 record and is quickly being considered one of the most dangerous submission fighters in the world.  

The Spike TV portion of the fight card will kick off with two of the most explosive featherweights in MMA as Mike “The Marine” Richman will battle the 21 year old Goiti Yamauchi. Both Bellator veterans are looking to get to the win column after surprising tournament defeats, and each know the importance of their matchup on May 17^th.

“When I look at this card top to bottom, it just brings a smile to my face,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We simply wanted to give our fans an incredibly entertaining night of fights top to bottom, and this card should absolutely deliver. From the start of our Spike TV show to our main event with Eddie and Michael, the card is loaded with great fights, and I can’t wait until May 17^th.”

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:

Bellator Lightweight World Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez (25-3) vs. Michael Chandler (12-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)
Bellator Lightweight Fight: Will Brooks (13-1) vs. Nate Jolly (13-5)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (7-2) vs. Michael Page (5-0)

Bellator Spike TV Fight Card:

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs. Eric Smith (6-1-1)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)
Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final: Patricky Pitbull (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (18-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

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