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for Brian Rogers, as the Ohio native is now set to take on Brazilian striker Rafael Carvalho after Brett Cooper has withdrawn from the fight due to a back injury suffered in training, After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Rogers will once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    

Middleweight Tournament Finals Delayed With Brett Cooper Out Due to Back Injury

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 5, 2014) – The Bellator Middleweight Tournament Finals will be on hold as Brett Cooper has been forced off of the Bellator 119 card from Casino Rama as the California native is dealing with a back injury. Cooper was scheduled to face the undefeated Brandon Halsey for a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko.  

“After my fight with Kendall [Grove], my back just hasn’t been where I need it to be to have a proper training camp for one of the biggest fights of my career,” Cooper said. “It’s a setback, but with some time off, I should be ready to go by late July. I never like missing time, but I know this is the right move. I’ll be back stronger, and I’m looking forward to winning another tournament and getting another shot against Shlemenko.”

Also, Shamhalaev vs. Guerreiro will also be removed from the card after passport issues forced the featherweight fight to be postponed. Two of the most explosive featherweights in the sport, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney is confident fans will still get to see the matchup shortly.

“Unfortunately issues arose in the passport process for Guerreiro, and because the fight is in Ontario, we weren’t confident these issues with be resolved by May 9^th,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “However, we should have news shortly on when this fight will be rescheduled, as these are two guys I’ve wanted back in our cage, and it should make for a great fight.”

With the changes, the current Bellator 119 card can be found below. Bellator 119 takes place on Friday, May 9^th from Ontario’s Casino Rama.

MAIN CARD:
 

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final: Daniel Weichel (33-8) vs. Desmond Green (11-2) 
Featherweight Feature Fight: Chris Horodecki (20-4-1) vs. Marlon Sandro (24-5-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (19-8) vs. Vaughn Anderson (16-2-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (8-0) vs. Nick Rossborough (23-18)

PRELIMINARY CARD:
Catchweight Feature Fight (160 lbs): Eric Wisely (22-8) vs. John Alessio (34-17)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Brian Rogers (10-6) vs. Adrian Miles (14-5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Stuart Austin (7-0) vs. Craig Hudson (4-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Meisel (4-3) vs. Remy Bussieres (3-0)

Catchweight Feature Fight (130 lbs.): Chris Kelades (6-0) vs. Malcolm Gordon (4-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Behrang Yousefi (5-4) vs. Chad Freeman (8-5)

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