Ryan Martinez Replaces Vinicius Spartan in Bellator MMA Heavyweight Tournament

*Media Alert*

 

 

 

Martinez Battles Rich Hale Live Wednesday, June 19^th on Spike

 

Newport Beach, CA. (June 18, 2013) – A knee injury has forced heavyweight Vinicius Spartan out of the Summer Series Heavyweight Tournament, and has been replaced by fellow heavyweight Ryan Martinez. With the change, the night will now see Rich Hale battle Martinez for a spot in the Bellator Heavyweight Summer Series Tournament Finals.

 

“I’m looking at this opportunity as a blessing,” Martinez said. “Rich is a very qualified and tough guy, but I’m ready. I’ve been training with King Mo and Roy Nelson over the last few months, so I basically went through a normal training camp and haven’t stopped training. This is a huge chance for me, and I’m ready.”

 

“Ryan’s a huge potential player in our HW division,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We had him slotted for our next HW tournament, but paid him to be here and make weight as if he was going to fight, just for this reason.  And, his back to back camps with Mo and Roy have him ready for tomorrow night’s fight. 

The full fight card for Bellator MMA on Wednesday, June 19^th is below:

 

MAIN CARD:

 

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Ryan Martinez (9-2) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

 

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (1-1) vs. Steven Artoff (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (8-2) vs. Derek Campos (10-3)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (3-0) vs. Joe Yaeger (5-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah O’Neal vs. Raphael Butler (5-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (5-4) vs. Damon Jackson (4-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (4-0) vs. Chavous Smith (2-3)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (14-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-3)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jarrod Card (13-6) vs. Chas Skelly (10-0)

 

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     

Final Card Set For Bellator MMA Wednesday, June 19th From WinStar World Casino Live on Spike

Special Early Start Time at 7pm EST/6pm CST on Spike

Newport Beach, CA. (June 14, 2013) –The night is now set for Bellator MMA as the promotion returns to Spike TV June 19^th live from WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The night will feature the start of the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Summer Series Tournaments, as well as the return of War Machine.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST and feature two hours of action on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:00 p.m. CST. Following the event, Spike will air the premier of Fight Master: Bellator MMA, which features 32 of the best welterweight fighters on the planet as they compete for a spot in the Bellator MMA Tournament and a $100,000 prize.  

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

Bellator MMA Preliminary Card:

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (1-1) vs. Steven Artoff (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (8-2) vs. Derek Campos (10-3)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (3-0) vs. Joe Yaeger (5-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah O’Neal vs. Raphael Butler (5-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (5-4) vs. Damon Jackson (4-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (4-0) vs. Chavous Smith (2-3)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (14-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-3)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jarrod Card (13-6) vs. Chas Skelly (10-0)

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          

Rickels Leap Frogs Jansen Due to ACL Injury; Rickels vs. Chandler Now July 31st Live on Spike

June 19^th Card Now Headlined By King Mo vs. Seth Petruzelli

Newport Beach, CA. (June 2, 2013) – After preparing for the biggest fight of his already impressive career, Dave Jansen’s title shot will be put on hold as the Oregon native has suffered an ACL injury that will keep the submission ace sidelined indefinitely. Originally slated to face reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler on June 19^th, Chandler will instead face Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Champion David Rickels July 31^st from The Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I’m already back in the gym getting ready for the biggest test of my career,” Rickels said. “I was prepared for another few months off with Jansen already in line for his title shot, but when I got the news I was pumped because I got to enjoy myself for a while after the tournament, but now I’m ready to fight for that belt. Chandler is going to bring a huge challenge, but I know I need to focus on my takedown defense, and just push the pace. I’ve got to hurt Mike early, let him know I’m not playing around. I think he fights off of confidence more than anything else, so I’m looking to put a lot of doubt into his head early in this fight. Either way, I just can’t wait until July 31^st.”

“It was just sort of a freak injury that happened in grappling, I heard a pop and after visiting the doctor, my fears were confirmed,” Jansen said. “It’s really devastating to me knowing I was so close to getting my shot, but I talked to Bjorn and the Bellator team and they confirmed I’ll be getting my title shot when I’m healthy and ready to go, so I’m going to recover and train as hard as I ever have, and hopefully when I get back into the cage it’s more rewarding than ever.”

Please see the below for the most up to date fight schedules:

Bellator MMA from WinStar World Casino Wednesday, June 19^th:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator MMA from Santa Ana Star Center Wednesday, July 31^st

Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. David Rickels (14-1)

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Ben Askren (11-0) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (13-0)

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals: Douglas Lima (24-5) vs. Ben Saunders (16-5-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals: TBD vs. TBD

Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Patricio Pitbull (17-2) vs. Rob Emerson (12-10)

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   

Summer Series Heavyweight Tournament Begins June 19th From WinStar World Casino Live on Spike

 

Special Early Start Time at 7pm EST/6pm CST on Spike

 

Newport Beach, CA. (May 15, 2013) –As Bellator prepares for its long awaited Summer Series return, the full fight card has been completed as Bellator MMA returns to WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma Wednesday, June 19^th live on Spike TV. The night will feature a Lightweight World Championship fight between reigning Bellator Champion Michael Chandler, as he defends his belt against Dave Jansen. The night will also feature the start of the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Summer Series Tournaments, as well as the return of the always controversial War Machine.

 

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. CST and feature three hours of action on Spike TV. 

 

The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:00 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, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

 

Minakov enters the tournament undefeated at a perfect 10-0, including seven straight stoppage victories. Possessing a dominate ground game thanks to his extensive Sambo background and a developing striking arsenal, Minakov enters the tournament as one of the favorites and has his sights set on a Bellator World Title.

 

“I want everyone to know that I’m not here just to ‘take part’ in a Bellator Tournament, but to win it all and become a Bellator Champion.”

 

Minakov will have no easy test in the Semifinals of the Light Heavyweight Tournament as “The Monster” Ron Sparks returns to Bellator looking to punch his ticket to the Finals with a victory June 19^th from WinStar World Casino. Sparks isn’t looking to play head games coming into this fight, and knows Minakov will be well aware of what the Louisville native is bringing to the table.  

 

“Everyone knows I’m looking stand in that cage and throw bombs, no questions asked,” Sparks said. “I think the heavyweight tournament is going to be awesome. I am looking forward to it being a four-man tournament. It will give the fighters more opportunities to fight and I want my shot at the title.”

 

The other side of the bracket will feature fan-favorite and Bellator veteran Rich Hale as the Arizona 

native battles the imposing Brazilian Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz. Hale burst onto the scene with inverted triangle win over Nick Fekete in 2011 and his continued his assent up the heavyweight ranks.

“I am really looking forward to the heavyweight tournament and my training has been going great,” Hale said. “I’ve been working hard and making adjustments to the game plan to come in and get the heavyweight belt.”

 

“This event is insanely stacked, and it’s the reason we are making this a jam packed three hour show,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With a Lightweight Title fight, Mo, Babalu, War Machine and the start of our heavyweight tournament, this is going to be an amazing show start to finish on Spike.”

 

Following the event, Spike will air the premier of Fight Master: Bellator MMA, which features 32 of the best welterweight fighters on the planet as they compete for a spot in the Bellator MMA Tournament and a $100,000 prize.  

 

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

 

Bellator MMA Preliminary Card:

 

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (3-0) vs. Mike Brown (3-1)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (1-1) vs. Steven Artoff (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (5-4) vs. Damon Jackson (4-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (4-0) vs. Jason Sampson (10-1)

Catchweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (8-2) vs. TBA (0-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (14-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-3)

 

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 Returns to WinStar World Casino June 19th Live on Spike: Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler Defends Title Against Dave Jansen

Four-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament Begins as King Mo, Babalu Return; War Machine Premieres

Newport Beach, CA. (May 1^st, 2013) – After delivering a dramatic and dominating submission victory in his first title defense, top ranked Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler will once again put his title on the line as Bellator MMA returns to WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma Wednesday, June 19^th for the start of the Bellator MMA Summer Series live on Spike TV.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. CST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:30 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Only 27, Chandler holds impressive victories over Eddie Alvarez, Rick Hawn, Akihiro Gono and Patricky Pitbull while sporting a spotless 11-0 record that has catapulted the Alliance MMA product into Top 3 rankings across the MMA landscape.

“I’m excited to get back in the cage and defend the belt against a tough guy like Jansen,” Chandler said. “He’s proven to be a very tough and durable competitor. My plan is the same as every fight, which is to show up new and improved and collect another dominant finish for the fans.”

Jansen enters the fight riding a six fight win streak that includes a dominating Bellator Lightweight Tournament run with victories over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Tirloni, as well as a Finals win over Polish phenom Marcin Held. With the Oregon native owning an established submission pedigree and the resilience to have never been finished inside the cage, Jansen presents a unique set of challenges for Chandler on June 19^th.

“I really want this fight to be an absolute grind and make Mike as uncomfortable as possible inside that cage,” Jansen said. “I’ve been known in my career to really be able to weather the storm and I really feel like I get stronger inside the cage as the fight goes on, and I’m really looking forward to having that full 25 minutes to work with and take this fight in deep waters. This is just an incredible opportunity for me and would a huge validation on my career to become a Bellator World Champion.”

Know across MMA as one of the top light heavyweights in the world, King Mo returns and will begin his quest to claim the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title. No stranger to WinStar, Mo had the crowd on its feet last January as he delivered a vicious knockout in opening round action, and will be looking for a similar performance against Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli. 

“Seth has been in this game for a long time and has beaten guys like Kimbo, Ricco Rodriguez and Dan Severn so this fight is going to be tough, but I’ve been working my ass off in the gym with Jeff Mayweather and my team and I’m ready to get another win under my belt,” Mo said. “Point blank, I’m looking to deliver a straight Mortal Kombat style fatality to Seth.”

Decorated MMA legend Renato “Babalu” Sobral will also make his return to the Bellator cage as the imposing Brazilian looks to punch his ticket to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Finals with a victory over Tennessee’s own Jacob Noe. After both men had their first taste of Bellator Tournament action last season, expectations have risen for both competitors.

"God has blessed me with the opportunity to fight again and consequently has cursed my opponents,” Babalu stated.

After nearly two years away from the cage, the always exciting and controversial War Machine will be back in action in front of a raucous WinStar crowd. Injuries and legal troubles have delayed the Bellator debut for War Machine but the highly skilled welterweight has finally put the past behind him and is ready to show the MMA world what it has been missing.

“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.”

“This event is insanely stacked,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With a Lightweight Title fight, Mo, Babalu, and War Machine, this is going to be an amazing show start to finish on Spike.”

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

More information on Bellator MMA from WinStar World Casino will be made available in the coming weeks.

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 68 from Caesars Atlantic City Stacked with International, National and local standouts

Bellator Featherweight Tourney Finals and Bantamweight Semifinal on tap at Caesars

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 26, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships makes its return to the Garden State on Friday, May 11 with a talent-filled fight card from Caesars Atlantic City. The night will feature a Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final fight between Marlon Sandro and Daniel Straus, with the winner earning a guaranteed title shot for the Bellator Featherweight World Championship.  The next finalist in the Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament will be decided as Marcos Galvao and Travis Marx square off in a semifinal bout. Additionally, Caesars Atlantic City will host the return of Seth “the Kimbo Killer” Petruzelli as he takes on MMA veteran Carmelo Marrero. Plus, it’s the long-awaited rematch between Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromski vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf. Bellator 68 will also feature a stacked undercard full of the area’s top talent. Tickets for the Bellator 68 are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Caesars Box Office. Tickets are priced from $45-$125.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Bellator veteran Marcin Held will look for his fifth win in his last six bouts as he takes on New Jersey product Derrick Kennington. Held, a lightweight submission specialist, is coming off a razor thin split decision victory over Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59 and is looking to improve to 13-2.   

Philadelphia’s Jesus Martinez squares off against “The Burmese Python” Aung La Nsang in a catchweight bout of 175 pounds. Martinez, who last competed in a losing effort to Bellator Season 6 Tournament competitor Karl Amoussou, will meet Nsang who is making his promotional debut and brings an impressive submission arsenal with him into the cage.

Also on the card, New Jersey featherweight Jeff Lentz will take on submission fighter Eddie Fyvie in a 145-pound rematch that will surely have the Atlantic City faithful on their feet. Nearly three years ago, Lentz scored a devastating knockout in their first encounter and now Fyvie is looking to exact revenge when they battle at Caesars Atlantic City.          

Bellator 68 will feature an exciting lightweight matchup as Bellator veteran Jacob Kirwan battles newcomer Don Carlos-Clauss. Kirwan will look to return to the form that saw him defeat Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament competitor Rene Nazare last year while Carlos-Clauss will look to make a strong first impression.

A pair of Bellator veterans will clash as local favorite Claudio Ledesma challenges fellow bantamweight Anthony Leone in a 135-pound bout. Ledesma, who defeated Brian Kelleher at Bellator 54 last October, is looking to earn his second win with the promotion when he battles the New York native.         

Rounding out the card will be Gregory Milliard taking on Francois Ambang. Coming off an impressive win at Bellator 59, Milliard returns to Atlantic City and will try and keep the momentum going against a tough Ambang.  

MAIN CARD:

Featherweight Tournament Finals Fight: Marlon Sandro vs. Daniel Straus                       

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Marcos Galvao vs. Travis Marx

Catchweight (230 lbs.) Feature Fight:  Seth Petruzelli vs. Carmelo Marrero

Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf         

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight Feature Fight:  Jacob Kirwan vs. Don Carlos-Clauss  

Lightweight Feature Fight:  Marcin Held vs. Derrick Kennington       

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Claudio Ledesma vs. Anthony Leone             

Middleweight Feature Fight: Gregory Milliard vs. Francois Ambang   

Catchweight (175 lbs.) Feature Fight: Jesus Martinez vs. Aung La Nsang                 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jeff Lentz vs. Eddie Fyvie                    

                                                                                                           

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/Bellator