Bellator President Scott Coker Addresses Bellator 127 Post-Fight Drug Test Failures

Newport Beach, Calif. (October 31, 2014) – Bellator 127 from Southern California’s Pechanga Resort and Casino saw four Bellator fighters fail their post-fight drug screenings under the California State Athletic Commission. All 22 fighters that took part in Bellator 127 were drug tested post-fight. The four fighters who tested positive can be found below:

Keith Berry – Elevated testosterone levels, marijuana.

Nick Moghaddam – Elevated testosterone levels, marijuana.

Rob Emerson – Designer performance enhancer (Modafinil)

Fernando Gonzalez - Marijuana  

“I want to make very clear that under new management, Bellator will simply not stand for performance enhancing drugs inside our cage,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “We fully support the California State Athletic Commission in their process, and standby any disciplinary action handed out by Commissioner Andy Foster and the CSAC.  Fans, media and our athletes need to have a clear understanding that drug use will simply not be tolerated by Bellator.”

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

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