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          

RICK “THE GLADIATOR” GLENN AND ZACH UNDERWOOD BRING HOME VICTORIES TO ROUFUSPORT

Glenn and Underwood win at Score and Bellator events, respectively

(Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA): Rising stars Rick “The Gladiator” Glenn and Zach Underwood, teammates at Roufusport, both came out on top this past weekend, as Glenn finished Tristan Johnson at Score Fighting Series 5, while Underwood grabbed a unanimous decision victory over Chris Coggins at Bellator 73. Both competitors were big winners, and both have even bigger fights on the horizon.

“I’m so proud of Rick and Zach both…they performed well, and represented us very well,” stated Roufusport head coach Duke Roufus. “It’s clear they’re both on the rise, and I’m excited to see what’s next for them.”

“The Gladiator” had a tough fight on his hands in Tristan Johnson, as the two waged a back-and-forth war. But in the 2^ndround, Glenn turned it on, and ended the fight violently with a barrage of ground-and-pound. After the fight, he grabbed his next opportunity by the throat, and called out former WEC competitor Chris Horodecki. But on this night, it was all about “The Gladiator.”

“I feel that I had my best performance as a fighter. I felt the best I had ever felt in there. Before the fight I reflected back on all the preparations and the help of our awesome team. I really wanted to make a statement, too.”

Regarding calling out Horodecki, he said, “I heard he didn’t have an opponent, so I asked. No news on it yet. But, for this fight, I’d like to thank my wife Jenny, coach Omar, and Ben for being in my corner with the power of the ‘fros! Duke, Cush, workoutboss, and the whole Roufusport team.”

Zach Underwood also put on a great performance, gaining the unanimous decision victory over Chris Coggins on the undercard of Bellator 73. With that win, he’s likely to move up in the Bellator rankings, and will likely fight higher on the card the next time he competes.

“I feel I performed well, but of course, I’m my biggest critic, and I think there were a few things I could have done better. But a win is a win, and I’ll take it.”

As far as what’s next, he said, “I have no clue, to be honest. I take it one fight at a time and put everything into just that one. I’m back in the gym already, though, just in case I get a call.”

“I’d like to thank my teammates at my gym back home at Prize Fight in Southaven, Mississippi, and a big thanks always to Roufusport. Duke, Scott, Omar, Kaz, and Ben have you ready for anything in the cage…thanks, guys!”

For more information on Roufusport, please visit http://roufusport.com/. You can also find them on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/roufusport, and on Twitter @RoufusportMMA.

About RoufusportRoufusport is run by famed kickboxer and MMA trainer Duke Roufus and his business partner Scott Joffe. It is a world class brand that includes a state-of-the-art training facility, fight team, and MMA promotion, the North American Fighting Championship.

Roufus is one of the most recognizable MMA and striking coaches in North America, and is considered to be one of the top trainers of Muay Thai kickboxing outside of Thailand. Roufus also runs the Roufusport Fight Club team, which includes UFC stars includes UFC stars Alan Belcher, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, Erik “New Breed” Koch, and Pascal “Panzer” Krauss.

Former students include former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, The Ultimate Fighter season one star Stephan Bonnar, and UFC veterans Pat Barry, Matt Mitrione, Ben Rothwell, and Jesse Lennox.