Bellator Returns To Wichita On Friday, October 24th As Emanuel Newton Defends Title, Bobby Lashley Returns

Marloes Coenen Makes Bellator Debut

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 30, 2014) – Bellator MMA will put an end to its weekly season schedule on Friday, October 24^th as the promotion will return to Wichita, Kan., for Bellator 130 live on Spike TV. The night will feature “The Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton once again putting his title on the line against English native Linton Vassell, while Bobby Lashley faces Karl Etherington in a heavyweight clash. The night will also feature the Bellator debut of the top-ranked Marloes Coenen, who battles Italian newcomer Annalisa Bucci. And a Bellator return to Kansas wouldn’t be complete without “The Caveman” David Rickels, who will take on Brazilian Davi Ramos.

The event will broadcast live at 9 p.m. EST/ 8 p.m. CST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free on Spike.com beginning at 7 p.m. EST/ 6 p.m. CST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Kansas Star Arena box office.

Fresh off his devastating and now signature spinning back fist victory, Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton returns to action to face English native Linton Vassell. Nicknamed “The Swarm”, Vassell enters the fight riding a nine-fight winning streak and is undefeated in Bellator at 3-0. Newton is aware of the tough challenges Vassell creates, but is thankful for the opportunity to get back to into the cage.

“I didn’t feel good about my last performance even though I got the knock out,” Newton said. “I wanted to get another fight as soon as possible so I could put on a better performance for the fans, and Coker, Bellator, Spike and Viacom really made it happen. I have to thank everyone involved and I am ready to put on an awesome fight for the fans on October 24^th.”

“This was not an easy road but I'm living the dream right now, it was only a matter of time before I was fighting for the Bellator World Title,” Vassell said. “The time is now and I'm more than ready to be the first British Bellator LHW World Champion.”

After capturing his first win inside the Bellator cage on September 5^th, Bobby Lashley is set to return to his home state of Kansas when he takes on the undefeated Karl Etherington on Friday, October 24^th live on Spike. Lashley captured his first Bellator win with a rear-naked choke submission over Josh Burns, and is looking to move his record to 2-0 inside the Bellator cage with a victory on October 24^th.

The long awaited debut of Marloes Coenen will also be featured on the Spike TV Main Card as the Dutch striker will face Annalisa Bucci in a featherweight affair. Since the arrival of Scott Coker in June, the female division has been reestablished in Bellator and Coenen will look to pick up another huge victory on October 24^th.

The main card will be rounded out with a veteran lightweight clash as Rick Hawn returns to his natural weight class to take on Dave Jansen. Away from action for nearly 18 months, Jansen returns to the cage riding a six-fight win streak including an impressive victory over Marcin Held in 2013. With his ACL injury behind him and fully healthy, Jansen is counting the days until October 24^th live on Spike.

“I’m ready to showcase my evolving skillset as a fighter and get right back into the mix,” Jansen said. “Rick is definitely a formidable and worthy opponent. I believe that this is a great matchup for me stylistically and I’m looking forward to delivering my best performance to date.”

“I can’t wait to get back into the Bellator cage a face a guy of Jansen’s caliber, he’s a really tough guy, will be a great test for both of us and I’m just ready to put on a great fight,” Hawn said.

The Bellator 130 preliminary card will showcase some of Kansas’s top-talent including, Ricky Musgrave fighting Joe Wilk, Cody Carrillo taking on Marcio Navarro and Daniel Gallemore facing Gzim Selmani. 

Fan favorite and Kansas’s own David “The Caveman” Rickels will return to the Bellator cage to battle Davi Ramos. A former lightweight tournament winner, Rickels has tallied 10 of his 15 wins by KO or submission and is ready to put on an explosive fight for his hometown crowd.

The night will also feature the return of top-prospect Darrion Caldwell taking on Anthony Dizy, Nate Jolly will look to grab his first Bellator victory against Aaron Derrow, in addition to former welterweight tournament contender Sam Oropeza fighting Gary Tapusoa and a battle of heavy hitters between Derek Bohi and Alex Huddleston in a heavyweight bout.

MAIN CARD:

Light Heavyweight World Title Fight: Linton Vassell (14-3) vs. Emanuel Newton (24-7)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Karl Etherington (9-0) vs. Bobby Lashley (11-2)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Annalisa Bucci (7-3) vs. Marloes Coenen (21-6)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Jansen (19-2) vs. Rick Hawn (18-3)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Derek Bohi (3-2) vs. Alex Huddleston (4-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Aaron Derrow (12-8) vs. Nate Jolly (13-6)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Anthony Dizy (5-0) vs. Darrion Caldwell (5-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight:  Gary Tapusoa (8-2) vs. Sam Oropeza (11-2)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Gzim Selmani (4-1) vs. Daniel Gallemore (3-2)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Marcio Navarro (9-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (5-8)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Ricky Musgrave (11-4) vs. Joe Wilk (17-9)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Davi Ramos (5-0) vs. David Rickels (15-3)

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

Bellator & Gilbert Melendez Agree on Structure to Bring Top Lightweight To Bellator

UFC Now Holds Right to Match Offer

Newport Beach, Calif. (February 14, 2014) – At 22-3, Gilbert Melendez sits atop the UFC’s lightweight division. With victories over Josh Thomson, Diego Sanchez, Shinya Aoki and Jorge Masvidal, “El Nino” is ready for a new crop of challengers as the Santa Ana native has agreed to a multi-fight, multi-year deal structure with Bellator that can pit Melendez against some of MMA’s best, including Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler, Will Brooks, Dave Jansen and a host of top lightweights from around the world.

“The moment Gil was legally able to explore the free agent market, Gil’s management team reached out to me and we began figuring out how to bring Gil to Bellator,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “It’s no secret that I’ve been a big “El Nino” fan for many years. Gil was one of the first fighters I tried to sign when I launched Bellator back in 2008, and he’s grown and developed into one of the best and most exciting lightweights on earth.  Gil has a vision for what he wants to accomplish both inside and outside the cage and we can help make his vision a reality.  We are in the business of developing and showcasing the greatest fighters on earth. That’s what we intend to do here with Gil and it’s what we’ll continue to do in the future.”

The UFC currently holds matching rights on Melendez.

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 Results from the Santa Ana Star Center

Albuquerque, N.M. (July 31, 2013) –  The final results are in for Bellator MMA’s event live from New Mexico’s Santa Ana Star Center. The event featured the Bellator Lightweight World Championship where reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler defeated David Rickels with an explosive knockout (punches) in the first minute of the first round. In a Bellator Welterweight World Title Fight, Ben Askren also defended his title with a knockout finish against Andrey Koreshkov. The night also showcased the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final with King Mo defeating Jacob Noe and Vitaly Minakov captured the Heavyweight Tournament Final with a win over Ryan Martinez.

Bellator also announced live inside the Bellator cage that two of the biggest names in MMA, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito “The People’s Champion” Ortiz will battle in a light heavyweight matchup live on PPV Saturday, November 2^nd at Southern California’s Long Beach Arena. Tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday, August 3^rd at 10 a.m. PST and can be purchased on Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Long Beach Arena Box Office.

Main Card

Lightweight World Championship: Michael Chandler defeats David Rickels via TKO (strikes) –Round 1, 0:44.

Welterweight World Championship: Ben Askren defeats Andrey Koreshkov via TKO (strikes) – Round 4, 2:59

Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: King Mo defeats Jacob Noe via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:51

Heavyweight Tournament Final: Vitaly Minakov defeats Ryan Martinez via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 4:02

Featherweight Feature Fight: Patricio Pitbull defeats Jared Downing via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 0:54

Preliminary Card

Catchweight Feature Fight (158 lbs.): Will Brooks def. Cris Leyva via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:20

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Rafael Silva def. Rodrigo Lima via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 2:03

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Anthony Leone def. Frank Baca via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 1:07

Lightweight Feature Fight: Bubba Jenkins defeats Mike Barreras via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:05

Catchweight Feature Fight (190 lbs): Jeremy Kimball defeats Keith Berry via KO (punches) – Round 2, 1:45

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Cruz defeats Felipe Chavez via TKO (strikes) –Round 2, 4:24

Bantamweight Catchweight Fight (150 lbs): Javier Palacios defeated Richard Jacques by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Shawn Bunch defeats Russell Wilson via split decision (29-28, 28-29,29-28)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Donald Sanchez defeats Cliff Wright Jr. via split decision (29-28, 28-29 , 29-28)

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 Adds Jared Downing to Featherweight Ranks, Set to Face Patricio Pitbull July 31st Live on Spike

Downing Replaces Injured Rob Emerson

Newport Beach, CA. (July 12, 2013) – A labrum injury has forced Rob “The Saint” Emerson off of the July 31^st fight card, where he was originally scheduled to face longtime Bellator veteran Patricio Pitbull. That won’t stop Pitbull from stepping in the cage, as Jared Downing will now battle the explosive Brazilian striker live on Spike TV.  The night will also feature a Bellator Lightweight World Title fight as defending Bellator Champion Michael Chandler puts his title on the line against David “The Caveman” Rickels, while Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will defend his title against Russian phenom Andrey Koreskov.

“This is a great opportunity for me, one I couldn’t pass up,” Downing said. “I’m happy to be back with Bellator and really start a new chapter. I thought Patricio won his last fight against Curran, so I know I’m going to be getting one of the best featherweights in the world, and that’s why I signed with Bellator. I want to get this win, make my way into a tournament and become a Bellator World Champion.”

Only 24, Downing joins Bellator at 9-2, including a 2010 Bellator victory over Danny Tims.

“It takes a ton of heart to accept a fight less than 20 days out, especially when you have to step in the cage with one of the most dangerous men in the world in Pitbull,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Jared is a guy we’ve had our eye on for a while and win or lose, he’ll make a great addition to our featherweight ranks.”

The full fight card for July 31^st is below:

MAIN CARD

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

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

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: King Mo (10-2) vs. Jacob Noe (12-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Ryan Martinez (10-2) vs. Vitaly Minakov (11-0)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jared Downing (9-2) vs. Patricio Pitbull (17-2)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight Feature Fight: Cris Leyva (9-5) vs. Will Brooks (9-1)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Rafael Silva (19-3) vs. Rodrigo Lima (11-1)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Anthony Leone (12-5) vs. Frank Baca (16-2)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Mike Barreras (5-6) vs. Bubba Jenkins (3-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Javier Palacios (1-0) vs. Richard Jacques (1-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Jeremy Kimball (9-3) vs. Keith Berry (15-10)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Cruz (4-0) vs. Felipe Chavez (5-3)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Steve Garcia (1-0) vs. Shawn Bunch (1-0)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Cliff Wright Jr. (7-4) vs. Donald Sanchez (28-13)

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          

Bellator Returns to Albuquerque as Two Title Fights Headline Loaded July 31stFight Card Live on Spike TV

Early TV Start at 5pm MST Live on Spike TV

Newport Beach, CA. (July 9, 2013) – Bellator MMA returns to Albuquerque, New Mexico Wednesday, July 31^st as the Santa Ana Star Center will play host to a Bellator Lightweight World Title fight as defending Bellator Champion Michael Chandler puts his title on the line against David “The Caveman” Rickels, while Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will defend his title against Russian phenom Andrey Koreskov live on Spike, as well in Spanish language on mun2. The night will also feature the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final as King Mo faces the electric Jacob Noe, while Heavyweights collide as Vitaly Minakov battles Ryan Martinez in the Bellator Tournament Final. The Bantamweight Summer Series Tournament will also begin, as Rafael Silva will battle Rodrigo Lima, while Anthony Leone will take on Bellator newcomer Frank Baca.

The event has a special early start time and will broadcast LIVE starting at 5:00 p.m. MST on Spike. Tickets for the event are on salenow and can be purchased at ComcastTix.com or by visiting the Santa Ana Star Center Box Office with tickets starting at just $25 dollars.

The night will showcase a stacked preliminary card featured on Spike.com, as former NCAA wrestling champion Bubba Jenkins will make his Bellator debut and looks to keep his undefeated record intact when he battles Albuquerque’s own Mike Barreras. The night will also feature the return of U.S. Olympic Wrestling qualifier Shawn Bunch, who looks to continue his journey into MMA as he takes on Steve Garcia in a bantamweight affair.  

Fan favorite Will Brooks will also return to the big stage and battle New Mexico native Cris Leyva.  After suffering just the first loss of his professional career in the Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal to Saad Awad, Brooks is ready to get back under the bright lights.

Eight of New Mexico’s premiere athletes will be featured on the preliminary card and all of the preliminary card fights will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 4:00 p.m. MST.

The full fight card is listed below

MAIN CARD

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

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

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: King Mo (10-2) vs. Jacob Noe (12-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Ryan Martinez (10-2) vs. Vitaly Minakov (11-0)

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

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight Feature Fight: Cris Leyva (9-5) vs. Will Brooks (9-1)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Rafael Silva (19-3) vs. Rodrigo Lima (11-1)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Anthony Leone (12-5) vs. Frank Baca (16-2)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Mike Barreras (5-6) vs. Bubba Jenkins (3-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Javier Palacios (1-0) vs. Richard Jacques (1-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Jeremy Kimball (9-3) vs. Keith Berry (15-10)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Cruz (4-0) vs. Felipe Chavez (5-3)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Steve Garcia (1-0) vs. Shawn Bunch (1-0)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Cliff Wright Jr. (7-4) vs. Donald Sanchez (28-13)

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           

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 107 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 150 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.

About mun2

mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34.  From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform.  Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.