Bellator Weigh-In Results from Mohegan Sun Arena

Uncasville, Conn. (February 27, 2013) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from Mohegan Sun Arena in preparation for Bellator MMA’s February 28^th event, which will showcase the Bellator Season 10 Light Heavyweight Semifinals and the Bellator Featherweight Opening Rounds.

Bellator MMA will take place from Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, February 28th with the first fight taking place at 6:30 p.m. EST and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 9:00 p.m. EST and will air LIVE on Spike TV.

MAIN CARD: 

Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (206) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (199.75)
 

Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (205) vs. Mikhail Zayats (205)
 

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (144.25) vs. Matt Bessette (145.25)
 

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (145.25) vs. Will Martinez (144.75)

PRELIMINARY CARD:
 

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (144.75) vs. Desmond Green (145.75)
 

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (145.25) vs. Scott Cleve (145)
 

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Egidijus Valavicius (204) vs. Atanas Djambazov (204.25)
 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Andrew Fisher (145) vs. Saul Almeida (146)
 

Lightweight Feature Fight: Ryan Quinn (155.5) vs. Andrew Calandrelli (156)
 

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Diekman (246) vs. Manny Lara (259.5)
 

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Marvin Maldonado (134.25) vs. Rico DiSciullo (135.5)
 

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Pat Schultz (201.25) vs. Dave Roberts (212)*

*Dave Roberts could not make weight and will not compete.

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 110 Fight Card Finalized From Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun on Friday, February 28th Live on Spike TV

Rampage Jackson, M’Pumbu, King Mo and Zayats headline with Light Heavyweight Semifinals: Nunes, Richman, and Weichel Lead Featherweight Pack

Newport Beach, Cailf. (January 29, 2014) – Bellator MMA  returns to Spike TV in explosive fashion as the promotion kicks off its tenth season  Friday, February 28 at 9pm EST/PST.  The event features MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a Light Heavyweight opening round battle with former World Champion Christian M’Pumbu, while King Mo Lawal returns to face Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats. The night will also feature the start of the Season 10 Featherweight Tournament and a card full of local talent.

Bellator 110 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 at Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

Two of Connecticut’s best will battle as Andrew Calandrelli will fight fellow Connecticut native Ryan Quinn in hopes to improve his two-fight win streak. Calandrelli has won three of his last four victories via submission, but will have to hold off Quinn who maintains a perfect 5-0 Bellator record.  

After making his Bellator debut in September and defeating Parker Porter with a first round KO, Josh Diekman will return to the cage and face Chris Birchler. Looking to finish the fight as quickly as possible, Diekman has won 13 of his 14 professional victories by first round finish.

Combining for 56 professional fights, Egidijus Valavicius will face Atanas Djambazov in a battle of light heavyweights. Valavicius has won seven of his previous eight fights and is looking to grab another knockout against Djambazov on February 28^th.

After recording his first professional victory against Glenn Allaire by first round knockout at Bellator 98, Rico Disciullo will face Jake Smith. Putting his talents to the test, Smith will step under the bright lights for the first time and make his professional debut in a bantamweight battle against Disciullo.

No stranger to the MMA game, Dave Roberts will return to the cage after a six years absence from the sport and will fight the heavy-handed Pat Schultz. Known for his knockout power, Schultz has won seven of his eight professional victories by knockout, four coming in the first round.

Nine of New England’s premier athletes will be featured on the preliminary card and all of the preliminary fights will be streamed live and free on Spike.com starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The full fight card is listed below.

BELLATOR 110 MAIN CARD:Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (33-11) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (18-5)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (11-3) vs. Mikhail Zayats (22-7)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (18-5) vs. Matt Bessette (12-4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (16-3) vs. Desmond Green (9-2)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (31-8) vs. Scott Cleve (14-3)

BELLATOR 110 PRELIMINARY CARD:
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (16-1) vs. Will Martinez (8-2)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Egidijus Valavicius (25-10) vs. Atanas Djambazov (18-3)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Andrew Fisher (12-5-1) vs. Saul Almeida (13-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Ryan Quinn (8-4-1) vs. Andrew Calandrelli (6-3)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Chris Birchler (5-1) vs. Josh Diekman (14-5)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Jake Smith (Debut) vs. Rico DiSciullo (1-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Pat Schultz (8-2-1) vs. Dave Roberts (5-8)

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 Adds Featherweight Tournament to Already Stacked Bellator 110 at Mohegan Sun on Friday, February 28th Live on Spike TV

Rampage Jackson, M’Pumbu, King Mo and Zayats headline with Light Heavyweight Semifinals: Nunes, Richman, and Weichel Lead Featherweight Pack

Newport Beach, Cailf. (January 24, 2014) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports will debut the opening rounds of the Bellator Season 10 Featherweight Tournament from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun on Friday, February 28^th live on Spike TV. The night will also feature the Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinals as MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and former champion Christian M’Pumbu clash while King Mo Lawal takes on Russian powerhouse Mikhail Zayats.

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 at Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

In one of the most stacked Bellator divisions, Connecticut’s own Matt Bessette will face the Brazilian striker Diego “Guns” Nunes in the featherweight opening round.  With a Bellator tournament run already under his belt, Nunes is ready to take the next step toward his chance to fight for the world title. For Bessette, facing Nunes will be his toughest opponent thus far in his career and he is ready to show his home state the hard work and preparation he has put in to propel his career to the next level.

“I am always excited to fight for Bellator,” Bessette said. “To be chosen to compete in the Toughest Tournament In Sports is life changing and I am happy to be given this opportunity. If I am preparing to fight the best at all times, I’ll always be ready come fight night and I have been ready for months now. Connecticut is home and Mohegan Sun will be on fire when I am in the cage on February 28^th.”

No stranger to the Bellator cage, Mike Richman will look to collect another knockout as he faces the young and hungry Desmond Green.  After a fierce back and forth battle against Frodo Khasbulaev in the Bellator Season 8 Tournament Final that eventually saw Khasbulaev with his hand raised in victory, Richman will stop at nothing to get back to the finals this season.     

“If feels great to be back in the tournament,” Richman said. “No questions asked, I’m coming hard this tournament. Des Green is a tough grinder and he thinks he will take me down and keep me there, I guess we will have to wait and see. He won’t see my speed, but he will feel my power.”

Entering the Toughest Tournament In Sports for the first time, Scott Cleve heads into battle against the highly-talented German finisher Daniel Weichel. With 39 professional fights under his belt, Weichel has recorded 19 victories via submission, including three submission wins in his last three fights. In order to get past the submission-artist, Cleve plans on using the momentum from his current six-fight win streak and knows he will have to be one step ahead of Weichel to advance in the tournament.

“I’ve been working hard getting ready for this tournament and I feel more than ready,” Cleve said. “I almost feel like I can go into this fight with nothing to lose. I think that my speed and ground game will be my biggest asset. Weichel is very experienced and I have to be ready for a war.”

In a battle of fast finishers, a fight between Goiti Yamauchi and Binns Managements own Will Martinez will close out the tournament bracket. At only 21 years of age, Yamauchi steps under the bright lights with impressive 16-1 professional record, including 12 first-round victories.  In a fight that will be Martinez’s toughest test yet, he is confident that he will hold his own against Yamauchi heading into this fight riding a seven-fight win streak all ending in the first round.

“I am excited beyond belief to be able to participate in the featherweight tournament,” Martinez said. “I feel like I have all of the pieces in place to make a successful run at the title. Goiti is a great fighter and the toughest opponent I have faced yet. We both love to finish fights as quick as possible. I would love to end this fight with a first round submission, but I am ready for a three-round war.”

BELLATOR 110:
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (33-11) vs. Christian M’Pumbu (18-5)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Semifinal: King Mo Lawal (11-3) vs. Mikhail Zayats (22-7)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Diego Nunes (18-5) vs. Matt Bessette (12-4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Mike Richman (16-3) vs. Desmond Green (9-2)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Daniel Weichel (31-8) vs. Scott Cleve (14-3)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Goiti Yamauchi (16-1) vs. Will Martinez (8-2)

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          

“Fight Master” Finals Set For November 2nd as Joe “Diesel” Riggs Meets Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis On Spike TV Pay-Per-View Prelims

Newport Beach, CA. (September 20^th, 2013) – Often times, patience can be a virtue. After originally scheduled to meet on September 7^th, the “Fight Master” Finals will now be featured on the Spike TV pay-per-view prelims as veterans Joe “Diesel” Riggs and Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis meet to determine who is the first Bellator Fight Master. The fight will now join a card that features Featherweight Champion Pat Curran defending his title against Daniel Straus, King Mo vs. Emanuel Newton for the Interim Light Heavyweight Title, the rematch of 2011’s fight of the year between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight World Title, as well as the main event of the evening, Rampage Jackson vs. Tito Ortiz.

“Rampage vs. Tito” will be held at Southern California’s Long Beach Arena on Saturday, November 2nd, with tickets on sale now. Tickets can be purchased on Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com, as well as at The Long Beach Arena Box Office.

Riggs was guided to the finals by world-renowned trainer Greg Jackson, while Bronzoulis choose Xtreme Couture and was under the tutelage of former Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture. An eye injury to Riggs delayed the original fight date of September 7^th, but with both fighters now healthy, the two will meet for the Fight Master $100,000 prize and a spot in the next Bellator Welterweight Tournament.   

Five fights have now been confirmed for Bellator’s November 2^nd Pay-Per-View:

Pay-Per-View Main Card

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Rampage Jackson (32-11) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)

Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (12-0) vs. Eddie Alvarez (24-3)

Light Heavyweight Interim Title Fight: King Mo Lawal (11-2) vs. Emanuel Newton (21-7-1)

Featherweight Title Fight: Pat Curran (19-4) vs. Daniel Straus (21-4)

Spike TV Preliminary Fights

Fight Master Welterweight Finals: Joe Riggs (39-14) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (15-5)

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  

Bellator Results from the Pechanga Resort

Temecula, C.A. (September 13, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA’s event live from California’s Pechanga Resort. The event featured the opening rounds of the Season 9 Bellator Featherweight Tournament with Patricio Pitbull, Fabricio Guerreiro, Justin Wilcox and Joe Taimanglo moving on to the semifinal rounds. Patricio Pitbull will face Fabricio Guerreiro and Justin Wilcox will fight Taimanglo in the semifinals.

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull defeats Diego Nunes via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:19

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Fabricio Guerreiro defeats Des Green via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Houston Alexander via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Justin Wilcox defeats Akop Stepanyan via technical submission – Round 2, 2:26

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo defeats Andrew Fisher via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Catchweight Feature Fight (208lbs): Virgil Zwicker defeats Nick Moghaddam  via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 1,  3:22

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Blagoi Ivanov defeats Manny Lara via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:17

Featherweight Feature Fight: Goiti Yamauchi defeats Musa Toliver via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01

Catchweight Feature Fight (173 lbs): Gavin Sterritt defeats Andy Murad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Hector Ramirez defeats Savo Kosic by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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 Top Featherweight Daniel Weichel To Loaded Division

#1 Ranked Prospect Will Enter 2014 Tournament

Newport Beach, CA. (September 11^th, 2013) – In a division currently featuring Bellator Champion Pat Curran, Daniel Straus, Patricio Pitbull, Diego Nunes, and Frodo Khasbulaev, the featherweight ranks in Bellator just got deeper with the addition of German powerhouse Daniel Weichel. Only 28, the 31-8 submission ace becomes an instant threat within the division, and has his sights set on the next Bellator Featherweight Tournament.

“It´s like a dream come true fighting for Bellator MMA,” Weichel said. “I can´t wait to enter the cage and begin the toughest tournament out there. Fighting in the US and live on Spike TV is a thrill; so I will go out there to make my team at MMA Spirit and the greatest fans in the world as proud. I always wanted to compete with the best fighters and I can do just that at Bellator. My hard work has paid off and you will get to see another beast at featherweight, I can promise that.”

Already a fan favorite in Europe, the former lightweight standout is ready to make his presence felt stateside, and continue his winning ways inside the Bellator cage. After moving from welterweight to lightweight in 2009, Weichel has gone 13-2, including victories over Khasbulaev, Georgi Stoyanov, and Jose Figueroa.

“Since our inception, we’ve strived to bring in the best talent from around the world, and Daniel certainly fits that bill,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We’ve had our eye on Daniel for quite some time so we’re all excited to get Daniel into our next Featherweight Tournament.”

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          

Shahbulat Shamhalaev Withdraws From Featherweight Tournament, Justin Wilcox Now Faces Akop Stepanyan September 13th From Pechanga Resort

Newport Beach, CA. (September 9, 2013) – Shahbulat Shamhalaev has withdrawn from Bellator’s Season 9 Featherweight Tournament as the Russian native has returned to Dagestan to attend to his ailing father.  Bellator newcomer Justin Wilcox will replace Shamhalaev and will face Akop Stepanyan in the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round live on Spike TV.

The first fight of the night will begin at 4:30 p.m. PST and the LIVE national television broadcast on Spike TV starts at 6 p.m. PST, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com. Tickets for the event start at just $50, and can be purchased by visiting Pechanga.com, Bellator.com, or by calling the Pechanga Box Office at 877-711-2946 or visiting between noon and 8 p.m. daily.

The full fight card for Bellator MMA from Pechanga Resort can be found below:

MAIN CARD

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull (17-2) vs. Diego Nunes (18-4)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Justin Wilcox (11-5) vs. Akop Stepanyan (13-5)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Des Green (8-1) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (17-1)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo (18-4) vs. Andrew Fisher (12-4)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Vladimir Matyushenko (26-7) vs. Houston Alexander (15-9)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Savio Kosic (4-1) vs. Hector Ramirez (9-5)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Derek Loffer (4-1) vs. Mario Navarro (4-3)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Andy Murad (6-0) vs. Gavin Sterritt (4-1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Musa Toliver (9-8) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (14-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Manny Lara (4-3) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (7-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-6) vs. Virgil Zwicker (10-3)

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     

Nunes vs. Pitbull Featured In Main Event September 13th From Pechanga Resort

Newport Beach, CA. (August 18^th, 2013) – A hand injury has forced former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M’Pumbu off of the September 13^thfight card. Originally scheduled to face long-time veteran Vladimir Matyushenko, “The Janitor” will now meet Houston Alexander live on Spike TV. The night will be headlined by a Featherweight Tournament Opening Round fight between Patricio Pitbull and Diego “The Gun” Nunes.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. PST and feature three hours of action on Spike TV, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com with an early start time at 4 p.m. PST. Tickets for the event start at just $50, and can be purchased by visiting Pechanga.com, Bellator.com, or by calling the Pechanga Box Office at 877-711-2946 or visiting between noon and 8 p.m. daily.

Always looking for a finish, Alexander will have his hands full with “The Janitor” live on Spike TV September 13^th. Both Matyushenko and Alexander hold impressive victories in their respective careers, including wins over Antonio Nogueira, Tim Boetsch and Keith Jardine. For Alexander, the opportunity to fight inside the Bellator cage was one he couldn’t pass up.

“It’s an honor to be able to fight for an organization like Bellator,” Alexander said. “I always want to take big fights, and Matyushenko is a guy that’s been around this sport since the beginning, and it will be a huge test. I just want to go out there and smash, do what I do best.”

The full fight card for Bellator 99 from Pechanga’s Resort and Casino has been finalized and after a near death experience only eight months ago, Blagoi Ivanov will make a remarkable return to the Bellator cage. Ivanov spent nearly three months in a coma after being involved in an altercation that resulted in a critical injury that severely threatened his life. While nearly losing his battle, Ivanov’s dream has always been to return to the cage and his dream will become reality on September 13th when he faces California’s Manny Lara in a heavyweight battle.

Brazilian prodigy Goiti Yamauchi is bringing his talents to the United States for the first time and will make his Bellator debut against Musa Toliver. At only 20-years old, he holds an impressive 14-1 professional record. Yamauchi is known for his submission tactics and has won 12 of his victories by submission, 10 coming in the first round.

The full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARDBellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull (17-2) vs. Diego Nunes (18-4)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Vladimir ‘The Janitor’ Matyushenko (26-7) vs. Houston Alexander (15-9)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2) vs. Akop Stepanyan (13-5)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo (18-4) vs. Andrew Fisher (12-4)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Desmond Green (8-1) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (17-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Savio Kosic (4-1) vs. Hector Ramirez (9-5)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Derek Loffer (4-1) vs. Mario Navarro (4-3)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Andy Murad (6-0) vs. Gavin Sterritt (4-1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Musa Toliver (9-8) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (14-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Manny Lara (4-3) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (7-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-6) vs. Virgil Zwicker (10-3)

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