Bellator MMA's Top 20 Knockouts and 15 Fantastic Finishes - Friday, January 9th at 9pm

 

Friday, January 9th at 9pm, one week before Bellator 132: Pitbull vs. Straus, fight fans can prepare for the action with two Bellator Highlight Specials: "Top 20 Knockouts" and "15 Fantastic Finishes"

 

Click HERE or on the image below for a preview of Friday's specials.

Bellator MMA Top Moments of 2014: Biggest Knockouts

 

Bellator MMA's Top 20 Knockouts

Premieres on Spike TV Friday, January 9 at 9:00pm, ET/PT

Spike TV takes a look at the most devastating finishes to have ever occurred inside the Bellator cage in Bellator MMA's Top 20 Knockouts. From Liam McGeary's 22 second knock out over Mike Mucitelli to Douglas Lima's lights-out head-kick over Ben Saunders, to Emanuel Newton's spinning back fist heard around the world, Bellator's biggest jaw dropping moments are on display. This hour long special is hosted by Bellator MMA analyst Jimmy Smith.

Bellator MMA Presents: 15 Fantastic Finishes

Premieres on Spike TV Friday, January 9 at 10:00pm, ET/PT

The Bellator cage has been home to some of MMA's greatest finishes. Spike Sports celebrates 15 of the best in Bellator MMA Presents: 15 Fantastic Finishes. This one hour show features Bellator's finest fighters pulling off some of the slickest submissions KO's and TKO's the sport has ever seen

Bellator Announces First Quarter Fight Schedule As Four Title Fights Will Be Featured In January, February & March

Pitbull vs. Straus, Daley vs. Lima, Newton vs. McGeary and Warren vs. Galvao All Featured

Newport Beach, Calif. (November 15, 2014) – Bellator is primed to kick off 2015 with a bang as the promotion has announced the first three events of 2015. Bellator 132 will take place on January 16 from Southern California’s Pechanga Resort and Casino and will be headlined by Patricio Pitbull, who defends his Bellator Featherweight World Title against Daniel Straus.

Bellator 133 will take place on February 27 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut as the night will feature a full “British Invasion” as Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima puts his title on the line against Paul Daley, while Emanuel Newton will defend his strap against rising light heavyweight star Liam McGeary. Bobby Lashley will face his toughest test to date in the Bellator cage when he meets “The Colossus” James Thompson, while Sokoudjou will battle England’s own Linton Vassell in a light heavyweight affair.

Bellator 134 will emanate from Oklahoma’s Winstar World Casino and Resort and feature the return of “The Baddest Man On The Planet” as Joe Warren battles Marcos Galvao for the Bellator Bantamweight Title.

Tickets for all three events are on sale now and can be purchased on Bellator.com

More information on each fight card will be made available in the coming weeks.

Bellator 132: Friday, January 16, Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California

Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Patricio Pitbull (22-2) vs. Daniel Straus (23-5)

Bellator 133: Friday, February 27, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Douglas Lima (26-5) vs. Paul Daley (35-13)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Emanuel Newton (25-7) vs. Liam McGeary (9-0)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Sokoudjou (16-12) vs. Linton Vassell (14-4)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Bellator 134: Friday, March 27, Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, Oklahoma

Bellator Bantamweight Title Fight: Joe Warren (12-3) vs. Marcos Galvao (16-6)

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

All Bellator Tournament Winners Now In World Title Shot Pool

Newport Beach, Calif. (June 12, 2014) – With Bellator’s 2014 Summer Series having just begun last Friday, Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney announced today that the promotion has made an addition to its real sport, tournament based format that allows former Bellator Tournament winners the potential to be granted a World Title fight without going back into The Toughest Tournament in Sports.

“Just like we’ve done since day one, any fighter who wins The Toughest Tournament in Sports will still be guaranteed a World Title fight,” Rebney said. “The addition I’m making here, that I’m really excited about, is if you’ve won a tournament, you’ll join an elite group of athletes who we can grant a world title fight to at any time.” 

“For example, if you win a tournament, fight for the World Title and lose, you forever remain in that elite group of fighters who can be awarded another shot at the title. We will place some fighters back into tournaments, while others may lose a world title fight, win some non-tournament fights and be awarded another shot at the title. We won’t be implementing any hard and fast rule as to when a fighter will go back into a tournament and when he’ll fight non-tournament fights and potentially be granted another title shot.  What’s great about this addition is that it allows us to stay true to our core format, where title shots can only be earned through a tournament win, while also providing us tremendous flexibility to make the great fights fans want to see.  And, we can do all this while keeping our fighters busy and battling in meaningful fights on a re-occurring basis. This is another step in our constant evolution and most importantly it’s a win for the fighters and the fans.”

“When I heard about this change, I instantly fell in love with it,” Bellator Interim Lightweight Champion Will Brooks said. “This is a way to keep guys active after they have proven themselves in a tournament. You always want to stay in the mix as a fighter, and it’s really exciting to me that Bellator is taking the fighters and fans opinions to heart and making decisions to put on the best fights possible. It’s refreshing to see and be a part of, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

“At the end of the day, everyone wants to see guys they know stay busy and active,” Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima said. “As fighters we want to stay busy and keep fighting, and this new change helps keep the talent pool fresh and creates new challengers for us. I know the tournament isn’t going anywhere, it’s how we all came up and got our titles, but now we have a chance to keep staying busy and keep defending our titles.”

The current pool of fighters eligible to be chosen to fight for the world title includes:

Bantamweight: Eduardo Dantas*, Joe Warren*, Marcos Galvao, Rafael Silva

Featherweight: Pat Curran*, Patricio Pitbull, Daniel Straus, Shahbulat Shamhalaev, “Frodo” Khasbulaev, Daniel Weichel, Joe Warren.

Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez*, Will Brooks*, Michael Chandler, Pat Curran, Rick Hawn, Dave Jansen, David Rickels

Welterweight: Douglas Lima*, Karl Amoussou, Andrey Koreshkov, Rick Hawn

Middleweight: Alexander Shlemenko*, Brennan Ward, Doug Marshall

Light Heavyweight: Emanuel Newton*, Rampage Jackson, King Mo, Christian M’Pumbu, Atilla Vegh,

Heavyweight: Vitaly Minakov*, Alexander Volkov, Cheick Kongo

* Denotes Current Bellator Champion or Interim Champion

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 117 Full Card Finalized at Iowa’s Mid-America Center on Friday April 18th

Douglas Lima Faces Rick Hawn for the Welterweight Title

and the Bellator Lightweight Semifinals

Newport Beach, Calif. (March 27, 2014) – Douglas Lima and Rick Hawn will headline a packed night of fights from Iowa’s Mid-American Center on April 18^th as the two clash in a Bellator Welterweight Title fight live on Spike TV.  The event will also feature the Bellator Lightweight Semifinals with Brazilian knockout artist Patricky Pitbull facing Derek Campos and the undefeated Derek Anderson will fight polish phenom Marcin Held, along with a full card of local talent.

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, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mid-American Center Box Office.

Kicking off the Spike.com portion of the night will be a battle of Iowa natives as Joe Vedepo faces Ben Crowder.  Both known for finishing fights quickly, Vedepo has won 12 of his 14 professional victories by KO or submission, but will have to hold off Crowder who has grabbed his last four wins by first round submission.

At 28-0 Julio Cesar Neves is making his Bellator debut against Josh Arocho. Known for his knockout power, Neves has won 17 victories by knockout with 11 coming in the first round and is looking for a KO in his fight against Arocho.

With only one professional loss, Jordan Parsons will fight Tim Bazer in a lightweight battle. Parsons enters the cage on a two-fight win streak and will need to get past Bazer who has recorded nine victories by submission.

After making his Bellator debut in September, Larue Burley returns to the Bellator cage to face Cliff Wright Jr. With all eight of his professional victorious coming by submission, Wright will look to his ground game to take down Burley who holds an undefeated professional record.

Looking to make his mark in the Bellator cage, Matt Uhde will fight Houston Alexander on April 18^th. With 25 professional fights under his belt, Alexander has 10 wins by KO and will rely on his powerful punching to stop Uhde.  

Returning to the cage after nearly two years, Martin Brown will meet Jared Downing under the bright lights.  No stranger to the Bellator cage, Downing is ready to put his skills to the test against Brown who has won three of his previous four fights.

Combining for 78 professional fights, Victor Moreno will fight Anthony Smith in a middleweight battle. No stranger to MMA, Moreno has 27 wins by KO or submission and is ready to put on an explosive and exciting fight in front of his home state crowd.  

MAIN CARD:Welterweight World Title Fight: Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (25-5) vs. Rick “Gengis” Hawn (18-2)
Bellator Lightweight Semifinal: Patricky Pitbull (12-5) vs. Derek Campos (14-3)
Bellator Lightweight Semifinal: Derek Anderson (11-0) vs. Marcin Held (17-3)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Karl Amoussou (16-6) vs. TBA

PRELIMINARY CARD:Lightweight Feature Fight: Jordan Parsons (9-1) vs. Tim Bazer (14-15)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Josh Arocho (13-12) Julio Cesar Neves (28-0)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Victor Morena (32-18) vs. Anthony Smith (17-11)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Ben Crowder (10-11) vs. Joe Vedepo (14-8)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Larue Burley (3-0) vs. Cliff Wright Jr. (8-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Martin Trey Brown (6-2) vs. Jared Downing (9-4)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Matt Uhde (3-4) vs. Houston Alexander (15-10)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA          

Douglas Lima Faces Rick Hawn for the Welterweight Title Friday April 18th at Iowa’s Mid-America Center

Newport Beach, Cailf. (January 21, 2014) – The Main Event is set for Bellator 117 as Douglas Lima and Rick Hawn will headline a packed night of fights from Iowa’s Mid-American Center on April 18^th as the two clash in a Bellator Welterweight Title fight live on Spike TV.

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 will be on sale Friday, January 24th and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Mid-American Center Box Office.

Lima enters the April 18^th showdown riding a four-fight knockout streak including tournament wins over Bryan Baker and Ben Saunders that propelled the Brazilian born knockout artist into his rightful title shot. Just 26, Lima is well aware that now is the time to elevate his game to the next level, and capture his first Bellator Championship.

“This fight with Hawn is going to be very explosive, I think everyone is aware of that,” Lima said. “I really can’t describe how excited I am for this World Title shot. I’m bringing this belt home, and it’s not leaving me for a long time.”

Hawn’s road to a title shot was a unique one, as the TriStar product was a late injury replacement in the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament. Hawn made the most of his opportunity, capturing three wins in the process, including a devastating knockout over Ron Keslar in the Tournament Finals.

“It’s great to be back in title contention and going for that belt,” Hawn said. “There is no question Douglas is an incredibly gifted fighter. In terms of his size and skill, this will probably be the toughest fight of my career, and I’m ready for that. I know how exciting this fight is going to be, and I’m just ready for April 18^th to get here.”

“Without using too many cliché’s, Lima vs. Hawn is just a fight fans dream come true,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Both of these are incredibly exciting to watch in the cage, and to have both of them set for a five round battle for our welterweight title is something I’m couldn’t be happier about.”

More information on Bellator 117 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 Releases Ben Askren

Undefeated Welterweight Is Now Unrestricted Free Agent

Newport Beach, CA. (November 14, 2013) – Ben Askren is now an unrestricted free agent after Bellator released the undefeated welterweight.  The Bellator Welterweight World Title will be vacant until Douglas Lima faces the winner of the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament later this winter when the new Bellator Welterweight Champion will be crowned.

“I’ve said it many times, Ben’s a completely one-dimensional fighter who is utterly dominant in that dimension,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “I had a number of discussions with Ben and it became clear it was time for both parties to move in different directions.  We’ve relinquished any right to match here and Ben can sign with whoever he chooses to sign with. Ben’s been at Bellator since the start of his career, I respect him and what he’s accomplished and wish him the best wherever he goes.”

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 Results from Grand Canyon University Arena

Phoenix, A.Z. (September 20, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA’s event live from Grand Canyon University Arena as Douglas Lima earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot with his devastating knockout victory over Ben Saunders  in the Welterweight Tournament Final.

The event also featured the Bellator Season 9 Welterweight Tournament with Brent Weedman, Ron Keslar, Rick Hawn and War Machine advancing to the semifinal rounds. Ron Keslar will face War Machine and Brent Weedman will fight Rick Hawn in the semifinals on October 18^thfrom U.S. Cellular Center from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Final: Douglas Lima defeats Ben Saunders via KO (head kick) - Round 2, 4:33

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: War Machine defeats Vaughn Anderson via technical submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 4:01

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Rick Hawn defeats Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Ron Keslar defeats Sergio Junior via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Brent Weedman defeats Justin Baesman via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:20

Lightweight Feature Fight: Efrain Escudero defeats Zack Surdyka via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal: Travis Marx defeats Brandon Bender via TKO (Knee to the Body and Punches) – Round 2, 4:28

Lightweight Feature Fight: LaRue Burley defeats Bubba Jenkins via TKO (Punches) – Round 3, 3:40

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Clifford Starks defeats Joe Yager via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Liam McGeary defeats Beau Tribolet via KO (Punch) – Round 1, 0:27

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Siala-Mou “Mighty Mo” Siliga defeats Dan Charles via TKO (Punches)- Round 3, 1:26

Welterweight Feature Fight: Adam McDonough defeats Johnny Buck via TKO (Spinning Back-Kick and Punches) – Round 1, 4:51

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 115 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.

Bellator Host Live Weigh-Ins Thursday, September 19th at 5:00 p.m. PST from Grand Canyon University

Weigh-Ins will be streamed online at Bellator.com

Phoenix A.Z. (September 18, 2013) – The weigh-in and pre-fight press conference for Bellator MMA will take place Thursday at 5:00 p.m. PST inside the lobby of Grand Canyon University. Bellator MMA will take place from Grand Canyon University Arena on Friday, September 20th with the first fight taking place at 4:00 p.m. PST and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 6:00 p.m. PST and will air LIVE on Spike TV.

All participants from Friday night’s event will be on hand, as well as Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney.

The event will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael C. Williams and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith.

As always the weigh-in is open to both the public and media.

MAIN CARD

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

Bellator Welterweight Opening Round: War Machine (13-4) vs. Vaughn Anderson (16-1-1)

Bellator Welterweight Opening Round: Rick Hawn (15-2) vs. Herman Terrado (11-2)

Bellator Welterweight Opening Round: Brent Weedman (21-8-1) vs. Justin Baesman (14-3)

Bellator Welterweight Opening Round: Ron Keslar (10-3) vs. Sergio Junior (29-11)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal: Travis Marx (20-4) vs. Brandon Bender (11-0)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Bubba Jenkins (4-0) vs. LaRue Burley (2-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Beau Tribolet (7-2) vs. Liam McGeary (4-0)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Mighty Mo (3-2) vs. Dan Charles (6-0)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Johnny Buck (12-8) vs. Adam McDonough (8-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Joe Yager (5-2) vs. Clifford Starks (8-2)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Efrain Escudero (19-7) vs. Zack Surdyka (5-1)

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