Middleweight World Champion Alexander Shlemenko Signs Multi-Year, Multi-Fight Extension With Bellator MMA

Reigning Middleweight Champion Set To Defend Crown March 28th

Newport Beach, Calif. (February 24, 2014) – When reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko steps into the cage on March 28^th, the 29-year-old Russian finisher will not only be looking for his incredible 50^th win, but will also be fighting with a new contract in hand as Bellator has announced a long term extension for the man known simply as “Storm."

“Bellator has been my home for many years, and it’s where I want to be,” Shlemenko said. “Bjorn made me a promise and he lived up to that promise to provide me with a new deal. I have made a home here at Bellator, and I will continue to represent Russia in my efforts in the cage. I have gained millions of new fans both in the US and in Russia and around the world during my time with Bellator, and I will enjoy being Bellator’s longest running champion. I will continue wearing that belt with honor during my time with Bellator, which will now be at the peak of my career.”

Currently riding a twelve-fight win streak that includes victories over Brett Cooper, Maiquel Falcao, Doug Marshall and Vitor Vianna, Shlemenko will defend his crown against Season 9 Tournament winner Brennan Ward on March 28^th live on Spike. As one of the true Russian ambassadors for the sport, Shlemenko is set to reign over the Bellator Middleweight division for years thanks to his extension.

“Alexander Shlemenko has been with this organization since its infancy, and has grown into one of the most dominant champions in MMA,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “I can say without hesitation Alexander has been a large part of the success we have enjoyed over the last five years and as the biggest name in Russian MMA, he’s been the catalyst to the largest TV deal in the history of MMA in Russia.  It’s an honor to have him fight in this organization. I look forward to watching his career continue inside the Bellator cage for years to come.”   

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 

Middleweight World Title Fight Plus $100,000 Featherweight Tournament Complete Bellator MMA’s February 7th Gwinnett Center Event in Georgia

                                           

Newport Beach, CA. (January 28, 2013) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues as Bellator MMA has set a loaded Featherweight Tournament field  from Atlanta’s Gwinnet Center February 7^th live on Spike TV. The night will be headlined by a Bellator Middleweight World Title fight as Russian knockout artist Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and dominating Brazilian Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao battle for the Bellator Middleweight Championship.

After successfully winning his second Bellator Middleweight Tournament, Shlemenko has his sights set on one thing: The Bellator Middleweight World Championship. Currently riding a nine fight win streak and holding an incredible 46-7 record, Shlemenko knows his February 7th fight will be the biggest of his career.

“Big Rig” enters the fight after three dominating tournament victories inside the Bellator cage. After competing in organizations across the world, Falcao knows he has found a home in Bellator and is hoping to etch his name into the Bellator history books on February 7th from The Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office, with tickets starting at just $40 dollars. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST.

Widely regarded as one of the best featherweights in the world, Marlon Sandro is primed for an extended tournament run as he takes on Russian finisher Akop Stepanyan in opening round action. After two tournament finals appearances, Sandro is ready for the next step and capture his first Bellator Tournament crown.

“There is nothing in this world I want more than the Bellator Featherweight Title, and this is my road,” Sandro said. “I love Bellator with all my heart and I know my opportunity is now.”

Armed with two of the quickest hands in MMA, Mike “The Marine” Richman will take on Bellator newcomer Mitch Jackson in a quarterfinal affair live on Spike. With 26 finishes between the two, it’s an opening round fight primed for fireworks.

“It feels great to be back in the tournament, and to showcase my skills on Spike TV for Bellator,” Richman said. “I'm going to out class Mitch Jackson and show him he isn’t at my level. He's going to sleep, and then I plan on finishing the rest of the field and getting my title shot and that $100,000 prize.”

Two of the most exciting featherweights in the Bellator ranks go to battle when “Popo” Bezerra meets Genair da Silva in an explosive quarterfinal fight. Already 14-2 at just 25 years old, Bezerra is looking to elevate his game to the next level and embark on a long tournament run.

The Bellator Featherweight Tournament will be rounded out with a classic Brazil vs. Russia clash as Bellator newcomer and submission ace Fabricio Guerrerio clashes with Magomedrasul “Frodo” Khasbulaev. After two quick finishes inside the Bellator cage, “Frodo” is gearing up for his first taste of The Toughest Tournament in Sports.

“After my last two fights, my time is now, and February 7^th will be the start of my championship run,” Khasbulaev said. 

“With a Middleweight World Title fight and the start of our $100,000 stacked Featherweight Tournament, February 7^th from the Gwinnet Center is going to be a huge night live on Spike TV,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. 

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/Bellator

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.   

Falcao wins Season 6 Middleweight Tourney, Amoussou moves to Welterweight Finals from L’Auberge Casino Resort at Bellator 69

Plus, Aguilar defeats top-ranked Fujii, Holata submits Wagner

Lake Charles, La. (May 18, 2012) — The Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament came to a close Friday night as Maiquel Falcao earned a unanimous decision victory over Andreas Spang and secured his shot at the Bellator Middleweight World Championship, while Karl Amoussou moved one-step closer to an opportunity at the Bellator Welterweight World Championship with a hard fought win against a game David Rickels. Also, Jessica Aguilar and Mark Holata picked up impressive wins at Bellator 69 from L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.

“Two of the most highly anticipated tournament fights of the Season were scheduled on the same night from L’Auberge Casino Resort and they did not disappoint,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang definitely lived up to the billing; and Karl Amoussou vs. David Rickels was a back-and-forth battle that could’ve went either way. It was a great night for Jessica Aguilar as well, as she proved she is the best in the world beating the world’s greatest pound for pound female fighter Megumi Fujii.”

One of the most heated rivalries in all of MMA came to a close in the Bellator cage Friday night as noted striker Maiquel Falcao and knockout artist Andreas Spang fought for the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Championship, $100,000 and the right to fight Alexander Shlemenko for the Bellator Middleweight World Title. 

The first round saw a flurry of punches by Spang (8-2) that had his Brazilian foe stunned. Falcao (31-4), visibly hurt from the blows, was able to clinch with Spang and recover. Later in the round, Falcao landed an illegal knee to the head of Spang while Spang was grounded. After Falcao suffered a one-point deduction, the fight continued. 

For the final two rounds, Falcao was able to utilize his extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to control Spang and avoid multiple guillotine attempts. When cage announcer Michael C. Williams read the judges’ scorecards, all three scored the fight 29-27 in favor of Maiquel Falcao.       

“I brought the best team in the world,” said a satisfied Falcao. “I have the best grappling coach in the world. There’s no way I won’t improve my grappling game.”  

Karl Amoussou and David Rickels had some strong words for each other at the Bellator 69 weigh-ins on Thursday that certainly added fuel to the fire of their Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Semifinal bout. The Lake Charles faithful were fully in support for the duration of the action-packed contest as both fighters exchanged powerful blows standing and on the ground. In the first round, 

Amoussou (15-4) was able to land crushing strikes and displayed his impressive Judo. Rickels (10-1) remained unfazed with his opponent’s fast start as he battled back in a closer second round – The third was all Rickels. “The Caveman” controlled the majority of the round with vicious ground-and-pound from the top position that resulted in a mouse under the left eye of “Psycho.” After three hard fought rounds, the fight went to a decision. Two of the three judges scored the fight 29-28 to give Karl Amoussou the split-decision win.        

“I think the fight was really close,” said Amoussou. “[Rickels] really earned my respect tonight.”

The top two female fighters in the world squared off inside the Bellator cage Friday night as No. 2 ranked Jessica Aguilar met No. 1 ranked Megumi Fujii in front of an excited crowd at L’Auberge Casino Resort. Through three razor-thin rounds, Fujii (25-2) looked to finish with her relentless submission attack while Aguilar (14-4) worked her boxing and appeared content to counterstrike with her Japanese opponent. When the decision was announced, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Jessica Aguilar.

“This is a legend,” said Aguilar regarding Fujii. “It’s an honor for me to have competed against her and to have earned my victory against her.”

In the first fight of the evening, heavyweights Mark Holata and Abe Wagner looked to earn a spot in the Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament. Holata (12-3) immediately took Wagner (10-6) to the ground with a single-leg and went to work in his opponent’s guard. After landing multiple hammerfists, Holata dropped back and grabbed Wagner’s leg where he was able to secure a fight-ending leg lock as Wagner verbally submitted at 2:24 of the first round.        

“I’m honored because this is the place to be,” said Holata “It’s where I want to compete. It’s the best of the best.” 

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

*Bellator 69 Weigh-In Results*

Heated rivalries highlight stellar card at L’Auberge Casino Resort

Lake Charles, La. – The Bellator 69 weigh-ins have been completed from Lake Charles, Louisiana in preparation for Bellator’s Friday night event at L’Auberge Casino Resort, which features the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Finals between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang. Also, Megumi Fujii will square off against Jessica Aguilar in a women’s feature fight while Ron Sparks will face Kevin Asplund in a heavyweight matchup. Additionally, a highly-anticipated Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament semifinal will take place as Karl Amoussou takes on David Rickels. Both fighters had choice words for their opponent as Rickels began the verbal sparring.

“He can play head games,” Rickels said. “I know he has a heart in there. I’m going to find it and I’m going to crush it.”

The imposing Amoussou stared down his opponent and responded: “I just know I’m going to run right through him. Look at him, he’s ugly. Look at his body and look at my body. I’m going to destroy him.”

The heated rivalry between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang for the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Championship was ignited once again by both fighters’ post weigh-in interviews.

With Spang stepping off the scale and telling the L’Auberge Casino Resort crowd to “expect fireworks,” his opponent Falcao responded: “I came to win. If I have to hurt him, I will.”

Bellator 69 will be broadcast LIVE on Friday, May 18 at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The undercard will begin at 7:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm CT and will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com.

The full results for Bellator 69 are below:

MAIN CARD:

Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Maiquel Falcao (186 lbs.) vs. Andreas Spang (185.8 lbs.)*

Welterweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: David Rickels (170.6) vs. Karl Amoussou (170)

Women’s Feature Fight: Megumi Fujii (116) vs. Jessica Aguilar (115.6)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ron Sparks (264.6) vs. Kevin Asplund (239)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Abe Wagner (248.8) vs. Mark Holata (250.6)

Welterweight Feature Fight:  Andrey Koreshkov (170.8) vs. Derrick Krantz (170.8)  

Lightweight Feature Fight: Kalvin Hackney (156) vs. Emanuel Brooks (156)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Booker Arthur (145.4) vs. Shanon Slack (146)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Burns (206) vs. Richard Hale (205)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Josh Quayhagen (158.2) vs. Cliff Wright Jr. (155.6)**

*Falcao weighed in at 186 pounds on his second attempt. He originally weighed in at 188 pounds.

**Quayhagen and Wright Jr. have agreed to fight at a catchweight of 158 pounds. There was a 20 percent purse deduction from Quayhagen.

For more information, visit Bellator.com; follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/Bellator.

Lake Charles welcomes loaded Bellator 69 lineup from L’Auberge Casino Resort on May 18th

                                            

CHICAGO, Ill. (May 8, 2012) — All eyes will be on Bellator as the promotion returns to Lake Charles, Louisiana for Bellator 69 from L’Auberge Casino Resort on Friday, May 18. The night will feature the long-awaited battle between No. 1 ranked women’s 115-pound fighter Megumi Fujii and No. 2 ranked Jessica Aguilar, as well as the semifinals and finals of the $100,000 welterweight and middleweight tournaments respectively, along as a Heavyweight Tournament qualifier as knockout specialist Ron Sparks takes on rising star Kevin Asplund, who is currently riding a 15-fight win streak.

Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the L’Auberge Casino Resort Box Office. Tickets are priced from $40-$65.   

The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. Fans must be 21 years or older to enter the Event Center.

Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao will bring his explosive knockout power to the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Finals as he battles Swedish born Andreas Spang as both fierce competitors look to lock up a guaranteed title shot later this year. Spang delivered a vicious knockout to Brian Rogers in the semifinals (Watch Here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ef8M5k-SY) and will look to continue his impressive run with another dominating victory.

After Brian “The Beast” Baker punched his ticket to the Bellator Welterweight Finals at Bellator 67, David “The Caveman” Rickels and Karl “Psycho” Amoussou will look to do the same at Bellator 69. Both fighters can end a fight in the blink of an eye, and are sure to provide fireworks on May 18 from L’Auberge.

Lake Charles native Josh Quayhagen will have the hometown support in the Bellator cage when he takes on fellow lightweight Cliff Wright Jr. in a 155lb affair. Quayhagen gained popularity when he defeated Brazilian Muay Thai Kickboxing Champion Cosmo Alexander at Bellator 52 last year and is looking to keep the momentum going when he fights in front of family and friends from L’Auberge Casino Resort.

Bellator 69 will feature the return of unbeaten Russian import, Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov as he faces Shreveport’s Derrick Krantz in a welterweight matchup. Koreshkov put on a phenomenal display when he made his promotional debut at Bellator 63, knocking out Tiawan Howard, and will try to build off the win when he faces Krantz in enemy territory.   

Also, a pair of light heavyweights step into the cage as Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament fighter Josh Burns makes the drop to 205lbs to take on Richard “Rare Breed” Hale. Hale, a well-rounded mixed martial artist that has posted 15 stoppages in 18 wins is most known for his Bellator 38 inverted triangle choke submission over Nik Fekete that had the MMA world abuzz (Watch Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPQF0mP5tOs)     

The heavyweights return to L’Auberge as Mark Holata is eyeing victory when he takes on Abe Wagner. No stranger to the Bellator cage, both competitors bring incredible knockout power anytime they step into the cage, and are prepared for a slugfest on May 18.     

The card will be rounded out as fast-rising prospect Emanuel “E.J.” Brooks will put his undefeated record on the line when he squares off against Kalvin Hackney in a lightweight contest. Brooks is looking to earn his fourth consecutive victory under the Bellator banner while Hackney, fighting out of nearby Alexandria, Louisiana, will attempt to rebound from a Bellator 45 submission loss.

MAIN CARD:

Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Maiquel Falcao (30-4) vs. Andreas Spang (8-1)

Welterweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: David Rickels (10-0) vs. Karl Amoussou (14-4-2)

Women’s Feature Fight: Megumi Fujii (25-1) vs. Jessica Aguilar (13-4)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ron Sparks (8-1) vs. Kevin Asplund (15-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Abe Wagner (10-5) vs. Mark Holata (11-3)

Welterweight Feature Fight:  Andrey Koreshkov (9-0) vs. Derrick Krantz (11-5)  

Lightweight Feature Fight: Kalvin Hackney (11-2) vs. Emanuel Brooks (6-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Burns (6-5) vs. Richard Hale (18-4)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Josh Quayhagen (3-0) vs. Cliff Wright Jr. (6-2)

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

Alvarez avenges loss with win over Aoki at Bellator 66 in Cleveland

Falcao vs. Spang in Season 6 Middleweight Finals; Hawn vs. Weedman in Lightweight Finale

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 20, 2012) — The rematch more than three years in the making finally culminated as former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and current DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki met in one of the most anticipated fights of the year. The finals of the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight and Lightweight Tournaments are now set as Andreas Spang, Maiquel Falcao, Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman all moved on to their respective finals with impressive wins at Bellator 66 from the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX.

In the main event of the evening, Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez looked to avenge one of his previous three defeats when he met Japanese grappling sensation, Shinya Aoki in one of the most high profile lightweight fights of the year. Almost immediately, Alvarez came out looking for the finish. After Aoki threw left hand, Alvarez countered with a beautiful right that dropped the Japanese submission specialist. Seeing that Aoki was hurt, Alvarez dived in and unloaded vicious strikes until referee Jerry Krzys stepped in to stop the fight at 2:14 of the first round.

With the win, Eddie Alvarez improved his record to 23-3 and avenged his submission loss to Shinya Aoki over three years ago. Aoki, who loses for the sixth time in his career, dropped his first contest since 2010.

“Eddie Alvarez once again showed why he is one of the best lightweights in the world,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Andreas Spang vs. Maiquel Falcao has the makings of a spectacular fight in our middleweight finals, while Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman put on dominating performances. The sold out crowd here in Cleveland was absolutely electrifying, and I can’t wait to bring another Bellator event to this great city.”

For once-beaten Andreas Spang, the vision of one day fighting for the Bellator Middleweight Championship became less of a dream and more of a reality when Bruno Santos was forced out of the tournament due to an injury. However, hometown favorite Brian Rogers had other plans in mind. Through nearly a round and a half, both men unloaded a barrage of wild punches, flying knees and kicks that had the crowd at the I-X Center on their feet. Midway through the second round, however, Spang connected with a devastating left hook that put Rogers out for good.

With the technical knockout victory, Bellator newcomer Andreas Spang will now move to the final round of the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament and improves his record to 8-1. Brian Rogers drops to 9-4.

Going into the first Middleweight Semifinal fight of the Bellator Season 6 Tournament, proven knockout artist Maiquel Falcao made known his intentions of keeping his fight against Vyacheslav Vasilevsky on the feet. “Slava,” known for his outstanding footwork and crisp boxing, hoped to build off his dominant unanimous decision win over Victor O’Donnell when he entered the Bellator cage Friday night. Despite securing several takedowns throughout the fight, “Slava” was unable to match Falcao on the feet. In the third and final round, Falcao landed plenty of strikes that had Vasilevsky attempting to clinch and avoid trading punches. After three rounds, the fight went to the judges. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Maiquel Falcao.

With the unanimous decision victory, Maiquel Falcao earns his 30th win and now meets Andreas Spang in the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament. His opponent, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky drops to 16-2 in his professional career.

Coming off a major victory over Patricky “Pitbull,” Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard was looking to move one step closer to a rematch with Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler while Rick Hawn was seeking his second win at his new home of 155 pounds. While the first round was a showcase for the judo that earned Rick Hawn a spot on the 2004 Olympic Judo Team, the second round provided the Cleveland faithful with the fireworks they’ve come to expect. Almost immediately, Rick Hawn landed a devastating right hand that leveled Woodard, which caused the referee to stop the fight 10 seconds into the second round.

“I just had to play a smart fight,” said Hawn. “I couldn’t get sucked into his gameplan.”

With the technical knockout victory, Rick Hawn moves on to the final round of the Bellator Lightweight Tournament and one step closer to a shot against Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler. Woodard, stopped for the first time in his career, falls to 12-2.

In the first televised fight of the evening, a spot in the Bellator Lightweight Finals was decided as prolific kickboxer Thiago Michel looked to keep his momentum going when he faced dangerous Bellator veteran, Brent Weedman. Throughout the fight, Michel had success showing off his proficient striking that earned him a World Kickboxing Championship. However, despite the obvious damage done to the eye of Brent Weedman through the first two rounds, the former welterweight tournament participant was able to withstand the assault and take Michel down at will. Working his ground and pound, Weedman was able to dictate the fight until the final bell. After three rounds of hard-fought action, Weedman walked away with a split-decision win.

“I thought it was a close fight,” said Weedman. “All respect to Thiago Michel. One of the toughest opponents I’ve ever had.”

With the split decision victory, Brent Weedman improves his record to 20-7 and advances to the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament against Rick Hawn. Thiago Michel loses for just the third time in his career as he falls to 10-3 in his professional career.

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