Bantamweights Collide On Spike TV As Mike “The Marine” Richman Takes On Nam Phan Saturday, November 15th At Bellator 131

Newport Beach, Calif. (October 17, 2014) – Bellator 131 is set to kick off with a bang as two explosive bantamweights are set to square off to open the main card on Saturday, November 15^thfrom The Valley View Casino Center as Mike “The Marine” Richman will take on Nam Phan live on Spike TV. The fight joins a card already featuring an explosive middleweight fight between Melvin Manhoef and Joe Schilling, a light heavyweight affair between King Mo and Tom DeBlass, a lightweight title fight between Michael Chandler and Will Brooks, along with one of the biggest grudge matches in the sport as MMA icons Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” and “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar battle at light heavyweight.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased on Bellator.com, AXS.com, as well as the Valley View Casino Center.

Richman enters the fight fresh off a devastating knockout victory in his bantamweight debut against Ed West at Bellator 126 and is looking to keep the momentum going at Bellator 131 November 15^th. The fight also has a deeper meaning for the Minnesota native, as one of the largest Marine bases in the country, Camp Pendleton, is located just miles from San Diego.

“This is a fight that is going to kick off this stacked show with a bang,” Richman said. “Fans can expect two talented punchers staying in the pocket looking for the finish. I plan on seeing a bunch of Marines in attendance cheering loud, and just like we do in the Marine Corps, I'm going to locate, close width, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver.”

Phan joins Bellator currently riding a two fight finish streak and has collected victories over Cole Miller, Leonard Garcia and Saad Awad during his thirteen year career. A California native, Phan is looking forward to making his debut so close to home while keeping his finishing streak intact.

“I’m very excited to be part of the new Bellator with Scott Coker and the rest of the team,” Phan said. “This is an opportunity to fight on a huge stage once again and I’m so happy to be able to fight in front of all my friends, family and supporters in California.”

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

Bellator Pay-Per-View Preliminary Card on Spike TV Features Four Explosive Fights Saturday, May 17th From The Landers Center

Newport Beach, Calif. (April 18, 2014) – Four explosive fights have just been added to the Bellator 120 fight card including the return of Cheick Kongo, along with two Bellator Tournament Finals. Bellator 120 takes place on Saturday, May 17^th from The Landers Center, located just outside Memphis. The night begins on Spike at 8:00 PM EST, transitioning to pay-per-view with five fights on pay-per-view, including the trilogy fight between Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, along with a Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final fight between Rampage Jackson and King Mo, along with Alexander Shlemenko vs. Tito Ortiz.

Tickets for the event are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com and The Landers Center Box Office.

Kongo is wasting no time getting back into the cage. After a five round affair that saw the French heavyweight fall to Bellator Champion Vitaly Minakov, Kongo is ready to get back to his winning ways against fellow heavyweight and Bellator newcomer Eric Smith.

“May 17^th is going to be very special for me,” Kongo said. “I had a great training camp before my last fight, and I still feel good after that camp. I wanted to get back into the cage as quickly as possible, and Bjorn made it happen. It will also be a great week as my friend Rampage Jackson is also on the card. We have trained together for many years, and it’s always special to me to fight together on the same card. May 17^th is also my birthday, so this year’s wish will be an easy one.”

The night will also feature the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Finals, as former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Alexander Volkov battles Blagoi Ivanov, who is looking to complete one of the greatest comebacks in sports history as the Bulgarian heavyweight has returned in explosive fashion after a brutal stabbing left Ivanov in a coma. The victor will receive their $100,000 Tournament prize as well as a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov.

“I’ve been Champion before, and I will become Champion again,” Volkov proclaimed. “Vitaly is a friend but we have fought before, and I want the opportunity to fight him again. Blagoi is a very tough opponent, but I know how to win a tournament, and that’s what I’m going to do on May 17^th.”

The Bellator Lightweight Tournament Finals will also be featured, as Patricky Pitbull will battle Marcin Held in a fight between two fan favorites. Only 22, Held owns an incredible 18-3 record and is quickly being considered one of the most dangerous submission fighters in the world.  

The Spike TV portion of the fight card will kick off with two of the most explosive featherweights in MMA as Mike “The Marine” Richman will battle the 21 year old Goiti Yamauchi. Both Bellator veterans are looking to get to the win column after surprising tournament defeats, and each know the importance of their matchup on May 17^th.

“When I look at this card top to bottom, it just brings a smile to my face,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We simply wanted to give our fans an incredibly entertaining night of fights top to bottom, and this card should absolutely deliver. From the start of our Spike TV show to our main event with Eddie and Michael, the card is loaded with great fights, and I can’t wait until May 17^th.”

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:

Bellator Lightweight World Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez (25-3) vs. Michael Chandler (12-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)
Bellator Lightweight Fight: Will Brooks (13-1) vs. Nate Jolly (13-5)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (7-2) vs. Michael Page (5-0)

Bellator Spike TV Fight Card:

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs. Eric Smith (6-1-1)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)
Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final: Patricky Pitbull (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (18-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

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 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          

Bellator MMA Results From Atlantic City

Atlantic City, N.J. (April 4, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA live from Revel in Atlantic City. The event featured the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Championship where Doug Marshall defeated Brett Cooper with an explosive TKO (punches) in the first round. Frodo Khasbulaev won the Bellator Lightweight Tournament Championship by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a tough battle against Mike Richman. Marshall and Khasbulaev each earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot.  The night also showcased the Featherweight World Championship with Pat Curran defending his title, beating Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (guillotine choke) in the first round.

Featherweight World Title Fight: Pat Curran defeats Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:38.

Pat Curran

“Thanks for Shahbulat and taking the fight on short notice. This was a big opportunity for him and I thank him for stepping up to the fight. Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for keeping me busy in the cage and continuing to allow me to develop as a fighter.” 

Shahbulat Shamhalaev

“I am sorry Bellator, just this one time. I am sorry for disappointing fans around the world who were cheering for. I am going to get back in the gym and work on it and I will be back.”

Featherweight Tournament Final Fight: Frodo Khasbulaev defeats Mike Richman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27).

Frodo Khasbulaev

“First of all I thank all of my fans and who were rooting for me. Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for giving me this chance.  I want to thank my manager, my team and my coaches for all of their work in preparing for this fight. Also, I want to thank my opponent for putting on a good show today.”

Mike Richman

“Obviously tonight didn’t go as I had planned. I thought the fight was a lot closer than the decision. It was a super tough fight and there were a couple movements and positioning that kept me away from winning the fight. Thank you Bellator and my fans for cheering for me and hopefully I’ll be back fighting again soon.”

Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Doug Marshall defeats Brett Cooper via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:39.

Doug Marshall

“Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for having me. When I entered this tournament I was the dark horse and now I am $100,000 richer and I have a title shot coming. I am really looking forward to the fight against Alexander. Thank you very much for this opportunity.”

Welterweight Feature Fight: Rick Hawn defeats Karo Parisyan via KO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:55.

Rick Hawn

“Thank you Karo for taking this fight and it has been a long time coming.  I respect him as a fighter and this wasn’t an easy fight. I am happy to get the win and I wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Karo Parisyan

“I don’t want to make any excuses. This is the fourth time Bellator has given me a shot. I felt obligated to take the fight, but I felt like I was in the right place to take it. He is a great competitor and I respect him as an athlete. Hopefully I will be back and I can prove myself one more time.”

Welterweight Feature Fight: Lyman Good defeats Dante Rivera via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27,30-27).

Catchweight Feature Fight (173 lbs.): Sam Oropeza defeats Shedrick Goodridge via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:22.

Catchweight Feature Fight (188 lbs.): Tom DeBlass defeats Carlos Brooks via doctor stoppage – Round 2, 5:00.

Lightweight Feature Fight: Phillipe Nover defeats Darrell Horcher via unanimous decision (29-28,30-27,30-27).

Catchweight Feature Fight (140 lbs.): Jimmie Rivera defeats Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28,29-28).

Featherweight Feature Fight: Will Martinez defeats Brent Hess via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:15.

Featherweight Feature Fight: Kevin Roddy defeats Brylan Van Artsdalen via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:04.

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Liam McGeary defeats Anton Talamantes via TKO (elbows and punches) – Round 1, 1:18.

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