Featherweight Champion Pat Curran Suffers Calf Injury, Removed From June 6th Card

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 21, 2014) – Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran has suffered a severe right calf strain during training and will be unable to defend his title on June 6^th against Bellator Tournament winner Patricio Pitbull from Winstar World Casino.

“I’ve been training incredibly hard for this fight by pushing myself to my absolute limits in training,” Curran said. “Unfortunately during some conditioning drills, I suffered a bad calf strain that has halted my training for one of the biggest fights of my career. I have my sights set on getting back into the cage as soon as possible with July in mind, but I want to be 100% healthy heading into that cage to smash Pitbull.”

After a fight of the year candidate against Daniel Straus to reclaim the Bellator Featherweight Title, Curran can now focus on Pitbull, who is looking to avenge his 2013 razor thin split decision loss to Curran and capture his first Bellator Championship.

With the change, the full fight card for Bellator 121 will be announced shortly.

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 Welterweight Tournament Adds Paul Bradley, Nathan Coy & Cristiano Souza

War Machine, Joe Riggs and Mark Scanlon Unable To Compete

Newport Beach, Calif. (March 8, 2014) – The Bellator Welterweight Tournament is set to begin on Friday, March 14^th and The Toughest Tournament In Sports has received a shakeup as Paul Bradley, Nathan Coy and Cristiano Souza have been added to the field, while War Machine, Joe Riggs and Mark Scanlon have withdrawn from the tournament. The night will be headlined by the trilogy fight between Bellator Featherweight Champion Daniel Straus and challenger Pat Curran, live on Spike Friday, March 14^th at 9pm EST/ 8pm CST.  War Machine and Riggs have both withdrawn with documented medical conditions. 

With the changes, the tournament pairings have been rearranged. Russian striker Andrey Koreshkov will now face Nah’Shon Burrell, while Bellator veteran Sam Oropeza will now battle Souza. Jesse Juarez will face Adam McDonough, with Bradley and Coy rounding out the eight man field.

“We’ve been riding a great wave of not losing any fights or fighters from our Tournaments. And, while losing any fighter from a tournament is never something we’re happy to see happen, it’s part of the sport  and it’s a huge credit to our talent team to have developed the depth in the division to replace fighters with talent like Paul Bradley, Nathan Coy and Cristiano Souza,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “It creates an opportunity for fighters to showcase their skills on a huge platform, and that’s a positive. When you look at a guy like Brennan Ward, he was a fighter that was featured primarily on our preliminary shows, and when injury struck our Middleweight Tournament last year, Brennan stepped up as a last minute replacement and ran through an incredibly tough tournament, and will be fighting for our title against one of the best in the world in Alexander Shlemenko. Injuries can provide those opportunities, and I’m looking forward to seeing if the next Brennan Ward steps up through this new group from The Horseshoe in Hammond, Indiana.”

The full fight card for Bellator 112 can be found below:

MAIN CARD: 

Bellator Featherweight World Title Fight: Daniel Straus (22-4) vs. Pat Curran (19-5)
 

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Andrey Koreshkov (14-1) vs. Nah’ Shon Burrell (11-3)
 

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Sam Oropeza (10-2) vs. Cristiano Souza (7-0)
 

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Jesse Juarez (21-8) vs. Adam McDonough (9-0)

PRELIMINARY CARD: 

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Opening Round: Nathan Coy (13-4) vs. Paul Bradley (21-5)
 

Welterweight Feature Fight: A.J. Matthews (6-2) vs. Belal Muhammad (4-0)
 

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Diego Marlon (24-8) vs. Lloyd Carter (5-5)
 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Darrion Caldwell (3-0) vs. Lance Surma (2-0)
 

Lightweight Feature Fight: Derek Loffer  (6-2) vs. Bobby Reardanz (8-12)
 

Light-Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jason Guida (19-27) vs. Anthony Gomez (7-2)
 

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Daniel James (debut) vs. Erick Correa (2-0)

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

Matt Riddle Removed From November 22ndFight Card, Released From Bellator

Newport Beach, CA. (November 19, 2013) – A welterweight feature fight between Matt Riddle and Nathan Coy has been removed from the November 22^nd card after Riddle has withdrawn from the fight. Originally scheduled to compete in the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament, Riddle suffered a rib injury and was removed from the tournament due to the injury. After withdrawing from the November 22^nd fight, the promotion has decided to release Riddle.

“Matt was a guy we had high hopes for coming into Bellator,” Bellator Director of Communications Anthony Mazzuca said. “After Matt suffered his rib injury and withdrew from our tournament, we went back to the drawing board and got Matt another fight on November 22^nd. Unfortunately, Matt very recently informed us he would not be fighting on November 22^nd from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and at that point we decided to release Matt from Bellator. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The full card for Bellator MMA on November 22^nd is below:

MAIN CARD:Bellator Middleweight World Title: Doug Marshall (18-6) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (48-7)
Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final: Will Brooks (12-1) vs. Tiger Sarnavskiy (25-1)
Bellator Welterweight Tournament Final: Ron Keslar (11-3) vs. Rick Hawn (17-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Patrick Cenoble (9-2-1) vs. Terry Etim (15-5)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Heavyweight Feature Fight: Keith Bell (5-2-1) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (8-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Saul Almeida (13-4) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (15-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Ahsan Abdullah (5-3) vs. Mike Bannon (4-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Bubba Jenkins (4-1) vs. Ian Rammel (5-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Brett Glass (2-0) vs. Brent Primus (3-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Lester Caslow (10-8) vs. Jay Haas (11-12)

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

Bellator Returns to Atlantic City’s Revel Friday, November 15th Live on Spike TV

Newport Beach, CA.  (October 21, 2013) – Bellator MMA will return to Atlantic City’s Revel on Friday, November 15^th live on Spike TV as Alexander Shlemenko will put his title on the line against Season 8 Bellator Middleweight Tournament winner Doug “The Rhino” Marshall. The night will also showcase the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final as Patricio Pitbull and Justin Wilcox will square off for a $100,000 prize and a guaranteed title shot, as well as a full card of the east coast’s top talent. 
The event will broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. EST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed exclusively live and free on Spike.com starting at 6:00 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event can be purchased at Ticketmaster or by visiting Bellator.com with tickets starting at just $35.

After having to put his title shot on hold due to a hand injury, Marshall is eager to get back in the cage and put on a another heart-stopping performance in front of the Atlantic City crowd from Revel on Friday, November 15th.

“I’m super excited about this fight,” Marshall said. “I was bummed when I had to watch Brett Cooper take my spot because of my injury, but after watching the fight I was able to see that there is no way Shlemenko can beat me. The only thing Shlemenko has is that he is tough. There is no doubt in my mind that I am the most powerful middleweight in the division. As soon as Shlemenko feels my fist on the side of his face he will be sleeping on the mat. Winning this fight is a no brainer for me."

New Jersey favorite Tom DeBlass will return to the Bellator cage and face MMA veteran Jason Lambert. After finishing Carlos Brooks in his Bellator debut at Revel last April, DeBlass is anxious to get back under the bright lights and improve his 8-2 professional record. The preliminary card will feature a full card of local talent, including four New Jersey natives.

“We were witness to an incredible night of fights during our first visit to Revel and I expect nothing but the same on November 15^th,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Atlantic City has become a second home for Bellator and Revel is in store for another huge night of fights.”

The full card is listed below.

MAIN CARD: 

Bellator Middleweight World Title Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (48-7) vs. Doug “The Rhino” Marshall (18-6)
 

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final: Patricio Pitbull (20-2) vs. Justin Wilcox (13-5)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Marcos Galvao (14-6-1) vs. Tom McKenna (7-3)
 

Welterweight Feature Fight: Nah’Shon Burrell (9-3) vs. Dante Rivera (15-7)

PRELIMINARY CARD: 
 

Welterweight Feature Fight: Chip Moraza-Pollard (7-4) vs. Sam Oropeza (8-2)
 

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jason Lambert (26-12) vs. Tom DeBlass (8-2)
 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Kevin Roddy (13-14-1) vs. Will Martinez (6-2-1)
 

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Najim Wali (3-2) vs. Liam McGeary (6-0)
 

Lightweight Feature Fight: Anthony Morrison (17-10) vs. Kenny Foster (10-7)
 

Featherweight Feature Fight: Dan Matala (debut) vs. Ryan Cafaro (debut)
 

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Sergio da Silva (1-4) vs. Rob Sullivan (2-1)

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