Bellator 126 Full Card Finalized Friday, September 26th From Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University Arena

Shlemenko vs. Halsey Headlines; Held vs. Pitbull Featured

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 9, 2014) – A storm is heading to Phoenix as Alexander Shlemenko will return to the Bellator cage on Friday, September 26^th to defend his Bellator middleweight title against Brandon Halsey live on Spike TV from Grand Canyon University Arena. The event will also feature the Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final and a full preliminary card. Tickets are on sale now and available at the GCU Arena Box Office, GCUArena.com or Bellator.com.

Former heavyweight tournament finalist Ryan Martinez will kick-off the Spike.com portion of the night in a fight against Nick Rossborough. In a battle of heavy-hitters, Rossborough is ready to grab his first Bellator victory, but will have to hold off the powerful Martinez who has recorded five KO wins and is looking for the finish on September 26th.

In a face-off of Arizona natives, Jacob Ortiz will fight Clifford Starks in a middleweight bout. After a two-year absence from the cage, Ortiz is anxious to make his mark in front of his home state crowd against Starks, who is coming off of a decision victory in his Bellator debut at Bellator 100.

Hailing from Guam, Joe Taimanglo returns to the Bellator cage to face Michael Parker. The former featherweight semifinalist holds an impressive 19-6 record and has won 10 of his previous 12 fights. Parker has tallied eight of his 11 victories by KO or submission and plans on ending the fight with Taimanglo as quickly as possible in front of the GCU Arena fans.

Making his Bellator debut, Arizona’s own Estevan Payan will fight Derek Campos in a lightweight battle. No stranger to the Bellator cage, Campos has won five of his previous six fights and holds a 3-1 Bellator record. Payan is known for his knockout power and recorded four of his last five victories by KO.

Rounding out the preliminary card will be Phoenix native Larue Burley as he faces fellow Arizona resident Raymond Pina. Dan Charles will meet Stuart Austin in a heavyweight fight and submission ace Brandon Girtz will put his skills to the test against Benny Madrid.

MAIN CARD:Middleweight World Title Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-8) vs. Brandon Halsey (7-0)
Lightweight Tournament Final: Patricky Pitbull (13-5) vs. Marcin Held (19-3)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Thiago Meller (19-5) vs. Bubba Jenkins (6-1)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Richman (15-6) vs.  Ed West (18-8)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ryan Martinez (10-4) vs. Nick Rossborough (23-18)
Lightweight Feature Fight:  Brandon Girtz (10-4) vs. Benny Madrid (7-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Derek Campos (14-4) vs. Estevan Payan (14-6)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Stuart Austin (8-0) vs. Dan Charles (7-1)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Michael Parker (11-6) vs. Joe Taimanglo (19-6-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jacob Ortiz (13-4) vs. Clifford Starks (9-2)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Raymond Pina (4-0) vs. Larue Burley (4-0)

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

Middleweight Tournament Finals Delayed With Brett Cooper Out Due to Back Injury

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 5, 2014) – The Bellator Middleweight Tournament Finals will be on hold as Brett Cooper has been forced off of the Bellator 119 card from Casino Rama as the California native is dealing with a back injury. Cooper was scheduled to face the undefeated Brandon Halsey for a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko.  

“After my fight with Kendall [Grove], my back just hasn’t been where I need it to be to have a proper training camp for one of the biggest fights of my career,” Cooper said. “It’s a setback, but with some time off, I should be ready to go by late July. I never like missing time, but I know this is the right move. I’ll be back stronger, and I’m looking forward to winning another tournament and getting another shot against Shlemenko.”

Also, Shamhalaev vs. Guerreiro will also be removed from the card after passport issues forced the featherweight fight to be postponed. Two of the most explosive featherweights in the sport, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney is confident fans will still get to see the matchup shortly.

“Unfortunately issues arose in the passport process for Guerreiro, and because the fight is in Ontario, we weren’t confident these issues with be resolved by May 9^th,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “However, we should have news shortly on when this fight will be rescheduled, as these are two guys I’ve wanted back in our cage, and it should make for a great fight.”

With the changes, the current Bellator 119 card can be found below. Bellator 119 takes place on Friday, May 9^th from Ontario’s Casino Rama.

MAIN CARD:
 

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final: Daniel Weichel (33-8) vs. Desmond Green (11-2) 
Featherweight Feature Fight: Chris Horodecki (20-4-1) vs. Marlon Sandro (24-5-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (19-8) vs. Vaughn Anderson (16-2-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (8-0) vs. Nick Rossborough (23-18)

PRELIMINARY CARD:
Catchweight Feature Fight (160 lbs): Eric Wisely (22-8) vs. John Alessio (34-17)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Brian Rogers (10-6) vs. Adrian Miles (14-5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Stuart Austin (7-0) vs. Craig Hudson (4-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Meisel (4-3) vs. Remy Bussieres (3-0)

Catchweight Feature Fight (130 lbs.): Chris Kelades (6-0) vs. Malcolm Gordon (4-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Behrang Yousefi (5-4) vs. Chad Freeman (8-5)

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