After Suffering Injury, Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez Removed From Bellator Pay-Per-View

Pay-Per-View Now Features Rampage vs. King Mo In Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals & Interim Lightweight Title Fight Between Michael Chandler vs. Will Brooks

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 10, 2014) – Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez has suffered a head injury before his scheduled May 17^th Lightweight Title fight with Michael Chandler and has been removed from the fight card. In his place, Lightweight Tournament winner Will Brooks will now face Chandler for the Interim Lightweight World Title. The nights headlined by the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final between MMA icon Rampage Jackson and King Mo, along with Tito Ortiz battling Middleweight World Champion Alexander Shlemenko, all on Pay-Per-View.

“Injuries are part of MMA, but so are great opportunities, as we move forward with an incredible, must see night of fights this Saturday on Pay-Per-View,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “This is a great card for MMA fans with huge value highlighted as Rampage Jackson is finally getting the opportunity to battle King Mo for a shot at the World Title, one of the most exciting young phenoms in MMA, Will Brooks getting a title shot against Michael Chandler, and of course Tito Ortiz in a crazy fight against Alexander Shlemenko. I can’t wait for this night of fights on May 17^th.”

“This has been a crazy few days with a wide range of emotion, but with Will now in the picture, I know we are going to have fireworks on May 17^th,” Chandler said. “I wish Eddie the best, and I’m looking forward to finishing our trilogy, but now I’m focused on the task at hand.”

“I’ve always said I’m ready to fight anyone with hesitation, and now this is my chance to back that up,” Brooks said. “I want that belt around my waist more than anyone, and I’m ready. This is just a great opportunity that I’m ready for. I’m ready to jump into the fire.”

The full fight card for the Bellator Pay-Per-View on May 17^th is below:

Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)

Bellator Interim Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (12-1) vs. Will Brooks (13-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)

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 Featherweight Fight: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (19-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

Bellator Spike.com Fight Card:

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Zach Underwood (12-5) vs. Austin Lyons (10-3)

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Justin Frazier (6-1) vs. Mike Wessel (13-7)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Ben Brewer (6-1) vs. Andy Uhrich (8-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Anthony Lemon (2-3) vs. Codie Shuffield (4-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Fight: Cortez Phelia (2-0) vs. Brain Hall (7-2)

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/BellatorMMA  

Shahbulat Shamhalaev vs. Fabricio Guerreiro Added To May 17th Spike PPV Prelim Show As Patricky Pitbull Withdraws With Hand Injury Suffered In Training

Lightweight Tournament Final On Hold With Delay

Newport Beach, Calif. (May 9, 2014) – A hand injury in training has sidelined Brazilian finisher Patricky Pitbull and will force the explosive lightweight to postpone his scheduled fight with Polish phenom Marcin Held on May 17^th. With the injury, Shahbulat Shamhalaev vs. Fabricio Guerreiro will now square off on the Spike TV portion of the May 17^th Pay Per View card.  

“It’s unfortunate to lose a fight like Patricky vs. Held on May 17^th, but we were able to reschedule the Shahbulat-Fabricio fight which will be a great fight,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Patricky will take some time to heal and then we’ll look to re-schedule his Tournament Championship fight with Marcin, who is one of the top young rising stars in our sport.”

With the change, the full fight card for May 17^th can be found below:

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 Tournament Final: Blagoi Ivanov (11-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (20-4)
Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs. Eric Smith (6-1-1)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (19-3)
Bellator Featherweight Fight: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs. Mike Richman (16-4)

Bellator Spike.com Fight Card:

Bellator Featherweight Fight: Zach Underwood (12-5) vs. Austin Lyons (10-3)

Bellator Heavyweight Fight: Justin Frazier (6-1) vs. Mike Wessel (13-7)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Ben Brewer (6-1) vs. Andy Uhrich (8-4)

Bellator Welterweight Fight: Anthony Lemon (2-3) vs. Codie Shuffield (4-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Fight: Cortez Phelia (2-0) vs. Brain Hall (7-2)

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 119 Full Card Finalized at Casino Rama on Friday, May 9th

Newport Beach, Calif. (April 14, 2014) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues from Ontario’s Casino Rama for Bellator 119 on Friday, May 9^th live on Spike TV. The event will feature the Bellator Middleweight and Featherweight Tournament finals, the return of Canadian fan-favorite John Alessio and 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.ca, Bellator.com, or by visiting the Casino Rama Box Office.

Kicking off the Spike.com portion of the night will be a battle of Canadians as Jason Meisel fights Remy Bussieres. With a 3-0 undefeated professional record, Bussieres has recorded two of his three victories by knockout and is looking for another KO against Meisel.

At 34-17 Canada’s own and the always exciting John Alessio steps under the bright lights to face Guillaume DeLorenzi. Alessio has 25 wins by KO or submission and will use his previous experience in the cage against DeLorenzi, who only has two professional losses. Both fighting in front of their home country, Alessio and DeLorenzio are ready to put on an exciting fight for the fans at Casino Rama.

Combining for 46 professional fights, Marius Zaromskis will fight Vaughn Anderson in a welterweight bout. In a battle of heavy-hitters, Zaromskis has record 13 KOs, but will need to get past Anderson who has won 13 of his 16 victories by first round finish.

No stranger to the Bellator cage, Brian Rogers will fight Johan Romming. Making his Bellator debut, Romming has won five fights by submission and will put his skills to the test on May 9^th against Rogers, who has recorded nine victories by knockout.

Former featherweight tournament finalist Shahbulat Shamhalaev returns to the Bellator cage to face Fabricio Guerreiro. At only 23 years-old Guerreiro holds an impressive 19-3 record with 12 of his wins by submission, eight coming in the first round.  

Looking to maintain his undefeated professional record, Stuart Austin faces Craig Hudson. In a fight of finishers, Austin has won six of his seven victories by finish, but will have to get past Hudson who has won all of his victories by knockout.

The full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brett Cooper (20-9) vs. Brandon Halsey (6-0)
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)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (8-0) vs. TBA

PRELIMINARY CARD:Featherweight Feature Fight: Fabricio Guerreiro (19-3) vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2-1)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (19-8) vs. Vaughn Anderson (16-2-1)
Catchweight Feature Fight (165 lbs): Guillaume DeLorenzi (10-2) vs. John Alessio (34-17)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Brian Rogers (10-6) vs. Johan Romming (9-4-1)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Stuart Austin (7-0) vs. Craig Hudson (4-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Meisel (4-3) vs. Remy Bussieres (3-0)

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      

Bellator Results from the Pechanga Resort

Temecula, C.A. (September 13, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA’s event live from California’s Pechanga Resort. The event featured the opening rounds of the Season 9 Bellator Featherweight Tournament with Patricio Pitbull, Fabricio Guerreiro, Justin Wilcox and Joe Taimanglo moving on to the semifinal rounds. Patricio Pitbull will face Fabricio Guerreiro and Justin Wilcox will fight Taimanglo in the semifinals.

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull defeats Diego Nunes via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:19

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Fabricio Guerreiro defeats Des Green via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Houston Alexander via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Justin Wilcox defeats Akop Stepanyan via technical submission – Round 2, 2:26

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo defeats Andrew Fisher via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Catchweight Feature Fight (208lbs): Virgil Zwicker defeats Nick Moghaddam  via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 1,  3:22

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Blagoi Ivanov defeats Manny Lara via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:17

Featherweight Feature Fight: Goiti Yamauchi defeats Musa Toliver via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01

Catchweight Feature Fight (173 lbs): Gavin Sterritt defeats Andy Murad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Hector Ramirez defeats Savo Kosic by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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          

Shahbulat Shamhalaev Withdraws From Featherweight Tournament, Justin Wilcox Now Faces Akop Stepanyan September 13th From Pechanga Resort

Newport Beach, CA. (September 9, 2013) – Shahbulat Shamhalaev has withdrawn from Bellator’s Season 9 Featherweight Tournament as the Russian native has returned to Dagestan to attend to his ailing father.  Bellator newcomer Justin Wilcox will replace Shamhalaev and will face Akop Stepanyan in the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round live on Spike TV.

The first fight of the night will begin at 4:30 p.m. PST and the LIVE national television broadcast on Spike TV starts at 6 p.m. PST, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com. Tickets for the event start at just $50, and can be purchased by visiting Pechanga.com, Bellator.com, or by calling the Pechanga Box Office at 877-711-2946 or visiting between noon and 8 p.m. daily.

The full fight card for Bellator MMA from Pechanga Resort can be found below:

MAIN CARD

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull (17-2) vs. Diego Nunes (18-4)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Justin Wilcox (11-5) vs. Akop Stepanyan (13-5)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Des Green (8-1) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (17-1)

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo (18-4) vs. Andrew Fisher (12-4)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Vladimir Matyushenko (26-7) vs. Houston Alexander (15-9)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Savio Kosic (4-1) vs. Hector Ramirez (9-5)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Derek Loffer (4-1) vs. Mario Navarro (4-3)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Andy Murad (6-0) vs. Gavin Sterritt (4-1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Musa Toliver (9-8) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (14-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Manny Lara (4-3) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (7-0)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-6) vs. Virgil Zwicker (10-3)

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 the Santa Ana Star Casino

Albuquerque, N.M. (July 30, 2013) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from Stage nightclub at the Santa Ana Star Casino in preparation for Bellator MMA’s July 31^st event, which will feature the Bellator Lightweight World Title Fight, the Welterweight World Title Fight and the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Tournament Finals.

Bellator MMA will take place at the Santa Ana Star Center on Wednesday, July 31^st with the first fight taking place at 3:30 p.m. MT and streaming live on Spike.com The televised portion of the night will begin at 5 p.m. MT and will air live on Spike TV.

MAIN CARD

Bellator Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (154.4) vs. David Rickels (154.6)

Bellator Welterweight World Title Fight: Ben Askren (169.9) vs. Andrey Koreschkov (169.2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: King Mo (205.6) vs. Jacob Noe (205.7)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Ryan Martinez (262.7) vs. Vitaly Minakov (239.1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jared Downing (145.9) vs. Patricio Pitbull (145.1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Catchweight Feature Fight (158 lbs.): Cris Leyva (157.3) vs. Will Brooks (157.5)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Rafael Silva (136) vs. Rodrigo Lima (135.4)

Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Anthony Leone (135.9) vs. Frank Baca (135.4)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Mike Barreras (155.8) vs. Bubba Jenkins (156.0)

Catchweight Feature Fight (190 lbs): Jeremy Kimball (189.2) vs. Keith Berry (189.9)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Russell Wilson (135.6) vs. Shawn Bunch (135.6)

Bantamweight Catchweight Fight (150 lbs): Javier Palacios (148.4) vs. Richard Jacques (151.2)**

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Cruz (136.0) vs. Felipe Chavez (134.9)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Cliff Wright Jr. (148.8)** vs. Donald Sanchez (145.4)

**Both Richard Jacques and Cliff Wright Jr. forfeited a portion of their purse for missing weight

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 Holds Featherweight Tournament Semifinals From the Kansas Star Arena, Friday October 11th

Newport Beach, CA. (July 26, 2013) – The stacked Bellator Featherweight Tournament continues Friday, October 11^th from the Kansas Star Arena, located just south of Wichita, KS.  The event will feature the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Semifinals, along with some of Kansas’s premier athletes.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.kansasstararena.com or by visiting the Kanas Star Arena Box Office. The event will broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. CT on Spike TV, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free exclusively on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CT.

The loaded field includes, two of Brazil’s top featherweights, Patricio Pitbull and Diego Nunes, along with newcomer Des “The Predator” Green, and the return of Shahbulat Shamhalaev. More details about the event will be provided in the upcoming weeks, as these explosive featherweights are all looking to punch their ticket to the tournament final.

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 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