Bellator Results from WinStar World Casino

Thackerville, OK. (November 8, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA’s event live from the WinStar World Casino. The event featured the Bellator Heavyweight, Bantamweight and Middleweight Tournament Finals. Cheick Kongo defeated Peter Graham in the heavyweight final and Joe Warren finished Travis Marx to win the bantamweight final to become the second Bellator fighter to win a tournament in two different weight classes. After finishing all of his opponents throughout the tournament, Brennan Ward defeated Mikkel Parlo to win the middleweight tournament final and a guaranteed title shot.

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Cheick Kongo defeats Peter Graham by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Final: Joe Warren defeats Travis Marx via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:56

Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brennan Ward defeats Mikkel Parlo via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:39

Lightweight Feature Fight: Derek Campos defeats Martin Stapleton by unanimous decision (30-27, 

30-27, 30-27)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Patricky Pitbull defeats Edson Berto by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-29, 30-27)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Jonas Billstein defeats Cortez Coleman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Mike Mucitelli defeats Ryan McCurdy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler defeats Josh Burns via Submission (verbal) - Round 1, 2:14

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Linton Vassell defeats Matt Jones by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Chris Jones defeats Robert White by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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 WinStar World Casino

Thackerville, OK. (November 7, 2013) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from the Mist Nightclub inside the WinStar World Casino in preparation for Bellator MMA’s November 8^th event, which will showcase the Bellator Heavyweight, Middleweight and Bantamweight Tournament Finals. 

Bellator MMA will take place from WinStar World Casino on Friday, November 8th with the first fight taking place at 6:00 p.m. CST and streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the night will begin at 8:00 p.m. CST and will air LIVE on Spike TV.

MAIN CARD:Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Peter Graham (243.8) vs. Cheick Kongo (237.1)
Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Final: Travis Marx (135.8) vs. Joe Warren (135.8)
Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brennan Ward (185.5) vs. Mikkel Parlo (186)

Catchweight Feature Fight (157lbs): Martin Stapleton (157.1) vs. Derek Campos (156.7)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Lightweight Feature Fight: Edson Berto (155.7) vs. Patricky Pitbull (155.9)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jonas Billstein (185.6) vs. Cortez Coleman (185.4)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ryan McCurdy (204.9) vs. Mike Mucitelli (204.4)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Burns (243.9) vs. Raphael Butler (260)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Matt Jones (202.5) vs. Linton Vassell (205.5)
Catchweight Feature Fight (156lbs): Rob White (155.8) vs. Chris Jones (156.3)

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

Kongo v. Graham for HW Final Plus Warren vs. Marx headline Bellator’s Return to Winstar World Casino Friday, November 8th Live On Spike TV

Newport Beach, CA. (October 30, 2013) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues Friday, November 8^th as Winstar World Casino plays host to the Bellator Heavyweight, Bantamweight and Middleweight Tournament Finals. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Winstar World Casino Box Office. The event will broadcast live at 9 p.m ET/8 p.m. CT on Spike TV.

After punching his ticket to the tournament final with a devastating combination of strikes and knees for a TKO win over Mark Godbeer, Cheick Kongo will now face Australia’s own Peter Graham in the Heavyweight Tournament Finals after Vinicius Spartan suffered a knee injury during training. Graham picked up his first Bellator victory with a tournament qualifier victory over Eric Prindle at Bellator 104, and will now take his place in the Heavyweight Finals, one win away from battling for the Heavyweight title. With his sights on set on capturing his first tournament crown, Kongo will have to put a stop to Graham’s current eight-fight win streak.

“I want to fight the best in Bellator so I can be the best,” Kongo said. “When I try to do things as a competitor, I want to be the best. I messed up before because I wasn't focused like I've been from the beginning. But, now … I will be the best. It's my time. I came to Bellator for the opportunity to show the best Cheick Kongo. And that's it.”

On the road to become only the second fighter in Bellator history to win a tournament in two different weight classes, “The Baddest Man on the Planet” Joe Warren returns to the Bellator cage and will face MMA veteran Travis Marx the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Final.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet is back,” Warren said. “I’m one win away from getting back to exactly where I want to be, fighting for that belt. This is what I work for, this is what I train for, and nothing is going to get in the way of that.”

The night will also feature the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final in a fight between Brennan Ward and Denmark’s own Mikkel Parlo. After finishing both of his opponents in the opening and semifinal rounds, Ward doesn’t see his fight with Parlo ending any differently.

“I am super amped up to fight Parlo in the finals,” Ward said. “I feel like there is no way he can beat me. I am always looking to finish and that is the only way to go. Go big or go home!”

“We’ve now got three huge Bellator Tournament Finals featured on an incredibly deep card November 8^th from WinStar World Casino, this is going to be an awesome night of fights on Spike,” Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney said.

Additionally, the event features packed preliminary card of local talent including Oklahoma’s Ryan McCurdy as he makes his Bellator debut against Mike Mucitelli. Fan favorite Cortez Coleman will also return to the Bellator cage in a battle against Jonas Billstein. All of the preliminary fights will be streamed live and free on Spike.com beginning at 6 p.m. CST.

The full card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Cheick Kongo (19-8) vs. Peter Graham (9-5)
Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Final: Travis Marx (21-4) vs. Joe Warren (9-3)
Bellator Middleweight Tournament Final: Brennan Ward (8-1) vs. Mikkel Parlo (11-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Edson Berto (17-10) vs. Patricky Pitbull (11-4)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Lightweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (12-1) vs. Derek Campos (11-3)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jonas Billstein (11-3) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-4)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Matt Jones (4-5) vs. Linton Vassell (11-3)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ryan McCurdy (8-3) vs. Mike Mucitelli (6-0)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (6-0) vs. Josh Burns (8-6)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Robert White (3-0) vs. Chris Jones (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 at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA       

Final Card Set For Bellator MMA Wednesday, June 19th From WinStar World Casino Live on Spike

Special Early Start Time at 7pm EST/6pm CST on Spike

Newport Beach, CA. (June 14, 2013) –The night is now set for Bellator MMA as the promotion returns to Spike TV June 19^th live from WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The night will feature the start of the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Summer Series Tournaments, as well as the return of War Machine.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST and feature two hours of action on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:00 p.m. CST. Following the event, Spike will air the premier of Fight Master: Bellator MMA, which features 32 of the best welterweight fighters on the planet as they compete for a spot in the Bellator MMA Tournament and a $100,000 prize.  

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

Bellator MMA Preliminary Card:

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (1-1) vs. Steven Artoff (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (8-2) vs. Derek Campos (10-3)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (3-0) vs. Joe Yaeger (5-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah O’Neal vs. Raphael Butler (5-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (5-4) vs. Damon Jackson (4-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (4-0) vs. Chavous Smith (2-3)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (14-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-3)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Jarrod Card (13-6) vs. Chas Skelly (10-0)

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 Returns to WinStar World Casino June 19th Live on Spike: Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler Defends Title Against Dave Jansen

Four-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament Begins as King Mo, Babalu Return; War Machine Premieres

Newport Beach, CA. (May 1^st, 2013) – After delivering a dramatic and dominating submission victory in his first title defense, top ranked Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler will once again put his title on the line as Bellator MMA returns to WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma Wednesday, June 19^th for the start of the Bellator MMA Summer Series live on Spike TV.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. CST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:30 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Only 27, Chandler holds impressive victories over Eddie Alvarez, Rick Hawn, Akihiro Gono and Patricky Pitbull while sporting a spotless 11-0 record that has catapulted the Alliance MMA product into Top 3 rankings across the MMA landscape.

“I’m excited to get back in the cage and defend the belt against a tough guy like Jansen,” Chandler said. “He’s proven to be a very tough and durable competitor. My plan is the same as every fight, which is to show up new and improved and collect another dominant finish for the fans.”

Jansen enters the fight riding a six fight win streak that includes a dominating Bellator Lightweight Tournament run with victories over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Tirloni, as well as a Finals win over Polish phenom Marcin Held. With the Oregon native owning an established submission pedigree and the resilience to have never been finished inside the cage, Jansen presents a unique set of challenges for Chandler on June 19^th.

“I really want this fight to be an absolute grind and make Mike as uncomfortable as possible inside that cage,” Jansen said. “I’ve been known in my career to really be able to weather the storm and I really feel like I get stronger inside the cage as the fight goes on, and I’m really looking forward to having that full 25 minutes to work with and take this fight in deep waters. This is just an incredible opportunity for me and would a huge validation on my career to become a Bellator World Champion.”

Know across MMA as one of the top light heavyweights in the world, King Mo returns and will begin his quest to claim the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title. No stranger to WinStar, Mo had the crowd on its feet last January as he delivered a vicious knockout in opening round action, and will be looking for a similar performance against Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli. 

“Seth has been in this game for a long time and has beaten guys like Kimbo, Ricco Rodriguez and Dan Severn so this fight is going to be tough, but I’ve been working my ass off in the gym with Jeff Mayweather and my team and I’m ready to get another win under my belt,” Mo said. “Point blank, I’m looking to deliver a straight Mortal Kombat style fatality to Seth.”

Decorated MMA legend Renato “Babalu” Sobral will also make his return to the Bellator cage as the imposing Brazilian looks to punch his ticket to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Finals with a victory over Tennessee’s own Jacob Noe. After both men had their first taste of Bellator Tournament action last season, expectations have risen for both competitors.

"God has blessed me with the opportunity to fight again and consequently has cursed my opponents,” Babalu stated.

After nearly two years away from the cage, the always exciting and controversial War Machine will be back in action in front of a raucous WinStar crowd. Injuries and legal troubles have delayed the Bellator debut for War Machine but the highly skilled welterweight has finally put the past behind him and is ready to show the MMA world what it has been missing.

“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.”

“This event is insanely stacked,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With a Lightweight Title fight, Mo, Babalu, and War Machine, this is going to be an amazing show start to finish on Spike.”

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

More information on Bellator MMA from WinStar World Casino will be made available in the coming weeks.

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