Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (January 27, 2011) — Returning to the Bellator cage in Season 4 will be Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan, whose devastating first-round Muay-Thai knee knockout of Bao Quach at Bellator 13(Watch Here: http://bit.ly/h8CuOo) is among the most spectacular in Bellator history. Karakhanyan eventually dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Bellator World Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in the Season 2 semifinal round. However, Karakhanyan will have a chance to avenge that loss as Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that he is the fourth confirmed participant in the Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament. The tournament is set to debut in March 2011 and will air on MTV2.
“Georgi’s a dangerous fighter,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “His knockout of Quach was devastating and he put up a great fight against the World’s #2 Featherweight Joe Warren. Georgi will definitely be in the hunt for this tournament championship.”
The former professional soccer player says that although the chance to get back in the cage with Joe Warren is always in the back of his head, he is currently focused on the three fighters standing in his way to get there.
“I need to take this tournament one fight at a time. I’m trying not to focus on Joe Warren right now. Whoever they put in front of me, that’s who I’m going to focus in on,” said Karakhanyan. “I never underestimate anyone. There are going to be some really dangerous fighters in this tournament so I’m just going to take things one fight at a time, focus on that person, and then go from there.”
Karakhanyan brings an impressive 14-2-1 professional record to the tournament, which includes eight submission victories and three KOs. Providing even more fuel to the fire, Karakhanyan was on a nine-fight win-streak prior to his loss to the current Bellator World Featherweight Champion.
“I hate losing. Losing to Joe Warren was a horrible feeling,” said Karakhanyan. “To be able to come back from that and beat three guys on my way to getting revenge against him would be an amazing feeling. That’s my main goal right now.”
Born in Moscow, Russia to Armenian parents, Karakhanyan’s athletic ability was discovered at a young age when he fell in love with soccer, eventually going on to play at the amateur level for Russia, Spain and the U.S. Karakhanyan began training in jiu-jitsu while playing professionally for the San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). After the Sockers folded, “Insane” decided to take up fighting full-time. Karakhanyan currently trains and resides in Rancho Cucamonga, California with Millenia MMA.
Karakhanyan joins Eric Larkin, Kenny Foster, and Zac George as confirmed participants in the Season 4 Featherweight Tournament which will air LIVE on MTV2.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.