Press Release – Chicago, Ill. – (March 15, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the signing of undefeated Bulgarian Heavyweight and world-class Sambo competitor Blagoi Ivanov. Ivanov won the 2008 Combat Sambo World Championships, notably defeating Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals, reportedly ending an eight-year undefeated streak for Emelianenko in Combat Sambo. Ivanov has also competed in Judo as a heavyweight national representative for Bulgaria. Since transitioning to mixed martial arts Ivanov has gone undefeated with an impressive 8-0 professional record including three (T)KO’s and three submission victories.
The fast rising 24 year old is expected to make his U.S and Bellator debut in 2011 LIVE on MTV2. Ivanov currently trains out of the TapouT Training Center in Las Vegas and has recently spent time training with the likes of Randy Couture, Roy Nelson, and Vitor Belfort. Ivanov also recently spent time working his hands with former boxing champion and uncle to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jeff Mayweather.
“Blagoi is a great signing for us at heavyweight,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He brings an incredible Sambo background to the cage and is developing his hands with some of the best in the business I’m very happy that he and his management have decided to move his career forward under the Bellator banner.”
Although many changes will come with his newly minted Bellator contract, Ivanov says that he is more than excited to get started.
“I can’t wait to have the chance to show what I’m capable of to all of the Bellator fans watching on MTV2 all across the United States,” said Ivanov. “I’m already hard at work preparing for my first fight with Bellator. My ultimate goal is to fight Cole Konrad for the Bellator World Heavyweight Championship. My mission is to become the Bellator Champion, and that’s what I intend to do.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at 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.