Lets try this one more time where I don’t label the title “Pat Curran fights Pat Curran…”
Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (1/19/12) — Bellator Season 5 Featherweight Tournament winner Pat Curran stands one win away from realizing his dream. After a brilliant 3-0 tournament run, it was a lightning-fast kick to the head of Marlon Sandro in the final that propelled the 24-year-old rising super star from top prospect to top contender (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/qKvQ5m).
Now the contender will get his well-deserved World title shot.
The Chicago-based Bellator Fighting Championships heads back to the Chicago area as Crystal Lake, Illinois’ own Pat Curran (@PatCurranMMA) will take on current Bellator Featherweight Champion “The Baddest Man on the Planet” Joe Warren (@JoeWarrenMMA) LIVE from The Venue at The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana on Friday, March 9. Tickets for this event go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, January 20 and are available at The Horseshoe Casino, Ticketmaster, www.thevenue-chicago.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are priced from $42-$107.
The event will broadcast starting at 7 p.m. CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CT, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CT.
“Everything is falling into place right now,” Curran said. “My hometown is really close to where I’m fighting and I know I’ll have the support of my family and friends. This is something that is meant to be.”
Even though Curran admits he will have the “home-cage advantage” on March 9, the 24-year-old Crystal Lake native knows the challenge that is right in front of him.
“Even though he’s coming off a loss, he’s a very dangerous opponent,” Curran said of Warren. “He is a very strong wrestler who’s going to try to close the distance and work the clinch against me. I’m looking forward to a great fight.”
After a one-fight stint at Bantamweight, Joe Warren is back defending his Bellator Featherweight championship. Winner of his last five Featherweight fights, the 35-year-old Denver product has the experience and the cage savvy to bust up Curran’s homecoming party.
“The Midwest is known for great fighters and great fight fans,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “To be hosting an event of this magnitude in our backyard is like Christmas morning; plus you get to see Chicagoland’s own, rising superstar Pat Curran vie for the World Title against one of the toughest fighters in all of MMA – Joe Warren. As a diehard MMA fan, I can’t wait for March 9th to get here at Horseshoe.”
Also on this big night in Hammond, the Season 6 Featherweight Tournament kicks off as Season 5 finalist Marlon Sandro (@351marlon) takes on Roberto Vargas (@RobertoVargas45). A member of the renowned Team Nova Uniao, the 19-3 Sandro is widely regarded as one of the top featherweights in the world. With seven of his 19 wins coming via KO/TKO and three by submission, don’t blink when the dangerous Brazilian enters the Bellator cage. A former wrestler at Cal-State Bakersfield, Vargas has used his wrestling pedigree and parlayed that success into a 12-1 mixed martial arts record with three knockouts and four submissions.
Born in Thailand and raised in England, the UK’s best featherweight Ronnie Mann (@RonnieMannMMA) has the talent and drive to make a deep run in this season’s tournament. A tenacious standup fighter with 10 submission victories on his record, the 20-4 fighter has possibly his toughest test to date when he takes on dangerous veteran Wagnney Fabiano (@wagnneyfabiano). The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and former WEC fighter holds an impressive 14-3 record and adds another true contender to this season’s featherweight tournament.
Top featherweight prospect Alexandre “PoPo” Bezerra(@Alexandre_popo) enters his first Bellator tournament and will face stiff competition in his quarterfinal matchup as the 12-1 submission ace battles fellow Brazilian Genair da Silva. “Junior PDQ” is coming off an impressive victory at Bellator 52, and will be looking to carry that momentum into the tournament on March 9
Daniel Straus (@DanielStraus) returns to the Bellator cage after nearly a year. Straus made a dominant run through the Season 4 Featherweight Tournament, only being stopped by eventual tournament Champion Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) in the finals. When the Ohio native steps into the cage on March 9, it will be against the undefeated Jeremy Spoon (@JeremySpoon), who brings a spotless 12-0 record to the cage, including eight submission victories.
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/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator, Latin for Warrior, is partnered with entertainment industry leaders Viacom and Fremantle Entertainment, and is the world’s leading tournament-based mixed martial arts organization. Bellator’s Founder, Chairman & 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.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.