Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (March 12, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Bayou State on Friday, March 16 for Bellator 61 live from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome. The night will feature the long-awaited rematch between “The American Solider” Eric Prindle (@EricPrindleMMA) and “The Big Monster” Thiago Santos (@BigMonsterMMA) to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament. The quarterfinals of the Season 6 Middleweight Tournament will kick off as well, along with a host of local talent from the Louisiana area.
Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at Riverdome.com, by phone at 888-512-SHOW (7469) or by visiting The Gift Horse at Horseshoe Bossier City Casino. Tickets are priced from $25-$75. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST.
Lake Charles native and local-favorite Josh Quayhagen takes on Quaint Kempf in lightweight action. Quayhagen made quite the impression on Bellator fans after collecting a convincing unanimous decision victory over highly-touted kickboxing champion Cosmo Alexander at Bellator 52.
The undefeated Trey Houston looks to keep his spotless record intact as he battles Bellator veteran Jeremiah Riggs in a middleweight affair. No stranger to being in front of the camera, Riggs has appeared on Spike’s TNA’s Impact Wrestling as well as WWE’s Tough Enough.
Baton Rouge native and dangerous welterweight Eric Scallan looks to impress in his Bellator debut when he takes on Derrick Krantz, who calls Texas home. Scallan enters the fight riding a three-fight win streak, and will look to keep the momentum going from The Riverdome.
Patrick Cenoble is set to take on Dallas native Derek Campos in a lightweight battle, while fan-favorite Jason Sampson clashes with the always tough Jeremy Myers in a bantamweight affair.
“Louisiana’s been like a second home to Bellator,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our last two Louisiana events we’re spectacular sell outs, so when we had the chance to bring Bellator to The Riverdome, it was a very easy decision. The Prindle-Santos fight is going to be a war, and the rest of the card is just loaded top to bottom. March 16th will be a great night in Bossier City.”
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
Available in approximately 80 million homes MTV2 is man’s best friend. Since its launch in 1996, the network has reflected the subversive interests and behaviors of young men with a compelling and diverse programming line-up inspired by ordinary guys who do extraordinary things. MTV2 is part of Viacom Media Networks, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com or follow us on Twitter @MTVPress.
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.