Bellator 66
Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (April 11, 2012) — When Bellator Fighting Championships makes its first trip to Cleveland this month, it will bring with it a fight card for the ages. Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez will get his chance at revenge when he takes on top-ranked and world renowned grappler Shinya Aoki in a highly-anticipated rematch more than three years in the making. Additionally, the semifinals of the Season 6 Middleweight and Lightweight Tournaments will take place as Bruno Satnos takes on Ohio native Brian Rogers while Vyacheslav Vasilevsky faces Maiquel Falcao to determine the Bellator Middleweight Finals. Plus, Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard takes on former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman collides with explosive Brazilian Thiago Michel for spots in the Season 6 Lightweight Finals. Rounding out this ultra-stacked lineup is a loaded preliminary card featuring some of the best talent from the Ohio area. Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Bellator.com or at the I-X Center Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$125.
The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.
The card will be highlighted by the return of local fan favorite Jessica Eye as she takes on Anita Rodriguez in a fight that is sure to get the Cleveland crowd pumped. Riding a three-fight win streak, the 25-year-old Eye is determined to prove that she should be considered as one of the top female athletes when she battles Rodriguez in a featured women’s fight.
The night will feature the much anticipated Bellator debut of top light heavyweight Attila Vegh as he battles the once defeated Dan Spohn. An Ohio native, Spohn will look to score the biggest win of his young career when he meets one of the most well-rounded mixed martial artists to step in the Bellator cage at light heavyweight. Vegh, a veteran of over 28 contests, will look to use his experience when the two collide in this light heavyweight showdown.
Another light heavyweight matchup will take place as Finland’s Marcus Vanttinen squares off against fellow Bellator veteran and Independence, Ohio native John Hawk. Vanttinen, who owns a decision victory over Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament competitor Victor O’Donnell, will look to prove why he is talked about as one of the top light heavyweight prospects in the sport when he makes his way to Cleveland.
Bellator 66 will also feature a bout between Cleveland’s Frank Caraballo and Donny “Eagle Eye” Walker. Caraballo fights for the first time since a TKO victory over Dustin Kempf at Bellator 51 last year. He will carry a three-fight winning streak into his meeting with Walker, who enjoyed an undefeated streak for more than two years from 2009 to 2011.
A pair of Ohio fighters will face off in a lightweight clash as Tyler Combs challenges established veteran Jason Dent in front of family and friends at the I-X Center. Dent, who has over 30 fights on his resume, will look to get back on the winning track.
In a local feature bout, Mansfeld, Ohio natives Julian Lane and Joe Heiland will collide in a lightweight fight with bragging rights on the line. Lane, who is undefeated in his young MMA career, has finished all three of his opponents while Heiland, a veteran of seven professional fights, hasn’t tasted defeat since a 2009 loss to Bellator Season 6 Featherweight Tournament participant, Daniel Straus.
BELLATOR 66 MEDIA OPEN WORKOUTS
Wednesday, April 18 – 1 – 3 p.m. ET
StrongStyle Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness Center – 6900 Granger Road – Independence, OH 44131
1 – 1:30 p.m. – Eddie Alvarez
1:30 – 2 p.m. – Jessica Eye / Lloyd Woodard
2 – 2:30 p.m. – Brian Rogers / Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
2:30 – 3 p.m. – Shinya Aoki
*Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney will be on-site and available for one-on-one interviews.
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 I-X Center
The I-X Center, located in the City of Cleveland, is one of world’s largest convention centers. With more than one million square feet of contiguous exhibition and conference space, including a one million-square-foot main exhibit hall, all on one level, the I-X Center offers the unique ability to accommodate multiple events simultaneously. The I-X Center’s diverse show schedule includes public events, trade shows, banquets, meetings, sporting events, and conventions. The facility attracts more two million visitors annually through a combination of consumer and trade shows. A full list of events at the I-X Center is available at www.ixcenter.com or follow check us out on facebook and twitter.
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.