Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (April 26, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships makes its return to the Garden State on Friday, May 11 with a talent-filled fight card from Caesars Atlantic City. The night will feature a Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final fight between Marlon Sandro and Daniel Straus, with the winner earning a guaranteed title shot for the Bellator Featherweight World Championship. The next finalist in the Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament will be decided as Marcos Galvao and Travis Marx square off in a semifinal bout. Additionally, Caesars Atlantic City will host the return of Seth “the Kimbo Killer” Petruzelli as he takes on MMA veteran Carmelo Marrero. Plus, it’s the long-awaited rematch between Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromski vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf. Bellator 68 will also feature a stacked undercard full of the area’s top talent. Tickets for the Bellator 68 are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Caesars Box Office. Tickets are priced from $45-$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 6:30 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.
Bellator veteran Marcin Held will look for his fifth win in his last six bouts as he takes on New Jersey product Derrick Kennington. Held, a lightweight submission specialist, is coming off a razor thin split decision victory over Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59 and is looking to improve to 13-2.
Philadelphia’s Jesus Martinez squares off against “The Burmese Python” Aung La Nsang in a catchweight bout of 175 pounds. Martinez, who last competed in a losing effort to Bellator Season 6 Tournament competitor Karl Amoussou, will meet Nsang who is making his promotional debut and brings an impressive submission arsenal with him into the cage.
Also on the card, New Jersey featherweight Jeff Lentz will take on submission fighter Eddie Fyvie in a 145-pound rematch that will surely have the Atlantic City faithful on their feet. Nearly three years ago, Lentz scored a devastating knockout in their first encounter and now Fyvie is looking to exact revenge when they battle at Caesars Atlantic City.
Bellator 68 will feature an exciting lightweight matchup as Bellator veteran Jacob Kirwan battles newcomer Don Carlos-Clauss. Kirwan will look to return to the form that saw him defeat Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament competitor Rene Nazare last year while Carlos-Clauss will look to make a strong first impression.
A pair of Bellator veterans will clash as local favorite Claudio Ledesma challenges fellow bantamweight Anthony Leone in a 135-pound bout. Ledesma, who defeated Brian Kelleher at Bellator 54 last October, is looking to earn his second win with the promotion when he battles the New York native.
Rounding out the card will be Gregory Milliard taking on Francois Ambang. Coming off an impressive win at Bellator 59, Milliard returns to Atlantic City and will try and keep the momentum going against a tough Ambang.
MAIN CARD:
Featherweight Tournament Finals Fight: Marlon Sandro vs. Daniel Straus
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Marcos Galvao vs. Travis Marx
Catchweight (230 lbs.) Feature Fight: Seth Petruzelli vs. Carmelo Marrero
Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Lightweight Feature Fight: Jacob Kirwan vs. Don Carlos-Clauss
Lightweight Feature Fight: Marcin Held vs. Derrick Kennington
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Claudio Ledesma vs. Anthony Leone
Middleweight Feature Fight: Gregory Milliard vs. Francois Ambang
Catchweight (175 lbs.) Feature Fight: Jesus Martinez vs. Aung La Nsang
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jeff Lentz vs. Eddie Fyvie
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.