CHICAGO, Ill. (August 17, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced that Bellator Season 2 featherweight semi-finalist Georgi Karakhanyan (13-2-1) will take on UFC Veteran and submission specialist Alvin Robinson (10-5) at Bellator 28 in New Orleans on Sept. 9th. Karakhanyan is coming off of a loss to current Season 2 Featherweight Tournament Champion Joe Warren at Bellator 18 last May. Prior to that defeat, Karakhanyan was on a nine fight win streak that dated back to May of 2008, including a first-round highlight reel KO of Bao Quach at Bellator 13.
California-native Alvin Robinson will make his Bellator debut at the Bellator 28 event. Robinson is a dangerous submission fighter holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary Royce Gracie. Robinson brings an impressive 10-5 professional record to his Bellator debut, with nine of those wins coming via submission. In his last outing, Robinson secured a second round rear-naked choke victory over Brandon Girtz. The 28 year-old-fighter currently fights out of Denver, Colorado for the Gracie Grudge Fight Team.
“Stylistically, Georgi and Alvin match-up really well. Both have world-class submission skills so there’s great potential for an explosive, entertaining fight for the fans,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “This fight is a great addition to what is already a great night of fights to the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans on Sept. 9th.
Born in Moscow, Russia, to Armenian parents, Karakhanyan was introduced to martial arts at the age of six by his father, a karate black-belt. Soon, though, he fell in love with soccer and went on to play at the amateur and professional levels in Russia, Spain and the U.S. While playing for the San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), Karakhanyan also began studying Jiu-Jitsu as part of his conditioning regimen. When the team folded, he decided to take up fighting full-time.
When asked about his loss to Warren, Karakhanyan is understandably animated.
“I don’t like to lose, period,” said Karakhanyan. “Coming off of a loss, I’m hungry; I’m training harder than I ever have before. Alvin is a great fighter, he’s a black belt, but I won’t be afraid to take him down.”
Robinson, who actually trains with Joe Warren, says that he is preparing for it all.
“I’m excited to be back in the big leagues and I’m not taking this for granted. Georgi is a very well-rounded fighter so I’m getting ready for anything. If it goes to the ground I’m going to be ready with my jiu-jitsu, or if he wants to stand and bang, I’m ready,” said Robinson.
Tickets for the event – which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net along with action-packed highlight shows that will air on NBC Saturday nights – are on sale now at ticketmaster.com
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or 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’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.