Press Release – HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (June 17, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships is going back to where it all started, as the promotion will kick off its highly anticipated Summer Series from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on June 25th.
Bellator has made Florida a second home, visiting the Sunshine State six times during the last four seasons, including Bellator’s inaugural event, Bellator I. Bellator 46 will host the quarterfinals for Bellator’s Summer Series Featherweight Tournament, as well as a stacked undercard featuring some of the best talent Florida has to offer.
The night will see Dan Cramer and Josh Samman, two fighters with strong Florida ties, battle it out in a middleweight matchup that should bring the local crowd to its feet. Cramer spends a majority of his time training in Coconut Creek alongside Bellator Middleweight World Champion Hector Lombard while charismatic Samman hails from Tallahassee and enters the fight looking to impress Bellator brass for a spot in an upcoming middleweight tournament.
Considered pound-for-pound one of the most exciting fighters in the state of Florida, Tampa-based Matt McCook will look to put himself on the MMA map with a win over the dynamic Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra, who many pundits have referred to as one of the top featherweight prospects in the world. Both considered dynamic athletes, all eyes will be on this featherweight fight.
One of the most popular fighters in all of Florida — male or female – Jessica “JAG” Aguilar will be making her third appearance under the Bellator banner, this time taking on Bellator 24 veteran Carla Esparza. After suffering a tough defeat at the hands of the then undefeated Megumi Fujii, Esparza is ready to spoil Aguilar’s homecoming.
Residing in Hollywood, Florida, Moyses “The Savage” Gabin will enter the Bellator cage for the fifth time in his career, looking to impress the hometown crowd with a victory over former TUF competitor Dave Baggett, who currently calls Orlando home.
Rounding out the undercard action will be Miami based heavyweight Tony Johnson, who enters Bellator as a former King of the Cage Champion. Johnson will take on knockout artist Derek Lewis, who will be looking to spoil Johnson’s Bellator debut.
“Florida never fails to provide us with great local talent,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “This will be the seventh time we are at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and there is a reason we keep coming back. It’s a fantastic venue that has supported us since day one, and I can’t wait to get to Hollywood on June 25th.”
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.
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