Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (October 13, 2011) – The Bellator Lightweight title will be on the line November 19th as Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez squares off against undefeated Michael Chandler from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Bellator 58 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2 at 9 p.m. ET. Tickets for the November 19th event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. The night will also see reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard put his 24-fight unbeaten streak on the line against former UFC fighter Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight fight at 195 pounds.
In the night’s main event, Alvarez brings a near perfect record into the fight. The Philadelphia native sports an incredible 22-2 professional record, with Bellator tournament wins over Greg Loughran, Eric Reynolds and Toby Imada during his Season 1 Lightweight Tournament Championship run. This won’t be Alvarez’s first title defense, as he successfully defended his title against current Featherweight Tournament finalist Pat Curran at Bellator 39. The two engaged in a five-round battle that eventually ended with Alvarez securing a unanimous decision victory.
After a spectacular run through the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament that included victories over Polish prodigy Marcin Held, submission specialist Lloyd Woodard and explosive Brazilian Patricky Pitbull, the undefeated Chandler is ready for the challenge Alvarez will bring.
While the heavy-handed Hector Lombard watches the Season 5 Middleweight Tournament with a close eye, his focus will shift to former UFC veteran Trevor Prangley, as the Cuban-born middleweight champion will battle near his Florida residence in a non-title affair LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2.
For the second week in a row, Bellator will host a women’s feature fight as long time Bellator veteran and fan favorite Jessica “Jag” Aguilar will battle Lisa Ward, who will be looking to move to 2-0 against Aguilar with a victory at Bellator 58.
The night will also host the return of a few fan favorites as Top 10 ranked featherweight Marlon Sandro is back with Bellator after a Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Finals appearance. The impressive Brazilian takes on submission ace Rafael “The Law’ Dias in a 145-pound feature fight.
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.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
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.