Jessica Aguilar & Megumi Fujii banner for Bellator 69 – Image via Bellator.com
Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (May 8, 2012) — All eyes will be on Bellator as the promotion returns to Lake Charles, Louisiana for Bellator 69 from L’Auberge Casino Resort on Friday, May 18. The night will feature the long-awaited battle between No. 1 ranked women’s 115-pound fighter Megumi Fujii and No. 2 ranked Jessica Aguilar, as well as the semifinals and finals of the $100,000 welterweight and middleweight tournaments respectively, along as a Heavyweight Tournament qualifier as knockout specialist Ron Sparks takes on rising star Kevin Asplund, who is currently riding a 15-fight win streak.
Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the L’Auberge Casino Resort Box Office. Tickets are priced from $40-$65.
The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. Fans must be 21 years or older to enter the Event Center.
Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao will bring his explosive knockout power to the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Finals as he battles Swedish born Andreas Spang as both fierce competitors look to lock up a guaranteed title shot later this year. Spang delivered a vicious knockout to Brian Rogers in the semifinals (Watch Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ef8M5k-SY) and will look to continue his impressive run with another dominating victory.
After Brian “The Beast” Baker punched his ticket to the Bellator Welterweight Finals at Bellator 67, David “The Caveman” Rickels and Karl “Psycho” Amoussou will look to do the same at Bellator 69. Both fighters can end a fight in the blink of an eye, and are sure to provide fireworks on May 18 from L’Auberge.
Lake Charles native Josh Quayhagen will have the hometown support in the Bellator cage when he takes on fellow lightweight Cliff Wright Jr. in a 155lb affair. Quayhagen gained popularity when he defeated Brazilian Muay Thai Kickboxing Champion Cosmo Alexander at Bellator 52 last year and is looking to keep the momentum going when he fights in front of family and friends from L’Auberge Casino Resort.
Bellator 69 will feature the return of unbeaten Russian import, Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov as he faces Shreveport’s Derrick Krantz in a welterweight matchup. Koreshkov put on a phenomenal display when he made his promotional debut at Bellator 63, knocking out Tiawan Howard, and will try to build off the win when he faces Krantz in enemy territory.
Also, a pair of light heavyweights step into the cage as Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament fighter Josh Burns makes the drop to 205lbs to take on Richard “Rare Breed” Hale. Hale, a well-rounded mixed martial artist that has posted 15 stoppages in 18 wins is most known for his Bellator 38 inverted triangle choke submission over Nik Fekete that had the MMA world abuzz (Watch Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPQF0mP5tOs)
The heavyweights return to L’Auberge as Mark Holata is eyeing victory when he takes on Abe Wagner. No stranger to the Bellator cage, both competitors bring incredible knockout power anytime they step into the cage, and are prepared for a slugfest on May 18.
The card will be rounded out as fast-rising prospect Emanuel “E.J.” Brooks will put his undefeated record on the line when he squares off against Kalvin Hackney in a lightweight contest. Brooks is looking to earn his fourth consecutive victory under the Bellator banner while Hackney, fighting out of nearby Alexandria, Louisiana, will attempt to rebound from a Bellator 45 submission loss.
MAIN CARD:
Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Maiquel Falcao (30-4) vs. Andreas Spang (8-1)
Welterweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: David Rickels (10-0) vs. Karl Amoussou (14-4-2)
Women’s Feature Fight: Megumi Fujii (25-1) vs. Jessica Aguilar (13-4)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ron Sparks (8-1) vs. Kevin Asplund (15-1)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Abe Wagner (10-5) vs. Mark Holata (11-3)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Andrey Koreshkov (9-0) vs. Derrick Krantz (11-5)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Kalvin Hackney (11-2) vs. Emanuel Brooks (6-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Burns (6-5) vs. Richard Hale (18-4)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Josh Quayhagen (3-0) vs. Cliff Wright Jr. (6-2)
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.