Bellator 70 poster
Press Release – Chicago, Ill. (May 15, 2012) — The Big Easy will be the host for Bellator 70 as heavyweights Cole Konrad and Eric Prindle face off for the Bellator World Championship and headline a loaded fight card presented by Harrah’s New Orleans from the New Orleans Convention Center on Friday, May 25. The night will also feature the Finals of Bellator’s Lightweight Tournament, a Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal fight and a host of preliminary action featuring some of Louisiana’s best talent, including New Orleans’ own Rich Clementi.
Tickets for Bellator 70 are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the New Orleans Convention Center Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$125. 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 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. The official weigh-ins for Bellator 70 will be held at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 24 at Masquerade inside Harrah’s Casino.
After a dominating run through the Season 6 Lightweight Tournament that included a vicious knockout over Ricardo Tirloni at Bellator 62 (Watch Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTUfZIMTp0), Rick Hawn is looking to secure his guaranteed title shot with a victory over Brent Weedman. For Weedman, the longtime Bellator veteran is eager for his title shot, and knows it’s just a victory away.
“Winning this tournament is important to me because it will really cement who I am as a fighter,” Weedman said. “With each round, the tougher guys are going to advance, and they will be able to get that exposure on TV again and again. The fans at home will be following their stories and following their fights. Whoever wins this tournament is going to be solidified.”
Known as one of the better bantamweight prospects in MMA, Luis Nogueira is set to take on the incredibly skilled “Iron” Nakamura in the Season 6 Bantamweight Semifinals. Both secured dominating victories in their quarterfinal fights, and will look to keep the momentum going into the finals at Bellator 70.
The night will also feature Louisiana native Rich “No Love” Clementi returning to the Bellator cage after nearly two years against Derek Campos. A long time veteran of the sport, Clementi holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Sam Stout, and is primed for a homecoming victory.
New Orleans native Charlie “Superstar” Rader will look to get back to his winning ways when he squares off against fellow welterweight A.J. Matthews in front of family and friends. The 30-year-old Rader has won both of his previous fights in Bellator, as “Superstar” delivered two TKO finishes to Josh Rafferty and Christian Fulgium.
An intriguing catchweight contest will take place as once-beaten prospect Josh Shockley faces local fighter Keith Schneider. Shockley is currently riding a three-fight winning streak that includes a Bellator 60 victory over Shamar Bailey.
The New Orleans Convention Center will play host to a middleweight bout as Cologne, Germany’s Jonas Billstein takes on well-traveled MMA veteran Mike Seal. Billstein, who enjoyed a nine-fight winning streak to begin his career, is looking to make a statement when he enters the Bellator cage against New Orleans’ Seal.
MMA veteran Kyle Bradley of nearby Denham Springs, Louisiana will step back in the cage when he meets John Harris in a lightweight fight. Bradley, who has scored a finish in 15 of his 16 wins, will try to secure his first win this year at Bellator 70.
Also, local bantamweights Blake Dufour and Derek Arcement will meet as the two young, hungry fighters looking to take their careers to the next level. Both men will be making their Bellator debuts when they meet in front of an electric New Orleans crowd.
Rounding out the card, Mississippi’s own Jeremiah Riggs will meet fellow middleweight Kelvin Tiller in a 185-pound matchup. Tiller, who has posted three consecutive wins, will look to keep his momentum going against Riggs.
MAIN CARD:
Heavyweight Title Fight: Cole Konrad (8-0) vs. Eric Prindle (7-1)
Lightweight Tournament Final Fight: Rick Hawn (13-1) vs. Brent Weedman (20-7-1)
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Luis Nogueira (13-2) vs. Hiroshi Nakamura (15-5-4)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Rich Clementi (42-21-1) vs. Derek Campos (9-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Catchweight Feature Fight: Josh Shockley (9-1) vs. Keith Schneider (6-6)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Charlie Rader (16-5) vs. A.J. Matthews (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jonas Billstein (9-2) vs. Mike Seal (13-14-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Kyle Bradley (16-9) vs. John Harris (4-4)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Blake Dufour (2-1) vs. Derek Arcement (1-2)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah Riggs (7-6) vs. Kelvin Tiller (3-0)
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.
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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.