Press Release – Newport Beach, CA. (February 1, 2013) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues as The Androscoggin Colisee will host Bellator MMA on March 21st live on Spike TV. The event will feature the $100,000 Welterweight Tournament Finals, the Bellator debut of Kickboxing World Champion Michael Page and the return of longtime MMA veteran and Maine native Marcus Davis.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at TheColisee.com, the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Box Office or by phone by dialing 207-783-2009. Tickets range from $40-$125. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Bellator MMA will add to the rich fight history The Androscoggin Bank Colisee boasts, including Muhammad Ali’s famous knockout over Sonny Liston in 1965 that was eventually immortalized as of the most iconic images in sports. In 2012 the venue played host to four MMA events attended by some 12,000 fight fans of regional promotion New England Fights (“NEF”). NEF owners, Massachusetts attorney Nick DiSalvo and Maine state representative Matt Peterson will work closely with Bellator on the event.
“For the sport of MMA to reach the level it has in Maine, where you now have one of the top promotions in the world coming in to run an event, that’s just a real testament to how far the sport has come here in Maine,” stated Peterson. Peterson sponsored the legislation legalizing MMA in the state, and, along with business partner DiSalvo, has pioneered the movement to mainstream the sport in Maine.
With victories over Pete Spratt, Chris Lytle and Paul Kelly, Bangor native Marcus Davis has established a long and distinguished resume during his MMA career, and will make his Bellator debut on March 21st in front of a huge Maine crowd live on Spike.com. Known as “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis is well aware of what this opportunity means for his career.
“Having the chance to fight for a promotion like Bellator in front of my friends, family and fans is a dream come true,” Davis said. “It’s great to find a new home and fight for one of the biggest promotions in the world.”
As one of the most explosive welterweights in the sport, Michael “Venom” Page has the chance to make history himself with his first victory inside the Bellator cage.
“I’m looking to put on a show March 21st in my Bellator debut, plain and simple,” Page said. “If you’ve never seen me fight, you’re making a huge mistake not tuning in. Just wait until you see what I can do. Just wait.”
“We are always looking to bring Bellator MMA to new markets, and the historic Androscoggin Bank Colisee will make a fantastic host to our March 21st event live on Spike TV,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
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 MMA
Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 107 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Newport Beach, California.
About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
About mun2
mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34. From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform. Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.
About New England Fights
New England Fights! (“NEF!”) is a Mixed Martial Arts promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF!’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.