Press Release – Newport Beach, CA. (February 15, 2013) – Bellator MMA will once again head to the Sunshine State as the promotion will host two Bellator Tournament Finals from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome in Tampa on March 28th LIVE on Spike TV. The night will see two $100,000 Tournament Finals fights as the Featherweight and Lightweight Tournaments will be decided, as well as the return of fan favorite, World’s #1 ranked 115 pounder and South Florida native Jessica “Jag” Aguilar.
Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the Sun Dome Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Wal-Mart. Ticket prices range from $30 – $120.
For Aguilar, the 14-4 submission ace brings an impressive resume into the Sun Dome with victories over Megumi Fujii, Carla Esparza and Lisa Ellis. With a five fight win streak in place, the veteran Aguilar is looking to keep the momentum going with a victory on March 28th.
“Bellator is my home and I can’t wait to get back into the cage in front of all my friends, family and fans and continue to show the world I’m the best female fighter on the planet,” Aguilar said.
With an explosive Featherweight Quarterfinal round in the books, four of the best featherweights in the world in Popo Bezerra, Mike Richman, Marlon Sandro and Frodo Khasbulaev are gunning for a coveted spot in the finals, and will meet March 28th from Tampa’s Sun Dome.
The Season 8 Lightweight field is also down to the final four as David Rickels, Jason Fischer, Saad Awad and Will Brooks all earned their respective places in the semifinal round, and on March 28th a tournament champion will be crowned.
“We had an outstanding night of fights in our first visit to The Sun Dome, and expect nothing less March 28th live on Spike,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With two Tournament Final fights, as well as the return of Jessica Aguilar, our Florida faithful are in for a huge night of fights.”
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/BellatorMMA
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 Global Spectrum
Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the USF Sun Dome, as well as more than 115 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 20-million people attended more than 11,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.