Press Release – Atlantic City, N.J. (April 4, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA live from Revel in Atlantic City. The event featured the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Championship where Doug Marshall defeated Brett Cooper with an explosive TKO (punches) in the first round. Frodo Khasbulaev won the Bellator Lightweight Tournament Championship by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a tough battle against Mike Richman. Marshall and Khasbulaev each earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot. The night also showcased the Featherweight World Championship with Pat Curran defending his title, beating Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (guillotine choke) in the first round.
Featherweight World Title Fight: Pat Curran defeats Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:38.
Pat Curran
“Thanks for Shahbulat and taking the fight on short notice. This was a big opportunity for him and I thank him for stepping up to the fight. Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for keeping me busy in the cage and continuing to allow me to develop as a fighter.”
Shahbulat Shamhalaev
“I am sorry Bellator, just this one time. I am sorry for disappointing fans around the world who were cheering for. I am going to get back in the gym and work on it and I will be back.”
Featherweight Tournament Final Fight: Frodo Khasbulaev defeats Mike Richman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27).
Frodo Khasbulaev
“First of all I thank all of my fans and who were rooting for me. Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for giving me this chance. I want to thank my manager, my team and my coaches for all of their work in preparing for this fight. Also, I want to thank my opponent for putting on a good show today.”
Mike Richman
“Obviously tonight didn’t go as I had planned. I thought the fight was a lot closer than the decision. It was a super tough fight and there were a couple movements and positioning that kept me away from winning the fight. Thank you Bellator and my fans for cheering for me and hopefully I’ll be back fighting again soon.”
Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Doug Marshall defeats Brett Cooper via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:39.
Doug Marshall
“Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for having me. When I entered this tournament I was the dark horse and now I am $100,000 richer and I have a title shot coming. I am really looking forward to the fight against Alexander. Thank you very much for this opportunity.”
Welterweight Feature Fight: Rick Hawn defeats Karo Parisyan via KO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:55.
Rick Hawn
“Thank you Karo for taking this fight and it has been a long time coming. I respect him as a fighter and this wasn’t an easy fight. I am happy to get the win and I wish him the best of luck in the future.”
Karo Parisyan
“I don’t want to make any excuses. This is the fourth time Bellator has given me a shot. I felt obligated to take the fight, but I felt like I was in the right place to take it. He is a great competitor and I respect him as an athlete. Hopefully I will be back and I can prove myself one more time.”
Welterweight Feature Fight: Lyman Good defeats Dante Rivera via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27,30-27).
Catchweight Feature Fight (173 lbs.): Sam Oropeza defeats Shedrick Goodridge via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:22.
Catchweight Feature Fight (188 lbs.): Tom DeBlass defeats Carlos Brooks via doctor stoppage – Round 2, 5:00.
Lightweight Feature Fight: Phillipe Nover defeats Darrell Horcher via unanimous decision (29-28,30-27,30-27).
Catchweight Feature Fight (140 lbs.): Jimmie Rivera defeats Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28,29-28).
Featherweight Feature Fight: Will Martinez defeats Brent Hess via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:15.
Featherweight Feature Fight: Kevin Roddy defeats Brylan Van Artsdalen via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:04.
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Liam McGeary defeats Anton Talamantes via TKO (elbows and punches) – Round 1, 1:18.
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.