Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (February 10, 2012) — After a spectacular run through the Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament, Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (@Dudantas22) has earned his world title shot. With victories over Wilson Reis, Ed West and the explosive Olympian Alexis Vila, Dantas is just a win away from becoming a World Champion when he battles reigning Bellator Bantamweight world Champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky(@ZachFunSize) on Friday, April 13 from Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk Hall.
Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (609) 348-7000 and at the Boardwalk Hall box office. Tickets are priced from $50-$150. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.
“Our bantamweight division has been electrifying and has provided some of the best Bellator moments,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Zach and Eduardo are two of the greatest bantamweights in MMA today so this should be a really spectacular fight. We always have a packed house whenever we head out to Atlantic City, and I expect nothing less on April 13.”
Widely regarded as the top bantamweight prospect in the world, Dantas stormed through the Season 5 tournament on his way to a title shot with Makovsky. Only 23 years old, the Nova Uniao product brings an incredibly well-rounded attack to Boardwalk Hall, and only has one thing on his mind.
“I’m here at Bellator to win the Bantamweight Championship,” Dantas said. I plan to not only win the title, but to keep it for many years to come.”
Makovsky enters the cage riding an impressive eight fight win streak, and will look to keep the momentum going in his first career title defense. “Fun Size” currently trains alongside former Bellator Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at the Philadelphia Fight Factory and plans on using his wrestling prowess to dominate Dantas.
“I want to dominate everyone I compete against, but at the same time, I don’t feel like I have to make any kind of statement,” Makovsky said. “I just want to continue getting better and do the best I can every time I enter the cage. I don’t pay attention to the rankings because I feel like that’s going to put extra pressure on me. I just look forward to defending my belt on April 13.”
The night will also see the return of Lyman Good(@thegoodcyborg), who rejoins Bellator after nearly a year away from the cage. Good will battle LeVon Maynard, and has his sights set on regaining the form that made him Bellator’s first Welterweight Champion.
“Nothing makes me feel more alive than getting back into that cage,” Good said. “I’ve got a lot of momentum behind me for this fight, and looking forward to getting back to doing what I love. I’ve put in a ton of preparation for this, and just want to reintroduce the MMA world to what I can bring to the table.”
Bellator 65 will also host the semifinals of the promotion’s Season 6 Middleweight Tournament. Maiquel Falcao (@falcaomma), Brian Rogers (@Brogthepredator), Giva Santana (@Givasantana) and Vitor Vianna (@Vitorvianna) headline the stacked tournament and should provide fireworks.
The Boardwalk Hall event will be loaded with local talent, including Pennsylvania native and fan favorite Duane Bastress taking on Pino Cruz, as well as Bellator veteran and Philadelphia resident Tim Carpenter battling Ricardo Romero.
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.