Bellator 72 poster
Press Release – CHICAGO, Ill. (July 12, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships is headed back to “The Sunshine State” on Friday, July 20th for Bellator 72 LIVE from The USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Featuring the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament between Bryan Baker and Karl Amoussou, Bellator 72 will also showcase the debut of dynamic knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley as well as a bad blood welterweight trilogy fight between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf. Additionally, the semifinals of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament will take place as Attila Vegh meets Emanuel Newton and Travis Wiuff will face Tim Carpenter. Also, a stacked preliminary card full of the area’s top talent will be in action. Tickets for Bellator 72 are on sale at all online Ticketmaster outlets as well as visiting the USF Sun Dome Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$120.
After competing in the Bellator Season 5 and Season 6 Welterweight Tournament, Ben “Killa B” Saunders will make his return to the cage as he squares off against longtime veteran, Brian Warren. Warren is currently riding a 5-fight winning streak and is looking to earn the biggest win of his career when he meets Saunders in this catchweight bout at 178lbs.
An intriguing heavyweight matchup will also be featured as once-defeated Tampa native Chris Barnett will face off against nearby Ocala fighter, Tom Sauer. Barnett, who owns notable victories over Jonathan Ivey and Kenny Garner, looks to build off back-to-back wins in his previous two outings while Sauer, a veteran of 37 professional fights, attempts to add to his impressive 3-fight winning streak.
Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinalist Raul “Smash Mode” Amaya will make his return to the Bellator cage when he meets fellow Florida fighter, Kenny Moss in a welterweight contest. “Smash Mode,” who owns a near-perfect 9-1 record with all 9 of his wins coming by stoppage, looks to get back to his winning ways when he faces Moss who is making his promotional debut inside the Bellator cage.
Undefeated wrestling phenom Shanon “The Heartbreak Kid” Slack will make his return to the Bellator cage opposite Tampa’s own, Matt McCook in a featherweight contest. Slack, a 2008 U.S. Olympic Alternate will try to build off his dominating performance over Booker Arthur at Bellator 69 while McCook faces the toughest test of his career when the two lock horns in Tampa.
A pair of local Florida fighters will meet inside the Bellator cage as Gracie Tampa product Paul Barrow will take the hometown support with him when he meets Orlando’s Jason Carapellucci in a contest at 150lbs. Carapellucci is currently in the midst of a 6-fight winning streak while Barrow, looks to upend his opponent when he enters enemy territory on July 20th.
A welterweight showdown between two Florida natives will round out the card as Ryan DeRocher battles Julien Williams, who calls Orlando home. Both competitors are known for their dynamic finishing skills and are prepared to entertain and impress the Tampa crowd when they kick start the action from The USF Sun Dome.
MAIN CARD:
Welterweight Tournament Final Fight: Bryan Baker (18-3) vs. Karl Amoussou (15-4-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (29-12-2) vs. Rudy Bears (14-10)
Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Emanuel Newton (18-6-1) vs. Attila Vegh (26-4-2)
Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Tim Carpenter (9-1) vs. Travis Wiuff (67-14)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Waachiim Spiritwolf (9-10-1) vs. Marius Zaromskis (17-6)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Catchweight Feature Fight: Ben Saunders (13-5-2) vs. Brian Warren (18-15-1)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Chris Barnett (7-1) vs. Tom Sauer (25-12)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Kenny Moss (5-2) vs. Raul Amaya (9-1)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Matt McCook (8-5) vs. Shanon Slack (4-0)
Catchweight Feature Fight: Jason Carapelluci (6-2) vs. Paul Barrow (4-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams (2-1) vs. Ryan DeRocher (3-3)
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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