Bellator Fighting Championships is looking to give Bryan Baker (13-2) and Jeremy Horn (86-19-5) a chance to enter the mix for a middleweight title shot with the announcement that both men will meet at Bellator 30.
Bellator 30 is set for Sept. 23 at the Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, Kentucky.
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CHICAGO, Ill. (September 7th, 2010) – Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Semifinalist Bryan “The Beast” Baker will face off with dangerous MMA veteran Jeremy Horn at Bellator 30 as Bellator Fighting Championships returns to Fourth Street Live! on September 23rd from Louisville, Kentucky.
After suffering the first TKO loss of his career, Baker is ready to make his return to the Bellator cage. Impressive victories over Sean Loeffler and Eric Schambari put Baker in the Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Tournament Finals and a win away from having the chance at the Middleweight Championship. Knockout specialist Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko was the only fighter standing in Baker’s way, and the hard-hitting Russian proved too much for Baker to handle, as Shlemenko delivered a first round TKO ending Baker’s tournament run.
“The whole goal was to have a shot at the title, and I didn’t get to that point, so obviously there is disappointment,” said Baker. “I didn’t get much of a chance to show my abilities in that fight, but I’m excited I get another chance in Louisville to give the fans a good show.”
The chance Baker is referring to is at Bellator 30 when he battles one of MMA’s most experienced fighters in Horn on September 23rd in Louisville, Kentucky. Horn, a veteran of over 100 fights since his professional career began in 1996, has fought MMA legends including Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Frank Shamrock and Anderson Silva. Horn holds impressive victories over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen and others during his decorated fighting career.
Baker is well aware of the experience the battle-tested Horn brings to the cage, but hopes to use it to his advantage.
“Knowing who Jeremy has taken on, it just makes me even more focused for this fight. Fighting an opponent with a history like that, it pulls the better fighter out of me, and I’m excited for Bellator 30,” said an eager Baker. “Everyone knows Jeremy has made his career off of his submission moves, so I’m looking to stay on my feet. I’m more athletic than him, and my reach should give him all sorts of problems.”
For Horn, the longtime MMA mainstay sees the landscape of the sport changing in front of his eyes, and realizes that his vast amount of experience isn’t as valuable as it once was.
“As the sport progresses on, my experience starts to mean less and less in the ring,” said Horn. “I obviously have a good understanding of when to stay calm and when to turn things on, but for the most part, I feel like a lot of us are on a pretty level playing field. With a guy like Bryan, he is a well rounded fighter that doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses, and it’s just going to be a great fight.”
Not surprisingly, Baker and Horn aren’t the only ones looking forward to the matchup.
“Bryan was the favorite going into our Season 2 Middleweight Tournament, and deserves another high caliber fight to put him right back in the mix,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Jeremy Horn will be a perfect test for Bryan, and fans should be looking forward to a great fight.”
Tickets for the event – which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net along with action-packed highlight shows that will air on NBC Saturday nights – are on sale now at ticketmaster.com
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or 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’s founder/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.