Press Release – Newport Beach, CA. (March 5, 2013) – After a knockout filled Bellator Tournament run, Welterweight Finalists Douglas Lima and Ben Saunders will have to wait for their long awaited rematch as Douglas Lima has suffered a broken hand. Originally scheduled on March 21st from Maine’s Androscoggin Bank Colisee, the Welterweight Tournament Finals will now take place this summer.
“I’m really disappointed, but I know this is the right decision and I just need to heal up and get my $100,000 prize,” Lima said. “Ben is a great guy, but he’s been in my way before, and I want my rematch with Askren.”
Lima had an impressive road to the finals, with knockout victories over Bryan Baker and Michail Tsarev on his way to a rematch with fellow finalist Ben “Killa B” Saunders. The two originally met in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Finals, with Lima collecting a second round knockout victory.
“Douglas and Ben are two of the most exciting and explosive welterweights in the game today, and while it’s disappointing to have to delay this fight, injuries are a part of our game and I have no doubt it will be absolute fireworks this summer when these two meet,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
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
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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.
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