Eric Prindle (L) and Thiago 'Big Monster' Santos re-enter Bellator tournament
Press Release – Newport Beach, Cali. (August 3, 2012) — After hosting one of the most memorable night of fights in Bellator history, the promotion is heading back to The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana on Friday, October 5. The night will feature the quarterfinals of the Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament, as well as a host of local talent. Tickets for this event go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, August 3 and are available at Horseshoe Casino, Ticketmaster, www.thevenue-chicago.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
The event will broadcast starting at 7 p.m. CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. CT, with the preliminary streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 5:30 p.m. CT.
“From the sold out crowd to the incredible fights, our first visit to Horseshoe Casino in Hammond was something I will never forget, so getting back to The Venue was something I wanted to get done immediately,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our heavyweights always bring a great show with huge power and big KO’s, so our fans in the Chicago area should be in for a great night of fights October 5.”
The night will be headlined by a long awaited rematch nearly a year in the making as Eric Prindle will finally meet former Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Finalist Thiago “Big Monster” Santos in opening round action. The two giants were scheduled to fight at Bellator 62, but weigh issues forced Santos out of the fight. With those problems in the past, Santos and Prindle are both ready for a slugfest at Bellator 75 on October 5.
After making a strong statement in his Bellator debut, Brett “Da Grim” Rogers is set for his first taste of tournament action when he takes on Bellator newcomer and top Russian heavyweight Ruslan Magomedov. While both fighters are armed with heavy hands, Rogers is ready for the challenge he will soon face.
“I love to fight, and after the win against Kevin [Aslpund], it gave me even more motivation to keep training hard and getting in there and do exactly what I know I can do, and give the fans a show,” said Rogers. I want all the fans to know Brett Rogers is back. I’m training the hardest I ever have at ATT in Coconut Creek, and just getting ready to show everyone what I can do.”
The preliminary fight card will be highlighted by Chicago’s own Chase Beebe, who returns to the Bellator cage after a close split decision loss over a year ago to now Bantamweight Tournament Finalist Marcos Galvao. Armed with a slick arsenal of submission skills that have earned Beebe 16 submission victories in his young career, the Chicago native is looking to put on show in front of friends and family at Bellator 75.
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 Newport Beach, California. 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 Horseshoe Casino
The $500 million Horseshoe Casino, a Caesars Entertainment Corporation property, just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago is the premier entertainment and gambling destination in Chicagoland. Where legendary gaming lives on, Horseshoe boasts more than 350,000 square feet with over 3,000 slot machines, over 100 table games, one of the largest poker rooms in the Midwest, and more. The Venue at Horseshoe Casino is proud to offer the ultimate concert and entertainment destination and premier experience in a flexible space that can hold up to 3,300 guests. Dining elegance is not overlooked and guests can choose from a variety of dining options including; Jack Binion’s Steak House which overlooks Lake Michigan and recent winner of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the May 2012 OpenTable Diners’ Choice award, around-the-globe variety at the Village Square Buffet, and a taste of Chicago at Benny’s Pub and Eatery.
For more information, please visit: www.chicagohorseshoe.com.
Must be 21 years or older to gamble or attend events at The Venue. Know When To Stop Before You Start® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-9WITH-IT © 2011 Caesars License Company, LLC.
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.