Tag: Bellator FC

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 16, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put yet another piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament today with the addition of one of the top free-agent heavyweight fighters in Europe, Spanish submission specialist Rogent Lloret.

The Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and M1 Global veteran has not lost a fight in more than three years and enters the Heavyweight Tournament with a 9-1-1 overall pro record. He is known for his smothering ground game — submitting six of his nine victims, including four by arm triangle choke — but also displayed his striking prowess when he KO’d Serbian MMA veteran Miodrag Petković with a devastating high head kick this past April.

Lloret is the sixth confirmed participant in the tournament along with undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, power-punching British behemoth Neil Grove, heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300” Hayes and Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialist Scott Barrett.

The tournament begins Aug. 12th on FOX Sports Net.

“Ever since we decided that we would hold a Heavyweight Tournament, we were hoping to sign Rogent Lloret,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He was one of the top heavyweight free agents in Europe for a reason: he is devastating on the ground and has a very underrated standup attack as well. He’ll be a tough draw for whomever he faces in our Heavyweight Tournament.”

Rogent was born and raised near Barcelona, Spain, and lives there today.

He made his MMA debut in 2006 but first drew widespread attention in late 2008 with a dazzling first-round armbar submission of top Polish heavyweight Michal Kita at an M1 Challenge event in Finland.

“Signing with Bellator means a big step forward in my career as a fighter since it provides me the opportunity to face other great fighters in an event with major media repercussions worldwide,” Lloret said. “My goal is to advance as many rounds as possible and offer exciting fights to solidify my reputation as a fighter and Bellator’s as an MMA event.”

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.

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 16, 2010) – Eddie “The Manic Hispanic” Sanchez, the heavy-handed UFC veteran known for his electrifying, swing-for-the-fences style, was officially added today to Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament.

The 27-year-old Southern California native enters the tournament with an overall pro record of 12-3 including eight wins via KO or TKO. He is now in the midst of a four-fight win streak that includes his devastating 10-second KO of Jay White during Bellator 7 in 2009 and the miraculous come-from-behind TKO victory over colorful brawler Marcus Sursa at Bellator 20 in San Antonio on May 27th.

Sanchez appeared headed for a shocking defeat after Sursa dropped him to the canvas with a massive right hand to the jaw early in the fight’s second round.

Clinging to Sursa on the canvas – absorbing punishment seemingly seconds from defeat – Sanchez somehow regained his composure, took the dominant position on the ground and wore Sursa down with relentless ground-and-pound as the round came to a close.

Seemingly rejuvenated, Sanchez came out with a vengeance in the third and final round, knocking Sursa to the mat early before finishing him with a flurry of blows to the head.

“In that fight, Eddie demonstrated that he has great heart and drive,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With that kind of attitude and his solid MMA game, Eddie’s a dangerous and exciting addition to our Heavyweight Tournament.”

Sanchez is the fifth confirmed participant in the tournament along with undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, power-punching British behemoth Neil Grove, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300″ Hayes and Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialist Scott Barrett. The tournament begins Aug. 12 on FOX Sports Net.

A native of the San Diego area, Sanchez once seemed headed for a career in professional baseball. He was a standout catcher at San Marcos High School and later played the same position at nearby Palomar College.

His dreams of making it to the big leagues, though, were cut short in 2002 after a near-fatal car crash that put him in the intensive care unit for more than three weeks. The car he was riding in slammed into the center divider along California’s Interstate 5. Sanchez was knocked unconscious, ejected from the vehicle through the windshield and thrown more than 70 feet through the air flipping head over heels. He was taken by helicopter to a local hospital.

“They were talking about amputating my right foot because it was de-gloved like a banana,” he recalled. “All of my toes were dislocated and they told me that there was a 70 percent chance of amputation. Luckily I ended up fighting my way through 12 weeks of rehab so they could save it.”

Looking for a new outlet for his athletic talents, he took a friend’s suggestion and began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He quickly expanded his training to include wrestling and boxing and began his pro MMA career just a few months later by finishing each of his first six fights, including a second-round KO of BJJ and judo black belt Mario Neto at UFC 63 in Anaheim, just 80 miles north of his hometown.

“I’m in a better place right now – mentally and physically – than I have been in years, Sanchez said. “I feel like I’m in the best shape of my fighting career, and more than anything, my head is right. I belong here in this tournament with the rest of the top heavyweight talent Bellator has put together. I’m going to the Finale and I’m going to win this tournament.”

Bellator Fighting Championships put yet another piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament today with the addition of one of the top free-agent heavyweight fighters in Europe, Spanish submission specialist Rogent Lloret.

The Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and M1 Global veteran has not lost a fight in more than three years and enters the Heavyweight Tournament with a 9-1-1 overall pro record. He is known for his smothering ground game – submitting six of his nine victims, including four by arm triangle choke – but also displayed his striking prowess when he KO’d Serbian MMA veteran Miodrag Petkovi? with a devastating high head kick this past April.

Lloret is the sixth confirmed participant in the tournament along with undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, power-punching British behemoth Neil Grove, heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300″ Hayes and Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialist Scott Barrett.

The tournament begins Aug. 12th on FOX Sports Net.

“Ever since we decided that we would hold a Heavyweight Tournament, we were hoping to sign Rogent Lloret,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He was one of the top heavyweight free agents in Europe for a reason: he is devastating on the ground and has a very underrated standup attack as well. He’ll be a tough draw for whomever he faces in our Heavyweight Tournament.”

Rogent was born and raised near Barcelona, Spain, and lives there today.

He made his MMA debut in 2006 but first drew widespread attention in late 2008 with a dazzling first-round armbar submission of top Polish heavyweight Michal Kita at an M1 Challenge event in Finland.

“Signing with Bellator means a big step forward in my career as a fighter since it provides me the opportunity to face other great fighters in an event with major media repercussions worldwide,” Lloret said. “My goal is to advance as many rounds as possible and offer exciting fights to solidify my reputation as a fighter and Bellator’s as an MMA event.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (July 15, 2010) – Bellator’s much anticipated Women’s World Championship Tournament will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 12th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with two opening-round fights featuring four of the planet’s top-ranked female fighters.

In the first televised fight of the evening, the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, Megumi Fujii, will look to improve upon her flawless 20-0 pro MMA record against fast-rising submission grappler Angela Magana, the world’s No. 8-ranked female fighter at 115 lbs.

Magana has hopes of making history against the Japanese phenom while Fujii is looking to make an example out of the New-Mexico based fighter on her way to the semifinals.

Then, in another nationally-televised opening round fight, the world’s No. 6-ranked 125-pounder, Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez, will square off against the world’s No. 7-ranked 115-pounder Jessica Aguilar, who calls South Florida home. Both fighters are currently riding impressive winning streaks and have reputations for ending fights early.

The event – which will be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net and during weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2 – also marks the beginning of Bellator’s Season 3 Men’s Heavyweight Tournament and features a special non-title Main Event bout between reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard and former NFL standout Herbert “Whisper” Goodman.

The two fighters in the event’s Heavyweight Tournament fight will be announced in the coming days.

“I can think of no better place than the Hard Rock to kick off the action for our third season and our Women’s World Championship Tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The four female fighters on the card for this event are each among the top 10 in the world and I know that they are going to put on a great show for the great MMA fans in South Florida .”

In addition to the four nationally-televised fights, the event will also play host to five “Local Feature Fights” showcasing some of the best up-and coming talent in South Florida . More details on those fights will be announced soon.

Tickets for the event are on sale NOW at ticketmaster.com and at the Hard Rock Live box office.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (July 15, 2010) — For the second time in three months, Bellator Fighting Championships will bring its action-packed, nationally televised brand of mixed martial arts to the historic Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio on Thursday, Sept. 2nd.

Tickets for the event go on sale at 10 a.m. CDT Friday at all Ticketmaster outlets and at ticketmaster.com.

Bellator 27 will be headlined by three opening-round fights in Bellator’s Season 3 Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournaments as well as five other fights featuring top local fighters from throughout South Texas.

Fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.

Bellator last visited the Majestic Theatre on May 27th for Bellator 20, which saw dramatic wins by Alexander “Storm” Shelemenko, Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Eddie Sanchez.

“San Antonio is a great fight town and we were embraced very enthusiastically by the city’s MMA fans during our first visit to the Majestic Theater back in May,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We can’t wait to return on Sept. 2nd with a full card of eight more exciting fights.”

The Sept. 2 event will once again be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit Bellator.com or 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 based 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.

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 14, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships will expand its reach to the more than 1 million brave American service men and women, as well as Department of Defense and other US government civilians and their families stationed overseas through a new alliance with the American Forces Network.

Beginning this fall, all military personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed in 175 countries and territories overseas from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe — and aboard 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea — will be able to watch all of Bellator Seasons 2 and 3 in their entirety via satellite broadcast.

The 24 Bellator broadcasts will air for 24 consecutive weeks every Monday night at 9 p.m. “viewer time overseas” with Bellator Season 2 running from Sept. 6th to Nov. 22 and Bellator Season 3 running from Nov. 29th to Feb. 14th.

Rights to air the broadcasts are being provided to the American Forces Network by Bellator free of charge.

“Bellator means warrior, and the finest warriors in the world today are the brave American men and women who put their lives on the line every day to defend and protect our way of life — they are the true heroes.” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “It is an honor for Bellator to partner with the American Forces Network and to be granted the opportunity to provide our broadcasts for the enjoyment of these true warrior heroes.”

The American Forces Network Broadcast Center distributes more than 210,000 hours annually of radio and television programming to its well-deserving audience via an encrypted satellite signal that accommodates nine separate television services and 11 radio services.

According to Jeff White, the AFN Broadcast Center Executive Director, Bellator’s addition to the line up is a feather in the cap for AFN Sports programming.

“Given the popularity of mixed martial arts with our young warfighters, we’re very pleased to welcome Bellator Fighting Championships to the AFN sports line up,” White said. “Thanks to the support of the Bellator team, every week AFN viewers stationed around the world will be able to enjoy the action and excitement of some of the best fighters, pound for pound, in MMA.”

The alliance between Bellator and the American Forces Network was developed with the assistance of Engine Entertainment, the international TV production and distribution company.

“We are delighted to add the Bellator Fighting Championship to our AFN schedule,” said Corey Slutsky, Sports Director at the American Forces Network. “AFN provides a touch of home to U.S. military service members and their families deployed around the world, and we salute Bellator and Engine Entertainment for their support of the troops.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go toTicketmaster.com.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Chicago. Bellator’s CEO/Chairman, 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 the Armed Forces Network Broadcast Center

The American Forces Network (AFN) is the brand name used by the American Forces Radio and Television Service. The AFN worldwide radio and television broadcast network serves American service men and women, Department of Defense and other US government civilians and their families stationed at bases overseas, as well as U.S. Navy ships at sea. AFN broadcasts popular American radio and television programs from the major U.S.networks. AFRTS, American Forces Network and AFN are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Defense.