Press Release – Newport Beach, CA. (December 14, 2012) – The title fights continue for Bellator MMA as the promotion announced today an explosive Bellator Middleweight Title fight between Russian knockout artist Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and dominating Brazilian Maiquel Falcao LIVE on Spike TV Thursday, February 7th from Georgia’s The Arena at Gwinnet Center. The night will also feature the opening round of Bellator’s highly anticipated Featherweight Tournament, as well as loaded preliminary card that will be streamed exclusively on Spike.com.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office, with tickets starting at just $40 dollars. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST.
After successfully winning his second Bellator Middleweight Tournament in 2011, Shlemenko has his sights set on one thing: The Bellator Middleweight World Championship. Currently riding a nine fight win streak and holding an incredible 46-7 record, Shlemenko knows his February 7th fight will be the biggest of his career.
“It was a long path for me,” Shlemenko said. “It doesn’t matter whom I will face to get my title, Falcao, or anyone else. I will smash my opponent, and win the title, because I have my country behind me. I’m fighting for the honor of Russia, and I’m glad that the audience on Spike TV in and on Russia 2 will be able to watch my fight live!”
“Big Rig” enters the fight after three dominating tournament victories inside the Bellator cage and continues training under the tutelage of head trainer and Luta Livre practitioner Marcelo Brigadeiro in Brazil. After competing in organizations across the world, Falcao knows he has found a home in Bellator and is hoping to etch his name into the Bellator history books on February 7th from The Arena at Gwinnett Center.
“I’ve had my sights set on the Bellator Middleweight Title for a long time,” Falcao said. “Bellator is my home, and nothing would make me happier to see my championship banner hanging in the rafters, and beating Shlemenko for the title.”
“Shlemenko vs. Falcao is a spectacular world title fight. If you like fights, this one has fight of the year written all over it,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With 50 knockouts between the two, February 7th should be absolute fireworks from The Arena at Gwinnett Center and on Spike TV.”
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 MMA
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, 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 Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of 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.
About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
About mun2
mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34. From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform. Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.
About Gwinnett Center:
Just minutes outside of Atlanta, Gwinnett Center’s 80-acre lakefront campus can accommodate a variety of events from concerts, performances, meetings, trade shows, conventions, banquets, and celebrations. The multipurpose campus includes an amazing 13,000 seat Arena, a 700 seat Performing Arts Center, 23 versatile meeting rooms, a 50,000 square foot Exhibit Hall, and a 21,600 square foot Grand Ballroom. Gwinnett Center is beautifully landscaped and architecturally stunning with an award-winning outdoor private garden, soaring atriums and modern angles which provide a beautiful backdrop for any event. Go to www.gwinnettcenter.com for more event information.
