Former Bellator lightweight title contender Marcin Held has terminated his contract with Bellator MMA, effectively making the 24-year-old from Poland a free agent.
Held has…
Today I terminated my contract with @BellatorMMA in friendship relations.It's time to move on. I'm free agent now! @ufc@MantoFight
Former Bellator lightweight title contender Marcin Held has terminated his contract with Bellator MMA, effectively making the 24-year-old from Poland a free agent.
Held has fought for Bellator since 2011, going 11-3 including a May decision victory over Dave Jansen. He challenged then-Bellator champion Will Brooks for the title last November, losing via decision.
Overall, Held owns 22 career wins in 26 fights, including 12 via submission. He put together a six-fight win streak between 2013-15 to earn his shot at Brooks.
Former Bellator bantamweight and featherweight champion Joe Warren will attempt to get back on track this September when he meets Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 in the co-main event. The bout was first reported by FloCombat.
Warren (13-5) has gone 1-2…
Former Bellator bantamweight and featherweight champion Joe Warren will attempt to get back on track this September when he meets Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 in the co-main event. The bout was first reported by FloCombat.
Warren (13-5) has gone 1-2 over his last three, dropping his Bellator record to 12-4 overall. He was bested by Marcos Galvao and Darrion Caldwell, scoring a win over L.C. Davis in between.
Kakai (12-4) dropped his first Bellator fight to Joe Taimanglo via decision. He signed with the promotion following a 1-1 run with the UFC.
Bellator 161 takes place September 16 from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas with the main card airing live on Spike TV. Cheick Kongo-Tony Johnson is the scheduled main event.
Chinzo Machida, the brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, is set to make his long-awaited debut with Bellator this month, according to a repo…
Chinzo Machida, the brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, is set to make his long-awaited debut with Bellator this month, according to a report by MMA Fighting.
Machida, a 39-year-old featherweight who has gone 3-2 over his MMA career, will meet Mario Navarro on the prelims of Bellator 160.
The last time Machida was in action came at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 15 when he delivered a decision win over Dima Gerasimov. He signed with Bellator in late 2014.
Navarro sports a 4-4 mark and has not fought since 2014 when he was bested twice. He did compete for Bellator in 2012, losing to Anthony Bain.
Bellator 160 takes place August 26 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, as Patricio “Pitbull” Freire meets Benson Henderson in the main event on Spike TV.
The Kansas Athletic Commission has suspended Melvin Guillard for one year and fined him $10,000 for failing his drug test following a recent Bellator card.
Guillard defeated David Rickels at the event from Mulvane, Kansas. The result will be changed to a no-contest.
Adam Roorbach, the boxing commissioner of the KAC, sent out a press release Friday stating that they learned of Guillard’s test results on August 3, but the suspension will be applied retroactively to the night of the fight, which was July 22.
Guillard tested positive for a non-performance enhancing banned substance. All fighters who are licensed to compete by the KAC are subjected to random drug testing and must follow the world anti-doping (WADA) code.
“The first and foremost job of the Kansas Athletic Commission is to protect the health and welfare of the fighters we are charged with regulating” Roorbach said. “Banned substances have no place in the world of combat sports, and their usage will not be allowed in the state of Kansas.”
The Kansas Athletic Commission has suspended Melvin Guillard for one year and fined him $10,000 for failing his drug test following a recent Bellator card.
Guillard defeated David Rickels at the event from Mulvane, Kansas. The result will be changed to a no-contest.
Adam Roorbach, the boxing commissioner of the KAC, sent out a press release Friday stating that they learned of Guillard’s test results on August 3, but the suspension will be applied retroactively to the night of the fight, which was July 22.
Guillard tested positive for a non-performance enhancing banned substance. All fighters who are licensed to compete by the KAC are subjected to random drug testing and must follow the world anti-doping (WADA) code.
“The first and foremost job of the Kansas Athletic Commission is to protect the health and welfare of the fighters we are charged with regulating” Roorbach said. “Banned substances have no place in the world of combat sports, and their usage will not be allowed in the state of Kansas.”
As part of the upcoming Bellator 161 card, unbeaten Anastasia Yankova will make her U.S. debut against Veta Arteaga.
Yankova (3-0) scored a debut win for Bellator in Italy earlier this year. The 25-year-old from Russia picked up a win via armbar in …
As part of the upcoming Bellator 161 card, unbeaten Anastasia Yankova will make her U.S. debut against Veta Arteaga.
Yankova (3-0) scored a debut win for Bellator in Italy earlier this year. The 25-year-old from Russia picked up a win via armbar in the first round.
Arteaga (2-0) made her professional debut this year and added a win at Bellator 155 to her credit. The 28-year-old from Boise, Idaho has gone the distance in both of her fights.
Bellator 161 takes place September 16 from the H-E-B Center in Texas and features Cheick Kongo vs. Tony Johnson in the Spike TV main event.
Bellator MMA will be seen in countries around the world starting soon.
The promotion announced a new international television deal with Electus International on Wednesday, bringing it to Australia, Japan, Russia, China, Africa, South Korea, Benelux and Bulgaria.
In North America, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV on most Friday nights. The next card is set for August 26 with Benson Henderson vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
Below is the complete press release:
Multimedia entertainment studio Electus, an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IAC), today announces that Electus International has secured new deals for Viacom’s Bellator MMA™ with broadcasters in Australia (Spike), Japan (AbemaTV), Russia (Match), China (LeEco), Africa (MBC), South Korea (KBSN), Benelux (Spike) and Bulgaria (bTV).
The news follows the previously announced deals in the United Kingdom (Channel 5), Canada (RDS), Australia (Network Ten), France (AB Groupe), Portugal (SIC), Italy (Discovery), Portugal (SIC), Croatia (Fight Channel), South East Asia (Celestial Tiger), Israel (Ananey), Poland (NC+), Latin America (Fox Sports), Brazil (Esporte), Russia (Russia 2), Middle East (OSN) and New Zealand (Sky).
“Bellator continues to enjoy explosive growth overseas where we are now in over 140 countries and have entered into numerous foreign event partnerships,” said Eddie Dalva, Executive Vice President, Content and Program Enterprises, Viacom Music and Entertainment and Bellator MMA.
“Thanks to its premium talent, heart pounding action and global reach, Bellator has experienced tremendous growth and success in each of the markets it has entered,” said John Pollak, President of Electus International. “Bellator has quickly established itself as a leader in the global MMA landscape and we look forward to continuing to work with Viacom to bring the promotion to new audiences all over the world.”
In 2016, Bellator MMA is having a breakout year with its highest ratings in all key demographics, along with record attendance, global expansion and sponsorship. Bellator features many of the best fighters in the world, including Benson Henderson, Phil Davis, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson,” Tito Ortiz, Liam McGeary, Michael “Venom” Page, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Michael Chandler, Matt Mitrione, Eduardo Dantas and more. In July, Bellator MMA staged its biggest overseas event at the O2 Arena in London to an energized and raucous crowd and experienced tremendous ratings in the UK and in the U.S.
Bellator is owned by American global mass media company Viacom and is available in more than 91 million homes on Spike TV as well as over 500 million homes in 150 countries worldwide. Additional exclusive Bellator content, Bellator preview shows, fighter profiles and high-octane fight highlights run on Spike TV and Bellator.com.
Bellator MMA will be seen in countries around the world starting soon.
The promotion announced a new international television deal with Electus International on Wednesday, bringing it to Australia, Japan, Russia, China, Africa, South Korea, Benelux and Bulgaria.
In North America, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV on most Friday nights. The next card is set for August 26 with Benson Henderson vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
Below is the complete press release:
Multimedia entertainment studio Electus, an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IAC), today announces that Electus International has secured new deals for Viacom’s Bellator MMA™ with broadcasters in Australia (Spike), Japan (AbemaTV), Russia (Match), China (LeEco), Africa (MBC), South Korea (KBSN), Benelux (Spike) and Bulgaria (bTV).
The news follows the previously announced deals in the United Kingdom (Channel 5), Canada (RDS), Australia (Network Ten), France (AB Groupe), Portugal (SIC), Italy (Discovery), Portugal (SIC), Croatia (Fight Channel), South East Asia (Celestial Tiger), Israel (Ananey), Poland (NC+), Latin America (Fox Sports), Brazil (Esporte), Russia (Russia 2), Middle East (OSN) and New Zealand (Sky).
“Bellator continues to enjoy explosive growth overseas where we are now in over 140 countries and have entered into numerous foreign event partnerships,” said Eddie Dalva, Executive Vice President, Content and Program Enterprises, Viacom Music and Entertainment and Bellator MMA.
“Thanks to its premium talent, heart pounding action and global reach, Bellator has experienced tremendous growth and success in each of the markets it has entered,” said John Pollak, President of Electus International. “Bellator has quickly established itself as a leader in the global MMA landscape and we look forward to continuing to work with Viacom to bring the promotion to new audiences all over the world.”
In 2016, Bellator MMA is having a breakout year with its highest ratings in all key demographics, along with record attendance, global expansion and sponsorship. Bellator features many of the best fighters in the world, including Benson Henderson, Phil Davis, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson,” Tito Ortiz, Liam McGeary, Michael “Venom” Page, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Michael Chandler, Matt Mitrione, Eduardo Dantas and more. In July, Bellator MMA staged its biggest overseas event at the O2 Arena in London to an energized and raucous crowd and experienced tremendous ratings in the UK and in the U.S.
Bellator is owned by American global mass media company Viacom and is available in more than 91 million homes on Spike TV as well as over 500 million homes in 150 countries worldwide. Additional exclusive Bellator content, Bellator preview shows, fighter profiles and high-octane fight highlights run on Spike TV and Bellator.com.
