Bellator MMA’s Real Sport Tournament Format Begins January 17th Live On Spike.
Jan 2, 2013 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Newport Beach, CA. (December 31, 2012) – As
Bellator MMA prepares for its highly anticipated January 17th debut
on Spike TV, the promotion announced today The Toughest Tournament
In Sports will feature a bracketed real sport tournament format
throughout every weight class, allowing fighters and fans alike the
chance to follow fighters progress throughout the twelve week
tournament.
“At Bellator, there’s never been a matchmaker sitting behind a desk in a shiny suit deciding who fights who for the title,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The origin of Bellator was to provide a seamless connection between real sports competition and mixed martial arts, and I believe we have taken that to the next level with a true tournament bracket format.”
Emanating from California’s Bren Center in Irvine on January 17th,
Bellator Featherweight World Champion Pat Curran
defends his title against explosive knockout artist Patricio
Freire, while Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael
Chandler battles former Olympian Rick Hawn in
their highly anticipated Bellator Championship showdown. Tickets
for the event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com and can be
purchased at the Bren Center Box Office.
The night will also host the start of the Light Heavyweight Tournament, featuring the Bellator debut of decorated MMA veteran Renato Sobral, who will battle Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats.
“There is a burning rage inside me ready to explode up out of me, and all over my opponent,” Petruzelli said. “Jacob will be covered in my rage. If you’re sitting in the front row be careful, because mo one is safe from my rage.”
California’s own “Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton will get another shot at tournament glory when he takes on Bulgaria’s Atanas Djambazov. After falling to eventual Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion Attila Vegh in a close split decision, Newton is eager to get back inside the Bellator cage.
“Southern California has always been home to me, so to be fighting in Irvine under the Bellator banner is a huge honor for me,” Newton said. “I love this organization, and to have another chance in the tournament is all I could ask for. I feel like I was robbed in my last fight, so this tournament is all about redemption for me. This is an incredibly tough division, and I’m ready for the challenge that starts January 17th on Spike.”
The tournament will be rounded out by MMA superstar “King Mo” Lawal, who battles the dangerous Przemyslaw Mysiala on January 24th from WinStar World Casino.
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.
“At Bellator, there’s never been a matchmaker sitting behind a desk in a shiny suit deciding who fights who for the title,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The origin of Bellator was to provide a seamless connection between real sports competition and mixed martial arts, and I believe we have taken that to the next level with a true tournament bracket format.”
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The night will also host the start of the Light Heavyweight Tournament, featuring the Bellator debut of decorated MMA veteran Renato Sobral, who will battle Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats.
The always colorful Seth
Petruzelli returns to Bellator after a year away from the cage
as “The Silverback” is looking to lock up his spot in the Bellator
Tournament Semifinals with a victory over Tennessee’s own Jacob Noe.
Holding an impressive 10-1 record in his young MMA career, Noe
collected an explosive TKO victory at Bellator 73 and will face the
biggest test of his career when he battles Petruzelli on January
17th.
“There is a burning rage inside me ready to explode up out of me, and all over my opponent,” Petruzelli said. “Jacob will be covered in my rage. If you’re sitting in the front row be careful, because mo one is safe from my rage.”
California’s own “Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton will get another shot at tournament glory when he takes on Bulgaria’s Atanas Djambazov. After falling to eventual Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion Attila Vegh in a close split decision, Newton is eager to get back inside the Bellator cage.
“Southern California has always been home to me, so to be fighting in Irvine under the Bellator banner is a huge honor for me,” Newton said. “I love this organization, and to have another chance in the tournament is all I could ask for. I feel like I was robbed in my last fight, so this tournament is all about redemption for me. This is an incredibly tough division, and I’m ready for the challenge that starts January 17th on Spike.”
The tournament will be rounded out by MMA superstar “King Mo” Lawal, who battles the dangerous Przemyslaw Mysiala on January 24th from WinStar World Casino.
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.
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