The Weekly Wrap: Feb. 20 - Feb. 26

Bellator Announces Brackets

With two entire tournament fields announced, the Bellator Fighting Championships revealed the seeding for its upcoming featherweight tournament, arguably the most talent-laden of the brackets, set to launch on the promotion’s Season 2 premiere on April 8.

First-round fights on April 8 will be Joe Warren vs. John Eric Marriott and Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Bao Quach; April 15 fights will be Wilson Reis vs. Shad Lierley and Patricio Freire vs. William Romero.

At welterweight, the promotion announced it had inked IFL and Affliction veteran Brett Cooper, as well as UFC exile Ryan Thomas, to complete the 170-pound bracket. Cooper and Thomas join Ben Askren, Jacob McClintock, Dan Hornbuckle, Jim Wallhead, Sean Pierson and Steve Carl in the tournament. Bellator announced Askren vs. Thomas as the opening tournament bout on April 15. It will be followed by three quarter-final matchups -- Hornbuckle vs. Pierson, McClintock vs. Wallhead and Carl vs. Cooper -- on April 22.

Tournament winners will be paid slightly less than they were in Bellator’s inaugural season last year. MMAJunkie.com reported winners will receive $20,000 for a first win, $30,000 for a second and $40,000 to 50,000 for taking the tournament -- a total take of between $90,000 and $100,000. Last season’s winners took home a total of $175,000.

Bellator also announced it had struck a co-promotional agreement with the operating company of New York’s famous Madison Square Garden that will help the promotion bring events to Chicago and Boston this year. The Chicago Theater will host Bellator fights on April 15 and Aug. 19, while the Citi Performing Arts Wang Theatre in Boston will host cards on Oct. 21. The August and October dates are part of the promotion’s third season, which could feature tournaments in the bantamweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight and female divisions, MMAJunkie.com reported.