(PRESS RELEASE) -- SANTA MONICA, Calif. – A light heavyweight contest pitting Virgil Zwicker (14-4-1) against Brian Rogers (11-8) and a lightweight encounter featuring Adam Piccolotti (6-0) versus Mario Soto (6-1) have been added to the main card of “Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca” on Friday, December 4 at The San Jose State University Event Center in gorgeous San Jose, Calif.
The preliminary portion of the card has also been rounded out, with the news that Anthony Do (2-0) will face a debuting Dustin Moore, J.J. Okanovich (1-1) will take on Frank Sanchez (1-1), Alvin Cacdac (15-11) meets Jeremiah Labiano (8-3), Jose Perez (1-0) goes to battle against Bronson Mohika (0-1), and Adin Duenas (2-1) looks to spoil the professional debut of Anthony Taylor.
The contests will air live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 5 p.m. PT. Tickets for “Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca” are on sale now at the San Jose State University Event Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Ticket prices start at only $30 and doors for the event open at 4 p.m. local time, with the first bout taking place shortly after.
Rogers will be moving up in weight classes when he enters the fray at “Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca,” making the jump from 185 to 205-pounds. The 31-year-old Strikeforce native has been competing under the Bellator MMA banner since 2011 and had 10 fights along the way. Now, the slugger looks to add to his impressive record of finishing fights when he faces an equally dangerous striker in “Rezdog.” Zwicker has made quite a name for himself during his promotional tenure, with 10 of his 14 professional wins coming before the judges’ scorecards. Currently in the midst of a two-fight winning streak, Zwicker now has his sights set on the elite of the 205-pound division, which a win over Rogers could potentially bring to fruition.
Undefeated in six bouts as a professional, Piccolotti will enter the cage for the third time as a Bellator MMA competitor, but will make his debut on the televised portion of a card. The 27-year-old California native most recently competed at the groundbreaking “Bellator 142: Dynamite” event, where he utilized a neck crank to walk away with the victory. Standing opposite of Piccolotti will be Soto, an equally impressive lightweight who will be competing for the first time in 2015 at “Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca.” Training with some of the best fighters in the world at Team Alpha Male, “Dr. Soto” will look to blemish the undefeated record of his Dec. 4 foe.
“Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca” Updated Card
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Josh Thomson (21-8, 1 NC) vs. Pablo Villaseca (10-1)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4-1) vs. Daniel Weichel (35-9)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Patricky Freire (14-6) vs. Derek Anderson (12-2, 1 NC)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Virgil Zwicker (14-4-1) vs. Brian Rogers (11-8)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Adam Piccolotti (6-0) vs. Mario Soto (6-1)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: A.J. McKee (2-0) vs. JT Donaldson (1-0)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Bout: James Terry (16-8) vs. Mauricio Alonso (10-7)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Thomas Diagne (5-4-1) vs. Erick Sanchez (5-2)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: J.J. Okanovich (1-1) vs. Frank Sanchez (1-1)
Bellator Bantamweight Feature Bout: Alvin Cacdac (15-11) vs. Jeremiah Labiano (8-3)
Bellator Bantamweight Feature Bout: Jose Perez (1-0) vs. Bronson Mohika (0-1)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Adin Duenas (2-1) vs. Anthony Taylor (Debut)
Bellator Flyweight Feature Bout: Anthony Do (2-0) vs. Dustin Moore (Debut)
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes 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 Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike 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's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike'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.