New event! Hisaki Kato faces another deadly striker in main event of Bellator 146

Sep 10, 2015

(PRESS RELEASE) -- SANTA MONICA, California – After his explosive Bellator MMA debut, Hisaki Kato (5-1) will return to action on November 20 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, OK., to main event “Bellator 146” against Melvin Manhoef (29-12-1, 2 NC).

The middleweight contest will serve as the main event of "Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef," which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 6 p.m. CT.

Tickets for "Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef" go on sale Friday, September 11th at 10 a.m. CT and will be available at the WinStar World Casino and Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster. Ticket prices range from: $75, $55, $45 and doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, with the first contest taking place one hour later.

You can’t make much more of a sudden impact than Kato did against Joe Schilling at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov,” knocking out the Glory kickboxing standout via Superman Punch early in the second frame. The victory put Kato on the map in a big way, earning him spots on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top10 countdown and “Knockout of the Year” lists everywhere as well as propelling him to main event status.

Also tied to Schilling is Manhoef, who is returning to the Bellator MMA cage after more than nine-months of inactivity. “No Mercy” has the undeniable ability to knock out any opponent standing in front of him, earning 27 of his 29 professional victories with his unparalleled striking power. The Dutch competitor also has an extensive kickboxing record and has competed for many of the world’s most prominent promotions, which include Strikeforce, K-1 and the infamous Rings in Holland.

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.