(PRESS RELEASE) -- Newport Beach, Cali. (September 13, 2012) — As Bellator prepares for its explosive seventh and final season on MTV2, the promotion has finalized a stacked night of fights that include the highly anticipated lightweight showdown between Eddie Alvarez and Patricky Pitbull, as well as the Season 7 Featherweight Tournament and a host of International and Canadian talent looking to collect big wins inside the Bellator cage.
The event will broadcast LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX starting at 8 p.m. EST, as well as mun2 in Spanish language. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com, with doors opening for the event at 6pm EST.
After holding the Bellator Lightweight Title for over two years, Alvarez was submitted by reigning Bellator Champion Michael Chandler is the consensus 2011 Fight Of The Year (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/uoaoCE). Alvarez quickly rebounded, as the Top 10 lightweight collected one of the most fulfilling wins of his career after earning a long awaited win over submission ace Shinya Aoki at Bellator 66. With momentum on his side, Alvarez is primed for an explosive showdown at Bellator 76.
“After hearing Bellator wanted to put this fight together, I really don’t think they could have made a better matchup for the fans to enjoy,” Alvarez said. “Pitbull has proven to be a legitimate threat in the past and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
For Pitbull, the explosive Brazilian lightweight and former Bellator Lightweight Tournament Finalist is no stranger to the big finish, with knockout wins over MMA veterans Rob McCullough, Toby Imada and Kurt Pellegrino. After suffering a small fracture to his left arm at the hands of Lloyd Woodard, Pitbull is ready to re-enter the Bellator cage and collect the biggest victory of his already impressive career.
“October 12 is going to be a big test for me, but I’m very happy for this fight, and the opportunity Bellator is giving me to fight someone like Eddie Alvarez,” Pitbull said. “I can’t put into words the emotion I’m feeling from thinking about this fight. I’m a warrior, and I always fight for pride. I want this fight, and I’m going to give the fans a show.”
With competitors from Russia, Canada, Brazil and the United States, the Bellator Season 7 Featherweight Tournament features a worldwide collection of talent looking for their $100,000 Tournament Champion payday as well as a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran.
“Eddie and Pitbull are two of the most explosive, dynamic Lightweights in MMA. This is a fight I’ve wanted to see for the last two years,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our Featherweight Tournament features eight world class athletes with a combined 106-15 record that are always looking for the finish, so our fans in Windsor are in for a treat on October 12.”
Entering the tournament at a dominating 12-2, Mike “The Marine” Richman is looking to continue his winning ways with a victory over submission ace Jeremy Spoon. Known for his strong wrestling foundation, Spoon has amassed a 12-1 record and Richman isn’t taking the Oklahoma native lightly.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and I’ve really elevated my game,” Richman said. “This tournament is a chance for me to make a statement and make a name for myself. Jeremy is a tough, gritty fighter but my plan all along has been to lay him out on a lawn chair, and move onto the next one. The featherweight division is just stacked, and there are four or five guys in the Bellator featherweight division that are ranked in the Top 10 in the world, so getting my title shot and getting a chance to compete against guys like Pat Curran, Daniel Straus and Patricio Pitbull is a big deal.”
After making headlines with his incredibly moving story on ESPN's "Outside the Lines,” Rad Martinez has earned his spot in the Bellator Featherweight Tournament with an impressive 2-0 record inside the Bellator cage, including a dominating knockout victory at Bellator 62. Martinez will certainly face the toughest test of his young career as he battles dominating Brazilian Nazareno “Naza” Malegarie in tournament action. Only 26, Malegarie has collected 20 finishes in his young career, and will be looking to end the fight early on October 12 from Caesars Windsor.
Currently riding a 12 fight win streak that includes finishes in his last four contests, Russian import Akop Stepanyan will make his United States debut as he battles Nova Uniao product Wagnney Fabiano. A proud owner of victories over John Gunderson, Fredson Paixao and L.C Davis, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt is eager to get back into the cage after nearly two years away from action.
Two Bellator newcomers will round out the Season 7 Featherweight Tournament as Shahbulat Shamhalaev will take on California featherweight Cody Bollinger. Only 21, Bollinger boasts a 13-2 record and is primed to make his mark inside the Bellator cage.
MAIN CARD:
Lightweight Feature Fight: Eddie Alvarez (23-3) vs. Patricky Pitbull (10-3)
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Rad Martinez (12-2) vs. Nazareno Malegarie (22-2)
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Akop Stepanyan (12-3) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (14-3)
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Mike Richman (12-1) vs. Jeremy Spoon (12-1)
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Shahbulat Shamhalaev (9-1-1) vs. Cody Bollinger (13-2-1)
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 Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on MTV2, in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Starting in January of 2013 Bellator will be broadcast on MMA television leader, Spike TV. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top athletes. 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, believed 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 political/subjective side of fighting sports. 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 Southern, California.
About MTV2
Available in approximately 80 million homes MTV2 is man's best friend. Since its launch in 1996, the network has reflected the subversive interests and behaviors of young men with a compelling and diverse programming line-up inspired by ordinary guys who do extraordinary things. MTV2 is part of Viacom Media Networks, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com or follow us on Twitter @MTVPress.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
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.