(PRESS RELEASE) -- Newport Beach, CA. (January 18, 2013) – The stage is set for a Bellator MMA Lightweight Tournament Finals showdown as Dave Jansen battles submission ace Marcin Held on March 7th from California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino. Tickets for the event start at just $40, and can be purchased by visiting Pechanga.com, Bellator.com, or by calling the Pechanga Box Office at 877-711-2946 or visiting between noon and 8pm daily.
Only 20 and holding an impressive 15-2 record, polish phenom Marcin Held stormed through the opening rounds of the lightweight tournament, collecting explosive victories over Murad Machaev and longtime MMA veteran Rich Clementi. Known across the MMA landscape as one of the top submission artists in the sport, Held is a victory away from capturing his first Bellator Tournament crown and a guaranteed title shot.
For Jansen, the charismatic lightweight enters the Bellator Finals riding a five fight win streak and is fully prepared for the test that awaits him on March 7th, in what undoubtedly be the biggest fight of his career.
“I’ve had a lot of time to work on my game plan and really focus on this fight on March 7th,” Jansen said. “Marcin has the total package when it comes to submissions, so I know what I need to focus on to win this fight, and get a shot at the Bellator title.”
“Pechanga is a gorgeous venue that will be a tremendous partner for us throughout 2013 as we air live every Thursday night on Spike,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
“As the largest tournament-based MMA organization in the world, Bellator MMA offers Pechanga guests the adrenaline-fueled fights they demand,” said Pechanga Development Corporation President Patrick Murphy. “We are very excited to be offering up the highly anticipated Jansen vs. Held fight, as well as a host of action packed fights on March 7th.”
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 MMAs’ 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 Pechanga Resort & Casino With the biggest casino in the Western USA, Pechanga offers an all-inclusive AAA Four-Diamond luxury resort in the heart of Southern California’s Wine Country of the Temecula Valley. Featuring thousands of slots and hundreds of table games, the resort also boasts the top-ranked Journey at Pechanga golf course, a full-service spa, nine award-winning restaurants, superstar concerts in its Theater, a comedy club, world title sporting events, and three clubs and lounges, including Southern California's largest nightclub, Silk.
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