Toby Imada returns to Bellator Fighting Championships
Mar 8, 2010
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Toby Imada, whose jaw-dropping “Submission of
the Year” helped put Bellator Fighting Championships on the map
during its debut season, will return to the promotion for its
upcoming Season 2 lightweight tournament.
Imada’s remarkable submission, an inverted triangle choke of the heavily favored Jorge Masvidal at Bellator V, became an overnight YouTube sensation (more than 650,000 people have watched it online to date) and took home honors for “Submission of the Year” from the 2009 World MMA Awards and virtually every major MMA news site.
“Toby has meant a great deal to our company and we are very pleased
to have him back for our Season 2 lightweight tournament,” said
Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Toby Imada epitomizes the
heart and soul of our tournament format where winning is what
matters and where fighters can truly control their own
destiny.”
Imada is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator’s Season 2 lightweight tournament along with Carey Vanier, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci, Janne Tulirinta and Chad Hinton. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 170 and 185 lbs. during its second season, which will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Winners of each tournament will earn the rank of No. 1 contender and the chance to face off in a title bout against Bellator’s Season 1 champions.
Imada, a Los Angeles native, has compiled 23 professional wins during his 12-year career and is now 9-1 over the course of his last 10 fights. His only loss came to Bellator lightweight champion and the world’s No. 2 ranked lightweight, Eddie Alvarez, in Bellator’s first Lightweight World Championship fight.
“It’s a great thing for me to return to Bellator,” Imada said. “I can’t promise that I’ll give the fans another inverted triangle, but I can promise that I’m gonna be fighting my heart out and looking to take home that belt. I want to thank Bellator for all the opportunities they’ve given me.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
Imada’s remarkable submission, an inverted triangle choke of the heavily favored Jorge Masvidal at Bellator V, became an overnight YouTube sensation (more than 650,000 people have watched it online to date) and took home honors for “Submission of the Year” from the 2009 World MMA Awards and virtually every major MMA news site.
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Imada is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator’s Season 2 lightweight tournament along with Carey Vanier, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci, Janne Tulirinta and Chad Hinton. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 170 and 185 lbs. during its second season, which will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Winners of each tournament will earn the rank of No. 1 contender and the chance to face off in a title bout against Bellator’s Season 1 champions.
Imada, a Los Angeles native, has compiled 23 professional wins during his 12-year career and is now 9-1 over the course of his last 10 fights. His only loss came to Bellator lightweight champion and the world’s No. 2 ranked lightweight, Eddie Alvarez, in Bellator’s first Lightweight World Championship fight.
“It’s a great thing for me to return to Bellator,” Imada said. “I can’t promise that I’ll give the fans another inverted triangle, but I can promise that I’m gonna be fighting my heart out and looking to take home that belt. I want to thank Bellator for all the opportunities they’ve given me.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
