Tag: Bellator MMA

Some AEW Inner Circle Members To Be In Attendance For Jake Hager’s Fight At Bellator 231

Bellator 231 takes place tonight where Jake Hager (2-0) will take on Anthony Garrett. In AEW, Hager is a member of the stable, Inner Circle, which also consists of AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz.

According to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz will be in attendance for the fight and then get in the cage for a post-fight photo op.

Hager recently spoke to Wrestling Inc.’s Dan Yanofsky about being able to work for both Bellator and AEW at the same time.

“Honestly, it was such a breath of fresh air. Both of those guys were so willing to work with me,” Hager stated. “AEW loves what I’m doing with Bellator and Bellator loves what I’m doing with AEW. I don’t think 10 years ago you would see that happen where an MMA fighter would go work on a pro wrestling TV show right in the middle of camp.

“For Scott and Tony to be willing to work with each other and understand that this is something really cool and cross-promote, among other things, the sky’s the limit. I feel like that’s the mindset with it. Entertainment is a big part of MMA and it is unique.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bobby Lashley To Take Time Away From WWE After SummerSlam For MMA Return?

Bobby Lashley recently spoke with Sky Sports and revealed that he is still under contract to the Bellator MMA promotion.

The 42 year old Lashley said he expects to do a few more fights before he calls it quits on his MMA career. He has his eye on Bellator Heavyweight & Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader.

“I think I am still probably going to do a couple more before it’s all said and done,” Lashley said. “I am still under contract at Bellator also, and if I go back I will give them a call and possibly go after (Ryan) Bader. I don’t want to wait too long, time is ticking.”

Lashley said may return to the cage after the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. He would likely need to take some time away from WWE to train for the fight. Lashley said his body is at 100% these days.

“I feel great. My body is 100% so I think maybe this summer, maybe after SummerSlam,” Lashley said.

Lashley said maybe he will talk with WWE boss Vince McMahon about winning the WWE Universal Title at SummerSlam, then go to Bellator to win their title.

Lashley also talked about Conor McGregor possibly coming to WWE and joked that they won’t be putting a top title on him because he’s too small.

Lashley’s last MMA fight came at Bellator 162 in October 2016. He defeated Josh Appelt that night by submission. Lashley’s current MMA record is at 15 wins and 2 losses.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Signs With Bellator MMA

Former WWE SmackDown Live announcer/commentator Mauro Ranallo, who remains under contract with the company until August 12th, has signed with Bellator MMA. They issued the following announcement today:

Bellator Signs Veteran Commentators Mike Goldberg and Mauro RanalloJune 13, 2017

LOS ANGELES — Bellator has signed longstanding MMA commentators Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo to multi-event broadcast agreements beginning with Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva and Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader on Saturday, June 24. The move sees Goldberg return to SPIKE for the first time since 2011, while Ranallo reunites with Bellator President Scott Coker, having worked together through 2013. The pair will join a broadcast team that currently includes Jimmy Smith, Jenn Brown and Chael Sonnen.

“Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo are two of the best in our business and I couldn’t be happier about them joining the Bellator family,” said Scott Coker. “In addition to June 24, we look forward to working together to make future Spike broadcasts even more exciting for our fans as we add further depth to an already-exceptional broadcast team.”

“The addition of highly-regarded announcers Mauro and Mike to our fantastic lineup of broadcasters, and our first-rate production led by Scott Fishman, further demonstrates our commitment MMA fans and expanding the global Bellator brand,” added Spike SVP, Sports and Specials Jon Slusser.

Mike Goldberg is best known for his 20 plus years of play-by-play work in professional MMA and trademark calls that made him popular with fans around the globe. In addition to his two decades in mixed martial arts, he has broadcast every major sport at the network level, most notably his 900 games in the NHL, both nationally and with the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. He has also hosted entertainment shows, including Shaq Vs. A graduate of Miami (Ohio) University, Goldberg now resides in Phoenix, Ariz.

Mauro Ranallo gained notoriety with MMA fans during his tenure with PRIDE, and later STRIKEFORCE, where his voice became synonymous with the now-legendary events. Throughout his career, Ranallo has spent time working with various sports outside of MMA, including boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing and ice hockey, and will continue his work with Showtime Boxing. Ranallo, a native of British Columbia, Canada, now resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

Please visit Bellator.com and BellatorNYC.com for upcoming event information.

About Bellator:
Bellator is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing 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 combat sports television leader. Bellator 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 Hollywood, Calif. 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 spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Source: WrestlingINC

Fight Card For Bellator 170: Ortiz vs Sonnen 1/21/17

Image result for Bellator 170

This Saturday night on Spike, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz will meet Chael Sonnen in the main event of Bellator 170 at The Forum in Los Angeles.

MAIN CARD (Spike)

Light Heavyweight: Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen

Welterweight: Paul Daley vs. Brennan Ward

Middleweight: Ralek Gracie vs. Hisaki Kato

Featherweight: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez

Lightweight: Derek Campos vs. Derek Anderson

PRELIMINARY CARD

Featherweight: Chinzo Machida vs. Jamar Ocampo

Heavyweight: Jack May vs. Dave Cryer

Featherweight: Henry Corrales vs. Cody Bollinger

Middleweight: Kevin Casey vs. Keith Berry

Welterweight: Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. John Mercurio

Welterweight: Gabriel Green vs. Jalin Turner

Catchweight: Christian Gonzalez vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Lightweight: Jacob Rosales vs. Ian Butler

Welterweight: Johnny Cisneros vs. Curtis Millender

Lightweight: Mike Segura vs. Tommy Aaron

Bantamweight: Rob Gooch vs. James Barnes

Female Flyweight: Rebecca Ruth vs. Colleen Schneider

Bobby Lashley Stepping Back Into Bellator MMA Cage Live Tonight On Spike TV

Image result for Bobby Lashley Bellator MMA

TNA’s Bobby Lashley steps back inside the Bellator MMA cage this evening to meet Josh Appelt in the co-main event of Bellator 162. The contest airs live on Spike TV at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Lashley has picked up seven consecutive wins, including four straight finishes with Bellator. He is coming off a November first round TKO win over James Thompson, and has also stopped Dan Charles Karl Etherington and Josh Burns since 2014.

Earlier this month, Lashley lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Eddie Edwards after successfully defending it vs. Ethan Carter III.

Source: WrestlingINC

Chael Sonnen Parts Ways With UFC, Signs With Bellator

Image result for chael sonnen signs with Bellator

Source: mmafighting.com

The bad guy is headed to Bellator.

In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, Chael Sonnen has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA after the UFC recently granted him his release. Terms of the release or the new deal were not immediately available.

MMA Fighting confirmed the news with both UFC and Bellator officials after an initial report byThe Associated Press.

Sonnen, 39, will enter Bellator with a 29-14-1 professional record, however, he has not fought since his Nov. 2013 loss to Rashad Evans. He recently served a two-year suspension handed by the Nevada Athletic Commission for failing multiple drug tests in 2014.

Sonnen took to Twitter shortly after the news broke:

“Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker stated, “and I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator. When we were signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here. He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that I’d be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these match-ups together starting before the end of the year.”

Sonnen told The MMA Hour in July that he was interested in fighting again and had officially entered the UFC’s USADA drug testing pool.

“I definitely have that itch,” Sonnen said. “I fantasize about it. But it’s one step at a time. I’m not holding back from you. I’m not acting like my return is some kind of breaking news. I’d tell it to you right now. But I have to pass this first test, quite frankly. It’s still out there. I’ve gotta pass it. If I pass that, I’ll pass all of them. But I have to know that everything is out. Boom, step one down.”

In the end, though, it didn’t matter as Sonnen, one of the most popular and polarizing figures in recent MMA history, is headed to Bellator.

It’s unclear when he’ll debut for the promotion, but it could come before the year ends. A Nov. 19 fight against Tito Ortiz in San Jose has been discussed.

Bellator Fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos Recovering From Fractured Skull

Source: WrestlingINC

Cris “Cyborg” Justino is no longer married to Bellator fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, but she still cares very deeply for him. Over the weekend, Santos was injured in a loss at Bellator 158 to Michael Page, suffering a fractured skull. While Bellator has agreed to pay medical expenses for the Brazilian, the Invicta FC featherweight champion has taken matters into her own hands.

A GoFundMe account was created to help assist Santos with his recovery. Several fighters have already donated to the cause, including Nate Diaz and Chael Sonnen. Santos is set to see another doctor on Monday to determine surgery in either the U.S. or the United Kingdom.

Ken Shamrock VS Royce Gracie At Bellator 149 On 2/19/16, Fan Fest On 2/18/16

MMA Legends Ken Shamrock & Royce Gracie will face each other again on Friday February 19, 2016 at Bellator 149 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX live on Spike TV.

Also there will be a Bellator Fan Feast at Dave & Buster’s Thursday, Feb 18 at 8 p.m. CT, with Kurt Angle, Wanderlai Silva, Tito Ortiz, Liam McGeary & Phil Davis.

Fans of all ages are invited to Dave and Buster’s in Houston, TX to meet and receive autographs from some of the greatest and most popular combat sports fighters of all time. Fans will also have the opportunity to win tickets and great prizes, as well as snap a photograph with the Bellator ring girls.
Fan Fest is exclusively for Bellator Nation Members only, becoming an official Bellator Nation Member is simple and FREE. Click here to register and RSVP to Fan Fest. If you are already a member of Bellator Nation you will receive an email invitation to RSVP.

 

 

Bobby Lashley To Fight Tonight At Bellator 145: With A Vengeance

TNA Impact Wrestling Star Bobby Lashley will fight James Thompson in a Heavweight MMA bout tonight, November 6, 2015 on Spike TV at Bellator 145: With A Vengeance in St. Louis, Missouri at the Scottrade Center.

Also on the card:

Featherweight Title Fight: (C) Patricio Pitbull VS Daniel Straus

Lightweight Title Fight: (C) Will Brooks VS Marcin Held

David Rickels VS Michael Chandler

Emmanuel Sanchez VS Justin Lawrence

Prelims will stream at Spike.com starting at 6:45 pm ET and the Main Card will air live on Spike TV at 9 pm ET tonight, November 6, 2015.

For more information on this  event, including the rest of the fight card and how to get tickets got to http://bellator.spike.com/events/3lk2dh/bellator-145-with-a-vengeance

Kurt Angle To Appear At Bellator 145 Fan Fest

Kurt Angle teased a huge announcement regarding Bellator 145. It was announced that Angle will be appearing at the Bellator 145 Fan Fest at Dave & Busters in Maryland Heights, Missouri on Thursday, November 5th and he will will also be at the Bellator 145 fight event on Friday, November 6th in St. Louis, Missouri.

Angle will be joined at the Fan Fest by Royce Gracie, Ken shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Kimbo Slice and Liam McGeary.