Bellator Signs Unbeaten Featherweight Malegarie
Jordan Breen Jan 5, 2011
Bellator Fighting Championships’ fourth season may feature one
of the most intriguing prospects in MMA.
Bellator has inked 19-0, unbeaten Nazareno Malegarie for the promotion’s forthcoming season, Sherdog.com confirmed with sources close to the fighter Wednesday. The source confirmed that the contract is a six-fight deal and that Malegarie is in negotiations to participate in Bellator’s fourth-season 145-pound contendership tournament, although his participation is not yet official.
Malegarie is an Argentinian national who has spent the last several years living in Florianopolis, Brazil, and training out of Ataque Duplo, the home of UFC lightweight Thiago Tavares. In recent months, the undefeated featherweight has attracted considerable attention for his lengthy record, in which he has knocked out five and submitted 12 of his 19 foes while competing in southern Brazil. Malegarie last fought in November, when he tapped out Nelson Velasque in the first round to finish his 2010 campaign at 5-0.
Bellator’s fourth season is expected to start in March and will air live on MTV2. It will likely feature featherweight, lightweight and welterweight contendership brackets, in addition to a light heavyweight tournament to crown the promotion’s first 205-pound champion.
No competitors for the featherweight tournament have been confirmed by the promotion. However, in October, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told Sherdog.com that Patricio Freire, Zac George, Georgi Karakhanyan, Eric Larkin, Wilson Reis and Daniel Straus were all strong possibilities for the tournament, which will produce the next challenger for Bellator champ Joe Warren's 145-pound title.
Bellator has inked 19-0, unbeaten Nazareno Malegarie for the promotion’s forthcoming season, Sherdog.com confirmed with sources close to the fighter Wednesday. The source confirmed that the contract is a six-fight deal and that Malegarie is in negotiations to participate in Bellator’s fourth-season 145-pound contendership tournament, although his participation is not yet official.
Malegarie is an Argentinian national who has spent the last several years living in Florianopolis, Brazil, and training out of Ataque Duplo, the home of UFC lightweight Thiago Tavares. In recent months, the undefeated featherweight has attracted considerable attention for his lengthy record, in which he has knocked out five and submitted 12 of his 19 foes while competing in southern Brazil. Malegarie last fought in November, when he tapped out Nelson Velasque in the first round to finish his 2010 campaign at 5-0.
Bellator’s fourth season is expected to start in March and will air live on MTV2. It will likely feature featherweight, lightweight and welterweight contendership brackets, in addition to a light heavyweight tournament to crown the promotion’s first 205-pound champion.
No competitors for the featherweight tournament have been confirmed by the promotion. However, in October, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told Sherdog.com that Patricio Freire, Zac George, Georgi Karakhanyan, Eric Larkin, Wilson Reis and Daniel Straus were all strong possibilities for the tournament, which will produce the next challenger for Bellator champ Joe Warren's 145-pound title.
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