Rad Martinez, ‘Baboon’ Palomino Added to Bellator 50 Undercard

Bellator Fighting Championships will offer a super-sized card for their 50th show, as officials from the Chicago-based promotion Thursday announced the addition of eight preliminary contests to the Sept. 17 event.

Twelve fights in total have been green-lit for Bellator 50, which goes down at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Featuring all four Season 5 middleweight tournament quarterfinal bouts, the evening’s main portion will air live on MTV2.

Highlighting the preliminary proceedings will be the Bellator debut of lightweight Radley Martinez. Featured just weeks ago on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Martinez (Pictured) has made headlines for his dedication as caretaker for his disabled father as well as for his in-cage performances. Martinez most recently had an eight-fight winning streak snapped by UFC veteran Brian Cobb in May. “Rad” will square off against Brian van Hoven at the event.

Also featured will be six-time Bellator veteran Luis Palomino, as “Baboon” locks horns with Edson Berto at featherweight. Additionally, welterweight Ailton Barbosa will look to turn his victory at the promotion’s open tryouts into a serious opportunity when he meets Ryan Keenan.

Also, Cristiano Souza will face John Kelly at welterweight, while middleweights Valdir Araujo and Ryan Hodge clash. Rounding out the prelims will be lightweights Dietter Navarro and J.P. Reese toeing the line against Marcelo Goncalves and R.J. Goodridge, respectively.