Bellator Fighting Championships’ Dave Menne and Kevin Knabjian Visit Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Today, Bellator Fighting Championships’ competitors Dave Menne and Kevin Knabjian took time away from their busy training schedules for Friday’s fights at Bellator VII in Chicago for a different kind of fight; the fight for children’s health. Someone that understands fighting for his health, former UFC champion Dave Menne was previously diagnosed with deadly Lyme disease that could have taken his life and seriously derailed his MMA career. Menne and Knabjian spent time today signing autographs, handing out presents and spreading excitement and cheer with some of the young MMA fans at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Bellator Fighting Championships has committed ten percent of proceeds from the May 15, 2009 Bellator VII ticket sales at the Aragon Entertainment Center to research initiatives at the hospital.

“As a resident and business owner in Chicago, few things are as important as helping children in our community and generating awareness for the magical work the people at Children’s Memorial Hospital do every day of the year”” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Every week these Bellator warriors compete for pride and championships and this week part of that battle will be for the children who fight every day against illness and disease”

The largest Chicago-based MMA organization, Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights on ESPN Deportes. The English-language broadcast becomes available on www.Bellator.com each Wednesday. The nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There are four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season one over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com. Bellator’s Spanish website is available at www.Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founders, Bjorn Rebney and Brad Epstein, are experienced fighting sports and entertainment professionals 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 (including Rob Beiner, winner of 12 Emmy awards for sports programming), fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.