Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale hosts Explosive Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament September 17
Jul 28, 2011 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Reigning Bellator Middleweight World Champion
Hector “Lightning” Lombard will have a close eye on Bellator’s
fifth season, as the promotion will hold an eight man middleweight
tournament to find the challenger for the current title holder.
Heavy-handed Judo black belt Bryan “The Beast” Baker enters the
tournament fresh of his impressive knockout of Joe “Diesel” Riggs
at Bellator 43, while the always dangerous Alexander “Storm”
Shlemenko looks to build off his striking clinic victory over Brett
Cooper at Bellator 44. Bellator veterans Jared Hess and Sam Alvey
will also be in the tournament, while newcomers Vitor Vianna, Zelg
Galesic, Brian Rogers and Victor O’Donnell look to impress Bellator
brass for the first time.
“Our 185 pound division is filled with an awe-inspiring group of fighters who have great talent,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Baker's story of battling back from leukemia is inspiring and Hess’s come back after a devastating knee injury is an incredible story. Vianna is one of the most talked about prospects in the middleweight division, Shlemenko’s one of the divisions most explosive strikers and Alvey showed tremendous heart at Bellator 45. Rogers and O’Donell should be an incredibly exciting fight, then you add Zelg, one of Europe’s top Middleweight strikers to the list and this should be a hugely entertaining tournament.”
The action gets started on September 17th LIVE on MTV2 from The
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Bellator Season 2 Middleweight
Tournament Finalist Bryan Baker will take on Bellator Season 1
Middleweight Tournament Finalist Jared Hess, who is coming off a
first round submission victory at Bellator 42 following almost a
year away from the sport due to a horrific knee injury suffered at
Bellator 20.
Alexander Shlemenko will bring his knockout power to the cage to take on hard-hitting PRIDE/DREAM veteran Zelg “Little Cro Cop” Galesic in quarterfinal action. Galesic has registered an impressive eight knockouts in his ten victories and has never gone the distance as a professional, so a stand up war should be in order at Bellator 50.
“I know I can win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament, and I'm going to win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament. It’s time to just go out and do it,” said Vianna.
Ohio natives square off when Brian “The Predator” Rogers brings his knockout power to the Bellator cage as he meets submission specialist Victor O’Donnell in an intriguing quarterfinal fight. Rogers is currently riding a six fight win streak that includes first round knockouts in every victory.
The Season 5 Middleweight Tournament in full is listed below:
Bryan Baker vs. Jared Hess
Alexander Shlemenko vs. Zelg Galesic
Vitor Vianna vs. Sam Alvey
Brian Rogers vs. Victor O’Donnell
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in 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.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
“Our 185 pound division is filled with an awe-inspiring group of fighters who have great talent,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Baker's story of battling back from leukemia is inspiring and Hess’s come back after a devastating knee injury is an incredible story. Vianna is one of the most talked about prospects in the middleweight division, Shlemenko’s one of the divisions most explosive strikers and Alvey showed tremendous heart at Bellator 45. Rogers and O’Donell should be an incredibly exciting fight, then you add Zelg, one of Europe’s top Middleweight strikers to the list and this should be a hugely entertaining tournament.”
Advertisement
Alexander Shlemenko will bring his knockout power to the cage to take on hard-hitting PRIDE/DREAM veteran Zelg “Little Cro Cop” Galesic in quarterfinal action. Galesic has registered an impressive eight knockouts in his ten victories and has never gone the distance as a professional, so a stand up war should be in order at Bellator 50.
Previously one of the top unsigned middleweights in the world,
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and Head Jiu-Jitsu Instructor at Wand
Fight Team Vitor Vianna enters Bellator ready to show the fight
world what he is truly capable of, and will have that opportunity
against Bellator 45 winner Sam Alvey, fresh off his impressive
victory of Karl “Psycho” Amoussou.
“I know I can win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament, and I'm going to win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament. It’s time to just go out and do it,” said Vianna.
Ohio natives square off when Brian “The Predator” Rogers brings his knockout power to the Bellator cage as he meets submission specialist Victor O’Donnell in an intriguing quarterfinal fight. Rogers is currently riding a six fight win streak that includes first round knockouts in every victory.
The Season 5 Middleweight Tournament in full is listed below:
Bryan Baker vs. Jared Hess
Alexander Shlemenko vs. Zelg Galesic
Vitor Vianna vs. Sam Alvey
Brian Rogers vs. Victor O’Donnell
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in 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.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
