Bellator Featherweight, Middleweight Finals Ticketed for Louisville
Brian Knapp Jun 2, 2010
Former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Joe Warren
will collide with the unbeaten Patricio
“Pitbull” Freire in the 2010 Bellator Fighting Championships
featherweight tournament final at Bellator 23 on June 24 at Fourth
Street Live in Louisville, Ky.
A decorated amateur wrestler who won gold at the 2006 Pan-Am Games, the 2006 FILA Wrestling World Championships and the 2007 Wrestling World Cup, Warren was an All-American at the University of Michigan. The 33-year-old last competed at Bellator 18 in May, when he defeated Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision. Warren, a semifinalist in the 2009 Dream featherweight grand prix, owns notable victories against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Chase Beebe.
Perfect in 14 professional appearances, Freire outpointed former
EliteXC bantamweight titleholder Wilson Reis
by unanimous decision at Bellator 18 to reach the final. The
22-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has secured 11 of his 14
wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Freire has
finished half of his opponents inside one round.
The Warren-Freire winner will earn a shot at undefeated Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto. The 23-year-old Soto stopped UFC veteran Diego Saraiva on a first-round cut at Bellator 19 last month.
Bellator 23 will also play host to the 2010 Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight tournament final between once-beaten WEC veteran Bryan Baker and Alexander Shlemenko.
Baker will carry a seven-fight winning streak into the match. The 24-year-old submitted Eric Schambari with a first-round triangle choke at Bellator 20 in May. A black belt in judo, Baker has delivered nearly half (six) of his 13 career victories by KO or TKO. Wins over former International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 semifinalist Rory Singer and UFC veteran Jesse Forbes anchor his resume.
Based in Siberia, Shlemenko has posted 14 wins in his last 15 appearances. The 26-year-old EliteXC veteran advanced to the final on the strength of his victory against Jared Hess, who suffered a gruesome fight-ending knee injury in the third round of their Bellator 20 matchup. Shlemenko has rattled off five consecutive wins since his knockout loss to Jordan Radev under the Fight Festival banner in Finland last year.
The Baker-Shlemenko victor will move on to face Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard. The 32-year-old Lombard has won 14 consecutive bouts and knocked out UFC veteran Jay Silva in six seconds at Bellator 18 in May.
A decorated amateur wrestler who won gold at the 2006 Pan-Am Games, the 2006 FILA Wrestling World Championships and the 2007 Wrestling World Cup, Warren was an All-American at the University of Michigan. The 33-year-old last competed at Bellator 18 in May, when he defeated Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision. Warren, a semifinalist in the 2009 Dream featherweight grand prix, owns notable victories against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Chase Beebe.
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The Warren-Freire winner will earn a shot at undefeated Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto. The 23-year-old Soto stopped UFC veteran Diego Saraiva on a first-round cut at Bellator 19 last month.
Bellator 23 will also play host to the 2010 Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight tournament final between once-beaten WEC veteran Bryan Baker and Alexander Shlemenko.
Baker will carry a seven-fight winning streak into the match. The 24-year-old submitted Eric Schambari with a first-round triangle choke at Bellator 20 in May. A black belt in judo, Baker has delivered nearly half (six) of his 13 career victories by KO or TKO. Wins over former International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 semifinalist Rory Singer and UFC veteran Jesse Forbes anchor his resume.
Based in Siberia, Shlemenko has posted 14 wins in his last 15 appearances. The 26-year-old EliteXC veteran advanced to the final on the strength of his victory against Jared Hess, who suffered a gruesome fight-ending knee injury in the third round of their Bellator 20 matchup. Shlemenko has rattled off five consecutive wins since his knockout loss to Jordan Radev under the Fight Festival banner in Finland last year.
The Baker-Shlemenko victor will move on to face Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard. The 32-year-old Lombard has won 14 consecutive bouts and knocked out UFC veteran Jay Silva in six seconds at Bellator 18 in May.
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