Rodriguez-Petruzelli Slated for Bellator 48 on Aug. 20
Brian Knapp Jun 25, 2011
Former
UFC heavyweight titleholder Ricco
Rodriguez will make his Bellator Fighting Championships debut
against Seth
Petruzelli at
Bellator 48 on Aug. 20 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn. The promotion on Saturday announced the matchup.
Rodriguez (46-11) has won 11 fights in a row. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last appeared under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner in February, when he defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum James McSweeney by unanimous decision at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. A 1998 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, he owns notable victories over UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and American Top Team’s Jeff Monson. Rodriguez (Pictured; file photo) has only been finished twice in 57 professional outings.
“This fight’s going to end by KO, TKO or submission,” Rodriguez
said in a release. “There’s no other way I see it ending. I want to
finish Seth Petruzelli to let everyone know that I’m back and I’m
better than I’ve ever been.”
Petruzelli (13-6) has posed five wins in seven fights. The 31-year-old Floridian last fought in April, when he stopped Dave Mewborn on first-round punches at a World Extreme Fighting event in Orlando, Fla. Petruzelli, perhaps best known for his 14-second technical knockout of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson inside the defunct EliteXC promotion, has delivered 11 of his 13 career wins by knockout or TKO.
“I’m coming out there to put Ricco Rodriguez flat on his ass and punch my ticket to the next Bellator tournament while I’m at it,” Petruzelli said.
Rodriguez (46-11) has won 11 fights in a row. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last appeared under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner in February, when he defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum James McSweeney by unanimous decision at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. A 1998 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, he owns notable victories over UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and American Top Team’s Jeff Monson. Rodriguez (Pictured; file photo) has only been finished twice in 57 professional outings.
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Petruzelli (13-6) has posed five wins in seven fights. The 31-year-old Floridian last fought in April, when he stopped Dave Mewborn on first-round punches at a World Extreme Fighting event in Orlando, Fla. Petruzelli, perhaps best known for his 14-second technical knockout of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson inside the defunct EliteXC promotion, has delivered 11 of his 13 career wins by knockout or TKO.
“I’m coming out there to put Ricco Rodriguez flat on his ass and punch my ticket to the next Bellator tournament while I’m at it,” Petruzelli said.
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