Vanier Added to Bellator’s Lightweight Draw
Mike Whitman Feb 4, 2011
Carey
Vanier’s participation in the Bellator Fighting Championships
Season 4 lightweight tournament on Thursday was made official.
Vanier (Pictured) becomes the second confirmed combatant in the 155-pound draw, joining former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight titleholder “Razor” Rob McCullough.
A semi-finalist in the Season 2 tournament, Vanier fell short in
his first attempt to capture the tournament crown, succumbing to a
Toby
Imada armbar at Bellator 17. Recently, the Greg Jackson product
earned a split decision victory over UFC veteran Rich
Clementi at Bellator 28 in September.
“My confidence is at an all-time high right now, not because of my recent win over Clementi but because of my training partners and what I've been doing for the last six months. The coach has got me doing some really incredible stuff,” Vanier said in a release. “He’s really opened up my game, and I’m starting to see and approach things differently. I’m really excited to go out there and put all that I’ve learned to the test.”
Vanier, 29, has won eight of his last nine bouts and holds five career wins by knockout. The Minnesota native now looks to capture both the $100,000 payday and the guaranteed shot at lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in Season 4.
“It’s not about money for me anymore; it’s about me having fun and fighting for a living,” said Vanier. “I love being an MMA fighter. I love being in the spotlight. I love people being able to see me doing what I love to do. I could have stuck with being a manager at Best Buy and then went on to college and still provided for my family, but I enjoy fighting and I enjoy competition. At the core, that hunger for competition will always been the biggest motivating force that drives me.”
Vanier (Pictured) becomes the second confirmed combatant in the 155-pound draw, joining former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight titleholder “Razor” Rob McCullough.
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“My confidence is at an all-time high right now, not because of my recent win over Clementi but because of my training partners and what I've been doing for the last six months. The coach has got me doing some really incredible stuff,” Vanier said in a release. “He’s really opened up my game, and I’m starting to see and approach things differently. I’m really excited to go out there and put all that I’ve learned to the test.”
Vanier, 29, has won eight of his last nine bouts and holds five career wins by knockout. The Minnesota native now looks to capture both the $100,000 payday and the guaranteed shot at lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in Season 4.
“It’s not about money for me anymore; it’s about me having fun and fighting for a living,” said Vanier. “I love being an MMA fighter. I love being in the spotlight. I love people being able to see me doing what I love to do. I could have stuck with being a manager at Best Buy and then went on to college and still provided for my family, but I enjoy fighting and I enjoy competition. At the core, that hunger for competition will always been the biggest motivating force that drives me.”
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