CHICAGO, Ill. (June 28, 2010) — Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto, who shocked the MMA world with her stunning KO of the world’s top-ranked and heavily favored Rosi Sexton at Bellator 23 last Thursday, has been added to Bellator’s upcoming Women’s Tournament.

Frausto, a 26-year-old Central California native who improved her pro MMA record to 7-1 with the highlight-reel knockout, replaces Sexton, who was forced out of the tournament due to a 60-day medical suspension from the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority.

Frausto joins seven other female fighters who are all ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes. The others are Japanese MMA sensation and the world’s No. 1 pound-for pound female fighter, Megumi Fujii, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana, 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez, 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly and 8-4 American Top Team product Jessica Aguilar. Overall, the eight women boast a career winning percentage of .835 (76 wins and 15 losses).

“With a highlight knockout that’s already generated over 70,000 YouTube views, Zoila stamped her ticket to our women’s Tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The purpose of our women’s tournament is simply to determine the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, and with such a dominant performance against the worlds’s No. 1-ranked 125 pound fighter, there was no way to not include Zoila in this line up. She earned her place by beating the best.”

Frausto’s shocking knockout — which can be seen here— came roughly two minutes into Round 1 of her fight against Sexton.

The left knee to the chin knocked Sexton her unconscious and dropped her to the canvas before the referee stoped the fight when Frausto delivered three right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.

“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said after the fight, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”

In an interview with MMAjunkie.com on Friday, Frausto reiterated her desire to fight in the tournament.

“I’ve been doing this to fight the best, and I just beat one of the best,” she said. “So hell yeah, I want that spot.”

The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

As expected Zoila Frausto's knockout win at Bellator 23 has earned her the right to replace her defeated opponent in the organization's upcoming season-three tournament.

Frausto upset Rosi Sexton with a first-round knockout at the June 23 show.

Afterward, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAjunkie.com that Frausto might take Sexton's spot, and Frausto subsequently told us she wanted it.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 24, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships concluded its hugely successful second season with two more thrilling upsets on Thursday as middleweight Alexander Shlemenko scored a stunning TKO and featherweight Joe Warren won a hard-fought split decision to emerge as the Season 2 Tournament Champions in their respective divisions.

The sold-out event at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live downtown entertainment district tied a ribbon on Bellator Season 2 in fitting fashion as fans were once again treated to a full card of electrifying fights that also included shocking upsets at bantamweight and in a Women’s Feature Fight.

But the night undoubtedly belonged to Warren and Shlemenko, whose victories earned them $100,000 in prize money and the chance to fight reigning Bellator World Champions Joe Soto and Hector Lombard, respectively, in world title fights this fall.

Shlemenko, a 26-year-old army combat fighter known for his reliance on spinning back-fists and leg kicks, came out swinging in his typical style from the opening bell. But it was a far-more-conventional right hook to the jaw that eventually finished the heavily favored Bryan “The Beast” Baker roughly mid-way through Round 1.

The devastating punch left Baker (13-2) dazed and slowly crumpled him to the canvas before Shlemenko moved in for the finish with a flurry of punches. Referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight due to unanswered blows at 2:45 into Round 1.

It was just the second time that Baker had suffered a loss as a pro with the other coming at the hands of UFC star Chael Sonnen more than two years ago.

“We had heard that Alexander Shlemenko was one of the best middleweights in Europe and he definitely proved that here tonight,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said afterward. “He beat a very, very talented fighter in Bryan Baker and he’s more than earned the right to face our champion Hector Lombard later this year.”

Shlemenko, for his part, said the win was also a statement on behalf of all pure strikers in MMA today.

“This victory means that strikers soon will be all over MMA and that Bellator Fighting Championships will be owned by the strikers,” he said through his translator.

Warren, meanwhile, took a far-more-circuitous route to his title. The 33-year-old former NCAA all-American and Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, appeared to be all but finished near the end of Round 1 when his opponent, the previously undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Patricio Pitbull, dropped him to the canvas with a right cross and then began a vicious ground-and-pound before Warren was saved by the bell.

But Warren rebounded in remarkable fashion during Rounds 2 and 3, digging deep and using his world-class wrestling skills to score points with a series of takedowns that were each followed by relentless ground-and-pound attacks punctuated with sharp elbows and stiff forearms to Pitbull’s head.

The split decision victory was even more impressive given that Warren spent much of the day battling a stomach virus that left him unable to keep food down or maintain his balance.

“I feel tired but I’m very happy now,” he said after the fight. “I fought a great fighter in Pitbull and now I’m the champion. I’m the baddest man on the planet!”

Rebney agreed, saluting Warren’s resilience and his will to win even in spite of his illness.

“He showed up tonight with a sickness that would have put a lot of people in the hospital and beat a world-class fighter and put on the kind of performance that you just can’t script,” he said. “What he did tonight was just epic and very, very impressive.”

Earlier, in the first televised fight of the night, Fresno, Calif.-based striker Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto scored a huge upset with a first round knockout of the world’s top-ranked 125-pound female fighter, England’s Rosi Sexton.

At just two minutes into Round 1, Frausto (7-1) landed a left knee to Sexton’s chin, knocking her unconscious and dropping her to the canvas before finishing her with three straight right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.

“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said afterward, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”

Also Thursday, in what was billed as an “Eliminator Bout” to determine the latest entrant into Bellator’s forthcoming Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament, two-time Wyoming state high school wrestling champion Nik “Garfield” Mamalis scored his second consecutive Bellator victory to improve his pro MMA record to 10-4 and punch his ticket into the tournament’s eight-man field. The soft-spoken Mamalis used an aggressive attack to neutralize L.A.-based rising star Albert Rios (12-5) via TKO at 4:40 into Round 1.

Afterward, Rebney said that Mamalis had more than earned his place in the Bantamweight Tournament draw.

“That’s what Bellator’s all about,” Rebney said. “it’s about giving a guy like Nik who hasn’t had a chance on the big stage the opportunity to that and then he takes that opportunity by the throat.”

The evening also played host to four non-televised “Local Feature Fights” showcasing top rising stars from Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Indiana. The results of those fights are as follows:

- Brent Weedman def. John Troyer via armbar submission – Round 1, 4:55
- Daniel Straus def. Chad Hinton via unanimous decision
- Stoney Hale def. Mike Fleniken via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 4:20
- Kurt Kinser def. David Overfield via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:30

Bellator returns to TV in August for its much-anticipated third season, which will feature eight-man tournaments at bantamweight and heavyweight as well as a first-of-its-kind Women’s Tournament showcasing eight female fighters ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes.

Each fight will once again be broadcast LIVE in primetime on Fox Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows every Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Bellator.

Following a highlight reel knockout of top-ranked Rosi Sexton at Wednesday's Bellator 23 event, Zoila Frausto is under consideration as a possible competitor in the organization's season-three women's 115-pound tournament.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today told MMAjunkie.com that Sexton will sit out the tournament, which begins in August, and a replacement will be found by the end of this week.

"It would be hard to find anybody that has a bigger or stronger or claim to that spot than Zoila does," Rebney said.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 23, 2010) — Jessica Aguilar, the American Top Team product and No. 7 flyweight in the world is the latest and final addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 3 Women’s Tournament.

Aguilar, a rising star in women’s MMA, brings an impressive 8-4 professional record to the tournament, which begins this August. In her latest showing just three weeks ago, Aguilar knocked out Catia Vitoria four minutes into the first round.

Aguilar is the eighth and final fighter to be added to the tournament, and all eight are ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes. The others are Japanese MMA sensation Megumi Fujii – widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world – 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana , 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez, and 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly.

The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

“This is my dream,” Aguilar said. “Bellator is giving us 115 pounders a shot at showing the world what we can do. Whoever wins this tournament will have the right to say they are truly the best in the world. I just couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”

The 28-year-old, who was born in Mexico and raised in Houston, says she happened upon MMA four-and-a-half years ago on a whim. After moving to South Florida and entering the real estate industry, she needed a place to work out and eventually found a gym that offered aerobics classes as well combat training. One night, she decided to stick around for what she thought was a wrestling class.

“It ended up being a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class, and I loved it … I never looked back,” she said.

One month later, Aguilar was competing and winning BJJ tournaments. She made her pro MMA debut in February 2006 when she was tapped as a late replacement to fight fellow top-ten 115 pounder Lisa Ward. A life-long athlete, Aguilar took the fight without hesitation on just five days notice.

“I grew up with big brothers and I figured, what could another 115-pound woman do to me?” she said.

True to form, Aguilar showed the extent of her tremendous athleticism, taking Ward all three rounds before eventually succumbing to a rear naked choke with just three seconds left in the fight. Although she lost, the fight inspired Aguilar to train full time and fight for a living. At the ATT camp in Coconut Creek, Fla., she now rolls with some of the top male fighters in the world.

“They call me pequeña – I’m like a sister to them,” she says. “Having brothers myself, it felt really comfortable, like a family environment.”

Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said Aguilar’s fierce fighting style compelled him to make her the final addition to the Season 3 Women’s Tournament.

“Jessica Aguilar has that athletic X-factor that makes her competitive in almost any match-up,” Rebney said. “She is a great final addition to our Season 3 Women’s Tournament.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 23, 2010) — Jessica Aguilar, the American Top Team product and No. 7 flyweight in the world is the latest and final addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 3 Women’s Tournament.

Aguilar, a rising star in women’s MMA, brings an impressive 8-4 professional record to the tournament, which begins this August. In her latest showing just three weeks ago, Aguilar knocked out Catia Vitoria four minutes into the first round.

Aguilar is the eighth and final fighter to be added to the tournament, and all eight are ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes. The others are Japanese MMA sensation Megumi Fujii – widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world – 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana , 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez, and 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly.

The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

“This is my dream,” Aguilar said. “Bellator is giving us 115 pounders a shot at showing the world what we can do. Whoever wins this tournament will have the right to say they are truly the best in the world. I just couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”

The 28-year-old, who was born in Mexico and raised in Houston, says she happened upon MMA four-and-a-half years ago on a whim. After moving to South Florida and entering the real estate industry, she needed a place to work out and eventually found a gym that offered aerobics classes as well combat training. One night, she decided to stick around for what she thought was a wrestling class.

“It ended up being a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class, and I loved it … I never looked back,” she said.

One month later, Aguilar was competing and winning BJJ tournaments. She made her pro MMA debut in February 2006 when she was tapped as a late replacement to fight fellow top-ten 115 pounder Lisa Ward. A life-long athlete, Aguilar took the fight without hesitation on just five days notice.

“I grew up with big brothers and I figured, what could another 115-pound woman do to me?” she said.

True to form, Aguilar showed the extent of her tremendous athleticism, taking Ward all three rounds before eventually succumbing to a rear naked choke with just three seconds left in the fight. Although she lost, the fight inspired Aguilar to train full time and fight for a living. At the ATT camp in Coconut Creek, Fla., she now rolls with some of the top male fighters in the world.

“They call me pequeña – I’m like a sister to them,” she says. “Having brothers myself, it felt really comfortable, like a family environment.”

Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said Aguilar’s fierce fighting style compelled him to make her the final addition to the Season 3 Women’s Tournament.

“Jessica Aguilar has that athletic X-factor that makes her competitive in almost any match-up,” Rebney said. “She is a great final addition to our Season 3 Women’s Tournament.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 22, 2010) — Aisling Daly, the best female mixed martial artist in Ireland and the world’s No. 3-ranked 125 lbs. female fighter, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 3 Women’s Tournament.

The 22-year-old Daly (whose first name is pronounced “ASH-ling”) brings a pristine 9-0 record to the tournament, which will mark her MMA debut in the U.S. Her most recent win came against the previously undefeated Finnish knockout artist Maiju Kujala this past March.

Daly is the seventh announced participant in the tournament, each of whom is ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes. The others are Japanese MMA sensation Megumi Fujii – widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world – 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana and 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez.

The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

“Bellator is the No.1 organization in the world form women’s MMA right now so I jumped at the chance to sign,” Daly said Tuesday. “They have all of the best female fighters in the world signed and I firmly believe that whoever wins the tournament is the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. That’s my goal and that’s what I’m coming to the U.S. to do … nobody will remember who finishes second.”

Daly got her start in combat sports at the age of 10 when she began training in karate. As a teenager, she picked up Brazilian jiu-jitsu and, later, boxing and wrestling.

“When I put all of that together, I figured I’d give MMA a go,” she said.

As evidenced by her four career TKOs (three of them in the first round), Daly considers herself an aggressive fighter who looks to finish fights early.

“When I go in there, I’m lookin’ to make an impact. I’m lookin’ to steamroll the person I’m fighting,” she said.

Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said that trait should serve her well no matter which of the other top-ranked opponents she draws once the tournament begins in August.

“Aisling’s as tough as they come and she has all the tools necessary to be dangerous against anyone in this stacked women’s tournament,” he said.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 17, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships crowned its second Season 2 champion Thursday night as former NCAA wrestling superstar and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren put on a grappling clinic to neutralize knockout artist and rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle in a dominating and well-rounded performance.

The 25-year-old University of Missouri product drew from the vocal support of an adoring crowd at the Kansas City Power & Light District to win a unanimous decision victory and complete the metamorphosis from highly touted prospect to full-fledged MMA star that many experts had predicted.

With his new wife Amy watching cageside, Askren (6-0) controlled the fight from the start, taking the veteran Hornbuckle to the mat early on in all three rounds and holding him at bay with his world-class wrestling skills. Hornbuckle tried to stop the momentum a few times, attempting a triangle choke mid-way through Round 2 and a kimura mid-way through Round 3, but Askren was able to escape both submissions.

“This is exactly the kind of performance we had hoped Ben would put on when we signed him six months ago,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “He showed some great talent in his first two Bellator fights but saved the best performance for last. It was a tremenously impressive night for Ben all the way around.  As an MMA fan, I cannot wait to see his World Title fight against Lyman Good this fall. ”

Afterward, Askren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith that he has already shifted his sights to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good, who he’ll face in a title fight later this year.

“Lyman, keep my belt warm,” he said as his hometown crowd egged him on. “Shine it up once a week and enjoy it while you can because it’s mine, baby.”

Joining Askren in the winner’s circle was Lisa Ward, the 27-year-old Seattle-based submission artist who improved her pro record to 13-3 and gave fans a sneak preview of what they’ll see when she enters the cage as part of Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament beginning in August.

Ward wasted no time locking 19-year-old MMA up-and-comer Stephanie Frausto (2-2) into a tight rear-naked choke, putting her to sleep and ending the fight via technical submission just 2:01 into Round 1. Ward said after the fight that she is hoping for tournament matchup with Megumi Fujii, the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, who handed Ward one of her three losses during a 2007 showdown in Canada.

“I would love another shot at Megumi,” Ward said. “We definitely have some unfinished business.”

Earlier, 24-year-old Missouri native Jose Vega delivered yet another Bellator “YouTube moment” with a highlight-reel knockout of North Carolina-based jiu-jitsu specialist Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card just 39.8 seconds into the first round of their “Bantamweight Feature Fight.”

After setting it up with a pair of stiff leg kicks, Vega (8-3) connected with a left hook to Card’s jaw, knocking him unconscious and dropping him to the canvas, bringing Vega’s many hometown fans to their feet.

“I’m lost for words,” an emotional Vega said afterward. “I’ve never had a KO before, but my hands have improved – [former Bellator fighters] Brian Davidson, James Krause and Tyler Stinson have been helping me with that. I saw the opening and I just went for it.”

In the first televised fight of the night, IFL and M1 veteran Raphael Davis improved his record to 9-1 by dominating Arena Football League veteran and one-time Nebraska state high school wrestling champion Demetrius Richards (5-3). Davis took the fight to the ground early on and quickly took Richards’ back, wearing him down with hammer fists and a flurry of knees to the body before Richards submitted to punches just 2:51 into Round 1.

The event also played host to five Local Feature Fights:

-       Tyler Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha via rear-naked choke (1:42)

-       Rudy Bears def. Brian Green via rear-naked choke (3:49)

-       Cole Konrad def. John Orr via unanimous decision

-       Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg via rear-naked choke (11:35)

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., where Bellator will conclude its second season with the championship rounds of its Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

The two championship fights and the rest of the Bellator 23 featured card will again be televised live on FOX Sports Net.

On Tuesday, Bellator Fighting Championship announced the addition of female 115 pound fighter Angela Magana (9-4) to their upcoming Bellator Season 3 Women’s Tournament which kicks off in August.

“We are very pleased to add Angela Magana to the compelling list of 115 pound women competing in our Season 3 tournament. There is not an easy fight anywhere in this tournament and Angela should present a very tough fight for everyone she faces in this tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

The fighter currently trains at the Team Four Corners gym in Farmington, N.M.

Joining her for the Season 3 tournament will be the undefeated Japanese mma star Megumi Fujii, British fighter Rosi Sexton (currently ranked No. 1 in the 125 lbs. female weight-class), 11-5 Lisa Ward and 7-0 Jessica Pene.

HT: Quote and picture courtesy of Bellator.com

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 15, 2010) — Ron “The Monster” Sparks, an undefeated heavyweight KO artist and Kentucky native has signed on to fight in the “Local Co-Main Event” during Bellator 23 at the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville next Thursday.

Sparks, a longtime boxer and kickboxer who has also been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the past four years, is a perfect 5-0 as a pro MMA fighter, including four first-round knockouts. Three of his fights lasted less than 40 seconds.

He was originally scheduled to face the undefeated Bobby Lashley at tomorrow night’s Strikeforce event in Los Angeles, but was freed up to sign with Bellator after Lashley withdrew from the fight late last month because of injury.

“We are happy to have an up-and-coming heavyweight like Ron taking part in the Local Co-Main Event of our Louisville show,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Ron knocks people out and fans love to see that in the heavyweight division, so Ron should put on a great show for the fans in Louisville.”

Sparks, 36, was introduced to combat sports by his father, who studied martial arts during the Vietnam War. He began taking classes in kickboxing as a teenager and became a regular sparring partner for a variety of local boxers and kickboxers while also competing in a wide variety of kickboxing promotions himself, including K-1.

In 2006, he met Louisville-based MMA manager and trainer Jason Weihe, who convinced him to give the sport a try. In addition to his five wins, he’s also been booked as an opponent for a bevy of top heavyweights including Ray Mercer, Tim Sylvia and Bob Sapp, only to have those fights fall through because when those opponents backed out.

Sparks calls his new contract with Bellator “the next big step” in his career.

“Bellator’s a great organization and this is a great opportunity to fight in front of my hometown crowd,” Sparks said. “I love to keep the fight on my feet and I love going for the knockout. There ain’t nothin’ better in this world than knockin’ a guy out.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.