Press Release.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 7, 2010) — Japanese MMA sensation Megumi Fujii, widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, will make her U.S. television debut on Thursday night on FOX Sports Net as part of the LIVE broadcast of Bellator 21 from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

The judo and jiu-jitsu black belt will take on 9-3 Kansas City product Sarah Schneider in the hopes of improving her unblemished pro MMA record to 20-0 and notching her 17th career submission win during what will be her first major-promotion fight on U.S. soil.

Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com and at the Hard Rock Live box office.

The 36-year-old Fujii is also one of four confirmed participants in Bellator’s forthcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament along with 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the world’s No. 1-ranked 125 lbs. female fighter), 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward and 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene. The tournament kicks off in August.

“With our Season 3 Women’s Tournament now just three months away, this fight between Megumi Fujii and Sarah Schneider on Thursday gives U.S. MMA fans their first opportunity to see the woman many believe is the best female fighter in the world,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “This fight will be a tough test as she prepares for an extremely strong tournament field. As a fan, I can’t wait to watch on Thursday and in August.”

Fujii was trained in MMA by Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Abe and top heavyweight Josh Barnett and is known for her quick takedowns and skilled submissions. Remarkably, only three of her 19 victories have come by decision with the rest coming via a wide variety of submissions – most frequently the inazuma toe hold, which has been dubbed the “Megulock.”

Fuji said through her translator that she is ecstatic to be fighting under the Bellator banner.

“Bellator is a great organization and they have some excellent competition,” she said. “I’m looking to stick to my game plan, get submissions and win the tournament. That’s my only goal.”

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.

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and 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.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 1, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that it will bring the much-anticipated finale of its highly successful second season to the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., on June 24th.

The event—which will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and mun2—marks the first time ever that a major national mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has staged an event in the Bluegrass State.

It will also mark the first time that a live sporting event will be held at Fourth Street Live, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketsweb.com.

“If you’ve ever been to Fourth Street Live, I think you can envision what a spectacular and exciting event this is going to be,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We are extremely proud to be partnering with The Cordish Company to bring the Bellator brand of MMA to Louisville and the hundreds of thousands of MMA fans in the Greater Louisville area.”

The evening will feature two championship fights in Bellator’s ongoing Season 2 Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

In the first fight, world champion Greco-Roman wrestler and former NCAA all-American Joe Warren (4-1) will face undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt Patricio Pitbull (14-0) in the Featherweight Tournament Finals. The winner will earn the title of No. 1 Contender to reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto (9-0) and the chance to face Soto in a title fight later this year.

Then, in the Middleweight Tournament Finals, 13-1 WEC veteran Bryan “The Beast” Baker looks to continue his seven-fight winning streak when he squares off with Russian striker Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (29-4). The winner will earn the title of No. 1 Contender to reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (25-2-1) and the chance to face Lombard in a title fight later this year.

In the spirit of Rocky Balboa, the Louisville card will also include six “Local Feature Fights” showcasing top up-and-coming fighters from Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Indiana with selected winners qualifying to compete at future Bellator events. Competitors will be announced over the coming weeks.

This is the final event in Bellator’s 12-week-long second season. Season 3 kicks off on Aug. 12 in Hollywood, Fla.

Bellator has also held highly successful Season 2 events in Miami, Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, Dallas and San Antonio this year.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 26, 2010) — Ben Askren, who won two NCAA wrestling championships while competing at the University of Missouri and then represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games, will headline Bellator Fighting Championships’ latest event at KC Live! in the Kansas City Power & Light District on June 17th.

Askren (5-0) will take on MMA superstar Dan Hornbuckle (21-2) in the finals of Bellator’s ongoing Welterweight Championship Tournament. The winner will become the No. 1 contender to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (10-0) and will earn the chance to face Good in a world title fight later this year.

The much anticipated Askren-Hornbuckle showdown is one of eight fights scheduled as part of the June 17th event, which marks Bellator’s second visit in six weeks to the Power & Light District, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue in the heart of downtown Kansas City, owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

The event, Bellator 22, will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows the following Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Tickets are on sale now at The Midland by AMC box office in downtown Kansas City and at ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets start at just $15 in advance/$25 at the door. Ringside and VIP tickets are also available and start at $75.

Other scheduled fights include:

- Winfield, Kan., native Tyler Stinson (17-6) vs. Omaha-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Leonardo Pechana (11-5) in the evening’s “Local Main Event”
- Kansas City’s Tammie Schneider vs. Lisa Ward in a “Female Showcase” fight at 115 lbs.
- Kansas City’s John Orr (5-4) vs. former NCAA Champion wrestler and current Brock Lesnar training partner Cole Konrad (3-0) in a “Heavyweight Feature Fight”

“We’re thrilled to be coming back to Kansas City for another event at the Power & Light District,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our first trip to the venue back in late April produced one of the most magical events we’ve ever been a part of. Kansas City is a great fight town with great fans and the Power & Light District is a one-of-a-kind venue. We can’t wait to come back on June 17th with a Main Event fight featuring one of the top welterweights in the world, Dan Hornbuckle, and another star on the rise in Ben Askren.”

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

Former University of Missouri national wrestling champion Ben Askren will have a home-field advantage when he meets standout Dan Hornbuckle in Bellator Fighting Championships' season-two welterweight tournament finale.

Bellator officials today announced the fight headlines Bellator 22 on June 17 in Kansas City, Mo.

The winner earns top-contender status and meets season-one winner and current Bellator champ Lyman Good this fall during the organization's third season.

Press Release

PORTLAND, ORE. (May 21, 2010) – Newly turned 40-year-old Matt “The Law” Lindland sent the raucous Portland MMA fans home with smiles on their faces as he battered “King” Kevin Casey with a barrage of punches in a fight stopped at 3:41 in the third round, earning Lindland his first Strikeforce Challengers win on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

Lindland (22-7) of Eagle Creek, Ore., was able to escape a rear naked choke attempt in the first round by a skillful Casey (3-2), a 28-year-old from Hawthorne, Calif., and from there completely dominated the rest of the middleweight fight in an impressive victory.

“Thank you, Portland, for coming out and showing me this support,” Lindland told the crowd. “That guy’s got a head like piece of rock. I hit that guy with some shots.”

Afterward, Lindland told the media: “He didn’t really do anything to me to cause any damage. I feel good about the fight. It’s hard to evaluate how you did because there’s a lot going on in your head. But I’ll watch it.”

The former Olympic Greco Roman wrestling silver medalist added, “I had a smile on my face the entire day. These are my friends and family. I just love the state of Oregon.”

In a matchup between two former college wrestling standouts, rising MMA star Tyron Woodley (7-0) of St. Louis, Mo., stayed unbeaten with his fourth Strikeforce victory, taking a close split decision against Portland’s Nate Coy, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28.

“Going into the third round I thought I was ahead but I wasn’t just trying to hang onto it,” Woodley said. “At the end of the third round I realized I’m in Portland. I don’t want to leave it in the judge’s hands.”

But that’s exactly what he did, and then walked out of the cage to a chorus of boos from the displeased Portland fans who thought Coy did enough to get the win.

“Of course I’m upset with the decision because I hate to lose,” Coy said. “The game plan was to stick and move and eventually wear him out. But he’s a tough kid. That’s a high-level wrestler/MMA guy right there.”

Roger Bowling of Cincinnati, Ohio, remained unbeaten at 8-0 after being awarded a unanimous technical decision over Bobby Voelker (21-8) of Kansas City, Kan., with all three judges scoring the welterweight bout 29-28.

At 3:33 of round three the tip of Voelker’s glove grazed the eye of Bowling. It was declared an accidental foul therefore giving Bowling the technical decision after going to the scorecards. Cory Schafer, President of the International Sport Karate Association, said afterward: “The state of Oregon, in the event of an accidental foul if it occurs in the third round of a three-round fight and the injured fighter can’t continue, the partial round is scored and we go to the scorecard for the technical decision.”

During the telecast, SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo declared, “Roger Bowling was born to fight. Roger Bowling was born to maybe even be a future champion.”

It took just one devastating right-hand punch from Tarec Saffiedine (9-2) to send Nate Moore (6-2) to the floor as the Temecula, Calif., fighter Saffiedine recorded his first career knock out win midway through the second round in an otherwise entertaining welterweight matchup.

“What a blistering knockout,” said SHOWTIME announcer and MMA legend Pat Miletich. “That was amazing. Beautiful technique. Pay attention to that if you’re learning how to fight.”

In a lightweight fight that opened the evening’s SHOWTIME telecast, Portland’s Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (23-15) looked impressive handing Bryan Travers (13-2) of Bakersfield, Calif., just his second career loss in a unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. It was Healy’s 38th professional fight.

“I’m a huge Blazer fan so anytime I can perform in the Rose Garden is a thrill for me,” Healy told the crowd afterward. “I saw (Blazers center) Joel Przybilla in the crowd so it’s nice for you guys to be watching me out here for once.”

Asked how long he thought it would to be before he possibly got a Strikeforce title shot against lightweight champion Gil Melendez, Healy said: “There are two guys in the 155-pound as far as I’m concerned and that’s Josh Thomson and Gil Melendez. I’ll fight anyone.” Thomson, who was in attendance, took note and said he was impressed with Healy’s performance.

Friday’s fights will re-air on Tuesday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME 2. The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, May 26, and running through June 8.

MMA action returns to SHOWTIME during a special edition of Strikeforce on Wednesday, June 16, as Robbie Lawler faces off against Babalu Sobral at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Taking place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the event will be live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Other bouts include heavyweights Bobby Lashley vs. Ron Sparks and Marius Zaromskis against Cyborg Santos in a welterweight matchup.

On June 26, Strikeforce and M-1 Global team up in co-promotion as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko returns to the cage to face Fabricio Werdum in the main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT). Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight champion Cris Cyborg will try to retain her title against challenger Jan Finney in the co-feature while K.J. Noons battles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in a lightweight division matchup.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:

Matt Lindland def. Kevin Casey via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:41

Tyron Woodley def. Nathan Coy via split decision via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Roger Bowling def. Bobby Voelker via technical unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tarec Saffiedine def. Nate Moore via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:21

Pat Healy def. Bryan Travers via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:

Pro Escobedo def. Jason Sharp by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Blaine Macintosh def. Ben Morgan by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

David Lloyd def. Jay Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Patrick Whittington def. Jason Lambert by triangle choke (1:39 of the first round)

Hamza Salim def. Lee Flores by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PORTLAND, ORE. (May 21, 2010) – Newly turned 40-year-old Matt “The Law” Lindland sent the raucous Portland MMA fans home with smiles on their faces as he battered “King” Kevin Casey with a barrage of punches in a fight stopped at 3:41 in the third round, earning Lindland his first Strikeforce Challengers win on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

Lindland (22-7) of Eagle Creek, Ore., was able to escape a rear naked choke attempt in the first round by a skillful Casey (3-2), a 28-year-old from Hawthorne, Calif., and from there completely dominated the rest of the middleweight fight in an impressive victory.

“Thank you, Portland, for coming out and showing me this support,” Lindland told the crowd. “That guy’s got a head like piece of rock. I hit that guy with some shots.”

Afterward, Lindland told the media: “He didn’t really do anything to me to cause any damage. I feel good about the fight. It’s hard to evaluate how you did because there’s a lot going on in your head. But I’ll watch it.”

The former Olympic Greco Roman wrestling silver medalist added, “I had a smile on my face the entire day. These are my friends and family. I just love the state of Oregon.”

In a matchup between two former college wrestling standouts, rising MMA star Tyron Woodley (7-0) of St. Louis, Mo., stayed unbeaten with his fourth Strikeforce victory, taking a close split decision against Portland’s Nate Coy, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28.

“Going into the third round I thought I was ahead but I wasn’t just trying to hang onto it,” Woodley said. “At the end of the third round I realized I’m in Portland. I don’t want to leave it in the judge’s hands.”

But that’s exactly what he did, and then walked out of the cage to a chorus of boos from the displeased Portland fans who thought Coy did enough to get the win.

“Of course I’m upset with the decision because I hate to lose,” Coy said. “The game plan was to stick and move and eventually wear him out. But he’s a tough kid. That’s a high-level wrestler/MMA guy right there.”

Roger Bowling of Cincinnati, Ohio, remained unbeaten at 8-0 after being awarded a unanimous technical decision over Bobby Voelker (21-8) of Kansas City, Kan., with all three judges scoring the welterweight bout 29-28.

At 3:33 of round three the tip of Voelker’s glove grazed the eye of Bowling. It was declared an accidental foul therefore giving Bowling the technical decision after going to the scorecards. Cory Schafer, President of the International Sport Karate Association, said afterward: “The state of Oregon, in the event of an accidental foul if it occurs in the third round of a three-round fight and the injured fighter can’t continue, the partial round is scored and we go to the scorecard for the technical decision.”

During the telecast, SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo declared, “Roger Bowling was born to fight. Roger Bowling was born to maybe even be a future champion.”

It took just one devastating right-hand punch from Tarec Saffiedine (9-2) to send Nate Moore (6-2) to the floor as the Temecula, Calif., fighter Saffiedine recorded his first career knock out win midway through the second round in an otherwise entertaining welterweight matchup.

“What a blistering knockout,” said SHOWTIME announcer and MMA legend Pat Miletich. “That was amazing. Beautiful technique. Pay attention to that if you’re learning how to fight.”

In a lightweight fight that opened the evening’s SHOWTIME telecast, Portland’s Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (23-15) looked impressive handing Bryan Travers (13-2) of Bakersfield, Calif., just his second career loss in a unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. It was Healy’s 38th professional fight.

“I’m a huge Blazer fan so anytime I can perform in the Rose Garden is a thrill for me,” Healy told the crowd afterward. “I saw (Blazers center) Joel Przybilla in the crowd so it’s nice for you guys to be watching me out here for once.”

Asked how long he thought it would to be before he possibly got a Strikeforce title shot against lightweight champion Gil Melendez, Healy said: “There are two guys in the 155-pound as far as I’m concerned and that’s Josh Thomson and Gil Melendez. I’ll fight anyone.” Thomson, who was in attendance, took note and said he was impressed with Healy’s performance.

Friday’s fights will re-air on Tuesday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME 2. The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, May 26, and running through June 8.

MMA action returns to SHOWTIME during a special edition of Strikeforce on Wednesday, June 16, as Robbie Lawler faces off against Babalu Sobral at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Taking place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the event will be live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Other bouts include heavyweights Bobby Lashley vs. Ron Sparks and Marius Zaromskis against Cyborg Santos in a welterweight matchup.

On June 26, Strikeforce and M-1 Global team up in co-promotion as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko returns to the cage to face Fabricio Werdum in the main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT). Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight champion Cris Cyborg will try to retain her title against challenger Jan Finney in the co-feature while K.J. Noons battles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in a lightweight division matchup.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:
Matt Lindland def. Kevin Casey via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:41
Tyron Woodley def. Nathan Coy via split decision via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Roger Bowling def. Bobby Voelker via technical unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tarec Saffiedine def. Nate Moore via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:21
Pat Healy def. Bryan Travers via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:
Pro Escobedo def. Jason Sharp by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Blaine Macintosh def. Ben Morgan by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
David Lloyd def. Jay Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Patrick Whittington def. Jason Lambert by triangle choke (1:39 of the first round)
Hamza Salim def. Lee Flores by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

CHICAGO, Ill. (May 6, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put another piece in place for its upcoming Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament today with the addition of Las Vegas-based submission grappler Ulysses Gomez.

The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt boasts a 6-1 overall professional record with all of his six victories coming via submission. He will enter the tournament in the midst of a four-fight winning streak that includes a five-round unanimous decision victory over jiu-jitsu black belt Luis “Speedy” Gonzalez last night in Fresno, Calif.

“Ulysses has a great background in jiu-jitsu which could serve him well in our 135 tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He comes to us through the same management team that provided Joe Soto during Season 1, so their track record is very impressive. We’re happy to have him and look forward to watching him fight in our Bantamweight Tournament this summer.”

Gomez is the third confirmed participant in Bellator’s Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament along with Kansas City’s Danny Tims and Hawaii’s Mark Oshiro. Bellator Season 3 begins August 12th and will again be televised LIVE every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during taped Saturday night Bellator highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Gomez was born in Southern California but moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12. At around the same time, he saw his first pro MMA fight and got hooked. He started training in jiu-jitsu and competing in a variety of local and regional grappling competitions. He made the transition to MMA in his early 20s and took his first pro fight in March 2008.

A father of two, Gomez comes from a family of athletes. His older brother, Herculez, is a renowned pro soccer player who spent seven years in the MLS before moving over to Puebla FC of the Primera Division de Mexico. Ulysses Gomez is known for wearing the soccer jersey of his brother’s current team as his walk-out T-shirt before his fights.

“My brother is a great athlete and a role model to me,” he said. “My own career, on the other hand, is just getting started and I think Bellator is going to take me to the next level. I love the tournament format, I love that they market to Hispanics. God’s given me the talent, so now I want to make the most of it.”

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

CHICAGO, Ill. (May 5, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships looked ahead to its third season today with the announcement that EliteXC veteran Mark Oshiro will join Bellator’s Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament.

Oshiro, who is regarded as one of Hawaii’s top MMA prospects, comes to Bellator with a 12-2 overall record including a perfect 3-0 mark in EliteXC. He is known for a powerful and well-rounded attack that has seen him finish five fights via TKO and six via submission. His only two losses have come by decision.

Oshiro is the second conformed competitor in the Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament along with 9-2-1 Midwest mainstay Danny Tims, who earned the first spot in the tournament by virtue of his win over Brian Davidson at Bellator 16 in Kansas City last week. Bellator Season 3 kicks off on Aug. 12th and will once again be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

“Mark Oshiro is a great fighter for our upcoming 135 lbs. tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He is a very talented striker who also has a great ground game. I look forward to seeing him fight in our tournament beginning in August.”

The 26-year-old Oshiro (he turns 27 later this month) was born and raised in Hawaii and took up MMA about six years ago at the recommendation of his cousin. When not training, he works as a civilian contractor for the federal government working as an electrician on submarines in the Pearl Harbor ship yard.

In the cage, he says he brings a “well-rounded approach” that includes wrestling, jiu-jitsu and boxing.

“I’m the kind of guy who wants to finish the fight as fast as possible,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s gonna try to grind it out for three rounds.”

He said he hopes his inclusion in Bellator’s third season will help bring recognition to the high level of MMA talent on the Hawaiian islands.

“There’s a lot of great fighters here – especially a lot of great stand-up fighters,” he said. “We just don’t have the same exposure as the mainland fighters. I see Bellator as a great new organization that’s really starting to get a lot of great fighters and a lot of attention. I look forward to growing together with them.”

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

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 30, 2010) — Danny Tims, whose red mohawk and compelling personal story made him a media darling in his hometown of Kansas City in the run-up to Bellator 16, has earned a spot in Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament with his hard-fought victory over Brian Davidson at last night’s event.

The announcement, which was made by Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney at the conclusion of last night’s event, makes it official that Bellator will indeed host a bantamweight tournament in its third season as has been rumored for some time. Additional tournament fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Danny’s win over Brian Davidson included some great back-and-forth action; it was probably the night’s best all-around fight,” Rebney said. “With his win, Danny earned a spot in an eight-man field that already has some hugely talented bantamweights locked in. We will be announcing more of them in the coming weeks.”

The 22-year-old Tims, a mainstay on the Midwest MMA circuit since turning pro while he was still a teenager in 2007, improved his overall record to 9-2-1 with the win over Davidson.

The fight, which did not air as a part of Bellator’s live broadcast on FOX Sports Net, is now available for viewing exclusively at Bellator.com.

For more information, visit the Web site, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 29, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships put the spotlight on its middleweight division tournament during Bellator 16 Thursday night with four dominant quarterfinal performances that saw, Las Vegas powerhouse Eric Schambari, judo black belt Bryan “The Beast” Baker, all-American college wrestler Jared Hess and Siberian striker Alexander Shlemenko advance to the tournament’s semifinals.

The action-packed event played to a boisterous sellout crowd on a warm and windswept spring night at the Kansas City Power & Light District, an open-air entertainment venue in the heart of Kansas City’s resurgent downtown.

Afterwards, Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney revealed that Schambari will face Baker in a rematch of a split decision victory for Baker and Hess will take on Shlemenko during the tournament’s semifinal round on May 27th.

“We had another great night, in a magical, electrifying venue here in Kansas City,” Rebney said. “The four fighters who advanced will now face each other to determine who earns their way to the Final round of our Middleweight tournament and who ultimately earns the right to face our champion, Hector Lombard, for the middleweight title.”

One of the nights dominant performances belonged to Baker, the former WEC standout, who took opponent Sean Loeffler (18-5) to the ground early on in Round 1, neutralized him with a series of body shots, forced him to give up his back and then finished him with an impressive ground-and-pound just 2:43 into the fight. It was Baker’s seventh consecutive first round stoppage victory.

Afterward, the Victorville, Calif., native said he’s gunning for a rematch with Schambari, who Baker defeated via a controversial split decision during a WEC fight in December 2007.

“I want to see what he’s learned,” Baker (12-1) said of Schambari. “I’ve beat him once and I’m gonna beat him again.”

In his fight, Schambari, a former competitive powerlifter and childhood Jr. Olympic level swimmer, used his tremendous strength to submit former TUF contestant Luke Zachrich (10-2) via arm triangle just 3:34 into Round 1, improving his pro record to 12-1.

“I was driving my shoulder and my bicep into his carotid artery,” Schambari told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith after the fight. “I could hear that he was starting to choke so I just squeezed as hard as I could. Now I’m looking forward to facing Bryan again. It’s my chance to set right what once went wrong.”

In the nights most unorthodox fight, Shlemenko, who signed with Bellator last week and arrived stateside on Sunday, used a powerful spinning back-fist to open a cut on the bridge of Matt Major’s nose early on in Round 1 and never turned back, putting on a striking clinic and dominating a three-round standup fight that ended with a clear-cut unanimous decision victory.

Afterward, Shlemenko, who improved his pro record to a remarkable 28-4, said he is already looking forward to his semifinal round matchup with Hess.

“I’m going to prepare to knock the guy out,” he said through his translator.

Hess, a former standout wrestler at the University of Central Oklahoma used a crafty guillotine choke against the cage to submit former University of Iowa wrestler and IFL champ Ryan McGivern (13-7) at 1:54 into Round 2. It was Hess’s second straight win since his loss to reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard in the Bellator Season 1 finals last June.

“I knew [McGivern] was a wrestler too, so I knew it was going to go to the ground,” Hess (11-1-1) said afterward as his parents looked on from cage-side seats. “The guillotine just felt right. I cinched it up and waited for him to tap.”

The evening marked the conclusion of Bellator’s Season 2 quarterfinal round. Only four fighters now remain in each of Bellator’s eight-man tournaments at featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight.

The semifinal round begins in the lightweight division next Thursday at Boston’s historic Wang Theatre where UFC veteran and MMA fan favorite Roger Huerta takes on emerging star Pat Curran and “Submission of the Year” title holder Toby Imada faces former all-American college wrestler Carey Vanier. The night will be punctuated with a Super Fight between Bellator World Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and tough UFC veteran Josh “the Dentist” Neer. Tickets are available at citicenter.com.

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.

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