Bellator Fighting Championships makes its post-Bellator 14 press conference available on its Web site at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT).

To watch a live video stream of the presser, go to Bellator.com.

Taking part in the press conference at the Chicago Theatre in Illinois are tournament participants and main-card fighters Ben Askren, Ryan Thomas, Mike Ricci, Pat Curran, Shad Lierley, Wilson Reis, James Krause and Toby Imada.

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 14, 2010) — One day before Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated show at the Chicago Theatre, the historic venue played host to the official weigh-in for the event.

Bellator 14 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows on Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The card’s Main Event is a matchup between former NCAA wrestling champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and former UFC standout Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas, who used Wednesday night’s weigh-in as an opportunity to set the stage for the fight.

“Ben is a great wrestler, but this isn’t a wrestling match,” Thomas said during the press conference portion of the event. “So we’re gonna find out if he’s a real fighter or if he should just stick to wrestling.”

Without missing a beat, Askren shot back confidently that “the last person who talked about my wrestling got put to sleep.”

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

Main Card:

Ben Askren (170.5) versus Ryan Thomas (170.5) – at 170 lbs.

Shad Lierley (144.5) versus Wilson Reis (145.5) – at 145 lbs.

Mike Ricci (155.5) versus Pat Curran (155.5) – at 155 lbs.

James Krause (155.5) versus Toby Imada (155.5) – at 155 lbs.

Local Feature Fight Card:

Jeff Curran (141) versus Bryan Goldsby (141) – at 140 lbs. catchweight

Felice Herrig (117) versus Jessica Rakoczy (121) – at 120 lbs. catchweight

Daniel Straus (154) versus Jonatas Novaes (156) – at 155 lbs.

Louis Taylor (185.5) versus Ryan Sturdy (188.5)* – at 185 lbs.

The Bellator Fighting Championship organization is set to host it’s second event of it’s second season in Chicago. Bellator IV will take place on April 15th at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, ILL. The event will be shown on FOX Sports Net live on prime time, as well as its regional sports network affiliates.

Three of the four Bellator tournament quarter-final bouts will take place on the Thursday card which is headlined by a Featherweight quarter-final fight between NCAA wrestling champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and former UFC standout Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas.
Quarter-Final bouts involving three of the four Bellator tournament

Main Card

-Ben Askren (170.5) vs. Ryan Thomas (170.5)
-Shad Lierley (144.5) vs. Wilson Reis (145.5)
-Mike Ricci (155.5) vs. Pat Curran (155.5)
-James Krause (155.5) vs. Toby Imada (155.5)

Preliminary Card

-Jeff Curran (141) vs. Bryan Goldsby (141) – at 140 lbs. catchweight
-Felice Herrig (117) vs. Jessica Rakoczy (121) – at 120 lbs. catchweight
-Daniel Straus (154) vs. Jonatas Novaes (156)
-Louis Taylor (185.5) vs. Ryan Sturdy (188.5)*

(*Sturdy has 90 minutes to make weight.)

HT: MMAWeekly.com

The Bellator Fighting Championship organization is set to host it’s second event of it’s second season in Chicago. Bellator IV will take place on April 15th at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, ILL. The event will be shown on FOX Sports Net live on prime time, as well as its regional sports network affiliates.

Three of the four Bellator tournament quarter-final bouts will take place on the Thursday card which is headlined by a Featherweight quarter-final fight between NCAA wrestling champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and former UFC standout Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas.
Quarter-Final bouts involving three of the four Bellator tournament

Main Card

-Ben Askren (170.5) vs. Ryan Thomas (170.5)
-Shad Lierley (144.5) vs. Wilson Reis (145.5)
-Mike Ricci (155.5) vs. Pat Curran (155.5)
-James Krause (155.5) vs. Toby Imada (155.5)

Preliminary Card

-Jeff Curran (141) vs. Bryan Goldsby (141) – at 140 lbs. catchweight
-Felice Herrig (117) vs. Jessica Rakoczy (121) – at 120 lbs. catchweight
-Daniel Straus (154) vs. Jonatas Novaes (156)
-Louis Taylor (185.5) vs. Ryan Sturdy (188.5)*

(*Sturdy has 90 minutes to make weight.)

HT: MMAWeekly.com

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 12, 2010) — MMA legend and prominent local MMA instructor Jeff Curran, two of his students and an up-and-coming young female fighter from the Chicago suburbs are among seven fighters from Illinois slated to participate in Bellator Fighting Championships’ Thursday night event at the historic Chicago Theatre.

The 32-year-old Curran has been fighting professionally for more than 12 years and has competed for virtually every major MMA promotion including the UFC, Strikeforce, the WEC, PRIDE and the IFL. He is also widely considered to be the Chicago-area’s top mixed martial arts instructor and has trained hundreds of aspiring young MMA fighters over the past decade at his Curran Martial Arts Academy in suburban Crystal Lake.

Among them are two up-and-coming pro fighters who will compete along with him at the Chicago event: 12-4-1 Ryan Sturdy of Crystal Lake and Jeff’s own cousin, 9-3 Pat Curran of suburban Cary.

“It’s going to be an interesting night because I have my own fight and I’ll also be there to support Ryan and my cousin Pat,” Jeff Curran said. “It’s gonna be a great night all around — especially since I get to fight here in my hometown for a really big, up-and-coming promotion like Bellator. I know I’m sure going to do my part to put on an exciting show for all the Chicago fans who’ll be there.”

In addition, the Chicago Theatre event will feature Bellator’s first female fight of 2010, pitting six-time world champion lightweight boxing champion and budding MMA star Jessica Rakoczy against Buffalo Grove, Ill., native Felice Herrig, one of the world’s most-talked about up-and-coming female MMA stars.

“It’s not very often that I get to fight in front of my hometown fans,” Herrig said. “I have a pretty big fan base here in Chicago and I really feed off the energy of the crowd so it should be a great night. On top of that, the Chicago Theatre is an awesome venue and Bellator is a great promotion.”

The complete Local Feature Fight Card is as follows:

- Main Event: Chicago’s own MMA legend Jeff Curran (32-12-1) versus Bryan Goldsby (15-6), a Macon, Ga., product discovered by Bellator officials during a recent open tryout in South Florida;

- MMA up-and-comer and hometown favorite Felice Herrig (2-2) of Buffalo Grove, Ill., versus six-time world champion lightweight boxing champion and budding MMA star Jessica Rakoczy (0-1) of Las Vegas;

- Chicago-based Strikeforce veteran Louis “Battery” Taylor (5-1) versus Curran Martial Arts Academy product and former college football standout Ryan Sturdy (12-4-1) of Crystal Lake, Ill.;

- Cincinnati product Daniel Straus* (10-2) versus Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist and Strikeforce veteran Jonatas Novaes* (5-3).

The event will also feature four nationally televised first round bouts in Bellator’s eight-man single-elimination lightweight, featherweight and welterweight tournaments.

Each of these tournament bouts will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net nationwide and will be featured during weekly Saturday-night Bellator highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo. They are:

- Main Event: Former two-time NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren (3-0) of Milwaukee versus former UFC contender Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas (10-3) of Lee’s Summitt, Mo..

- Former NYU wrestling star Shad Lierley (5-2) of Seattle, Wash., versus Brazilian takedown artist and former EliteXC Featherweight Champion Wilson Reis (9-1).

- Georges Saint-Pierre training partner Mike Ricci (5-0) of Montreal versus Pat Curran (9-3) of Cary, Ill., the cousin of MMA legend Jeff Curran; and

- A battle of undefeated fighters with Brazilian submission artist Patricio Pitbull (12-0) versus the highly touted Canadian fighter William Romero (5-0).

Tickets for the Chicago Theatre event are available at ticketmaster.com.

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

* – Pending final commission approval

The Bellator Fighting Championship announced it’s matchups for season two’s lightweight tournament, which is set to kick off at Bellator 13 on April 8th.

Newly acquired Roger Huerta (20-3-1) will face undefeated Chad Hinton (6-0) in this seasons opener. Joining them in the opening event will be Janne Tulirinta (12-3) and Carey Vanier (7-2) who will all meet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Other tournament bouts were also added to the Bellator 14 and 15 events.

Pat Curran (9-3) will face Mike Ricci (5-0) on April 15 in Chicago at Bellator 14, while Toby Imada (20-13) will face Ferrid Kheder (16-5) in Connecticut on April 2nd for Bellator 15.

The Bellator tournament will take place over a 12-week period, with the three shows airing on FOX Sports Net with highlights packages running each subsequent weekend on NBC and Telemundo.

The current matchups for each event are as follows:

Bellator 13

- Roger Huerta vs. TBA (lightweight tourney first round)
- Eric Marriott vs. Joe Warren (featherweight tourney first round)
- Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Bao Quach (featherweight tourney first round)

Bellator 14

- Shad Lierley vs. Wilson Reis (featherweight tourney first round)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. William Romero (featherweight tourney first round)
- Ben Askren vs. Ryan Thomas (welterweight tourney first round)
- Pat Curran vs. Mike Ricci (lightweight tourney first round)
- Jeff Curran vs. Joe Doherty
- Felice Herrig vs. Catia Vitoria

Bellator 15

- Toby Imada vs. Ferrid Kheder (lightweight tourney first round)*
- Dan Hornbuckle vs. Sean Pierson (welterweight tourney first round)
- Jacob McClintock vs. Jim Wallhead (welterweight tourney first round)
- Steve Carl vs. Brett Cooper (welterweight tourney first round)

* – Not officially announced

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 19, 2010) – With its first Season 2 event now less than three weeks away, Bellator Fighting Championships today revealed the Round 1 matchups for its much-anticipated, nationally-televised lightweight (155 lbs.) tournament.

The four fights will take place during Bellator’s first three Season 2 events on April 8th, April 15th and April 22nd.

Fighter pairings for Bellator’s featherweight (145 lbs.) and welterweight (170 lbs.) tournaments have already been announced. Matchups for the middleweight (185 lbs.) tournament will be announced later this month.

The lightweight (155 lbs.) matchups are as follows:

April 8th (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood, Fla.)

Roger Huerta (20-3-1) vs. Chad Hinton (6-0)

and

Janne Tulirinta (12-3) vs. Carey Vanier (7-2)

April 15th (Chicago Theatre – Chicago, Ill.)

Pat Curran (9-3) vs. Mike Ricci (5-0)

April 22nd (Mohegan Sun Resort – Uncasville, Conn.)

Toby Imada (20-13) vs. Ferrid Kheder (16-5)

Each of the fights will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net. Highlights will be shown the following Saturday night in special action-packed shows on NBC and Telemundo.

“As an MMA fan, I can’t wait to see these fights,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “There’s been great buzz about our 155 division and it’s definitely warranted. This is a very well-rounded field and each of these fighters is very dangerous.”

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

Bellator Fighting Championships today unveiled the opening-round pairings for its season-two lightweight tournament, and blue-chip acquisition Roger Huerta meets undefeated Chad Hinton in his tourney opener.

That bout, as well as Janne Tulirinta vs. Carey Vanier, take place on April 8 at Bellator 13 in Hollywood, Fla.

Meanwhile, Pat Curran takes on Mike Ricci at Chicago's Bellator 14 event on April 15, and season-one runner-up Toby Imada meets Ferrid Kheder at Connecticut's Bellator 15 event on April 22.

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 17, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships put the final piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 2 lightweight tournament today with the signing of 9-3 up-and-comer Pat Curran.

The 22-year-old Curran is the cousin of UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE veteran Jeff Curran but is quickly stepping out of his cousin’s shadow and carving his own path in the MMA world.

Pat Curran first gained widespread notoriety thanks to his appearance on Season 2 of the short-lived TapouT reality show, where he was given the nickname “Paddy Mike” by the show’s host, Mask. Most recently, in late
February, Curran won a unanimous decision over Robbie Olivier, one of Britain’s top ranked fighters, at an event in Olivier’s home country.

“My cousin and I have the same last name and he helped pave the way for me, but that doesn’t help me once I’m in the cage-it’s all on me then,” Curran said. “Bellator is a huge step in my career and I’m excited for the chance to really prove myself and make a name for myself around the world.”

Curran grew up in South Florida where he was an All-State high school wrestler and moved to Illinois in 2007 to begin training at his cousin’s Curran Martial Arts Academy in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake.

He will make his Bellator debut at Bellator XIV on April 15th in front of a hometown crowd at the Chicago Theatre.

Curran is the final competitor to be added to Bellator’s eight-man Season 2 155 lbs. tournament along with former UFC superstar Roger Huerta, Season 1 runner-up Toby Imada, former Olympian Ferrid Kheder, undefeated Canadian phenom Mike Ricci, European stalwart Janne Tulirinta, the undefeated Chad Hinton and former All-American wrestler Carey Vanier.

Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10th.

First round matchups will be announced later this week.

“Pat is a very solid addition to our stacked 155 lbs. tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Pat comes from MMA royalty and is ready to make his own impact on the sport. He was sought after very
aggressively by several other major promotions, so I’m excited for him to be a part of our organization. It will be great to see him fight in front of his many hometown fans next month at the Chicago Theatre.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com , follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator . For tickets, go to 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. (March 15, 2010) — Roger Huerta, the top free agent in MMA and one of the sport’s brightest young stars, announced today that he has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator Fighting Championships and will compete in the promotion’s upcoming Season 2 lightweight tournament.

The 26-year-old Huerta (20-3-1) comes to Bellator in the prime of his career after a 3½-year run in the UFC, where he rose to international prominence with wins over top talents like Clay Guida, Leonard Garcia and John Halverson and became the first MMA fighter ever to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Huerta, also known as “El Matador,” joins a well-rounded 155 lbs. tournament field that also includes Season 1 runner-up Toby Imada, former Olympian Ferrid Kheder, undefeated Canadian phenom Mike Ricci, European stalwart Janne Tulirinta, the undefeated Chad Hinton and former All-American wrestler Carey Vanier. Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10^th.

If Huerta can win the April-May-June lightweight tournament, he would win the chance to challenge the world’s No. 2-rated lightweight and reigning Bellator World Champion Eddie Alvarez in a title bout this fall.

“The chance to be a part of this year’s Bellator tournament was an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up,” Huerta said. “I think Bellator is the next big thing in this sport. I love the tournament format and the awesome talent that they have at 155 will give me a chance to prove myself as one of the top lightweights in the world.”

Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, meanwhile, called Huerta “one of the most exciting and accomplished lightweights in the world.”

“Roger is truly a young man who has defied the odds to achieve greatness,” Rebney said.   “Adding Roger to our 155 division and tournament is a great signing for Bellator that provides us the ability to showcase him on national television upwards of three times before summer (provided he wins). His personal story is inspirational.  He has not had an easy road, but has fought hard and persevered.  It’s hard not to root for a guy who has triumphed over adversity like he has.”

Huerta suffered through a heartbreakingly difficult childhood. He was born in Los Angeles to Lydia and Rogelio Huerta, but the couple’s rocky relationship and struggles with substance abuse and mental illness soon began to take a toll on their son.

When Roger was around 5 years old, Lydia discovered that Rogelio was having an affair and took out her anger on Roger, subjecting him to emotional abuse and regular beatings that left him covered in bruises. Soon, this was discovered by his teachers and Roger was placed in a foster home.

Despite being stripped of custody, Lydia somehow managed to flee with her son to her native El Salvador, where she lived with Roger for more than a year as that country was embroiled a brutal civil war. Eventually she returned with Roger to the U.S. and dropped him at Rogelio’s house in Dallas. Roger never saw his mother again, but his troubles were far from over.

Over the next six years, he bounced back and forth between his father’s drug-infested house in Texas – where he was again subjected to regular beatings, this time at the hands of his father’s new wife—and Mexico, where he lived with his impoverished grandparents and was forced to sell picture frames and rosaries on the streets for hours a day.

At around the age of 12, he was kicked out of father’s house and found himself homeless, sleeping on rooftops and in alleyways and running with a notorious local youth gang. He stayed in school, though—mostly for the free breakfast and lunch.

By high school, he had left the gang and began living with the families of classmates in Austin, Texas. He became one of his school’s most popular students, excelled at sports (particularly wrestling), and, with the help of his English teacher, Jo Ramirez and his wrestling coach Bryan Ashford, won a wrestling scholarship from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

It didn’t take Huerta long, though, to realize that his brawler-style fighting skills were better suited for the cage. He became fascinated with MMA after watching an Augsburg teammate’s amateur fight and soon began training with former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne.

He took his first professional fight in 2003 while still a teenager, just a few months after he was legally adopted by Ramirez, the English teacher who helped change his life. She will be among the millions watching when Roger makes his Bellator debut next month.

“My one and only goal right now is getting through the lightweight tournament,” Huerta said. “I’m in the best shape of my life and I just can’t wait to get back in the cage. I see nothing but good things to come for me and for Bellator.”

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

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.