Bellator officials today announced that famed submission specialist Alexey Oleinik is the eighth and final addition to Bellator's season-three heavyweight tournament.

Oleinik, a 33-year-old born in Ukraine who now fights out of Moscow with the Red Devil Sports Club, brings a 27-5-1 record to Bellator.

Remarkably, 23 of the 27 wins have come via submission.

An opening-round heavyweight tournament bout between two-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion Cole Konrad and submission specialist Rogent Lloret is set for Bellator 25.

Bellator officials today announced the fight.

Bellator 25, which features other season-three tourney fights, takes place Aug. 19 at the Chicago Theatre in Illinois.

Undefeated submission specialist Chas Skelly has suffered a foot injury during training and will not be able to compete during Bellator 28 as previously anticipated.

Skelly had been expected to face off with Georgi Karakhanyan during the Bellator 28 card slated for September 9 from the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans.

News of the injury comes from a recent report at MMAJunkie.com.

No return date has been announced for Skelly, and a replacement opponent is reportedly being sought after for Karakhanyan.

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 16, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put yet another piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament today with the addition of one of the top free-agent heavyweight fighters in Europe, Spanish submission specialist Rogent Lloret.

The Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and M1 Global veteran has not lost a fight in more than three years and enters the Heavyweight Tournament with a 9-1-1 overall pro record. He is known for his smothering ground game — submitting six of his nine victims, including four by arm triangle choke — but also displayed his striking prowess when he KO’d Serbian MMA veteran Miodrag Petković with a devastating high head kick this past April.

Lloret is the sixth confirmed participant in the tournament along with undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, power-punching British behemoth Neil Grove, heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300” Hayes and Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialist Scott Barrett.

The tournament begins Aug. 12th on FOX Sports Net.

“Ever since we decided that we would hold a Heavyweight Tournament, we were hoping to sign Rogent Lloret,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He was one of the top heavyweight free agents in Europe for a reason: he is devastating on the ground and has a very underrated standup attack as well. He’ll be a tough draw for whomever he faces in our Heavyweight Tournament.”

Rogent was born and raised near Barcelona, Spain, and lives there today.

He made his MMA debut in 2006 but first drew widespread attention in late 2008 with a dazzling first-round armbar submission of top Polish heavyweight Michal Kita at an M1 Challenge event in Finland.

“Signing with Bellator means a big step forward in my career as a fighter since it provides me the opportunity to face other great fighters in an event with major media repercussions worldwide,” Lloret said. “My goal is to advance as many rounds as possible and offer exciting fights to solidify my reputation as a fighter and Bellator’s as an MMA event.”

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

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in 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. (July 16, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put yet another piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament today with the addition of one of the top free-agent heavyweight fighters in Europe, Spanish submission specialist Rogent Lloret.

The Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and M1 Global veteran has not lost a fight in more than three years and enters the Heavyweight Tournament with a 9-1-1 overall pro record. He is known for his smothering ground game — submitting six of his nine victims, including four by arm triangle choke — but also displayed his striking prowess when he KO’d Serbian MMA veteran Miodrag Petkovi with a devastating head kick this past April.

Lloret is the sixth confirmed participant in the tournament along with undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, power-punching British behemoth Neil Grove, heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300” Hayes and Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialist Scott Barrett.

The tournament begins Aug. 12th on FOX Sports Net.

“Ever since we decided that we would hold a Heavyweight Tournament, we were hoping to sign Rogent Lloret,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He was one of the top heavyweight free agents in Europe for a reason: he is devastating on the ground and has a very underrated standup attack as well. He’ll be a tough draw for whomever he faces in our Heavyweight Tournament.”

Rogent was born and raised near Barcelona, Spain, and lives there today.

He made his MMA debut in 2006 but first drew widespread attention in late 2008 with a dazzling first-round armbar submission of top Polish heavyweight Michal Kita at an M1 Challenge event in Finland.

“Signing with Bellator means a big step forward in my career as a fighter since it provides me the opportunity to face other great fighters in an event with major media repercussions worldwide,” Lloret said. “My goal is to advance as many rounds as possible and offer exciting fights to solidify my reputation as a fighter and Bellator’s as an MMA event.”

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

EVERETT, Wash. (July 14, 2010) -The students of two icons will collide when submission specialist and Matt Hume protégé Caros “The Future” Fodor (5-2) takes on Cung Le student Thomas Diagne (1-1) in a lightweight (155 pounds) contest on the STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at Comcast Arena at Everett, on SHOWTIME, on Friday, July 23.

The 26-year-old Fodor, an ambitious go-getter, fulfilled a lifelong dream by enlisting in the U.S. Army just six days after his high school graduation while he was still a minor at age 17, eventually making him the youngest Marine in his platoon. At the age of 12, the Shoreline, Wash. Native had joined an auxiliary military group to get a taste of what life like might be as a serviceman.

After invading Iraq and, later Kuwait in 2003 to support the U.S. war on terror, Fodor experienced a change of heart and eventually decided to re-focus his aggressive energy towards combat in the cage. During a visit to AMC Kickboxing and Pankration in Kirkland, Wash., Fodor met former submission wrestling champion and MMA expert Hume as well as Hume’s top coach, Trevor Jackson, an introduction that quickly inspired Fodor to commit his life to the sport.

One of four children adopted by a single mother, Fodor has persevered through a number of hardships during his life, including a hostile rivalry with adopted brother and, now, fellow professional fighter Ben Fodor.

It was their common bond in MMA that eventually helped Caros and Ben settle their differences. Suddenly, the two young men who had not been able to peacefully co-exist in a room together were supporting each other during their respective bouts.

Fodor is looking to return to the win column after suffering a second round defeat via submission (armbar) at the hands of Nate Hannah on Feb. 10, 2010. Prior to the loss, Fodor had been victorious in five consecutive fights, all in the first round by way of submission.

Diagne, a 26 year old native of Paris, France, is a longtime practitioner of San Shou, the Chinese form of kickboxing that embraces throwing techniques in addition to striking. Since 1996, the once obscure martial art has been brought to the forefront of the fight world by Le, its pioneer who amassed a perfect 16-0 career record in the sport before bringing his San Shou skills to the cage where he eventually was crowned STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion after defeating MMA legend Frank Shamrock at San Jose, Calif.’s HP Pavilion on March 29, 2008.

In 2008, Diagne parted ways with his homeland in order to train with Le at the superstar’s Universal Strength Headquarters (USH) gym in Milpitas, Calif. Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Diagne added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training under Paul Schreiner to his game in order to prepare for a career in MMA.

A six-time San Shou titlist, the 6-foot-1 Diagne made history as well as his MMA debut on May 15, 2009 when he competed in the first STRIKEFORCE Challengers event in history, earning a unanimous decision over Kaleo Kwan at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale and can be purchased at the Comcast Arena box office (866-332-8499) as well as online at ComcastArenaEverett.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

In the main event, undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane Del Rosario (9-0) will attempt to extend his unblemished streak when he faces fellow heavy hitter Lolohea Mahe (4-1-1).

Unbeaten STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Welterweight (135 pounds) Champion and former ballet dancer Sarah Kaufman (11-0) will put her perfect record as well as her crown on the line against international star Roxanne Modafferi (15-5).

In other featured action, Abongo Humphrey (7-1) will take on MMA bad boy Mike “Mak” Kyle (16-7-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

Twenty-five year old Cory “The One” Devela (9-4) of Bonney Lake, Wash. will attempt to re-ignite his career in his first bout in 12 months when he faces hard-hitting Bobby Voelker (21-8) at welterweight (170 pounds).

The first STRIKEFORCE Challengers preliminary card bout will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

STRIKEFORCE Challengers, where tomorrow’s champions are born, is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.STRIKEFORCE.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose. In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network. The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

DREAM.15 is set to take place on July 10, 2010 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and both Shinya Aoki and Gegard Mousasi are looking to rebound after losing their last bouts. The submission specialist Aoki lost to Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce:Nashville via decision while Mousasi lost Muhummad Lawal at the same event. DREAM.15 is also live on HDNet.

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.”

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.

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.

The man widely considered to be the greatest fighter of our time, Fedor Emelianenko, was handed the first legitimate defeat of his professional fighting career this evening in San Jose as decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Fabricio Werdum made mixed martial arts history in California, submitting the feared Russian heavyweight with vice-like armbar/triangle choke early into the very first round.

Emelianenko looked to have Werdum in a world of trouble in the opening moments of round one during “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers“, battering the Brazilian with a series of big left hooks that dropped the submission specialist to the canvas. Fedor’s fatal mistake came when he followed the decorated grappler to the ground looking for the ground and pound finish. After escaping an initial armbar attempt, Emelianenko’s willingness to momentarily play his cards on the canvas with Werdum quickly left him vulnerable to the bout ending armbar/triangle choke conversion just 1:09 into the contest.

True to form, and expressionless Emelianenko seemed unaffected by the suprising loss at the hands of the fellow PRIDE veteran when asked what he was thinking immediately following his first true professional defeat as a mixed martial artist, stating, “Really, nothing, because the one that doesn’t fall doesn’t get up.”

Cung Le managed to avenge the sole defeat of his career in his hometwon of San Jose as the decorated San Shou practitioner showed a tremendous amount of patience while mercillesly picking apart Scott Smith over the course of one and a half rounds striking on his way to the second round TKO victory. A perfectly timed spinning heel kick to the ribs from Le lit the fuse and a few unanswered strikes to the battered Smith on the canvas sealed the deal.

Also on the card was Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos defending her 145 female title against a game but outmatched Jan “Cuddles” Finney. Cyborg beat Finney about the cage for the duration of the two rounds contested between the two, eventually swarming her battered and bruised opponent in the second round with a series of punches which were capitalized by a brutal fight finishing knee to the chin.

A full list of results from the event are below:

Bobby Stack def. Derrick Burnsed via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Yancey Medeiros def. Gareth Joseph via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:19

Bret Bergmark def. Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)

Chris Cope def. Ron Keslar via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:32

Josh Thomson def. Pat Healy via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:27

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos def. Jan Finney via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:56

Cung Le def. Scott Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:46

Fabricio Werdum def. Fedor Emelianenko via submission (armbar/triangle) – Round 1, 1:09