Press Releases
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Bellator Fighting Championships signs undefeated MMA prodigy
Jacob ‘Tick-Tock’ McClintock
Arizona Combat Sports product to bring dynamic style, undefeated record to Bellator Season 2
CHICAGO (December 10, 2009) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the exclusive signing of undefeated mixed martial artist Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock, who will compete in Bellator’s welterweight (170 lb.) division.
McClintock, 21, of the heralded Arizona Combat Sports gym in Tempe, Ariz., has a professional record of 6-0 and has been identified by several top MMA publications as one of the sport’s future stars.
Sherdog.com called him “the next big thing to come out of Arizona Combat Sports,” which has produced such elite MMA talents as Jamie Varner, Ryan Bader and Joe Riggs. BloodyElbow.com, meanwhile, said that McClintock “definitely has the makings to become a future champion in any of the larger organizations.”
McClintock is one of several new fighters to sign with Bellator since the promotion’s announcement in October of its historic new TV distribution alliance with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Bellator Season 2 begins April 8, 2010 and will run for 12 weeks. Bellator Season 3 will follow, beginning Aug. 12, 2010, and will also run for 12 successive weeks.
“Jacob’s ability, coupled with his exciting and aggressive style, falls right in line with what we are looking for at Bellator,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Last season, Joe Soto and Lyman Good went from anonymity to become world champions. Jacob has the tools to do the same. With his addition, welterweight is shaping up to be a great division for our Season 2 tournament.”
McClintock got his start in combat sports at the age of 13, when he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He now holds the rank of second-degree brown belt. .
He made his professional MMA debut in 2007 while still only a teenager. Each of his six fights have been stopped before the end of Round 1, either by TKO or submission. That impressive record helped spawn his nickname, “Tick-Tock,” which was coined by an Arizona Combat Sports teammate who concluded that, with McClintock, “it’s only a matter of time” before he wins his bout..
“Signing with Bellator is truly a dream come true for me,” McClintock said. “MMA is definitely something that I was put on this earth to do, so I just want to take advantage of this opportunity as much as I can. I like to fight for the crowds, so I’m definitely going to go in there and put it all on the line.”
He said that his new association with Bellator is an opportunity to create “a stable career in MMA” that will allow him to provide for his girlfriend and newborn daughter, Madison.
McClintock’s signing comes on the heels of Wednesday’s announcement that former U.S. Olympic wrestler Ben Askren had inked a multi-fight contract with Bellator. Like McClintock, Askren is part of a deep 170 lbs. division that also includes the promotion’s welterweight champion, Lyman Good.
Each of Bellator’s 24 events during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.
Bellator burst onto the MMA scene in April 2009 with its groundbreaking single-elimination tournament format and quickly established itself as one of the sport’s most exciting promotions, crowning champions in four weight divisions.
For more information, please visit Bellator.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.
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BELLATOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS SIGNS U.S. OLYMPIAN AND NCAA CHAMPION BEN ASKREN
CHICAGO (December 9, 2009) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced Wednesday the signing of highly touted MMA prospect Ben Askren to an exclusive long-term agreement
Askren is a U.S. Olympian who competed in the 2008 Beijing Games in freestyle wrestling. While wrestling at the collegiate level at the University of Missouri, Askren won two NCAA Division I titles. Since announcing his plans to cross over into professional mixed martial arts after the conclusion of the Beijing Games, Askren has been one of the most sought-after free agents in the sport.
Known for his unorthodox fighting style and world class credentials, Askren, 25, is slated to compete in Bellator’s welterweight (170 lbs.) division tournament. The promotion will kick off its second season on April 8, 2010 and will conduct eight-man tournaments in the featherweight (145 lbs.), lightweight (155 lbs.), welterweight (170 lbs.), and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions to determine the No. 1 ranked challengers to face Bellator’s current champions.
In February 2009, Askren, who is known as “Funky,” made his professional MMA debut and has since compiled an undefeated record of 3-0. MMAJunkie.com has labeled him as “one of the top prospects in all of mixed martial arts,” while BloodyElbow.com called his abilities “mesmerizing.”
“I am very happy to welcome Ben to Bellator,” said Bjorn Rebney, founder and CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. “Ben’s an exciting fighter with unlimited potential and an unparalleled list of Olympic and collegiate accomplishments. We believe he can become a true force in this sport. As an MMA fan, I can’t wait for Ben’s first fight in our tournament on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo this April.”
As the nation’s top MMA prospect, Askren joins a Bellator roster that includes elite fighters such as Eddie Alvarez (155 lbs. champion), Hector Lombard (185 lbs. champion), Lyman Good (170 lbs. champion), Joe Soto (145 lbs. champion) and many others.
Askren’s signing is the latest in a series of major offseason Bellator announcements that include the promotion’s historic new TV distribution alliance with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Bellator Season 2 begins April 8, 2010 and will run for 12 weeks. It will be followed by Bellator Season 3, which is slated to begin on Aug. 12, 2010 and will also run for 12 successive weeks.
Askren said the national TV alliances were a key factor in his decision to sign with Bellator.
“I like that my fights are going to broadcast nationally, I like the tournament-style format and I love the opportunity to be a part of something exciting and new,” he said. “I plan on winning Bellator. My goal, as it always has been, is to be the best in the world.”
Askren, who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and grew up outside of Milwaukee, Wis., now lives in Phoenix and trains at the renowned Arizona Combat Sports gym. In addition to the wrestling techniques he honed at the collegiate and Olympic levels, he holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Askren is also engaged to be married on April 9th, one day after Bellator’s Season 2 premiere.
“My fiancé doesn’t really like the whole getting punched in the face thing, but she accepts it and is excited for me to continue to compete in MMA for Bellator.”
Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.
For more information, please visit Bellator.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.
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BELLATOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCES NEW TV BROADCAST ALLIANCE WITH
FOX SPORTS NET, NBC AND TELEMUNDO
Only Live Weekly-Broadcast MMA Show in U.S.; One of the Largest TV Distribution Deals in Fighting Sports History
CHICAGO (October 20, 2009) — Bellator Fighting Championships will broadcast its second and third seasons on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo through a unique and landscape-altering alliance. Bellator’s first-of-its-kind, tournament-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion will be available nationwide for 24 weeks in 2010 to 112 million homes through NBC, 82 million homes through FOX Sports Net (FSN) and its regional sports network affiliates, as well as to 62 million homes through Telemundo.
The historic agreement, which was announced today by Bellator CEO/Founder Bjorn Rebney and executives from FOX Sports Net and NBC, is among the largest in MMA history and promises to introduce Bellator, and the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., to millions of new fans.
“Since our launch earlier this year, there has been an overwhelming demand from MMA fans nationwide for us to broadcast our events live and through a widely available platform,” Rebney said. “We are thrilled to have signed this groundbreaking agreement with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo, which will bring our unique and exciting brand of tournament-based MMA events to a dramatically expanded audience of both English- and Spanish-speaking fans.”
Under this new multi-tiered alliance, Bellator events will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights beginning April 8, 2010 on FSN and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every successive Saturday night in the all night daypart on NBC, and a one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.
“We’re thrilled to bring Bellator’s brand of MMA to our viewers. We believe the quality of the events and the passion of these fighters will resonate with our audience,” said David Sussin, Vice President of Programming, FOX Sports Net.
“Mixed martial arts has established its position by becoming one of the fastest-growing sports. Bellator and its real sport tournament format has proven it can deliver some of the finest and most intense action on broadcast television,” said Jerry Petry, Executive Vice President, NBC Universal Television.
Bellator Season 2 premieres Thursday, April 8, 2010, and runs for 12 successive weeks. Season 3 kicks off Thursday, August 12, 2010, and also runs for 12 successive weeks. Each season follows Bellator’s electrifying tournament format, where fighters in each of Bellator’s weight divisions determine their own destiny to become Champion or No. 1 Challenger. Event venues, sponsors, featured fighters and other details on Seasons 2 and 3 will be announced over the coming months.
Bellator first burst onto the MMA scene in April 2009 and with its groundbreaking single-elimination tournament format quickly established itself as one of the sport’s most exciting promotions, crowning champions in four weight divisions.
From day one, Bellator developed a tremendous following among Spanish-speaking MMA fans—a following that stands to grow dramatically through Bellator’s new alliance with Telemundo, the second-largest Spanish-language network in the U.S.
Bellator (Latin for “warrior”) is the only nationally televised professional MMA promotion in the United States that gives fighters the ability to control their own destiny. At Bellator, in each weight class, top fighters from around the world compete to determine who is crowned Champion and who becomes No. 1 Challenger. Bellator, where fighters become warriors and warriors become legends. Network negotiations were coordinated by Carr-Hughes Productions, KC Productions of Saratoga Springs, NY and Alpaytac Marketing Communications/Public Relations of Chicago, IL.
For more information, please visit Bellator.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.
About FOX Sports Net (FSN)
FSN is the nation's leading provider of local sports. FSN's 16 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 82 million homes across the U.S. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1,600 in high definition. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.
About NBC
The NBC Television Network’s strength derives from combining NBC’s strong national identity and programming with the local identity and programming of its affiliates in communities across America. The sale of advertising time enables the NBC Television Network to provide programming to the public free of charge. The NBC Television Network broadcasts approximately 5,000 hours of TV programming each year, transmitting to more than 200 affiliated stations across the United States. These independently owned affiliates then broadcast the NBC signal to an estimated 99 percent of all homes in the United States with television sets.
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