CHICAGO, Ill. (February 23, 2010) - With its first Season 2 event now less than eight weeks away, Bellator Fighting Championships today revealed the Round 1 matchups for its much-anticipated, nationally-televised featherweight tournament.
The four fights will take place during Bellator's first two Season 2 events on April 8th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and on April 15th at the historic Chicago Theatre. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. during Season 2 with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of Bellator champions. Fighter pairings for those tournaments will be announced within the coming weeks.
The featherweight (145 lbs.) matchups are as follows:
- Joe Warren (2-1) vs. Eric Marriott (17-2)
- Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1) vs. Bao Quach (17-9-1)
- Wilson Reis (9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (5-2)
- Patricio Pitbull (12-0) vs. William Romero (5-0)
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. "Having watched all of these guys in the cage, I can't tell you who the favorite will be. There's been great buzz about our 145 division and it's definitely warranted. This tournament is a mine field for each of these fighters."
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bellator and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/BellatorMMA.
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.
