Bellator Knocks out Four Additional Preliminary Bouts for Kansas Card on June 26
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Bellator Knocks Out Four Additional Preliminary Bouts for Kansas Card On June 26 SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 3, 2015) – With a complete four- fight main card already announced for “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” on June 26, the promotion has turned its focus to the preliminary showcase with four new fights. The newly announced bouts include bantamweights Jeimeson “The Minion” Saudino (8-4) vs. Aaron “The Cyborg” Ely (4-2), lightweights Bobby “Super Duper” Cooper (12-5) vs. Pablo Villaseca (9-0), as well as heavyweights Daniel “Big Kansas” Gallemore (4-2) vs. Augusto Sakai (7-0), and female featherweights Iony Razafiarison (2-0) and Bryanna “Pink Ranger” Fissori (1-0). “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” is headlined by a heavyweight clash between French striking specialist Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-5). The event takes place June 26 at Kansas Star Event Center Arena in Mulvane, Kan. The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com at 6:45 p.m. ET/ 5:45 p.m. CT. Tickets for “Bellator: Kongo vs. Volkov” start at just $17 and are currently available at Ticketmaster.com. Additional announced pairings on the SPIKE-televised card include lightweights Dave “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3) vs. John “The Natural” Alessio (35-17), former Bellator MMA featherweight champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2) and a contest between middleweight sluggers with Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1) on the event’s featured portion. In a bantamweight battle between two Kansas natives, Wichita’s Saudino is a scrapper who has won half of his eight professional victories without the judge’s help. He looks to improve to nine wins against Leavenworth’s Ely, a ground game specialist who has earned all four professional victories by submission. This 135-pound bout will be a must-see showcase of Midwest MMA talent. RFA and Titan FC veteran Cooper has already earned two victories in the Bellator cage and will look to make his fight at Bellator 139 three in a row. He goes up against Villaseca, a Chilean MMA prospect with an unblemished professional record at 9-0, with three knockouts and three submission finishes. Emporia’s “Big Kansas” Gallemore is a heavyweight who’s hands have earned all four of his victories, three of which have taken place under the Bellator banner. He will meet the undefeated Sakai, a dangerous Brazilian striker who has finished six of seven of his opponents with either his fists or knees. Iony Razafiarison is a coming off of a unanimous decision victory in her professional debut this past January, and will look to make an immediate impact in her first fight with the Bellator promotion. She will take on Bryanna Fissori, who also makes her promotional debut at Bellator 139 after winning her first career victory by knockout last October. “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” – Friday, June 26, Kanas Star Event Center Arena, Mulvane, Kansas Main Card (9 p.m. ET) Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (24-5) Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Rickels (16-3) vs. John Alessio (35-17) Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2) Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Joe Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1) Preliminary Card Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Bubba Jenkins (8-2) vs. Joe Wilk (18-10) Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Jeimeson Saudino (8-4) vs. Aaron Ely (4-2) Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Bobby Cooper (12-5) vs. Pablo Villaseca (9-0) Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Daniel Gallemore (4-2) vs. Augusto Sakai (7-0) Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Iony Razafiarison (2-0) vs. Bryanna Fissori (1-0) About Bellator MMA Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms. About Spike: Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind- the-scenes information and photos. About Kansas Star Arena The Kansas Star Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility, is located just off Exit 33 on the Kansas Turnpike and is adjacent to the Kansas Star Casino. The 42,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Kansas Star Arena is south-central Kansas’ home for big-name national acts such as Journey, Pat Benatar, Championship Rodeo, mixed martial arts events and more. The Arena accommodates up to 6,500 guests for headliner events. In 2014, Midwest Gaming and Travel awarded the Kansas Star more than 25 honors in its annual Reader’s Choice Awards, including “Best Concert Venue” in the state of Kansas. For more information, visit kansasstarcasino.com. Connect with Kansas Star Arena at facebook.com/kansasstararena and www.kansasstarcasino.com/entertain/arena. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Boyd Gaming is a leading diversified owner and operator of 22 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey. Boyd Gaming and Kansas Star Casino press releases are available at boydgaming.mediaroom.com..