The most intriguing match up on Bellator Fighting Championships’ first fight card on April 3rd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino could be the Lightweight match up between Jorge Masvidal and Nick Agallar. The contrasting styles of these two fighters will make this bout interesting and exciting to watch. This is a must see fight due to the skills and hearts that both fighters possess.
Masvidal is jui-jitsu trained with a street fighter approach. Agallar has explosive wrestling skills with submissions as well as hard striking capabilities. Will this fight stay standing up or will Agallar try to take it to the ground?
Both fighters have the common previous opponent of Yves Edwards. Edwards defeated Agallar at UFC 45 when he was at the upside of his career, while Masvidal defeated Edwards on the downside of his career.
Born on January 13, 1979 in Racine, WI, Agallar has been fighting internationally since 1999 and has since built an impressive career resume. Agallar, who currently owns a gym and training center, Agallar Combative Systems, starred on the BodogFIGHT Reality TV show where he achieved a fighting victory. He won the Full Contact Challenge Lightweight belt as well as the Absolute Fighting Championship Lightweight belt, which he gave up to serve a 16-month tour of duty in Iraq.
With a 21-5 record, Agallar currently has a 4-fight win streak and has all the confidence he needs to become the Bellator Lightweight Champion. Of his 21 wins, 8 have been by KO, 7 by submission and 6 by decision.
From his beginning as a street fighter who would take on anyone at any time, Jorge Masvidal’s journey to Bellator Fighting Championships has earned him the reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.
It all started in the streets of Miami, Florida. Kimbo Slice was taking the Internet by storm thanks to his brutal knockouts, and at that time he was mentoring a young protégé named Ray to be the next YouTube sensation. On his way to following in Kimbo’s footsteps, Ray met the punishing right hand of Jorge Masvidal. Despite being much smaller than Ray, Masvidal dominated the fight with precision punches and forced his opponent to quit. Masvidal then fought Ray in a much anticipated rematch, but the outcome was the same: Masvidal by TKO.
"Back then I was 18, had long hair and was a skinny, tall kid. They looked at me and thought: Easy money," Masvidal said. "I did what I did to put food on the table and help my mom out. The first time was behind a laundry mat and the others in somebody's backyard. I have been in hundreds of street fights, but that one with Ray was big on the Internet."
Masvidal grew up the hard way in South Florida. His father, Jorge Sr., was sent to prison for drug trafficking for much of his son's life, while his mother, Maria, worked three jobs to support the family. Masvidal never graduated from Sunset High School, although he eventually went on to earn his GED. He is now raising daughter, Ava Sofia, who is the most important thing in Masvidal’s life.
"We were broke and poor when I was a kid," Masvidal said. "I always had that drive to fight. I used to visit my dad in prison. I would be going out one door to freedom and he would be going into a cell. I have made some mistakes, but God took it easy on me. I make enough money to provide for my family. I am going into that cage to kill or get killed; I will give it my all. I don't want my kid to look back and say, 'You punked out on that fight.’ I fight for her."
Called “Gamebred” because as he puts it, “I was bred to fight,” Masvidal disposed of his first five opponents as a Mixed Martial Artist before losing to Rafael Assuncao. But Masvidal bounced back in his next fight with one of the most impressive wins of his career - a TKO over current UFC standout and The Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant, Joe Lauzon. Lauzon came into the fight undefeated, but succumbed to a flurry of punches and knees by Masvidal in Round 2.
“I really got a lot of confidence from that fight,” Masvidal said. “It proved to everyone that I could beat the best fighters in the world and that I was someone to be taken seriously in this sport. People found out fast that I was no joke.”
Masvidal has become a fan favorite over the years because of his aggressive style and action packed fights. He is best known for his lightning quick punches and devastating knee kicks. As a matter of fact, eight of Masvidal’s 16 wins have come by way of knockout, making the Miami-native one of the most feared standup fighters in the 155-pound weight class.
“Jorge can beat you standing or on the ground and brings excitement to every fight he’s in,” said Bjorn Rebney, CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. “He will be a major challenge to anyone in our 155 pound tournament.”
Masvidal recently compiled an impressive 3-0 record in the Bodog Fight promotion, including a vicious head kick knockout over respected PRIDE Fighting Championships and UFC veteran Yves Edwards. Overall, Masvidal’s MMA record currently stands at an impressive 16-3.
Masvidal’s ultimate goal is to be crowned Bellator’s lightweight champion. His first test comes against Nick Agallar (21-5) on April 3rd at the Seminole Hard Rock. The local boy from Miami is confident and brash. Masvidal’s fight with Agallar has all the makings of a classic MMA slugfest. And while Masvidal isn’t overlooking his dangerous first-round opponent, a potential much anticipated showdown with lightweight favorite Eddie Alvarez looms in the finals.
When asked about fighting Alvarez for the Bellator Lightweight title, the brash Masvidal told WofMMA.com, “Eddie who? I don't know who that is, but it sounds like someone that I'm gonna kick his ass though."
Fearless and bred to fight. That’s Jorge Masvidal.
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that Bellator IV, the fourth event of the highly anticipated 12-week tournament series airing on ESPN Deportes, will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 24, 2009. The event will take place at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, which rests just south of Denver in the shadow of the neighboring Rocky Mountains, a natural metaphor for Bellator’s combined feature events, “A Night of Heavyweights & the Semi-Final Round of the World Championship Lightweight Tournament.”
The commanding roster of heavyweight fighters will anchor an action filled evening of competition featuring some of the best fighters this weight class has to offer. This Bellator special event will also feature a Lightweight semi-final tournament match-up, with the resulting winner advancing as a finalist for Bellator’s $175,000 Lightweight World Championship Fight.
“The fight card is packed with great Heavyweight match-ups and what promises to be a compelling Lightweight World Championship tournament Semi-Final,” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Colorado MMA fans and our worldwide television audience should expect to see a night of powerful strikes, tactical submissions and crowd pleasing knockouts.”
Bellator IV will feature a collection of highly-competitive, action-packed Heavyweight bouts, a World Championship Semi-Final as well as a collection of spectacular special feature fights. The evening will also feature a bout between two top form female fighters, Molly Helsel versus Angela Hayes. The non-tournament Heavyweight bouts on show are detailed below:
Tournament Bouts: Special Lightweight World Championship Semi-Final Tournament Match-Up Based on the outcome of Bellator I, II & III
Non-Tournament Bouts: Heavyweight – Dave Herman (13-1) vs. Josh Barnes (5-1) Heavyweight – Rauol Romero (3-1) vs. Dave Evensen (10-4) Heavyweight – Eddie Sanchez (11-3) vs. Jay White (4-5) Heavyweight – Tyler East (pro debut)) vs. Amedio Viola (0-1) Heavyweight – Joey Beltran (5-2) vs. Sherman Pendergarst (11-12) 130 lbs. – Molly Helsel (7-7) vs. Angela Hayes (1-5)
Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events to be broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights. The nationally televised events will feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There will be four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.
Tickets will go on sale at 12:00 pm MT Friday, March 27, 2009 and can be purchased at the World Arena box office and through TicketsWest.
For more information on Bellator Fighting Championships, visit www.Bellator.com.
One of the biggest questions leading up to Bellator Fighting Championships’ event on April 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is how fan favorite and one of the world’s top Lightweights, Eddie Alvarez will respond after his loss during the WAMMA Lightweight championship against Shinya Aoki on December 31, 2008. Eddie was submitted at 1:32 into the first round from a heel lock.
At Bellator I, Alvarez will face Greg Loughran, a fighter who has the same stand-up style as Alvarez. What we all wait to see is if Alvarez will be the same non-stop, aggressive fighter with pure tenacity that he always has been or will he be a bit more cautious due to the fact he got submitted on the ground in his last fight? How a fighter picks himself up after a loss is always a great indicator of his potential to become Champion and Alvarez is primed to show he has the heart of a lion on April 3rd.
Alvarez’s fighting style is that of an aggressive puncher that goes toward his opponent with everything he has, coupled with a unique ability to seamlessly switch gears throughout a fight, adjusting to what he’s up against. Always in tremendous shape with a high level of conditioning, Alvarez is small in stature, but has the heart and determination that it takes to be a champion.
Alvarez grew up in Kensington, a rough section of Philadelphia. Fighting was a way of life for him on the streets. He learned how to fight from his father and then honed his skills on the streets, which turned him into the tough standup fighter that he is today.
Alvarez’s motivation for fighting is rooted in his family. He has a great wife who wholeheartedly supports his career, and two young kids for whom Alvarez takes great pride in being a role model. The support from his family coupled with the respect he holds for whoever he competes against, makes Alvarez a champion, inside and outside of the cage.
Alvarez’s record is currently 15-2. He has 11 wins by KO, 2 by submission and 2 by decision. He is the former BodogFight Welterweight champion and is currently ranked #3 Lightweight in the world by Sherdog.com.
Bellator Fighting Championships, a new mixed martial arts organization, is poised to take MMA to a unique new place where fighters control their own destiny and where true competition determines champions. Beginning Friday, April 3rd,Bellator will host its first ever tournament event, from the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. Six tournament bouts featuring fierce match-ups in Bellator’s feather and lightweight divisions will be highlighted by matchups including World’s #3 Lightweight, Eddie Alvarez..
Alvarez (15-2) will face Irish standout, Greg Loughran (18-11), in one of the nights Lightweight opening round bouts. , While Alvarez has a reputation as an aggressive and agile striker with great finishing ability, finishing 13 of his 17 opponents, Loughran doesn’t plan on adding his name to that list. Loughran has only succumb to strikes once in his 29 career fights.
Another marquee fight scheduled to take place at Bellator I pits Miami native Jorge Masvidal (16-3) against steller lightweight Nick Agallar (21-5), both fighters from the Lightweight division as well. Masvidal is known for a devastating right hand - responsible for 8 of his 16 wins – but a KO will not be an easy feat against a proven veteran like Agallar, who is currently riding a 4 fight win streak.
Other top fighters featured on the Bellator I card include: Toby Imada, Nick "The Ghost" Gonzales and Ben Greer.
The single-elimination aspect of the 3 month long nationally and internationally televised tournament will make every fight a do or die proposition for its combatants and provide hugely competitive fights. Each fighter will earn just one chance to prove they are worthy of advancing towards the Bellator World Title. The fights will take place live on Fridays and will be aired nationally by ESPN Deportes on a one day tape delay on Saturday nights during prime time (9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST). Founder and CEO of Bellator, Bjorn Rebney hopes to create events that both live and televised fans embrace as some of the best in MMA today.
Make sure to visit to www.Bellator.comto get the latest info about tickets, fighters, events, and join the Bellator Underground to receive all the news and information you will ever need about Bellator.
Bellator Fighting Championships, announced today that Bellator III will be held at the Lloyd Noble Center at the University of Oklahoma on April 17, 2009. The event will air during prime time on April 18, 2009 on ESPN Deportes.
Bellator III will feature the Middleweights (185 lbs.) in a collection of highly-competitive, evenly matched tournament bouts. There will also be a tournament bout in the Welterweight (170 lbs.) division, as well as a strong undercard including several featured non-tournament bouts.
Tickets can be purchased at the Lloyd Noble Center box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, and go on sale Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm CST through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to Ticketmaster.com, call Ticketmaster's national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000, or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
The fight card is detailed below: Tournament Bouts: 185 lbs. – Jared Hess (6-0-1) vs. Daniel Tabera (12-1-3) 185 lbs. – Alex Andrade (8-4) vs. Damien Stelly (8-2) 170 lbs. – Virgil Lozano (6-1) vs. Hector Lombard (18-2) 185 lbs. – Dave Menne (42-15-2) vs. Norman Paraisy (5-0)
185 lbs. - Edwin Aguilar (20-12) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (7-1)
Non-Tournament Bouts: 120 lbs. - Kerry Vera (0-0) vs. Brandi Hainey (1-0) 170 lbs. - Troy Kious (1-0) vs. Lewis Washington (3-0) 205 lbs. - Mike Messina (2-1) vs. William Albrecht (5-6) 145 lbs. - Eric Payne (17-7) vs. Johnny Eduardo (20-8) 170 lbs. - Joey Gorczynski (0-0) vs. Marcelo Alfaia (9-5) 185 lbs. - Jason Norwood (5-1) vs. Ariel Gandulla (5-2) For press credentials for Bellator events, please contact: Caroline Sherman caroline@alpaytac.com 312-245-9805 Ext. 110
More locations will be announced soon. Please check back later for updated listings, or sign up for Bellator Underground to get updates when tickets become available
