MMA - Bellator Fighting
Championships Pit
Alvarez vs. Imada for the Bellator Championship
June 10, 2009
(JUNE 10) HOLLYWOOD, Fla. June 10 -
Bellator Fighting Championships continues its 12 week nationwide world
championship series with its final event taking place at Hard Rock Live
at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. on June 19,
2009. The Hollywood event will determine the Bellator Lightweight (155
lbs.) and Middleweight (185 lbs.) World Champions. Tickets are on sale
now.
Toby Imada will face one of MMA's elite Lightweight fighters, Eddie
Alvarez, in the Bellator Lightweight World Championship bout. Eddie
Alvarez methodically dominated Eric Reynolds for three rounds before
delivering a rear-naked choke to win via submission to advance to the
finals. A former street fighter from one of Philadelphia’s roughest
neighbourhoods, Alvarez is now the third-ranked Lightweight in the
world, making him one of the sport's premiere young stars.
Imada pulled off the unquestioned submission of the year with a triangle
choke to a standing Jorge Masvidal in Bellator V during Round 3. Born in
Glendale, California in 1979, Imada grew up in Mexico and Hawaii before
settling in Los Angeles. A veteran of more than 30 fights, he has been a
professional mixed martial artist for more than 10 years.
The Bellator Middleweight World Championship fight will be between
Hector Lombard vs. Jared Hess. Hector “Shango” Lombard is a
multiple-time Cuban National Judo Champion, former member of the Cuban
Olympic Judo team and world-class mixed martial artist. Jared Hess was
an All-American wrestler at Central Oklahoma University and is eager to
extend his undefeated record and reach for the Bellator title.
All the action will happen live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
on Friday, June 19, 2009 and air exclusively on ESPN Deportes on
Saturday June 20, 2009. Bellator XII will award the winning Lightweight
World Champion and Middleweight World Champion each a $100,000 grand
prize.
Tournament Bouts:
155 lbs - Eddie Alvarez (17-2) vs. Toby Imada (22-12)
185 lbs - Hector Lombard (20-2-1) vs. Jared Hess (8-0-1)
Non-Tournament Bouts:
155 lbs - Jorge Masvidal (17-4) vs. Eric Reynolds (10-2)
145 lbs - Sami Aziz (4-0-1) vs. Brad Pickett (16-4)
170 lbs - Josh Martin (6-2-1) vs. Sergio Morais (3-0)
120 lbs - Jessica Aguilar (5-2) vs. Rosie Sexton (9-1)
185 lbs - Moyses Gabin (4-2) vs. Virgil Lozano (6-2-1)
155 lbs - Troy Gerhart (5-0) vs. Luis Palomino(10-5)
Tickets cost 150, $100, $50 and $25.* All seats are reserved and
available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Monday – Saturday from
noon to 7p.m. and on Sunday – only open on event days at noon. Tickets
also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at
www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open
one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply. Source/PR
