Swinny
12-16-2012, 12:11 AM
MAIQUEL FALCAO MEETS ALEXANDER SHLEMENKO FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AT BELLATOR 88
BY MATT ERICKSON ON DEC 14, 2012 AT 1:15 PM ET
Bellator Fighting Championships' title-heavy start to its run on Spike TV will continue in February.
The promotion will crown a new middleweight champion when it makes its first trip to Georgia on Feb. 7 for Bellator 88. Maiquel Falcao (31-7 MMA, 3-0 BFC) meets Alexander Shlemenko (46-7 MMA, 7-1 BFC) for the vacant belt.
Bellator on Friday announced the title fight and event, which will take place at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. On the same card, Bellator will start its Season 8 featherweight tournament – though no participants for that eight-man event have been named.
"Shlemenko vs. Falcao is a spectacular world title fight," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. "If you like fights, this one has 'Fight of the Year' written all over it."
Falcao has won four straight and 13 of his past 14 fights. His three Bellator wins came this past spring in the Season 6 middleweight tournament, where he picked up unanimous decision wins over Norman Paraisy, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Andreas Spang to earn his shot at the middleweight title.
"I've had my sights set on the Bellator middleweight title for a long time," Falcao stated. "Bellator is my home, and nothing would make me happier to see my championship banner hanging in the rafters and beating Shlemenko for the title."
Shlemenko has won nine straight fights, including the Bellator Season 5 middleweight tournament a little more than a year ago. He also won the Season 2 tournament to get a shot at then-champ Hector Lombard, but Lombard beat him in a unanimous decision at Bellator 34.
Lombard's exit from Bellator for the UFC, of course, left the promotion's 185-pound title vacant. So now Shlemenko gets another shot at it against fellow tourney winner Falcao.
"It was a long path for me," Shlemenko stated. "It doesn't matter whom I will face to get my title – Falcao, or anyone else. I will smash my opponent and win the title, because I have my country behind me. I'm fighting for the honor of Russia, and I'm glad that the audience on Spike TV and on Russia 2 will be able to watch my fight live."
Bellator earlier this week announced the first two events of Season 8 for Jan. 17 and 24. Bellator 85 on Jan. 17 is highlighted by featherweight and lightweight title fights. A welterweight title fight is the main event at Bellator 86. The promotion has not yet announced a venue or headliner for Bellator 87, which is expected to take place Jan. 31.
As with all Season 8 Bellator events, Bellator 88 will get a main card broadcast on Spike at 10 p.m. ET. Prelims will stream at Spike.com at 8 p.m. ET. Tickets for the event are currently on sale through Ticketmaster and the Gwinnett Center box office.
BY MATT ERICKSON ON DEC 14, 2012 AT 1:15 PM ET
Bellator Fighting Championships' title-heavy start to its run on Spike TV will continue in February.
The promotion will crown a new middleweight champion when it makes its first trip to Georgia on Feb. 7 for Bellator 88. Maiquel Falcao (31-7 MMA, 3-0 BFC) meets Alexander Shlemenko (46-7 MMA, 7-1 BFC) for the vacant belt.
Bellator on Friday announced the title fight and event, which will take place at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. On the same card, Bellator will start its Season 8 featherweight tournament – though no participants for that eight-man event have been named.
"Shlemenko vs. Falcao is a spectacular world title fight," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. "If you like fights, this one has 'Fight of the Year' written all over it."
Falcao has won four straight and 13 of his past 14 fights. His three Bellator wins came this past spring in the Season 6 middleweight tournament, where he picked up unanimous decision wins over Norman Paraisy, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Andreas Spang to earn his shot at the middleweight title.
"I've had my sights set on the Bellator middleweight title for a long time," Falcao stated. "Bellator is my home, and nothing would make me happier to see my championship banner hanging in the rafters and beating Shlemenko for the title."
Shlemenko has won nine straight fights, including the Bellator Season 5 middleweight tournament a little more than a year ago. He also won the Season 2 tournament to get a shot at then-champ Hector Lombard, but Lombard beat him in a unanimous decision at Bellator 34.
Lombard's exit from Bellator for the UFC, of course, left the promotion's 185-pound title vacant. So now Shlemenko gets another shot at it against fellow tourney winner Falcao.
"It was a long path for me," Shlemenko stated. "It doesn't matter whom I will face to get my title – Falcao, or anyone else. I will smash my opponent and win the title, because I have my country behind me. I'm fighting for the honor of Russia, and I'm glad that the audience on Spike TV and on Russia 2 will be able to watch my fight live."
Bellator earlier this week announced the first two events of Season 8 for Jan. 17 and 24. Bellator 85 on Jan. 17 is highlighted by featherweight and lightweight title fights. A welterweight title fight is the main event at Bellator 86. The promotion has not yet announced a venue or headliner for Bellator 87, which is expected to take place Jan. 31.
As with all Season 8 Bellator events, Bellator 88 will get a main card broadcast on Spike at 10 p.m. ET. Prelims will stream at Spike.com at 8 p.m. ET. Tickets for the event are currently on sale through Ticketmaster and the Gwinnett Center box office.