Bellator MMA issued the following today …
Bellator 127 Full Card Finalized from Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino Friday, October 3rd
Newport Beach, Calif. (September 15, 2014) – Bellator 127 is now set as the promotion will return to Southern California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday, October 3rd as Daniel Straus will battle Justin Wilcox in the main event live on Spike TV. The night will also feature a former Bellator heavyweight champion Christian M’Pumbu’s debut at middleweight against Hawaiian native Kendal Grove and a full preliminary card of California’s top talent. Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at the Pechanga Box Office, Pechanga.com or Bellator.com.
After recording a first round submission win in his Bellator debut, Sokoudjou returns to the bright lights to face Malik Merad. Merad enters the Bellator cage for the first time riding a six-fight win streak with 11 of his 19 professional victories coming by submission. Ready to put on an exciting fight for his home state fans, Sokoudjou has posted nine KO victories with eight coming in the first round and is looking for the finish against Merad on October 3rd.
Coming off of a first round TKO win over Joe Duarte at Bellator 122, Saad Awad will meet Sergio Rios in a lightweight bout. Looking to maintain his undefeated 8-0 professional record, Rios has recorded five wins by submission, but will put his skills to the test against Awad. A former tournament finalist, Awad is known for his ability to finish fights and has won 14 of his 15 professional victories by KO or submission, 13 coming in the first round.
Closing out the preliminary card will be a middleweight matchup between California’s own Keith Berry and Joe Pacheco, along with fellow southern California native Johnny Cisneros facing Ricky Rainey.
A Season 10 Welterweight Tournament Semifinalist, Justin Baesman will fight California native Fernando Gonzales and Ray Sloan will look to keep his undefeated record intact in a light heavyweight battle against Nick Moghaddam.
The full fight card is listed below.
MAIN CARD:
Featherweight Feature Fight: Daniel Straus (22-5) vs. Justin Wilcox (14-6)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (20-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (24-10-1)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Rafael Silva (21-4) vs. Rob Emerson (16-10-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Christian M’Pumbu (18-6-1) vs. Kendall Grove (19-14-1)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Thierry Sokoudjou (15-12) vs. Malik Merad (19-11)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Justin Baesman (14-5) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (21-12)
Catchweight Feature Fight (177lbs): Johnny Cisneros (8-3) vs. Ricky Rainey (8-3)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Sergio Rios (8-0) vs. Saad Awad (15-6)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Nick Moghaddam (6-7) vs. Ray Sloan (7-0)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (15-13) vs. Joe Pacheco (7-2)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Shawn Bunch (2-1) vs. TBA
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA
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 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, 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 Newport Beach, California. Bellator’s majority owner is 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 TV:
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