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UK Phenom Michael “Venom†Page Battles “The Sniper†Ricky Rainy on Bellator Pay-Per-View Saturday, May 17th
Newport Beach, Calif. (April 18, 2014) – Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view will start off with a bang Saturday, May 17th as Michael “Venom†Page makes his US Television debut in the Bellator cage versus Rickey “The Sniper†Rainey in a welterweight feature fight. The two explosive strikers will be the first fight featured on the pay-per-view, followed by Will Brooks vs. Nate Jolly, Alexander Shlemenko vs. Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson vs. King Mo, and Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler, all from The Landers Center, located just outside of Memphis.
Tickets for the event are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com and The Landers Center Box Office.
Widely known in the UK as one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport, former kickboxing champion Michael Page brings his skills stateside looking to remain undefeated and collect the biggest win of his young career.
Rainey opened eyes with Bellator fans with his dominating April KO over Andy Murad that earned the North Carolina native a well-deserved first round victory. Always looking to push the pace during fights, Rainey looks to engage Page from the opening bell, and to create fireworks to kick off the pay-per-view portion of the fight card.
“After seeing the performance that Ricky put on at Bellator 116, the decision was a no brainer to get him back into our cage as quickly as possible,†Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Michael Page is one of the most explosive fighters this sport has, and to be able to put both these guys in the cage together is magic. I couldn’t think of a better fight to put on to kick off our pay-per-view than these two explosive, tall, long Welters that throw bombs.â€
Bellator Pay-Per-View Fight Card:
Bellator Lightweight World Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez (25-3) vs. Michael Chandler (12-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Rampage Jackson (34-11) vs. King Mo (12-3)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Fight: Alexander Shlemenko (50-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-11-1)
Bellator Lightweight Fight: Will Brooks (13-1) vs. Nate Jolly (13-5)
Bellator Welterweight Fight: Rickey Rainey (7-2) vs. Michael Page (5-0)
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA
About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 140 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 175 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula. 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.
About Spike TV:
Spike TV 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 TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV'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.
