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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (December 9, 2014) - The Spike TV-televised main card for Bellator MMA's first event of 2015, "Bellator: Pitbull vs. Straus," is now complete with the addition of a rematch between light heavyweight sluggers Virgil "Rezdog" Zwicker (12-4-1) and Houston "The Assassin" Alexander (16-10-1), as well as a welterweight showdown between Fernando "The Menifee Maniac" Gonzalez (22-13) and Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis (20-8).
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker announced the new contests on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie Radio.
The two new contests join the previously announced headliner of Bellator MMA Featherweight World Champion Patricio Pitbull vs. former champion Daniel Straus, and co-main event between Bubba Jenkins and Georgi Karakhanyan on the Spike TV-broadcast portion of "Bellator: Pitbull vs. Straus," which takes place Jan. 16 at Pechanga Casino Resort in Temecula, Calif.
Tickets for "Bellator: Pitbull vs. Straus," which start at just $50, are currently on sale at the Pechanga Casino Resort box office or Pechanga.com.
"Our first event of 2015 should be absolutely incredible," Coker said. "We already had two fantastic fights on the lineup, including a world title fight, and now we've added a rematch between Virgil Zwicker and Houston Alexander that features some real intrigue after the incidents from their first meeting, as well as Fernando Gonzalez looking to beat his third-straight high-profile veteran in Marius Zaromskis, who is still one of the most devastating and creative strikers in the sport."
Zwicker and Alexander first met this past October, battling toe-to-toe for 15 grueling minutes. While Alexander's devastating ground-and-pound attack saw him earn both the first and third rounds on the judges' cards, the veteran also landed a pair of clearly illegal headbutts during the course of the fight and was docked a point for the infractions, leading to a majority draw result. Now the two will clash again and look for a clear resolution.
With Zwicker earning nine of his 12 victories with strikes and Alexander boasting 11 knockouts in his 16 career wins, the second meeting between the two veterans could look very different than the first.
An 11-year MMA veteran, the 31-year-old Gonzalez has fought extensively in his native California, including past appearances for Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage. Gonzalez has made an immediate impact on Bellator MMA's welterweight division since coming to the promotion earlier this year, earning victories over noted veterans Karo Parisyan and Karl Amoussou. Gonzalez now looks to put another well-known name on his list of victims.
Zaromskis is a Lithuanian fighter who began his martial arts career by training in Kyokushin karate and muay Thai kickboxing and launched his MMA career in 2000. With notable career wins over the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Jason High, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Nordine Taleb, Zaromskis is a former DREAM welterweight champion who once challenged for the Strikeforce welterweight title, as well. True to his striking roots, Zaromskis has earned 13 of his 20 career wins by knockout.
Additional bouts and details for "Bellator: Pitbull vs. Straus " will be announced shortly.
"Bellator Pitbull vs. Straus": Friday, Jan. 16, Pechanga Casino Resort, Temecula, Calif..
Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Champ Patricio Pitbull (22-2) vs. Daniel Straus (23-5)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Bubba Jenkins (8-1) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (23-4-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Virgil Zwicker (12-4-1) vs. Houston Alexander (16-10-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (22-13) vs. Marius Zaromskis (20-8)
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 Santa Monica, California and owned by 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:
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.
