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Veteran knockout artist Benji "The Razor" Radach returns to the cage to face Ben Reiter at "Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove"
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (May 7, 2015) – One of MMA's hardest-hitting pioneers will return to action for the first time since 2010, as Benji "The Razor" Radach (21-6) has agreed to replace an injured A.J. Matthews (7-3) in a middleweight preliminary fight against Ben "The Hunter" Reiter (15-0-1).
The new addition again finalizes a full nine-bout preliminary card scheduled in support of four main-card contests at "Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove."
The night's featured matchups include undefeated Bellator MMA World Middleweight Champion Brandon "Bull" Halsey (8-0) against towering Hawaiian scrapper Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (21-14), former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike "The Marine" Richman (18-5), welterweights Fernando "The Menifee Maniac" Gonzalez (23-13) vs. "Curtious" Curtis Millander (7-1) and bantamweights Darrion "The Wolf" Caldwell (6-0) vs. Rafael "Morcego" Silva (22-4).
"Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove" takes place on Friday, May 15, at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The night's main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT local time), while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.
Tickets for "Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove," which start at just $50, are currently on sale at Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office.
Doors for "Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove" open at 4 p.m. PT local time, and the first contest takes place 45 minutes later.
Fighting professionally since 2001, Radach fought for many of MMA's biggest promotions, including Strikeforce, EliteXC, the International Fight League and the UFC. Seventeen of Radach's 21 career wins have come by knockout, and he makes no secret of his intentions when he enters the cage. Boasting past clashed with MMA notables such as Brian Foster, Gerald Harris, Matt Horwich, Chris Leben, Gustavo Machado, Murilo "Ninja" Rua and Scott Smith, among others, Radach put his fighting career on hold in 2010, as he addressed a variety of nagging injuries. Now fully recovered, Radach looks to make a successful return to action.
Radach now meets a top undefeated prospect and former UPenn wrestling star Reiter, who fights for the second time under the Bellator MMA banner after spending much of his early career in Peru.
"Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove" – Friday, May 15, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Calif.
Main Card (9 p.m. ET)
Bellator Middleweight Title Fight: Champ Brandon Halsey (8-0) vs. Kendall Grove (21-14)
Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Eduardo Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike Richman (18-5)
Bellator Featured Welterweight Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (23-13) vs. Curtis Millender (7-1)
Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Darrion Caldwell (6-0) vs. Rafael Silva (22-4)
Preliminary Card (7:45 p.m. ET)
Bellator Middleweight Prelim Fight: Benji Radach (21-6) vs. Ben Reiter (14-0)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Virgil Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (12-4)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Joe Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio Duarte (18-5)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Jordan Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-0)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky Rainey (10-3)
Dark Bouts (approx. 11 p.m. ET)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: John Yoo (0-0) vs. Albert Morales (1-0)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Shawn Bunch (3-1) vs. Rolando Perez (7-4)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Steve Kozola (5-0) vs. Ian Butler (1-1)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: A.J. Jenkins (17-5) vs. Arlene Blencowe (5-4)
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 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 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:
Spike 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's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike'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.
