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SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (March 30, 2016) – Fans attending “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” on April 22 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. will be able to meet two of the sport’s most popular athletes: Royce Gracie and Wanderlei Silva.
The two legendary Brazilian superstars will be participating in an exclusive meet and greet for ticketholders on the Mohegan Sun Arena concourse beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
The highly anticipated event features the debut of Benson “Smooth” Henderson (23-5), as he challenges welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) for his belt. Former featherweight titlist Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (24-3) meets John “Macapa” Teixeira (19-1-2) in the co-main event while other bouts on the card include Connecticut’s own “Irish” Brennan Ward (13-3) and British striking sensation Michael Page (9-0) fighting Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (20-16) and Jeremie Holloway (7-1) respectively in welterweight attractions.
Tickets for “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” start at just $30 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com and the Mohegan Sun Box Office. The event airs live and free on SPIKE at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. The broadcast will be immediately followed by the groundbreaking, inaugural “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” event.
The name Gracie is synonymous with MMA, and that is largely in part to Royce Gracie, the man who is considered to have invented the sport as we know it today. The winner of the first several UFC events, Gracie would dismantle multiple opponents in a single night, many of whom were much larger than him. For many years there was no answer for the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu technique that he brought into a fight, today, it's hard to find an MMA fighter who hasn't trained in the art of jiu-jitsu. This past February, Gracie defeated Ken Shamrock in a record-shattering fight that was witnessed on Spike by over 3.5 million viewers.
Having first fought in the sport almost twenty years ago, very few men have a more legendary resume than Wanderlei Silva, who was recently signed to a Bellator MMA contract. “The Axe Murderer” is a Pride and UFC veteran, who brings an intimidating and imposing presence with him every time he steps into the cage. Silva hopes of adding to an already-impressive list of wins that include: Guy Mezger, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Ricardo Arona, Kazuyuki Fujita, Michael Bisping, Cung Le, Brian Stann and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (2x).
Complete “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA Welterweight World Title Bout: Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) vs. Benson Henderson (23-5)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Co-Main Event: Patricio Freire (24-3) vs. John Teixeira (19-1-2)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Brennan Ward (13-3) vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (20-16)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Michael Page (9-0) vs. Jeremie Holloway (7-1)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Brent Primus (6-0) vs. Gleristone “Toninho Furia” Santos (27-5)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Chris Honeycutt (6-1) vs. Matt Secor (7-2)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Djamil Chan (11-2) vs. Richard Patishnock (6-3)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Sam Watford (1-0) vs. Dean Hancock (2-0)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Chris Foster (8-4) vs. Felipe Lavandoski (5-0)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jason Bakanowski (3-2) vs. T.J. Hepburn (4-2)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Pete Rogers (2-3) vs. Mike Mangan (0-3)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Zichelle (7-4) vs. Joe Cronin (19-16)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Matt Bessette (17-7) vs. Keith Richardson (14-6)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Tim Caron (3-0) vs. Justin Sumter (0-0)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Blair Tugman (7-6) vs. Jay Perrin (2-1)
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, 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.
