Bellator Returns to Canada’s Casino Rama November 12th For Bellator 57
Sep 29, 2011 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Bellator Fighting Championships announced today
that the promotion will once again travel north of the border to
Casino Rama in Ontario for Bellator 57 on November 12. The night
will feature the finals of Bellator’s Season 5 Welterweight
Tournament, with the winner earning $100,000 and a guaranteed shot
at the Bellator Welterweight Title. Bellator 57 will also mark the
return of Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila Gurgel as she takes on
Brazilian submission ace Carina Damm in a non-title affair LIVE on
MTV2 and The Score in Canada as well as in commercial-free HD on
EPIX, starting at 7 p.m. ET. The first fight of the night will
begin at 5 p.m. ET and will be streamed free and around the world
LIVE on Spike.com. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and
the Casino Rama Box Office.
Also, husband and wife have a chance of fighting on the same card as Damm, who is married to Bellator Season 5 welterweight Luis “Sapo” Santos, could have a chance of watching her husband vie for the tournament championship that night if Santos gets by Ben Saunders at Bellator 53 on October 8 at Buffalo Run Casino & Resort in Miami, Oklahoma.
“We had a tremendous night of fights at our last event at Casino
Rama, and I’m excited for another magical night on November 12 LIVE
on MTV2, EPIX in HD and The Score in Canada,” said Bellator
Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Two of the top welterweights in the sport will square off to determine who has truly earned a title shot for the Bellator Welterweight Championship. The tournament field currently stands at four, with Saunders taking on Santos and “The Cleveland Assassin” Chris Lozano fighting Douglas Lima at Bellator 53. Two will make it to Bellator 57, and be fighting for $100,000 and the chance to be called “champion.”
“I haven’t fought for a few months, but in my down time I feel like I’ve finally become a real mixed martial arts fighter,” said Gurgel. “It was never a secret that my ground game was lacking and I liked to stay on my feet. That just isn’t the case anymore, and my training has made me a much more complete fighter.”
Both women will have very strong corners as Gurgel is married to former UFC fighter Jorge Gurgel and Damm’s husband is the aforementioned Santos.
With both fighters having live-in coaches, Gurgel admits that having a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in her corner and her home has helped her career immensely.
“Jorge is one of the best coaches in the sport,” said Zoila of her husband. “Mentally and physically, he just gets it, and I listen to him so closely. He’s an amazing individual, and has helped me across the board.”
Damm will have plenty of experience in her corner as well with husband Luis “Sapo” Santos.
“I train with Luis every day, and he has brought my Muay Thai skills to a whole new level,” Damm said. “It’s been a dream to train with Luis, and he has made me a better fighter.”
“She is an amazing fighter,” Santos said. “I would have never dreamed for my wife and I to both be fighting for Bellator, so this really is a great chance for us.”
The night will also see Nova Scotia native Roger “The Hulk” Hollett make his Bellator debut against Ohio’s own John Hawk in a light heavyweight affair. A true finisher, Hollett will be looking to move his win streak to five, and should have the hometown crowd behind him for the explosive matchup.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
About Casino Rama
Operating since July 31, 1996, Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations commercial casino. The Casino offers a complete entertainment experience with over 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gaming tables, 10 unique restaurants, a world-class 5,000 seat Entertainment Centre, and a 300-room all-suite, full-service hotel, featuring spa and health club facilities. Casino Rama is operated by Penn National Gaming, Inc. For more information visit www.casinorama.com, follow us Twitter @CasinoRamaLive or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CasinoRamaResort .
Also, husband and wife have a chance of fighting on the same card as Damm, who is married to Bellator Season 5 welterweight Luis “Sapo” Santos, could have a chance of watching her husband vie for the tournament championship that night if Santos gets by Ben Saunders at Bellator 53 on October 8 at Buffalo Run Casino & Resort in Miami, Oklahoma.
Advertisement
Two of the top welterweights in the sport will square off to determine who has truly earned a title shot for the Bellator Welterweight Championship. The tournament field currently stands at four, with Saunders taking on Santos and “The Cleveland Assassin” Chris Lozano fighting Douglas Lima at Bellator 53. Two will make it to Bellator 57, and be fighting for $100,000 and the chance to be called “champion.”
Gurgel will look to keep her spotless Bellator record intact as
“The Warrior Princess” holds a perfect 5-0 record with Bellator,
including a Championship victory over the previously undefeated
Megumi Fujii. While Gurgel secured the split-decision victory, she
admits she was still a one-dimensional fighter at that point in her
career.
“I haven’t fought for a few months, but in my down time I feel like I’ve finally become a real mixed martial arts fighter,” said Gurgel. “It was never a secret that my ground game was lacking and I liked to stay on my feet. That just isn’t the case anymore, and my training has made me a much more complete fighter.”
Both women will have very strong corners as Gurgel is married to former UFC fighter Jorge Gurgel and Damm’s husband is the aforementioned Santos.
With both fighters having live-in coaches, Gurgel admits that having a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in her corner and her home has helped her career immensely.
“Jorge is one of the best coaches in the sport,” said Zoila of her husband. “Mentally and physically, he just gets it, and I listen to him so closely. He’s an amazing individual, and has helped me across the board.”
Damm will have plenty of experience in her corner as well with husband Luis “Sapo” Santos.
“I train with Luis every day, and he has brought my Muay Thai skills to a whole new level,” Damm said. “It’s been a dream to train with Luis, and he has made me a better fighter.”
“She is an amazing fighter,” Santos said. “I would have never dreamed for my wife and I to both be fighting for Bellator, so this really is a great chance for us.”
The night will also see Nova Scotia native Roger “The Hulk” Hollett make his Bellator debut against Ohio’s own John Hawk in a light heavyweight affair. A true finisher, Hollett will be looking to move his win streak to five, and should have the hometown crowd behind him for the explosive matchup.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
About Casino Rama
Operating since July 31, 1996, Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations commercial casino. The Casino offers a complete entertainment experience with over 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gaming tables, 10 unique restaurants, a world-class 5,000 seat Entertainment Centre, and a 300-room all-suite, full-service hotel, featuring spa and health club facilities. Casino Rama is operated by Penn National Gaming, Inc. For more information visit www.casinorama.com, follow us Twitter @CasinoRamaLive or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CasinoRamaResort .
