Heavyweight Battles continue when Santos faces Burns To Kick off Saturday’s MTV2 & EPIX Event at Bellator 53
Oct 6, 2011 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- When Thiago Santos and Josh Burns step into the
cage this Saturday at Bellator 53, one of the two will secure their
spot as the heavyweight tournament alternate. While Mike Hayes
secured his spot in the heavyweight semifinals with an impressive
victory of Neil Grove, it may have come at a cost as Hayes received
a 60-day medical suspension from the Louisiana State Commission and
may be unable to compete when the tournament resumes at Bellator
56. With Hayes’ ability to continue in question, the fight between
Santos and Burns, which airs LIVE and FREE on MTV2 and in
commercial-free HD on EPIX at 9 p.m. ET from Buffalo Run Casino in
Miami, Oklahoma this Saturday could determine the fight to face
Blagoi Ivanov later this month in the Semifinals of Bellator’s
$100,000 Heavyweight Tournament. The undercard for this event can
be seen streaming LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com
beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for Bellator 53 are on sale now and
can be purchased at Stubwire.com and at the Buffalo Run Box
Office.
Santos, who was originally slated for the Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament this past weekend, encountered visa problems in his native Brazil and was unable to compete in the tournament quarterfinals. The visa issues are now behind the former Brazilian State Jiu-Jitsu Champion and “The Big Monster” is ready for a battle at Bellator 53.
“I just want to fight,” Santos said. “The issues with the visa are
over. I’m here now, and just ready to try to get back into this
tournament and get a shot at the title.”
For Burns, the Detroit native and knockout artist is looking to get back to his winning ways after suffering a tough defeat at the hands of Bellator Heavyweight Semifinalist Eric Prindle at Bellator 40. Burns understands chances like these don’t come around very often, and is ready to make the most out of this unique opportunity.
The Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals will take place at Bellator 56 from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, and will feature Eric Prindle taking on Ron Sparks, with Blagoi Ivanov facing Hayes if he can overcome the current 60-day suspension and continue on the 29th, or the winner of Santos-Burns.
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.
Santos, who was originally slated for the Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament this past weekend, encountered visa problems in his native Brazil and was unable to compete in the tournament quarterfinals. The visa issues are now behind the former Brazilian State Jiu-Jitsu Champion and “The Big Monster” is ready for a battle at Bellator 53.
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For Burns, the Detroit native and knockout artist is looking to get back to his winning ways after suffering a tough defeat at the hands of Bellator Heavyweight Semifinalist Eric Prindle at Bellator 40. Burns understands chances like these don’t come around very often, and is ready to make the most out of this unique opportunity.
“I think I’ve got a lot to prove coming into this fight, and know
this is a huge chance for me to show off what I’m really capable
of,” said Burns. “I’m the first to admit my fight with Prindle was
sloppy, but that wasn’t me. I’m ready for this fight, and I’m going
to show everyone why I should have been in this tournament in the
first place. Thiago has never fought anyone like me, and he really
doesn’t know what he’s in for.”
The Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals will take place at Bellator 56 from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, and will feature Eric Prindle taking on Ron Sparks, with Blagoi Ivanov facing Hayes if he can overcome the current 60-day suspension and continue on the 29th, or the winner of Santos-Burns.
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.
