Bellator 62: Quarterfinals of lightweight tournament set for Laredo, Texas

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 2, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships returns to The Lone Star State on Friday, March 23^rd for Bellator 62 live from Laredo, Texas at the Laredo Energy Arena. The night features the quarterfinals of Bellator’s $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament, as well a host of Texas’ top MMA talent. 

Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Laredo Energy Arena Box Office. Tickets are priced from $22-$120. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. 

“Laredo has been on our radar for three years now and I’ve always believed that it could be a spectacular location for a large-scale, nationally and internationally televised Bellator event,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “When Oscar Enriquez and his team at Ultimate MMA approached me about bringing Bellator live on MTV2 to Laredo, he had all of the right pieces in place and he made the decision an easy one.  This lightweight field is so loaded with talent and world class competitors that this event should be explosive from start to finish.”  

Coming off an explosive knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino at Bellator 59, Patricky Pitbull (@PatrickyPitbull) is back and looking to start his ascent toward a title shot with a quarterfinal matchup against fan-favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (@mmacupcake). Patricky has produced a number of incredible Bellator “YouTube Moments” and has his sights set on adding another highlight to his collection.

Former U.S. Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn (@RickHawnmma) is making the drop to lightweight and meets the dangerous Ricardo Tirloni (@Tirlonimma). Hawn compiled an impressive 11-1 record as a welterweight, but is confident the drop in weight will make him even more dangerous.

“I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament,” Hawn said. “Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run in my last welterweight tournament, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage over everyone else.”

Also making the drop to lightweight is longtime Bellator veteran Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman). Always looking for a finish, “Weedman Nation” will be on full display as he battles Bellator newcomer J.J. Ambrose (@SuperJJAmbrose).

“I’ve already tested myself with a lightweight weight cut and I felt great,” Weedman said. “Over the last year, I’ve felt a little undersized as a welterweight, so I think lightweight is going to be a great spot for me. I’m excited to show off my new skills, and this tournament is stacked, so we’re going to put on a show this season.”

Rounding out an absolutely loaded tournament class, Rene “The Brazilian Bomber” Nazare (@Nazaremma) will square off with top prospect Thiago Michel. A product of Team Bombsquad, Nazare always has his eye on delivering the knockout, and nothing will change on March 23^rd. 

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator