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Newport Beach, CA. (November 27, 2013 ) – Bellator has once again signed one of the hottest prospects in MMA as former NCAA Champion and 2x All American Darrion Caldwell has signed a long term promotional agreement with Bellator. Only 25, the 3-0 featherweight will be featured throughout 2014 before entering The Toughest Tournament In Sports.

Everything just really fell into place for me to sign with a prestigious organization like Bellator. I’m really embracing this opportunity,” Caldwell said. “During our talks, the tournament format is something I thought about a lot, and that’s what I always grew up with being a Division I wrestler. I’m used to looking at a bracket and seeing my name against another fighter, so I’m absolutely looking forward to my first tournament run.”

“Darrion’s a tremendous addition to our stacked 145 pound division,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Similar to what we’ve done with other top prospects, Darrion will be brought along slowly and given time to develop before facing many of the best featherweights in the world in our tournament. The sky is the limit for Darrion.”

A bona fide superstar during his run at NC State, the former NCAA Wrestling Champion steamrolled through some of the sports best, including Brent Metcalf, Josh Cherulla and current Bellator featherweight Des Green. A severe shoulder dislocation sidelined Caldwell during his senior year, and began to affect Caldwell both physically and mentally. It wasn’t until a 2011 visit to world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews changed the future for the promising Caldwell.

“My shoulder injury really affected my college career, mentally more than anything I just wasn’t there, and it really started to take a toll,” Caldwell said. “I suffered two serious dislocations in my left shoulder, and I knew I had to do something. Once I saw Dr. Andrews, the shoulder is stronger than ever, and to have that off my mind has been a huge weight lifted off of me. I haven’t looked back since.”

Training at Power MMA alongside Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway and Seth Baczynski, Caldwell finds himself in good company. While MMA is still new to the wrestling phenom, “The Wolf” is eager to show his new fans how his game has developed.

“I think after my first fight with Bellator, people are really going to see a well-rounded mixed martial artist, no one is going to say that I’m just another wrestler coming into MMA, that’s just not my game,” Caldwell said. “I only have one goal, and that’s to become Champion. Whether that happens short term or in the future, that is the ultimate goal, and really the only goal. I feel like right now I’m ready to battle with the best of them, but at the same time, I have complete trust in the Bellator team to put me in the best position to succeed, and reach my full potential inside the Bellator cage.

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/BellatorMMA           

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 135 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom.  In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula.  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 Newport Beach, California.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV 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 TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’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.

About mun2

mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34.  From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform.  Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.

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