Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the exclusive signing of undefeated mixed martial artist Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock, who will compete in Bellator’s welterweight (170 lb.) division.
McClintock, 21, of the heralded Arizona Combat Sports gym in Tempe, Ariz., has a professional record of 6-0 and has been identified by several top MMA publications as one of the sport’s future stars.
Sherdog.com called him “the next big thing to come out of Arizona Combat Sports,” which has produced such elite MMA talents as Jamie Varner, Ryan Bader and Joe Riggs. BloodyElbow.com, meanwhile, said that McClintock “definitely has the makings to become a future champion in any of the larger organizations.”
McClintock is one of several new fighters to sign with Bellator since the promotion’s announcement in October of its historic new TV distribution alliance with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Bellator Season 2 begins April 8, 2010 and will run for 12 weeks. Bellator Season 3 will follow, beginning Aug. 12, 2010, and will also run for 12 successive weeks.
“Jacob’s ability, coupled with his exciting and aggressive style, falls right in line with what we are looking for at Bellator,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Last season, Joe Soto and Lyman Good went from anonymity to become world champions. Jacob has the tools to do the same. With his addition, welterweight is shaping up to be a great division for our Season 2 tournament.”
McClintock got his start in combat sports at the age of 13, when he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He now holds the rank of second-degree brown belt.
He made his professional MMA debut in 2007 while still only a teenager. Each of his six fights have been stopped before the end of Round 1, either by TKO or submission. That impressive record helped spawn his nickname, “Tick-Tock,” which was coined by an Arizona Combat Sports teammate who concluded that, with McClintock, “it’s only a matter of time” before he wins his bout.
“Signing with Bellator is truly a dream come true for me,” McClintock said. “MMA is definitely something that I was put on this earth to do, so I just want to take advantage of this opportunity as much as I can. I like to fight for the crowds, so I’m definitely going to go in there and put it all on the line.”
He said that his new association with Bellator is an opportunity to create “a stable career in MMA” that will allow him to provide for his girlfriend and newborn daughter, Madison.
McClintock’s signing comes on the heels of Wednesday’s announcement that former U.S. Olympic wrestler Ben Askren had inked a multi-fight contract with Bellator. Like McClintock, Askren is part of a deep 170 lbs. division that also includes the promotion’s welterweight champion, Lyman Good.
Each of Bellator’s 24 events during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.
Bellator burst onto the MMA scene in April 2009 with its groundbreaking single-elimination tournament format and quickly established itself as one of the sport’s most exciting promotions, crowning champions in four weight divisions.
For more information, please visit Bellator.com.