CHICAGO, Ill. – As the Bellator Fighting Championships has begun to reach the semi-final rounds of their second season tournaments, the promotion, at the same time, is preparing for season three, which officially begins on Aug. 12.
On Wednesday, Bellator announced the signing of EliteXC and Icon Sport veteran Mark Oshiro (12-2). One of Hawaii’s top MMA prospects, Oshiro, along with Danny Tims (9-2-1), is currently the second confirmed competitor in Bellator’s Season Three Bantamweight Tournament.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney spoke about Oshiro’s addition to the tournament roster:
“Mark Oshiro is a great fighter for our upcoming 135 lbs. tournament. He is a very talented striker who also has a great ground game. I look forward to seeing him fight in our tournament beginning in August.”
Rebney is not just blowing smoke. Oshiro is very well-rounded, finishing five fights by knockout, six by submission, and only going to decision one time in 12 victories.
And like virtually all fighters from Hawaii, Oshiro takes great pride in representing the islands:
“There’s a lot of great fighters here – especially a lot of great stand-up fighters. We just don’t have the same exposure as the mainland fighters. I see Bellator as a great new organization that’s really starting to get a lot of great fighters and a lot of attention. I look forward to growing together with them.”
In Oshiro’s “other life” he is a submarine electrician in the Pearl Harbor shipyard, hired as a civilian contractor by the government.
Bellator 17 takes place tonight, Thursday, May 6, at the Wang Theatre in Boston, Mass. The event features the continuation of season two’s lightweight tournament with semi-final match-ups between Roger Huerta and Pat Curran and Toby Imada vs. Carey Vanier. Also, Eddie Alvarez and Josh Neer will go at it in a super fight match-up.
ProMMAnow.com will provide live results and play-by-play commentary during tonight’s even beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT.