CHICAGO, Ill. (August 18, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the official main card fights for Bellator 26 which is taking place at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, MO. on Aug. 26th , marking the third appearance at the venue this year. In an opening round Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament fight, Mike “300” Hayes (12-3-1) takes on Russian submission specialist Alexey Oleinik.
Oleinik, a Judo black belt, is not only one of the most respected fighters in Russia, but also one of the most dangerous heavyweight submission fighters in the sport. Oleinik brings a phenomenal 27-5-1 record to the tournament with 23 of those 27 victories coming via submission.
This will be Hayes’ second appearance under the Bellator banner; he was victorious at Bellator 21 where he garnered a unanimous decision victory over Steve Banks.
Also on the card, longtime rivals Jose Vega and Danny Tims will square off in an overdue rubber match with an opening round Bellator Season 3 Bantamweight World Championship Tournament fight.
In Women’s Tournament action, undefeated Aisling Daly (9-0), the best female mixed martial artist in Ireland and the world’s No. 3-ranked 125 lbs. female fighter will take on dangerous veteran submission artist Lisa Ward (12-5).
The Fox Sports Net event will also feature an exciting Special Feature Fight between Season 2 Welterweight Tournament semi-finalist Steve Carl and hard-hitting UFC vet Rory Markham.
“The Kansas City Power & Light District has proven to be a consistently entertaining venue for us. I am glad that we’re able to bring yet another spectacular event to this great venue,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.
Tickets for the event – which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net along with action-packed highlight shows that will air on NBC Saturday nights – are on sale now at ticketmaster.com