Thirty-year-old Bellator season two welterweight tournament finalist Dan Hornbuckle has been named as the first official participant for Bellator Fighting Championships’ season four welterweight tournament which features a grand prize of $100,000 and a shot at 170-pound champion Ben Askren for the title.
Askren was the one who defeated Hornbuckle (22-3) in the season two finals in June 2010. Hornbuckle spoke about having the opportunity to face Askren again if he were to win the tournament,
“The fact that Ben Askren is going to be there waiting for me after I win this tournament keeps me motivated. It keeps me waking up every morning hungry. There’s never a loss that is taken easily, so I definitely want to get back in there, win this tournament, and avenge that loss. My sights are definitely still set on obtaining that Bellator gold, but the way that this tournament is shaping up, I can’t look past my next fight for a second. This is going to be the toughest welterweight tournament that you will ever see in MMA.”
Twenty of Hornbuckle’s 22 wins have come via stoppage, nine by knockout, 11 by submission. His most recent fight was a unanimous decision win over Brad Blackburn at Bellator 25 in Aug. 2010. The win secured him a place in the season four tournament.
Hornbuckle was originally scheduled to fight Ryo Chonan at the “SRC: Soul of Fight” event on Dec. 30 in Japan but was forced to withdraw due to a bout with the flu.
A total of eight participants, whose names will be released in the near future, will compete in the Bellator tournament. Season four will begin in March and will air live on MTV2. Stay close to ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) for updates.