Bellator’s Canadian Debut Set for July 23

It was touch and go for a while, but it appears that Bellator Fighting Championships will make its Canadian debut on July 23 with Bellator 47.

Sherdog.com on Thursday confirmed the news with sources close to the event. The promotion had made plans weeks ago to make Bellator 47 its first event on Canadian soil, but multiple undisclosed difficulties put that plan in serious doubt. However, Sherdog.com’s sources assert that those problems have been overcome, and the promotion is Canada-bound after all. It remains unknown which province will host the promotion on July 23.

Little is known about the event at this point, other than it will likely be headlined by a featherweight title bout between reigning champion Joe Warren and Season 4 tournament winner Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. The event will be the second effort in the promotion’s “Summer Series” trilogy and will air live on MTV2.

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Vanier Added to Bellator’s Lightweight Draw

Carey Vanier’s participation in the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 4 lightweight tournament on Thursday was made official.

Vanier (Pictured) becomes the second confirmed combatant in the 155-pound draw, joining former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight titleholder “Razor” Rob McCullough.

A semi-finalist in the Season 2 tournament, Vanier fell short in his first attempt to capture the tournament crown, succumbing to a Toby Imada armbar at Bellator 17. Recently, the Greg Jackson product earned a split decision victory over UFC veteran Rich Clementi at Bellator 28 in September.

“My confidence is at an all-time high right now, not because of my recent win over Clementi but because of my training partners and what I've been doing for the last six months. The coach has got me doing some really incredible stuff,” Vanier said in a release. “He’s really opened up my game, and I’m starting to see and approach things differently. I’m really excited to go out there and put all that I’ve learned to the test.”

Vanier, 29, has won eight of his last nine bouts and holds five career wins by knockout. The Minnesota native now looks to capture both the $100,000 payday and the guaranteed shot at lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in Season 4.

“It’s not about money for me anymore; it’s about me having fun and fighting for a living,” said Vanier. “I love being an MMA fighter. I love being in the spotlight. I love people being able to see me doing what I love to do. I could have stuck with being a manager at Best Buy and then went on to college and still provided for my family, but I enjoy fighting and I enjoy competition. At the core, that hunger for competition will always been the biggest motivating force that drives me.”

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Karakhanyan Joins Bellator’s Season 4 Featherweight Draw

Bellator Fighting Championships on Thursday announced the inclusion of Georgi Karakhanyan in its forthcoming Season 4 featherweight tournament.

Karakhanyan (Pictured), a Season 2 semi-finalist, joins Eric Larkin, Kenny Foster and Zac George as confirmed participants in the eight-man draw, the winner of which will receive a title shot against reigning Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Karakhanyan last appeared at Bellator 28 in September, when he earned a unanimous decision over World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Anthony Leone at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans. The 25-year-old operates out of the Millennia Mixed Martial Arts Training Center in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and has rattled off 10 wins in his past 11 outings. Karakhanyan’s lone setback in that span came in a controversial unanimous decision to Warren at Bellator 18.

“I need to take this tournament one fight at a time. I’m trying not to focus on Joe Warren right now. Whoever they put in front of me, that’s who I’m going to focus in on,” Karakhanyan said in a release. “I never underestimate anyone. There are going to be some really dangerous fighters in this tournament, so I’m just going to take things one fight at a time, focus on that person and then go from there.”

Born in Moscow to Armenian parents, Karakhanyan played professional soccer before his current incarnation as a mixed martial artist. He owns notable victories against EliteXC veteran Bao Quach and Affliction alum Albert Rios. His loss to Warren still stings.

“I hate losing. Losing to Joe Warren was a horrible feeling,” Karakhanyan said. “To be able to come back from that and beat three guys on my way to getting revenge against him would be an amazing feeling. That’s my main goal right now.”

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Wallhead Joins Bellator’s Season 4 Welterweight Cast

Team Rough House representative “Judo” Jim Wallhead on Friday became the latest entrant into Bellator Fighting Championships Season 4 welterweight tournament, which will air live on MTV2 beginning in March.

Wallhead (Pictured) joins former Bellator champion Lyman Good, Season 3 finalist Dan Hornbuckle, unbeaten Olympic judoka Rick Hawn, undefeated prospect Chris Lozano and the surging Brent Weedman in the draw. Only two spots remain unfilled. The winner will receive a crack at reigning Bellator titleholder Ben Askren.

“I guarantee people are looking past me heading into this tournament,” Wallhead said in a release. “I’m prepared to surprise all doubters everywhere. I will 100 percent give every guy in this tournament a war, so bring it.”

A well-rounded finisher and one of the top welterweights in Europe, the 25-year-old Englishman has won eight consecutive bouts. Wallhead made his promotional debut at Bellator 32 in October, as he secured a unanimous decision against UFC veteran Ryan Thomas at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. A judo national champion and longtime black belt, Wallhead teams with world-ranked welterweights Dan Hardy and Paul Daley.

“I feel pumped getting ready to enter a tournament as stacked as this one,” Wallhead said. “There are some great fighters in the mix, and it’s wide open for everyone to make a name for themselves. It would be a dream come true to be the last man standing out of these eight talented fighters. What an achievement.”

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