CHICAGO’S ARAGON BALLROOM HOSTS BELLATOR MMA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS

CHICAGO’S ARAGON BALLROOM HOSTS BELLATOR MMA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS

Bellator Welterweight World Championship Finalists to be Decided at Windy
City Landmark

Los Angeles, Calif. – Apr. 27, 2009 – Bellator Fighting Championships
continues its 12 week nationwide world championship series with its seventh
event taking place at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on May 15, 2009.  The
Chicago event will send two warriors to the finals of Bellator’s
Welterweight (170 lbs.) world championships.   

Returning from his stunning come-from-behind victory against formerly
undefeated Norman Paraisy, former UFC Champion Dave Menne will continue his
fight to capture the Bellator Fighting Championships Welterweight world
championship title against the Dominican Republic’s pride Omar De La Cruz.
And continuing his undefeated assault, phenomenon Lyman Good will clash with
Mexican powerhouse Jorge “The Naked Man” Ortiz for a chance to compete for
the Bellator World Title in June.  All the action will happen live at the
Aragon Ballroom Friday, May 15, 2009 and air exclusively on ESPN Deportes on
Saturday May 16, 2009.

Bellator VII will award the winning Welterweight warriors with $50,000 each
as they move one step closer to the Bellator Welterweight world
championships belt and the $100,000 grand prize. 

“This Chicago event will be spectacular.  We have two single elimination
Welterweight world title tournament semi-final bouts, and a collection of
very evenly matched special feature fights,” remarked Bellator Fighting
Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney.  “In the Bellator World Championship
tournament, fighters control their own destiny; they decide who makes it to
the world title bout and how much they earn, it’s a magical combination of
ability, skill, drive and passion that fuels the fighters in this series.”

Bellator VII on Friday May 15, 2009 will feature two tournament bouts in the
Welterweight category and seven undercard matches.  Tickets go on sale today
at 7pm, Monday Apr. 27, 2009 and are available at the Aragon Ballroom Box
Office, Aragon.com, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800.745.3000. Ticket
prices will range from $25 to $100.  The fight card is detailed below:

Welterweight World Championship Semi-Final Tournament Bouts:

170 lbs. – Dave Menne (43-15-2) vs. Omar De La Cruz (4-1)

170 lbs. – Jorge Ortiz (16-4) vs. Lyman Good (8-0)

Non-Tournament Bouts:

155 lbs. – Troy Gerhart (4-0) vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo (5-1)

HW  – Eddie Sanchez (8-3) vs. Jay White (4-5)

155 lbs. – Alonzo Martinez (22-13-1) vs. Victor Meza (9-1)

170 lbs. – Jesse Juarez (9-5) vs. Marcelo Alfaya (10-5)

170 lbs. – Anthony Lapsley (14-4) vs. Ryan Williams (7-4)

170 lbs. – Jacob Volkman (8-0) vs. Kevin Knabjian (10-3-1)

135 lbs. – Kerry Vera (Pro debut) vs. Leslie Smith (4-0)

For more information about Bellator Fighting Championships, visit
www.bellator.com <http://www.bellator.com/> . For the Spanish language
version of the website, visit  <http://espanol.bellator.com/>
Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more
about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company
with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago.  Bellator’s founders, Bjorn Rebney
and Brad Epstein, are experienced fighting sports and entertainment
professionals with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the
sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive
team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event
production (including Rob Beiner, winner of 12 Emmy awards for sports
programming), fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship
creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising,
publicity and commission relations.