CHICAGO, Ill. (February 18, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships put yet
another piece in place for its upcoming Season 2 featherweight tournament
today with the signing of 5-2 Shad Lierley, a former International Fight
League (IFL) standout and elite-level college wrestler.
The 29-year-old Lierley-who was a top college wrestler while earning his
bachelor’s degree in economics and political science at New York
University-is perhaps best-known for his legendary 2007 fight against
one-time IFL poster boy Chris Horodecki. Despite his wrestling background
(and the fact that he was fighting at 155 lbs.), Lierley stood toe-to-toe
with Horodecki for three full rounds, delivering one of the most dramatic
and action-packed fights in the IFL’s short history.
“Shad Lierley has been part of some great fights. If you ever want to see an
awesome highlight reel watch his fight with Chris Horodecki, which Shad took
at 155 even though he’s a legit 145 fighter,” said Bellator founder and CEO
Bjorn Rebney. “He is another solid addition to our featherweight
tournament.”
Leirley is the seventh featherweight to be announced as a participant in the
eight-man tournament along with Georgi Karakhanyan, Joe Warren, Patricio
Pitbull, Bao Quach, William Romero and Wilson Reis. Bellator will also
conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. with the winners in each
division being declared No. 1 contenders to the current Bellator champions.
Each of Bellator’s 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports
Net, NBC and Telemundo.
Lierley was born in Utah but moved at a young age to Alaska with his parents
and eight siblings. He was a four-time state wrestling finalist and was
named as Alaska’s Wrestler of the Year during his senior year, earning him
an invitation to continue his career at NYU. There, he became one of the
best wrestlers in the school’s history and held the No. 1 national ranking
during his sophomore year.
After graduating, Lierley considered a wide variety of career paths, but
found himself being drawn toward professional fighting. In 2006, a wrestling
buddy encouraged him to try out for the IFL and he earned a spot in that
organization.
“When I started college, I never planned to get involved in MMA, but it’s
what I fell into and I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “There are a lot of
well-educated people who have a lot of options in front of them and they
choose fighting. It’s a great sport and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
As a professional, Lierley is a perfect 5-0 when fighting at 145, with his
only two losses (against Horodecki and eventual IFL Featherweight Champion
Wagnney Fabiano) coming at 155. His most recent win came during Bellator IX
last May in Monroe, La.
“I found out then that Bellator is just an awesome organization,” Lierley
said. “They’re doing some great things in MMA and the talent they’ve been
recruiting is just phenomenal. There’s going to be a lot of fireworks come
springtime and I think I’m going to be a part of that. I wouldn’t have
signed if I didn’t think I could win this tournament.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com <http://bellator.com/> , follow
Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Bellator.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company
with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn
Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional
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,
television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship
creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising,
publicity and commission relations.
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