Bellator MMA Stars 'Rize' to the Occasion During Rizin Fighting Federation's New Year's Eve Show
Jan 4, 2016 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- TOKYO - Muhammed
Lawal (19-4) secured three victories in as many days, winning
the 2015 RIZIN FF World Grand-Prix at the promotion's inaugural
event.
In the tournament final, Lawal dispatched Jiri Prochazka (16-3-1) from his senses at 5:09 of the first round. Prochazka, a tall heavyweight from the Czech Republic was very active on his feet throwing kick after kick, but Lawal managed his distance wisely and placed a perfectly timed right hand onto the jaw of his opponent, knocking him out cold.
Earlier in the night, Lawal defeated Lithuania's Teodoras
Aukstuolis (8-3) by unanimous decision. He also finished
England's Brett
McDermott (5-3) with a knockout victory two days prior, during
the opening round of the eight-man tournament.
Bellator MMA welterweight star Brennan Ward (13-3) moved up to 185 lbs. to face Japan's Ken Hasegawa (10-1-1), a fighter who has also competed fought at different weight classes in the past. During the first frame, Ward connected several times, dropping Hasegawa on multiple occasions. In round two, Ward displayed his dominant wrestling ability to gain position and sink in a rear-naked choke. "That dude was heavy, man," Ward exclaimed. "He couldn't keep me down, though. I busted him in his jaw twice and knocked him on his a—, but he was tough." Heading into 2016, Ward will move back to 170 lbs. and continue his hunt for Andrey Koreshkov's Bellator MMA Welterweight title.
The legendary Russian heavyweight was dominant from the start and electrified the New Year's Eve crowd with a brutal ground and pound attack ending with a TKO at 3:03 of the first round.
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
In the tournament final, Lawal dispatched Jiri Prochazka (16-3-1) from his senses at 5:09 of the first round. Prochazka, a tall heavyweight from the Czech Republic was very active on his feet throwing kick after kick, but Lawal managed his distance wisely and placed a perfectly timed right hand onto the jaw of his opponent, knocking him out cold.
Advertisement
Bellator MMA welterweight star Brennan Ward (13-3) moved up to 185 lbs. to face Japan's Ken Hasegawa (10-1-1), a fighter who has also competed fought at different weight classes in the past. During the first frame, Ward connected several times, dropping Hasegawa on multiple occasions. In round two, Ward displayed his dominant wrestling ability to gain position and sink in a rear-naked choke. "That dude was heavy, man," Ward exclaimed. "He couldn't keep me down, though. I busted him in his jaw twice and knocked him on his a—, but he was tough." Heading into 2016, Ward will move back to 170 lbs. and continue his hunt for Andrey Koreshkov's Bellator MMA Welterweight title.
"The Last Emperor" Fedor
Emelianenko (35-4-1) made a triumphant return to the sport of
MMA with an impressive first round victory over former K-1 champ
Jaideep
Singh (2-1) in front of a raucous crowd at the Saitama Super
Arena in Tokyo.
The legendary Russian heavyweight was dominant from the start and electrified the New Year's Eve crowd with a brutal ground and pound attack ending with a TKO at 3:03 of the first round.
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
Related Articles
