Hale, M’Pumbu Aim to Become Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Straus, Pitbull Look To Capture Season 4 Featherweight Crown At Bellator 45 LIVE on MTV2
CHICAGO, Ill. (May 19, 2011) — Bellator 45 will feature two championship fights, with submission specialist Richard “Rare Breed” Hale taking on the heavy-handed Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu for the first ever Bellator Light Heavyweight Title. And, featherweights Daniel Straus and Patricio Pitbull battle for the Season 4 Bellator Featherweight Tournament Championship and the right to face the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on The Planet” and current Bellator Featherweight World Champion Joe Warren later this year.
Hale’s journey began at Bellator 38, where he locked up fellow Light Heavyweight Nik Fekete in an incredible inverted triangle (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/dGZg89) for the victory. Hale then moved onto Bellator 42 for a hard fought battle with D.J. “Da Protégé” Linderman, which resulted in a well deserved split decision victory for the fast rising Hale. Now ready for his Championship fight, Hale is counting down the hours to Saturday’s title fight.
“I want to just annihilate Christian M’Pumbu in this fight,” said Hale. “Not only do I want to establish myself as a champion in this fight, I want to make everyone think, ‘Wow, this guy isn’t playing around.’ I’m coming into this 100% ready for the title fight. I’m right on the money with my weight right now. I’m sitting perfect. I couldn’t feel any better right now.”
For Patricio Pitbull, the Brazilian human highlight reel (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/gZBfPW) will enter his fight with Straus focused on not only the task at hand, but also getting a rematch against reigning Bellator champ Joe Warren, who handed Patricio the only loss of his young career at Bellator 23 in an incredibly close split decision.
“The fact that Joe Warren is waiting for me after I defeat Daniel Straus gives me even more motivation to win this fight,” said Patricio. “I’m looking forward to having my revenge. However, I know I have a tough fight in front of me, so I’m thinking about Straus first.”
While the explosive Straus knows he is seen as the underdog entering the finals, he isn’t concerned with any preconceived notions fans may have.
“I like coming into fights as the underdog,” said Straus. “I’m always fighting for respect, but for me it’s not about what other people think. It’s all in my head. It’s all about what I believe and think. I know what I can do. If others don’t believe in me, that just gives me more motivation to go out there and prove them all wrong. I just have to work my butt off to show everyone that I am a great fighter, and that I’m here for a reason.”
Bellator 45 will be broadcast LIVE on MTV2 Saturday, May 21st from L’Auberge Du Lac Casino and Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
