CHICAGO, Ill. (August 20, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships confirmed today that Chris “The Maverick” Cisneros will replace an injured Rick Hawn in Bellator’s upcoming Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. Hawn suffered a knee injury during a training session, and will be unable to compete in the September 10th Welterweight Quarterfinals airing LIVE on MTV2. Cisneros will replace Hawn, and face UFC veteran Ben Saunders in opening round action.
Cisneros joins Bellator with an impressive 11-3 record, including a current five fight win streak. A former kickboxer and skilled striker, “The Maverick” has had a tremendous amount of success within the Hawaiian MMA circuit and is looking forward to showing off his skills under the Bellator banner.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I’m looking to make some noise in this tournament,” Cisneros said. “It’s always a tough thing to see another fighter go down because of injury, but it happened, and now I have a chance to fight for an unbelievable promotion like Bellator.”
“Rick had a tremendous run for us in our Season 4 Welterweight Tournament, and was really looking forward to seeing him back in this tournament,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Unfortunately Rick suffered an injury that will keep him out for a few months, and I expect him back with Bellator in short order. I know Chris is going to come into this tournament hungry, and his fight with Ben should be a great one on September 10th LIVE on MTV2.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
