Hometown Favorite Rad Martinez Returns In Featherweight Action
Newport Beach, Calif. (March 4, 2014) – A “Storm” is coming to Salt Lake as the always dangerous Alexander Shlemenko will put his Middleweight World Title and twelve-fight win streak on the line against Tournament winner Brennan Ward live on Spike TV Friday, March 28th from Utah’s Maverik Center at Bellator 114. The Bellator Featherweight Tournament continues with Desmond Green fighting Will Martinez and Daniel Weichel facing Matte Bessette in the semifinal rounds. The night will also feature the Bellator return of fan favorite and Utah’s own Rad Martinez, who fights Edson Berto in a featherweight battle.
The event will broadcast live at 9 p.m. EST/ 8 p.m. CST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free on Spike.com beginning at 7 p.m. EST/ 6 p.m. CST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com and the Maverik Center Box Office.
Former NCAA wrestling champion and All-American Bubba Jenkins will kick off the Spike.com portion of the night in a fight against Sean Powers. As one of the top MMA prospects in the sport, Jenkins has a 6-1 professional record and will rely on his strong wrestling to get past Powers on March 21st.
Utah’s own Rad Martinez returns to the Bellator cage to face Edson Berto. After being introduced to the world on ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” for his incredibly moving story of being the primary caretaker for his seriously injured father was told, Martinez made his mark in Bellator, compiling a 4-1 record. Now 35, Martinez is aware that time isn’t on his side, and has decided this fight will be the last in his impressive career.
No stranger to the Bellator cage, Travis Marx will face Isaac De Jesus in a featherweight bout. De Jesus will fight one of his toughest opponents yet in Marx, who was has fought in 26 professional fights and was a Season 9 Bantamweight Tournament Finalist.
Known for ending fights quickly, Season 9 Welterweight Tournament Finalist Ron Keslar will fight Jordan Smith. Keslar has five victories by first round finish and is anxious to get back in the cage to end his fight with Smith as fast as possible.
After making his Bellator debut in November, Linton Vassell returns to the Bellator cage to face Trevor Carlson. With only one professional loss, Carlson will put his skills to the test against Vassell who is riding a seven-fight win streak with four wins by first round finish.
At 13-6 Justin Wilcox will face Jason Fischer in a lightweight battle. After making it to the Season 9 Featherweight Finals in his first run through the Toughest Tournament In Sports, Wilcox is ready for a battle with Fischer, who has grabbed all three of his Bellator victories by submission.
Both stepping under the bright lights of Bellator for the first time, Mike Arrant will face Aaron Wilkinson. Known for his strong submission tactics, Wilkinson will look to his ground game to hold off Arrant who has won his previous seven fights and recorded 10 victories by first round finish.
England’s own Gavin Sterritt will round out the preliminary card in a fight against Mike Estus. Entering the cage on a five-fight win streak, Sterritt plans on maintaining his undefeated Bellator record and is ready to put on an exciting fight for the Maverik Center fans.
The full fight card is listed below.
MAIN CARD:
Bellator Middleweight World Title Fight: Brennan Ward (9-1) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (49-7)
Bellator Featherweight Tournament Semifinal: Desmond Green (10-2) vs. Will Martinez (9-2-1)
Bellator Featherweight Tournament Semifinal: Daniel Weichel (32-8) vs. Matt Bessette (13-4)
Bellator Middleweight Tournament Semifinal: Kendall Grove (19-13) vs. Brett Cooper (19-9)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Featherweight Feature Fight: Rad Martinez (14-3) vs. Edson Berto (17-11-1)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Justin Wilcox (13-6) vs. Jason Fischer (6-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-5) vs. Jordan Smith (18-5-1)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Linton Vassell (12-3) vs. Trevor Carlson (7-1)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Gavin Sterritt (5-1) vs. Mike Estus (5-1)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Mike Arrant (13-8)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Bubba Jenkins (6-1) vs. Sean Powers (8-4)
