When Bellator Fighting Championships makes its first trip of the season to Atlantic City, it brings with it a loaded fight card including a Bantamweight Title Fight headlined by Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Zach Makovsky and challenger Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas, as well as a Season 6 Featherweight Tournament semifinal bout and the last two quarterfinal fights in the Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament. Also, a stacked preliminary card is official and is loaded with the best talent from the East Coast and Midwest. Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office. Tickets are priced from $50-$150.
The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.
The night will feature the return of former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good as he takes on the always dangerous LeVon Maynard in a welterweight matchup. Good returns for the first time since dropping a decision to Season 6 Bellator Tournament semifinalist Rick Hawn and is looking to get back to the form that saw him win 10 consecutive fights to start his career. Maynard, a three-time Bellator veteran, is looking to score the biggest win of his career when he meets “Cyborg” on April 13.
The hits keep coming as Philadelphia’s Will Martinez takes on Andy Main in a featherweight contest. Main, a New Jersey hometown favorite, is coming off a huge win over Bellator veteran Bobby Reardanz, while Martinez will be looking to extend his winning streak to three.
Bellator open tryout winner Ailton Barbosa will look to get back in the winning column when he faces off against MMA veteran Kris McCray in a welterweight contest that is sure to produce fireworks at Boardwalk Hall. Barbosa, a submission specialist, will be fighting for the third time under the Bellator banner while McCray, who owns a two-fight winning streak, will be fighting for the first time since a decision win last November.
Undefeated two-time Bellator veteran E.J. Brooks returns to action to face the experienced Mikhail Malyutin in a lightweight bout. Brooks, who defeated Greg Scott and William DeSouza at Bellator 53 and 56 respectively, looks to keep his momentum going against Malyutin, who is one of the most respected fighters to come out of Russia.
Newark native Plinio Cruz steps into the Bellator cage for the first time as he battles Bellator veteran Duane Bastress in middleweight action. Bastress fights for the first time since an impressive stoppage of Daniel Gracie at Boardwalk Hall in October of last year.
Also, two-time Bellator fighter Lester Caslow from nearby Point Pleasant will be back in the cage as he takes on Scott “The Animal” Heckman in a featherweight contest in front of an electric New Jersey crowd.
The card rounds out as Fan-favorite Bellator veteran Kenny Foster will face off against Jay Haas in a featherweight match up. Coming off a hard fought loss to Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra in March, Foster will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Haas in front of the New Jersey faithful.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator