Bellator 85 Headlined By Askren vs. Amoussou Title Bout; ‘King Mo’ Lawal To Debut At Jan. 24 Event

Bellator MMA & WinStar World Casino announced today a 2013 event hosting alliance that will see three of Bellator’s nationally and internationally televised events produced live from Oklahoma’s WinStar World Casino throughout 2013. The exclusive partnership will officially begin on January 24th as Bellator MMA will host a Welterweight World Title fight between reigning and undefeated Bellator World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren and French submission ace Karl “Psycho” Amoussou LIVE on Spike TV.

The night will also feature the long awaited Bellator debut of Oklahoma State’s own MMA star “King Mo” Lawal, who battles the dangerous Przemyslaw Mysiala in a Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal fight.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, WinStar World Casino features nearly 500,000 square feet of gaming floor, a 395-room casino hotel, a sprawling 27-hole golf course and organic Spa Habitat. Casino officials plan to host the Bellator fights inside the 3,400 seat Global Event Center, said Michael McEwan, WinStar World Casino’s assistant general manager.
“We constantly strive to expand our entertainment offerings and national exposure through strategic partnerships,” said McEwan. “We anticipate patrons will be impressed with the level of fights Bellator MMA will bring to WinStar World Casino.”

“WinStar is one of the world’s most prestigious casino resort properties, and when the chance arose to bring Bellator to the Chickasaw Nation, the decision was a very easy one,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With the Bellator Welterweight World Title fight and the debut of King Mo, WinStar World Casino will host a huge night of fights on January 24th.”
Bellator events air live and free Thursday nights on the home for MMA, Spike TV, as well as in Spanish language on mun2.
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
About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 107 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula.

Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of 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 Newport Beach, California.