Fall season opening event. (article from mmajunkie)
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Season-opener Bellator 99 adds Alexander Shlemenko vs. Doug Marshall title fight</h1>
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by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 20, 2013 at 9:45 am ET</p>
Bellator will kick off its ninth season and conclude its new "Fight Master" reality show on Sept. 7 with Bellator 99, a live event that features a title fight.
Officials today announced a headliner between middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko (47-7 MMA, 8-1 BFC) and recent tournament winner Doug Marshall (18-6 MMA, 4-0 BFC).
Bellator 99 takes place Sept. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. A three-hour main card airs on Spike TV (8 p.m. ET/PT) following prelims on Spike.com (6 p.m. ET).
Bellator 99 takes place on a Saturday, but subsequent Season 9 events move to Fridays, as official recently confirmed.
As announced Wednesday, the event also features former featherweight champion Joe Warren (8-3 MMA, 6-2 BFC) vs. Nick Kirk (10-2 MMA, 0-2 BFC) in the opening round of a bantamweight tournament. The event also features the start of a middleweight tournament.
Shlemenko recently claimed Bellator's vacant title after winning a Season 5 tournament and then knocking out Season 6 tourney winner Maiquel Falcao at Bellator 88. The 29-year-old Russia, who's recently competed for some overseas organizations between Bellator stints, is riding a 10-fight win streak and is 16-1 since late 2009. The lone defeat came in a 2010 Bellator title fight with then-champ Hector Lombard.
Marshall, meanwhile, is a former WEC light-heavyweight champion who won the Season 8 middleweight tourney with knockouts of Andreas Spang and Brett Cooper, as well as a split-decision win over Sultan Aliev. The resurgent 37-year-old has won four straight fights and five of his past six.
Unfortunately he lost against Lombard ( most overrates fighter in a while) so not really sure how good he really is. But he is fun to watch, has wicked body shots and he gives hilarious after fight talks.Plus he is russian.
Unfortunately he lost against Lombard ( most overrates fighter in a while) so not really sure how good he really is. But he is fun to watch, has wicked body shots and he gives hilarious after fight talks.Plus he is russian.
Lombard practically had to lay and prey him. Shlemenko has also improved his wrestling and grappling since then.
Doug is really a good guy. Id say his persona on camera is all an act but it's kind of how he is. However he does a lot for his students and trains his ass off for his fights.
Looking forward to him pulling off the upset! At the least a great fight!
I am rooting hard for Shlemenko, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little worried. Shlemenko took lombards best shots and kept coming, but he has a lot of ring time and its only a matter of time before he is dropped again.
I think Shlemenko will look to pick him apart and tire him out in the first, and then go for the kill in round 2. I was a little shocked how quick he disposed of Falcao though, so who knows.
