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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Bellator Fighting Championships will officially hold their first ever light heavyweight tournament when season four begins on MTV2 in March of 2011.
The organization on Monday announced plans for the 205 lb. division tournament, and revealed that the search is underway for tournament participants. Per the organization, six of the eight fighters have been signed, though no names were revealed. Announcements on those fighters should come in the coming days.
"We've wanted to add a Light Heavyweight World Championship Tournament since Season 1, but wanted to ensure that when we did it, we had a great group fighting for the title. Now, we do," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney in today's release. "One of the best parts of my job is handing over the Bellator World Title belt to a new champion, and I'll have the pleasure of doing it again this upcoming season."
Rebney told MMATorch last week that season four will also feature welterweight, lightweight and featherweight tournaments. He also confirmed the signing of Daniel Gracie, stating that if they went ahead with the light heavyweight tournament that he would take part in it, making him one of the six signed and confirmed participants.
Penick's Analysis: Bellator is likely to ramp up the announcements on season four as the next month or so unfolds, and we'll get a clearer picture of what to expect with season four as we get closer to March. With live events weekly taking place without preemption, Bellator will be hoping to gain an audience and build on it from week to week, and hopefully they're able to stick by their word and keep their shows looking like they have in the past and not have too much of an influence from the MTV2 team. But with four more tournaments coming in early 2011, it's going to mean more fights and more entertainment for MMA fans in the U.S.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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