Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney (Photo by Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images)

Bellator Fighting Championships will make their 2013 debut on Spike TV on Thursday, Jan. 17, and the broadcast will feature two title fights, the company announced on Tuesday.

Lightweight champion Mike Chandler will defend his title against Season 6 tournament winner Rick Hawn, and Pat Curran will defend his featherweight belt against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire on the Spike TV debut. The event will take place at The University of California, Irvine’s Bren Center in Irvine, Calif.

The company also announced that their second broadcast will be Jan. 24, which will feature welterweight champion Ben Askren defending his title against Karl Amoussou. Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal will also be on the second event, but an opponent is yet to be determined. Lawal will have specials dedicated to him airing between the first and second Bellator broadcasts on the network.

Bellator will air events every Thursday for 12 straight weeks, officials said, and broadcasts will start at 10 p.m. ET. Viewers on the West Coast with a dish can watch the fights live at 7 p.m. PT, but cable subscribers will have to wait for a tape delay at 10 p.m. PT.

Five tournaments will take place during the upcoming season, including those in the 145-, 155-, 170-, 185- and 205-pound weight classes. Fighters such as Lawal, UFC veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli will be in the 205-pound tournament, while Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima will be in the 170-pound bracket. Others will be added in the near future.

Bellator’s biggest competitor, the UFC, has long presented itself as a Pay-Per-View company. Bellator, however, has made their reputation through cable networks, most recently with MTV2 and next year with Spike — a network that used to host UFC Fight Night cards. When asked, company CEO Bjorn Rebney said there are no immediate plans for a Bellator Pay-Per-View.

Officials said the company is currently casting for its first fight-based reality show, but plans for its debut are still being worked out.

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Gregor Gracie no IFC em Recife. Foto: Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.com

O faixa-preta Gregor Gracie vinha embalado com quatro vitórias seguidas no MMA. Porém no último sábado, dia 23 de junho, o lutador de Jiu-Jitsu treinado pelo primo Renzo foi superado pelo local Adam Kayoom, por decisão unânime dos jurados, na quarta edição do ONE FC, em Kuala Lumpur, na Malásia. O GRACIEMAG.com bateu um papo rápido com a fera, que explicou o mau resultado.

Como foi a guerra no One FC?

Foi uma guerra, mas não fiquei feliz com o meu rendimento. Treinei bastante, mas sei que errei em algumas partes, fiquei bem triste com o resultado, mas isso só vai me motivar para treinar mais e voltar melhor na próxima luta. Acho que basicamente me faltou experiência, mas faz parte, foi melhor isso ter acontecido agora. Ainda estou aprendendo muito com esse esporte, e ainda vou lutar muito na vida.

Houve algum momento crucial na luta que decidiu o resultado?

O momento que mudou a luta foi no primeiro round, ao meu ver. Eu estava nas costas dele batendo, e o juiz quase parou a luta umas três vezes. Eu acreditei que podia acabar com o cara ali, então não guardei energia, gastei tudo ali para tentar acabar a luta. Como não consegui e a luta não acabou, a partir dali eu não fui mais o mesmo, cansei e não consegui me recuperar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlQ6BBgBRs

Já conversou com os produtores sobre os próximos eventos? Algum convite para lutar de novo?

A produção do evento foi ótima, o One FC está crescendo muito e os eventos estão cada vez melhores. No dia seguinte da luta eu sentei com o pessoal do evento e conversei com eles, pedi para lutar no próximo evento, que vai acontecer no final de agosto em Manila, nas Filipinas. Ainda não tenho adversário, mas já voltei aos treinos e espero poder fazer uma boa luta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5CiTWOyV_M

One FC 4
Kuala Lumpur, Malásia
23 de junho de 2012

Renato Babalu Sobral finalizou Tatsuya Mizuno com um armlock no R1
Zorobabel Moreira venceu Roger Huerta por KO no R2
Leandro Brodinho venceu Masakazu Imanari por decisão unânime
Adam Shahir Kayoom venceu Gregor Gracie por decisão unânime
Eric Kelly venceu Bae Young Kwon por decisão unânime
Arnaud Lepont finalizou Brian Choi com um mata-leão no R3
Mitch Chilson finalizou A.J. Vaa com um mata-leão no R1
Marcos Escobar pegou Rodrigo Praxedes no estrangulamento de mão no R3
Peter Davis venceu Kim Hock Quek por KO no R1

Gregor Gracie at IFC in Recife, Brazil / Photo: Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.com

Gregor Gracie was riding a four-fight winning streak in MMA. But that roll came to an end last Saturday, June 23, when the Jiu-Jitsu fighter trained by his cousin Renzo was overcome by hometown boy Adam Kayoom via unanimous decision at the fourth installment of One FC, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. GRACIEMAG.com had a quick chat with the black belt, who explained the setback.

HOW DID YOUR BATTLE AT ONE FC GO?

It was a war but I’m not happy with my performance. I trained a lot but know I messed up on some things. I was really bummed out by the result, but it just motivates me to train even more and be even better in my next fight. I feel I basically lacked experience, but that comes with the territory; it’s best that it happened now. I’m still learning a lot in this sport, and I still have a lot of fights ahead of me.

WAS THERE SOME CRUCIAL MOMENT IN THE FIGHT THAT DETERMINED THE OUTCOME?

The way I see it, the turnaround came in the first round. I was on his back hitting him, and the ref stopped the fight three times. I feel I could have finished him there so I didn’t save any energy; I used it all up trying to end the fight. Seeing as I didn’t and the fight didn’t end, I wasn’t the same after that; I wore out and couldn’t recover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlQ6BBgBRs

HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH THE PROMOTERS ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS? WILL YOU BE GETTING ANOTHER FIGHT?

The production was awesome. One FC is growing by leaps and bounds and just keeps getting better and better. The day after the fight, I sat down with the promoters to talk. I asked them to fight in the next event, which will be in August in Manila, in the Philippines. I don’t have an opponent yet, but I’m already back at training and hope to have a good fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5CiTWOyV_M

One FC 4
Kuala Lumpur, Malásia
23 de junho de 2012

Renato Babalu Sobral submitted Tatsuya Mizuno via armbar in R1
Zorobabel Moreira defeated Roger Huerta via KO in R2
Leandro Brodinho defeated Masakazu Imanari via unanimous decision
Adam Shahir Kayoom defeated Gregor Gracie via unanimous decision
Eric Kelly defeated Bae Young Kwon via unanimous decision
Arnaud Lepont submitted Brian Choi via rear-naked choke in R3
Mitch Chilson submitted A.J. Vaa via rear-naked choke in R1
Marcos Escobar submitted Rodrigo Praxedes via arm-triangle in R3
Peter Davis defeated Kim Hock Quek via KO in R1

Renato Babalu in photo by Esther Lin/Strikeforce

The One FC promotion held its fourth event this Saturday, June 23, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and there was no lack of excitement or Jiu-Jitsu. The black belt Renato Babalu was quick on the trigger and needed just 31 seconds to take out Tatsuya Mizuno via armbar in the evening’s main event.

A black belt from the family with the most tradition in the martial arts world, Gregor Gracie couldn’t get his ground game working for him and ended up dropping a unanimous decision to local fighter Adam Shahir Kayoom.

Of the other Brazilians in the event, Zorobabel Moreira, a Roberto Gordo black belt, knocked out former UFC star Roger Huerta in the second round, while Leandro Brodinho took a unanimous decision over Masakazu Imanari. Now Marcos Escobar tapped out Rodrigo Praxedes via choke in the third round. Check out the complete results:

One FC 4
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
June 23, 2012

Renato “Babalu” Sobral subbed Tatsuya Mizuno via armbar in R1
Zorobabel Moreira defeated Roger Huerta via KO in R2
Leandro Brodinho defeated Masakazu Imanari via unanimous decision
Adam Shahir Kayoom defeated Gregor Gracie via unanimous decision
Eric Kelly defeated Bae Young Kwon via unanimous decision
Arnaud Lepont subbed Brian Choi via rear-naked choke in R3
Mitch Chilson subbed A.J. Vaa via rear-naked choke in R1
Marcos Escobar subbed Rodrigo Praxedes via choke in R3
Peter Davis defeated Kim Hock Quek via KO in R1

Renato Babalu, em foto de Esther Lin/Strikeforce.

O One FC realizou sua quarta edição neste sábado, 23 de junho, em Kuala Lumpur, na Malásia, e não faltou emoção e Jiu-Jitsu. Por lá, o faixa-preta Renato Babalu foi rápido no gatilho e só precisou de 31 segundos para finalizar Tatsuya Mizuno com um armlock na luta principal da noite.

Faixa-preta da família mais tradicional das lutas, Gregor Gracie não conseguiu prevalecer no chão e acabou derrotado pelo local Adam Shahir Kayoom, por decisão unânime dos jurados.

Outros brasileiros disputaram o evento. Zorobabel Moreira, faixa-preta de Roberto Gordo, nocauteou o ex- UFC Roger Huerta no segundo round, enquanto Leandro Brodinho venceu Masakazu Imanari por decisão unânime dos jurados. Já Marcos Escobar finalizou Rodrigo Praxedes com um estrangulamento de mão no terceiro assalto. Confira os resultados completos:

One FC 4
Kuala Lumpur, Malásia
23 de junho de 2012

Renato Babalu Sobral finalizou Tatsuya Mizuno com um armlock no R1
Zorobabel Moreira venceu Roger Huerta por KO no R2
Leandro Brodinho venceu Masakazu Imanari por decisão unânime
Adam Shahir Kayoom venceu Gregor Gracie por decisão unânime
Eric Kelly venceu Bae Young Kwon por decisão unânime
Arnaud Lepont finalizou Brian Choi com um mata-leão no R3
Mitch Chilson finalizou A.J. Vaa com um mata-leão no R1
Marcos Escobar pegou Rodrigo Praxedes no estrangulamento de mão no R3
Peter Davis venceu Kim Hock Quek por KO no R1

Rafael Gordinho in photo by Gustavo Aragão

Our GMA in Singapore, Rafael “Gordinho” Correa is a black belt World Champion, instructor and in charge of the course curriculum of the Renzo Gracie BJJ Program at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts in Singapore, where he is leader and head coach of the official Evolve Fight Team (http://evolve-mma.com/.)

With 25 years of experience in Jiu-Jitsu, Gordinho won the 1998 World Championship in the black belt division and the Brazilian Nationals five times.

Before Evolve, Gordinho also trained, helped, and coached a number of professional MMA fighters in the UFC and the IFL, such as Renzo Gracie, Georges St Pierre, Roger Gracie, Rolles Gracie, Igor Gracie, Gregor Gracie, Renato Babalu Sobral, Andre Gusmao, Ricardo Almeida, Matt Serra and many others.

Rafael has taught for many years in Brazil and the US. He was the most senior black belt instructor as well as program director (after Renzo Gracie) at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York, which is the one of the world largest schools with over 1,200 students at a single location.

Check out the Gordinho seminar in Sydney. Don’t miss it.