Oct 25, 2019 | Entertainment, General News, Special Events, Sports
UNCASVILLE, CT (October 25, 2019) — Earlier today, Mohegan Sun honored Bellator MMA with their very own Walk of Fame star outside of the Mohegan Sun Box Office. The event took place prior to the start of Bellator 231 (Mir vs. Nelson), as Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s Sr. VP of Sports & Entertainment, Tom Cantone, presented Bellator President, Scott Coker, with the honor. In accepting the recognition on behalf of Bellator MMA, Coker said, “This is quite an achievement, it’s a milestone for the company, and it all started with Bellator 2 here at Mohegan Sun, and now we’re at Bellator 231& 232. I’ve seen a lot of great fights here and I’m looking forward so many more.”
In introducing Coker, who was joined by MMA legends Royce Gracie & Chael Sonnen, as well as Bellator MMA broadcasters and well-known personalities, Jay Glazer & “Big” John McCarthy, Cantone touched on the impactful 10 year relationship with Bellator in mentioning, “110,000 people later, 20 events later, 500 fights later, we’re here to induct [Bellator MMA]… and It’s the first time that Mohegan Sun has inducted a sports organization, so Bellator has the bragging rights as our first ever sports related Walk of Fame induction!”
Bellator MMA becomes the 34th inductee into the Walk of Fame, where names like Bon Jovi, Kevin Hart, KISS, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and so many more long-time sell-out acts are enshrined outside of the Mohegan Sun Box Office forecourt. Owned by media and entertainment giant Viacom, Bellator MMA has hosted over 20 events at Mohegan Sun Arena since their first show on April 10, 2009 at Bellator 2. In that span, there have been incredible moments along the way, including major title-fights, season premieres and highly anticipated matchups in both the heavyweight and welterweight World Grand Prix tournaments. MMA stars that have fought at Mohegan Sun Arena and for thousands of fans over the years include Michael “Venom” Page, Matt Mitrione, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Alexander Shlemenko, “Pitbull” Freirree, Brett Cooper, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and many more.
Bellator MMA is back in Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow (Saturday, October 26th) with the Welterweight World Title (Bellator 232) between Rory McDonald and Douglas Lima.
Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame awards seek to recognize individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun as the Northeast’s premier entertainment destination. All of the inductees into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame will have their name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently placed at the entrance to Mohegan Sun Arena.
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Oct 16, 2019 | Boxing, Entertainment, Sports
WHAT: Mohegan Sun is proud to announce the newest Arena Walk of Fame inductee, mixed martial arts organization, Bellator MMA. Owned by media and entertainment giant Viacom, Bellator MMA has hosted over 20 events at Mohegan Sun Arena since their first show on April 10, 2009 at Bellator 2. In that span, there have been incredible moments along the way, including monumental title fights, season premieres and highly anticpated matchups in both the heavyweight and welterweight World Grand Prix tournaments. Bellator MMA’s President, Scott Coker, will be presented with the Walk of Fame star outside Mohegan Sun’s Box Office prior to Bellator 231 on the evening of October 25th. Special appearances at this public event will be made by MMA legends Royce Gracie and Chael Sonnen, as well as on-air personalities “Big” John McCarthy and Jay Glazer.
WHEN/ WHERE: Friday, October 25th at 4:00pm; Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office Forecourt
WHO: Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Entertainment: Tom Cantone; Bellator MMA President: Scott Coker
IN DETAIL: Mohegan Sun Arena’s most memorable performers including Bon Jovi, KISS, Rod Stewart, Taylor Swift, Mötley Crüe, Keith Urban and so many more have been honored as Walk of Famers and have stars lining the floor by Mohegan Sun’s Box Office. Bellator MMA returns to Mohegan Sun Arena for massive doubleheader on October 25th & 26th.
Friday: Bellator 231 headlined by Frank Mir and Roy Nelson in an explosive heavyweight rematch; Saturday: Rory Macdonald meets Douglas Lima in the Welterweight World Grand Prix Finals for the world title and one million dollars. This sets the perfect timing to recognize the Bellator MMA organization as the 34th inductee into the Walk of Fame.
The Walk of Fame award recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun as the Northeast’s premier entertainment destination. All of the individuals inducted into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame will have their name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently located at the entrance to Mohegan Sun Arena.
For more information, visit mohegansun.com/entertainment.
*Media and public are invited to attend the induction ceremony.
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently ranked among the top three “Arenas in the World for its Size” and top 15 in the “World for All Size Venues.” The award – winning venue is the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.”
Jan 23, 2015 | Entertainment, General News, Special Events, Sports
“King Mo” Lawal vs. Cheick Kongo replaces Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson and Andre Santos steps in for Douglas Lima to battle Paul Daley at “Bellator: The British Invasion”
UNCASVILLE, CT (January 23, 2015) — Injury has forced the delay of a heavily anticipated matchup between Bobby Lashley (12-2) and James Thompson (20-14) but Bellator MMA officials have announced a blockbuster fight to replace it in Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (14-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (22-9-2). Also Andre Santos (37-9) has stepped in for the injured welterweight champion Douglas Lima (26-5), and will now face the always-dangerous Paul Daley (35-13).
The new contest is scheduled for the televised portion of “Bellator: British Invasion,” which takes place on Friday, February 27th, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The night’s main card airs live on Spike TV, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.
Tickets for “Bellator: British Invasion,” which start at just $25.00, are already on sale at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Additional bouts are expected to be announced shortly.
“We’re disappointed we had to delay these fights between Bobby Lashley and James Thompson, and Douglas Lima and Paul Daley, but I have no doubt that these matchups will be fantastic once they eventually come to fruition,” Bellator MMA CEO Scott Coker said. “Fortunately, we’re able to replace the bouts with equally entertaining contests for our fans.”
“King Mo” Lawal fights for the 10th time for Bellator MMA and has established himself as one of the most recognizable superstars in the sport. A standout wrestler who normally competes at light heavyweight, the former NCAA Division I All-American and Pan American gold medallist has earned 11 of his 14 career MMA wins by knockout, including recent striking stoppages of Joe Vedepo and Dustin Jacoby. The former Bellator MMA tournament winner and Strikeforce light heavyweight world champion now moves up to heavyweight for the first time since 2009 to challenge himself against Kongo.
Kongo, a 6-foot-4 Frenchman, is a former professional kickboxer who boasts black belts in both Karate and Kendo. A multiple-time world champion in kickboxing, Kongo now focuses solely on MMA and has built a 4-1 record under the Bellator MMA banner. Training at Wolfslair MMA Academy in London, Kongo most recently flashed his well-rounded game by scoring a first-round submission over fellow striker Lavar Johnson in a September matchup. Kongo’s lone Bellator loss came in a five-round contest for the Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Championship, in which he went five full rounds with Vitaly Minakov but came up short in a decision result.
Paul Daley is a highly feared and respected veteran with dynamite in both fists, which earned him the nickname “Semtex.” The 31-year-old from Nottingham, England has won an impressive 74% of his 35 victories by way of knockout. Having fought for Scott Coker under the Strikeforce banner, rejoining him at Bellator was a no brainer. Daley took to the Internet to share his feelings on the injury to Lima, stating: “Nervous, Scared??…..I understand, preparing to fight me…. I would be. It’s ok…. guess you get to have a few more photo shoots with the belt…. My focus has shifted, same date, new opponent…. British Invasion at Bellator 134.”
The new opponent his focus has shifted to is Andre “Chatuba” Santos. A veteran of the sport in his own right, the Rio De Janeiro fighter has two more wins than Daley in four less fights. Santos defeated James Terry at Bellator 129, in what was his first fight on American soil. He now has his sights set on Daley, with hopes to win his seventh straight fight.
About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes 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 Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
More information on media credential requests are located here: http://credentials.bzapr.com/credentials/MVS/
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the world by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 and 2010 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” Venues Today also ranked Mohegan Sun Arena #3 in the Nation and #3 in the World for top stops in 2013 and also ranked the Arena in the top six of “Top Stops of The Decade” in 2012. For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
