Tim Carpenter to participate in Bellator season 4 light heavyweight tournament

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 22, 2011) — Fast-rising undefeated prospect Tim Carpenter has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator Fighting Championships to compete in Bellator’s first ever Light Heavyweight Tournament, airing LIVE on MTV2 starting in March.

Carpenter joins Bellator with a perfect 6-0 professional record that includes a hard fought decision victory against dangerous submission specialist Jamal Patterson at Bellator 33 in October. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with 3 submission victories to his credit, Carpenter currently trains out of one of the premier martial arts gyms in Philadelphia, Balance Studios.

Under the tutelage of world renowned trainers Phil and Ricardo Migliarese, Carpenter credits his Philly upbringing with the success he has seen in the world of mixed martial arts.

"The fight scene here in Philadelphia is great," said Carpenter. "It’s really like a family, and it really pushes you to be at your best. I’m always training, and it has turned me into a really well rounded fighter. I’m comfortable on my feet, but also on the ground, and my training here has a lot to do with it."

Carpenter is admittedly anxious to take his skills to the next level in the upcoming Bellator tournament, which promises to be the biggest test in his rapidly developing career.

"When I started looking at Bellator and I saw the list of champions and tournament winners, it’s really impressive," Carpenter said. "You have guys that are at the top of the sport fighting for Bellator, and it’s exciting to get the chance to compete in a tournament like this. Once you hit that championship level at Bellator, you're in there with guys like Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard, Ben Askren, Cole Konrad and Zack Makovsky. It would be an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with those guys."

"Tim was very impressive at Bellator 33, and it was that performance that made us realize that he could be a great addition to our Light Heavyweight tournament," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney."

Carpenter joins D.J. Linderman, Daniel Gracie, Nik "The Machete" Fekete, and Chris Davis as confirmed participants in the upcoming Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament on MTV2.