Bellator opens season five with stacked feature fights from Caesars Atlantic City Sept. 10 at Bellator 49

CHICAGO, Ill. (August 8, 2011) - Bellator Fighting Championships will kick off its highly anticipated fifth season LIVE on MTV2 September 10th from Caesars Atlantic City. The night will host the four quarterfinal fights in Bellator's Season 5 Welterweight Tournament, as well as a host of feature fights with some of the best talent the Tri-state area has to offer. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at TicketMaster.com and Bellator.com.

In a featherweight affair, Alexandre "Popo" Bezerra takes on Scott Heckman. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under the renowned Roberto Godoi, Bezerra moved to the States to become a trainer at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Known by his teammates and fans simply as "Popo," Bezerra is now 2-0 with Bellator, including first round submission wins at Bellator 46 and Bellator 47. He will look to bolster his record when he faces Scott Heckman. Nicknamed "The Animal," Heckman trains out of Revolution Academy in Bangor, PA and is considered one of the top lighter weight prospects on the East Coast after having won multiple regional titles.

The featherweight action continues as "The Tooth Fairy" Kenny Foster makes his fourth appearance for Bellator, this time taking on TUF veteran and New Jersey native Andy Main. Foster will be looking to get back into the win column after suffering a loss at the hands of Bellator Season Four Featherweight finalist Daniel Straus. For Main, the AMA Fight Club product will be making his Bellator debut and will be looking for a finish in front of the Caesars crowd.

Two Bellator veterans meet as 2010 Bellator Open Tryout winner Giedrius Karavackas will get a chance to build off his Bellator 44 victory with a tough test in LeVon "Da Maynman" Maynard, who made his Bellator debut at Bellator 33 against former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn.

Heavyweights square off when Azunna "Zu" Anyanwu puts his undefeated record on the line against J.A. Dudley, who caught the eye of Bellator brass at the latest open tryout in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Anyanwu trains out of Balance Studios in Philadelphia, PA under Relson Gracie black belts Phil and Ricardo Migliarese. After earning his purple belt in BJJ in just two years, "Zu" decided to pursue a career in professional MMA, and hasn't looked back.

Brylan Van Artsdalen returns to the Bellator cage against Bellator Open Tryout competitor Joel Roberts. Since suffering a loss in his professional debut at Bellator 15, Van Artsdalen has gone a perfect 5-0, defeating all five of his opponents inside the distance. A stand out during Bellator's recent Cherry Hill, New Jersey tryout, Roberts will get his chance to compete within the Bellator cage on September 10th.

"It's great to see the high quality of fighters on our bouts not scheduled for television," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "If you're an MMA fan and coming to the Caesars Atlantic City event, don't come late, because these fights prior to the nationally/internationally televised show should be explosive, featuring some spectacular talent."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.