A new bout has been signed for Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen on January 21st, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, as the promotion announced Ralek Gracie will be making his Bellator MMA debut against Hisaki Kato. Also announced earlier this week, former Invicta FC title contender Colleen Schneider will be making her Bellator debut and is expected to be competing January 21st in Inglewood, CA at the Forum.
A member of the legendary Gracie Family, Ralek Gracie (MMA Record: 3-0) looks to keep his perfect record for his first Mixed Martial Arts bout since May 29th, 2010 competing at DREAM 14 in Yokohama, Japan where he defeated Kazushi Sakuraba. In 2012, Gracie founded Metamoris, a promotion that holds Submission-Only Grappling events in the Southern California area. Gracie competed at the last Metamoris event, Metamoris 7 on July 17th, 2016 where he was defeated by Garry Tonon. Gracie has also come under fire in recent months for allegedly not paying people who competed for Metamoris. More information about Ralek, Metamoris, and a statement from his brothers Ryron & Rener Gracie can be read on FloGrappling.com.
For Hisaki Kato (MMA Record: 7-2), he will look to continue an impressive 2016. Kato, who made his Bellator MMA debut on June 26, 2015 after knocking out kickboxing star Joe Schilling, has won his previous two fights against Yuta Watanabe at RIZIN FF 1 on April 17th, 2016 in Nagoya, Japan, and A.J. Matthews at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016 in Memphis, TN. Kato also defeated Schilling in a rematch of their MMA bout under kickboxing Rules at Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis on June 24th, 2016.
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In addition to Gracie vs. Kato, Bellator MMA recently announced the signing of Women’s MMA standout Colleen Schneider, who is expected to make her debut on the January 21st, 2017 card. Schneider (MMA Record: 10-7) has won four out of her last five fights, which include bouts in Pancrase, and in Invicta FC where she was a contender for the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. No opponent has been announced for Schneider’s debut bout. In addition to Schneider, UFC veteran Kevin Casey (MMA Record: 9-5-1) is also expected to be making his Bellator MMA debut.
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Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen is set to take place on January 21st, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, CA and will air live on Spike TV, with prelims airing on Spike.com featuring the Bellator MMA debut of Chael Sonnen taking on Tito Ortiz. Stay tuned to SoCalUncensored.com for updates on this event.
