Boise, ID (3/24/16)—Bellator MMA announced the finalized fight card for “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” at CenturyLink Arena on May 20. In addition to adding two bouts to the event’s main fight card, Bellator also announced the preliminary fight card, which will feature fan-favorites from the Front Street Fights franchise.
Nine fighters with Front Street Fights experience, and four natives of Boise, will step inside the cage at CenturyLink Arena for Bellator 155. Headlining the undercard will be one of Front Street Fights’ most successful and recognizable fighters.
Boise-native Jesse Brock (21-8), a three-time combatant at Front Street Fights, will battle Olly Bradstreet (39-12). Brock has won his last five fights, including all three appearances at Front Street Fights. Brock took down Bendy Casimir at FSF5 in a unanimous decision in his most recent appearance at CenturyLink Arena. Bradstreet has 23 career wins by submission and has won three straight bouts heading into Bellator.
Two of Front Street Fights’ most recent main events will converge when Boise’s Scott “Tickle Fight” Thometz (9-5) fights Josh “El Cabron” Tyler. Thometz will make his first appearance in Boise since his defeat to Steven “Super” Siler at FSF7. Tyler defeated Matt Jones in the main event at FSF8 by unanimous decision. This will be the fourth fight at CenturyLink Arena for Thometz, while Tyler makes his second appearance.
Ricky “The Karate Kid” Steele (5-0), a winner at FSF1 and FSF7, will battle Erick Cronkhite (2-1). Another Boise boy, Steele has gone the distance in all five of his pro fights, winning them all by unanimous decision. That includes wins over Gabe Pelayo at FSF1 and Joaquin Calderon at FSF7. Cronkhite is coming off his first career loss, a February defeat to Andrew Kauppila at KOTC- Explosive.
Another bout for fans to watch for will be Brendon Raftery (4-2) vs. Casey “Wild Style” Johnson (4-0), a fight that was to be a highlight of FSF8 but was cancelled before fight night, due to a training injury suffered by Raftery. Fans will have a second chance to see these fighters square off at Bellator.
Johnson, a native of Middleton, Idaho, still participated in FSF8, defeating Matt Goff via submission in the first round with a Triangle Choke. It was Johnson’s first fight at CenturyLink Arena. Raftery has lost two of his last three fights, both defeats coming at Front Street Fights. Raftery was defeated by unanimous decision at FSF6, falling to Joaquin Calderon. He was also defeated via technical knockout at FSF2 against Joe Hamilton. Raftery is looking for his first win in Boise.
Hamilton (3-0) will be fighting at Bellator as well, looking to continue his success at CenturyLink Arena. All three of Hamilton’s professional victories have come at Front Street Fights, winning at FSF2, FSF4, and most recently at FSF8, a submission victory over Regivaldo Carvalho. Hamilton will face undefeated Tyler “Hulk Hands” Freeland, also 3-0, making his Boise debut.
Vince Morales (3-1) is fighting for the third time at CenturyLink Arena, having lost via submission at FSF6 to Josh Wick but bounced back with a TKO victory over Trey Smith at FSF8. Morales will face Hamilton Ash (3-1), who has won his last three bouts in the first round.
Boise’s Veta Arteaga (1-0) will square off with Jackie Vandenburgh (0-1), with Arteaga looking to build on her victory at FSF8 over Ashley Deen.
Bellator announced two additions to the main fight card, a lightweight bout between Marcin Held (21-4) and Dave Jansen (20-3) and a heavyweight contest pairing Chase Gormley (12-5) versus Joey Beltran (17-12).
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, 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.
CenturyLink Arena is located in the heart of downtown Boise, attached to The Grove Hotel. The 5,000 seat arena is home to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads and the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, as well as the Front Street Fights MMA brand. For tickets to all events, contact the CenturyLink Arena Box Office at (208)331-TIXS or visit centurylinkarenaboise.com.