Bellator’s Season 2 Debut Finalized

Bellator has announced the final pairing for its season two debut on April 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Local firefighter John Kelly will square off with Michael Byrnes Jr., the promotion announced in a press release on Monday. Kelly, a 31-year-old Miami, Fla.,-native, holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 4-0. Byrnes, 19, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., will bring a 1-2 record into the lightweight contest.

“Fighting fires and fighting in a cage are actually very, very similar experiences,” said Kelly in the press release. “When you’re in a dark room and you can’t see anything and its 300 or 400 degrees, every sense that you have is telling you to get out of there. It’s the same thing in the cage. There’s times when it would make a lot of sense just to give up and tap out, but all the training that you go through and dedicate yourself to tells you to keep going.”

Four bouts from Bellator’s season debut will air live on Fox Sports Net. Footage from the event will be televised in weekly-review shows on NBC and Telemundo.

Televised Tournament Fights:
Roger Huerta vs. Chad Hinton
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Bao Quach
Joe Warren vs. John Eric Marriott
Janne Tulirinta vs. Carey Vanier

Prelim Bouts:
Chris Manuel vs. Ralph Acosta
Moyses Gabin vs. Jeff Savoy
Francisco Soares vs. Vagner Rocha
Michael Byrnes Jr. vs. John Kelly