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Striking phenom Bao Quach
to compete in Bellator
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- Bellator Fighting Championships continued to solidify
its much-talked-about featherweight division today with the
announcement that Bao Quach, one of the world’s most devastating
145-lb. strikers, will compete in the promotion’s Season 2
tournament.
The 30-year-old Californian is in the midst of a prolonged power
surge, with wins in 11 of his last 12 fights. Four of those fights
came via KO or TKO in during Round 1.
Accordingly, Quach is regarded as one of MMA’s top strikers — a
reputation that he has continued to build by training under
world-class martial arts coach Colin Oyama, who has also schooled
the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz.
“During the last three years, Bao has established himself as a
fighter with devastating world-class striking abilities. The level
of his striking and kickboxing is at the highest level in MMA,” said
Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With Bao, Georgi, Pitbull
and Will, 145 should be a spectacular tournament.”
Quach is the fourth fighter to join Bellator’s upcoming eight-man
145 lbs. tournament along with 12-1-1 Russian-born Georgi “Insane”
Karakhanyan, 5-0 Canadian fighting prodigy William Romero and 12-0
Brazilian star Patricio Pitbull. Bellator will also conduct
tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. with the winners of this year’s
tournaments being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current
roster of champions.
Quach—whose parents were both born in Vietnam and now are successful
physicians in the U.S.—first took an interest in MMA in his early
20s after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Cal-State
Fullerton. He has gone on to fight in a number of top promotions
including Strikeforce, the WEC, Affliction and EliteXC.
His first five years as a professional produced what he admits were
“uneven results.” He hit a turning point, though, in February 2006
with a hard-fought draw versus top-ranked Japanese featherweight
Hatsu Hioki.
“Nobody thought I had a chance in that fight and, even though it was
a draw, I know that I beat him,” Quach said. “At that point, I said
to myself, “I don’t want to do this half-way anymore.” I realized
that I really had the potential to do something in this sport. So I
really changed my lifestyle and just dedicated myself to my career
and nothing else.”
He has now won 11 of his last 12 fights, bringing his overall career
record to 17-9-1.
“In some ways, Bao’s career path reminds me of Toby Imada’s” Rebney
said. “Once he really started to take the sport seriously, the
results began to speak for themselves. If he maintains this level of
focus, he could be very hard to beat at 145.”
Quach said he was drawn to Bellator for a variety of factors, not
the least of which is what he called “some unfinished business” with
fellow ’45 tournament competitor Karakhanyan. The two were recently
slated to square off before a broken hand left Quach sidelined.
“I hope the two of us get the chance to have that fight after all,”
Quach said. “More importantly, though, I’m looking for a chance to
win a belt. I think that will take my career to the next level.”
While millions around the country will soon have the opportunity to
watch his title pursuit on Fox Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo, Quach
himself is uncertain whether that TV audience will include his
parents.
“My parents, honestly, are not thrilled with the idea that I’m a
professional fighter,” he said. “They wanted me, I think, to be a
doctor or a lawyer. But that’s OK. This is something I truly love
and, sometimes, you have to go your own way and do what’s right for
yourself.”
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional
company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s
founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and
entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and
integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting
Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry
professionals in the areas of live event production, television
production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship
creation/development, international licensing, marketing,
advertising, publicity and commission relations.
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