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Grove vs. Konrad Heavyweight World Championship set
for Bellator 32
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- Bellator Fighting Championships will crown its first
Heavyweight Champion when powerful striker Neil “Goliath” Grove
meets 2-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Cole
“The Polar Bear” Konrad for Bellator’s World Heavyweight Title at
Bellator 32 at the Kansas City Power & Light District on October
14th.
“This fight pits a world-class striker against a world-class
wrestler. Both Neil and Cole have been completely dominant in the
quarter and semi-final rounds, so whoever wins this fight has earned
this title without any questions,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO
Bjorn Rebney.
The Championship fight will be televised LIVE nationwide on FOX
Sports Net - featuring two fighters at the top of their games, each
taking very different routes to the finals.
The 6’5” 265 lbs. U.K-based Grove paved his way to the finals with
two devastating first round stoppage victories. In quarterfinal
action Grove made quick work of hard-hitting Eddie Sanchez, TKO'ing
the UFC veteran in just 92 seconds. His dominance continued at
Bellator 29 where “Goliath” needed a mere 45 seconds to secure his
spot in the Bellator Heavyweight Finals, dispatching of highly
touted Russian Alexey Oleinik with a brutal TKO. Each of Grove’s 10
victories has come via TKO or KO; he will look to continue that
streak on October 14th against an undefeated Konrad.
“I’m just excited to get to the finals,” said Grove. “Everyone knows
I’m a striker, but I haven’t really had to show off my wrestling
skills. They’re certainly going to be on display against Cole, and
I’m ready to show people what I can do.”
Konrad, a protégé and training partner of reigning UFC Heavyweight
Champ Brock Lesnar, will be looking to keep his undefeated record
intact on his way to becoming Bellator Heavyweight Champion. After
recording back-to-back unanimous decision victories over Spanish
submission artist Rogent Lloret and the previously undefeated Polish
sensation Damian Grabowski, Konrad plans on decisively finishing
Grove.
“It’s going to end early,” said Konrad. “Neil is a big guy, and when
he starts to wear down, I’m going to make my move and the end the
fight by submission.”
Konrad also has no qualms about trading with Grove.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” said Konrad. “Everyone knows I’ll
be looking for the takedown, but my standup game has been steadily
improving, and I feel like I can control the fight no matter the
situation.”
Tickets for the event - which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide
on FOX Sports Net along with action-packed highlight shows that will
air on NBC Saturday nights - are on sale now at ticketmaster.com
For more information, visit Bellator.com; follow Bellator on Twitter
@BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional
company headquartered in 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. |
