Bellator's season five middleweight tournament kicks off on Sept. 17 in Florida

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator Fighting Championships still has one more event left in their summer series on MTV2, but season five is just around the corner, and they've now finalized the middleweight tournament for the upcoming 12-week season.

The four quarterfinal bouts are set, and all will take place on Sept. 17 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Florida.

Two finalists from previous tournaments will square off in the opening round, as season one finalist Jared Hess takes on season two finalist Bryan Baker. The other semifinals on the card feature Alexander Shlemenko vs. Zelg Galesic, Vitor Vianna vs. Sam Alvey and Brian Rogers vs. Victor O?Donnell.

"Our 185 pound division is filled with an awe-inspiring group of fighters who have great talent," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney in an official release from the organization. "Baker's story of battling back from leukemia is inspiring and Hess' come back after a devastating knee injury is an incredible story. Vianna is one of the most talked about prospects in the middleweight division, Shlemenko's one of the divisions most explosive strikers and Alvey showed tremendous heart at Bellator 45. Rogers and O'Donell should be an incredibly exciting fight, then you add Zelg, one of Europe's top Middleweight strikers to the list and this should be a hugely entertaining tournament."

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_10024.shtml

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