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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 17, 2015) – Bellator MMA is pleased to announce the signing of featherweight, Justin “The American Kid†Lawrence (7-2), to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.
Born and raised in Missouri, Justin has been engrossed in combat sports from a young age, training in kickboxing as early as six-years-old. Lawrence ultimately parlayed this into over 150 wins on the amateur kickboxing circuit and also earned the distinction of being a two-time St. Louis' Golden Gloves boxing tournament champion.
Lawrence made his professional MMA debut in 2010 for Strikeforce and also went on to win under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner, a spectacular 19-second head kick knockout of John Cofer.
Most recently, the 24-year-old has impressed in Resurrection Fighting Alliance, winning three consecutive bouts, including an April 10th first-round technical knockout victory over Sam Toomer that earned him the promotion’s 145-pound title.
A member of Alliance MMA in San Diego, Calif., where he trains alongside Bellator stars like Phil Davis and Michael Chandler, “The American Kid†joins the promotion’s featherweight division, which is currently upheld by champion Patricio “Pitbull†Freire.
“Its been a big week for Bellator, with Gleristone Santos, Phil Davis and now Justin Lawrence joining the ranks,†said Bellator President Scott Coker. “We remain committed to not just signing proven stars, but also recruiting top prospects from regional promotions, evidenced by our recent signing of RFA featherweight champion and top young up and coming fighter Justin Lawrence. I said it before and I will continue to say it, we will build them from ground up and hit it from the top down.
Bellator’s featherweight division is packed with stars like Champion Patricio “Pitbull,†Georgi Karakhanyan, Daniel Straus, Pat Curran, Goiti Yamauchi and Julio Cesar Neves.
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.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
