· French Submission Specialist Christian M’Pumbu Slated For Bellator Tournament

Press Release:

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 25, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships today confirmed the participation of Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu in the upcoming Season 4 Light Heavyweight tournament which will air LIVE on MTV2 beginning in March.  The African-born submission finisher brings a 15-3-1 record to the tournament with 12 of those victories recorded as finishes, four by TKO or KOs and eight by submission. 

“Christian’s dangerous in every facet of the game and he could use this platform on MTV2 to establish himself as a force in the 205 division,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

M’Pumbu is currently residing and fighting out of Paris, France; however, the 33 year old was born in Kinshasa, Republic of Congo.  His mother donned him “Tonton” at a young age and the nickname stuck.  M’Pumbu developed an appetite for combat sports in his teens when he began training in Kyukushinkai Karate.  The appetite turned to hunger when at 25-years-old M’Pumbu decided to begin his training in mixed martial arts. 

“Tonton” took his first fight in 2004 where he won by KO in just 32 seconds but did not decided to fight professionally until 2006.  Now, five years later, M’Pumbu is ready to take the next step in his career. 

I have wanted to take a step up in competition for some time now. I'm ready for this,” said M’Pumbu. “I truly believe that I will be the Bellator World Light Heavyweight Champion. I'm excited about the future. Hard work always pays off”

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. 

About MTV2

MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.