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The Midwest is known for great fighters and great fight fans,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “To be hosting an event of this magnitude in our backyard is like Christmas morning; plus you get to see Chicagoland’s own, rising superstar Pat Curran vie for the World Title against one of the toughest fighters in all of MMA – Joe Warren. As a diehard MMA fan, I can’t wait for March 9th to get here at Horseshoe.”

For Bjorn Rebney and the rest of the MMA community, March 9 has arrived.  Starting at 6:00 pm CT Bellator will showcase 10 professional bouts at The Venue in Horseshoe Casino.  Local star Pat Curran (from Crystal Lake, IL) will take on the current Featherweight Champion Joe Warren.

“Everything is falling into place right now,” Curran said. “My hometown is really close to where I’m fighting and I know I’ll have the support of my family and friends. This is something that is meant to be.”  Even though Curran admits he will have the “home-cage advantage” on March 9, the 24-year-old Crystal Lake native knows the challenge that is right in front of him.  “Even though he’s coming off a loss, he’s a very dangerous opponent,” Curran said of Warren. “He is a very strong wrestler who’s going to try to close the distance and work the clinch against me. I’m looking forward to a great fight.”

Other Illinois fighters you will see in tonight's program is Mike Corey (Crystal Lake), Shamar Bailey (Chicago), Bobby Reardanz (Bourbanais), and Corey Galloway (also from Crystal Lake).  In fact half of the fights you will see tonight will have a superstar from Illinois competing.  As Bjorn said, "The Midwest is known for great fighters and great fight fans."

As a local MMA fan, Cory Galloway vs Jake Nauracy is the match I am waiting to see.  Both fighters are making their Debut into the Professional Circuit, and both have plenty of experience from amateur fights.  Cory Galloway as an amateur is 4-1 with all of his fights coming out of XFO.  Jake Nauracy as an amateur is 8-0 with his fights coming from Total Fight Challenge and Cutthroat MMA.  We have been to all three of these organization's events, and it is amazing to see two local fighters that we have followed through their amateur careers make it to the Bellator stage as a debut fight.

Here is the lineup for tonight's Bellator 60:

Featherweight (Spike.com)
Genair Da Silva (11-4) vs Bobby Reardanz (8-10)
Catchweight (165) (Spike.com)
Shamar Bailey (13-5) vs Josh Shockley (8-1)
Catchweight (280) (Spike.com)
Richard White (18-12) vs Sean McCorkle (13-2)
Catchweight (215) (Spike.com)
Travis Wiuff (65-14) vs Anthony Gomez (8-1)
Bantamweight (Spike.com)
Coy Galloway (Debut) vs Jake Nauracy (Debut)
Featherweight Quarterfinal (Spike.com)
Ronnie Mann (21-4-1) vs Mike Corey (11-2)
Featherweight Quarterfinal (MTV2)
Kennny Foster (9-5) vs Alexandre Bezerra (12-1)
Featherweight Quarterfinal (MTV2)
Jeremy Spoon (12-0) vs Daniel Straus (17-4)
Featherweight Quarterfinal (MTV2)
Roberto Vargas (12-1) vs Marlon Sandro (20-3)
Featherweight Championship (MTV2)
Pat Curran (16-4) vs Joe Warren (7-2)

Fights start at 6:00 pm CT
Live Broadcast starts at 7:00 pm CT

Tickets for Bellator 60 are still on sale now and are available at The Horseshoe Casino, Ticketmaster, www.thevenue-chicago.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are priced from $42-$107.

Also, be sure to check back with us at www.mmaniacs.net and www.chi-townMMAniacs.com for all your MMA needs!