Bellator announces Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Brackets which begins January 31 on SPIKE

The tournament field is set as Bellator MMA has announced today the final tournament pairings in the Season 8 Lightweight Bracket. Emanating from Michigan’s Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort on January 24^th, submission ace Ricardo Tirloni will battle the undefeated Will Brooks in the quarterfinals of the Bellator MMA Lightweight Tournament live on Spike.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at StarTickets.com, Bellator.com and The Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Box Office. Tickets are priced from $20-$65. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST.

Brooks joins Bellator fresh of a brutal knockout of longtime MMA veteran Satoru Kitaoka, who holds notable victories over Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, and Takanori Gomi. Currently splitting time between his Chicago home and American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Brooks has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career, and is counting the days until January 24^th.

“I’m just really excited about this opportunity, the whole idea of a tournament really gets me going, and I just love it, and it’s why I wanted to come to Bellator,” Brooks said. “This is what it’s all about, and I’m ready to go out and get it. Fighting on Spike is dream, this organization is on the rise, and I can’t wait to be a part of it. When I have millions of people watching, that’s when I step up my game, and it’s exactly what you will see on January 24^th.”

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Tirloni, the chance to get back into another tournament is all the 29 year old could ask for after suffering a close split-decision loss at the hands of Dave Jansen.  Training under the tutelage under Luta Livre black belt Marcelo Brigadeiro, Tirloni is primed for another long tournament run.

With Tirloni vs. Brooks set, the field is now complete as Lloyd Woodard will battle David Rickels, while Thiago Michel will take on Tiger Sarnavskiy, and Patricky Pitbull battles Guillaume DeLorenzi.

“With the latest additions of Will Brooks and Ricardo Tirloni, this Lightweight Tournament is just a stacked collection of true finishers, and I expect another huge night inside Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort.”