Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that Jose Vega (8-3 MMA, 1-0 BFC) has been picked up as a participant in the upcoming eight-man bantamweight tournament. Vega, 24 originally fought on a local feature card under the Bellator banner and quickly caught the attention of Bellator scouts. Vega is actually just 2-3 in his past five contests, but Rebney believes the fighter’s inclusion in the tournament is a perfect indicator of Bellator’s overall goal.
“Part of the beauty of Bellator is that a fighter like Jose can come out of virtual obscurity to make a name for himself and will keep fighting for us as long as he keeps winning, Jose definitely has the tools to go far in our bantamweight tournament, and I look forward to watching him compete come August,” Said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Vega’s last performance was an impressive 39-second KO of veteran Jarrod Card on June 17th.
“My dad used to wrap our hands with towels and electric tape – all of us kids – and he would have us fight each other in the middle of the living room with everyone watching,” Vega stated in today’s release. “When my dad was growing up, he used to get beat up a lot by two twins in his neighborhood. Every day after school they would wait for him and beat him up. He didn’t want that to happen to us, so he made sure that we knew how to defend ourselves,” says Vega.
Vega turned pro in 2008 but admits it wasn’t until a few months ago that he teamed up with Team Grindhouse for training in Kansas City.
“I’m more complete now than I’ve ever been before, up until right before my most recent win over Jarrod Card, I had been training myself by watching fight tapes and instructionals. Now I finally have someone watching over me telling me if what I’m doing is right or wrong.”
“I wanted to be a part of this tournament as soon as I heard about it. I wanted to be a part of Bellator. Bellator is coming up fast and I feel like I’m coming up fast too. They gave me this shot and all I want to do is grow with them.”
