State Athletic Commission Announces Mixed Martial Arts Event at Penn State University

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres announced today the State Athletic Commission (SAC) will oversee the debut of Bellator 186 at Penn State University on Nov. 3.

The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center on the PSU campus. Preliminary matches begin at 7 p.m. while the main card will be televised on SPIKE beginning at 9 p.m.

The main event will feature light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader (23-5), defending his title against Linton Vassell (18-5). Bader won the title after beating Harrisburg's Phil Davis in June at Madison Square Garden. Davis and fellow former Penn State wrestler, Ed Ruth, will also compete.

Bellator MMA will crown its first female flyweight champion at the event. Undefeated flyweight Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (6-0) will face Emily Ducote (6-2) in the inaugural 125-pound title fight. It will mark the first time a major U.S. promotion crowns a female champion in that weight class.

"The Department of State is proud of the hard work of the Commission in ensuring the compliance and safety of all its athletes," Torres said.

With over 350 licensed boxers and over 400 licensed professional and amateur mixed martial arts boxers, the State Athletic Commission is among the top 10 commissions in the nation.  The Commission is financially self-sufficient and generated $676,000 in net revenue in 2016, the third highest amount in SAC history.

MEDIA CONTACT:   Wanda Murren, (717) 783-1621

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State