Georgi Karakhanyan, Wilson Reis return for Bellator's season-four 145-pound tourney

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22074/georgi-karakhanyan-wilson-reis-return-for-bellators-season-four-145-pound-tourney.mma

by John Morgan

Bellator Fighting Championships veterans Georgi Karakhanyan and Wilson Reis will each return to the promotion for the company's forthcoming season-four featherweight tournament.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with sources close to both fighters that each has officially signed on for the upcoming bracket, which will determine the first challenger to current champion Joe Warren's title.

An official announcement from the organization is expected shortly.

Karakhanyan (14-2-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) debuted for the promotion in its season-two 145-pound tourney. The Russian-born former professional soccer player made an immediate splash with a first-round knockout of Bao Quach in the tournament's quarterfinal, but he was ousted in the next round via decision by eventual tournament winner Warren.

Karakhanyan returned for a non-tournament bout in Bellator's third season and earned a unanimous decision over one-time WEC veteran Anthony Leone.

Meanwhile, Reis (11-2 MMA, 3-2 BFC) makes his third attempt at capturing a Bellator tournament title.

The first and only bantamweight champion of the now-defunct EliteXC promotion, Reis was defeated in the semifinals of Bellator's debut tournament by eventual bracket winner Joe Soto, who was crowned Bellator's first-ever featherweight champion. Reis returned in season two but was again handed a decision loss in the semifinals by Patricio "Pitbull" Freire.

Reis returned in season three and earned a split-decision win over WEC and IFL veteran Deividas Taurosevicius in a non-tournament affair.

While Bellator has yet to officially announce any 145-pound fighters for its upcoming tournament, Karakhanyan and Reis join Nazareno Malegarie as contestants confirmed for the bracket by MMAjunkie.com.

Bellator's fourth season, which is also expected to feature tournaments in the lightweight, welterweight and light heavyweight divisions, kicks-off in March and airs on MTV2.