Rosa vs. Villegas announced as Local Main Event for Bellator 20 in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 21, 2010) — A long-awaited match-up between two of the most exciting and best-known fighters from South Texas—Aaron Rosa and Robert Villegas—has been announced as the Local Main Event for Bellator 20 at San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre.


Promoters have attempted for years to convince Rosa (12-3), a 26-year-old from San Antonio and Villegas (7-2), a 34-year-old from Corpus Christi, to face off in the cage, but Bellator 20 on May 27th marks their first-ever meeting.

Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.

“Promoters from across Texas have been trying to get Aaron Rosa and Robert Villegas to fight each other for years, so it’s a great coup for Bellator that we’ve been able to finally make it happen,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Aaron and Robert are two of the best local fighters in Texas and both are looking to make their mark on the big stage. It’s going to be a great fight.”

The fight is one of four Local Feature Fights scheduled for the evening. Others include:

- Cedric Marks (27-20) of Killeen vs. Andrew Chappelle (7-6) of San Antonio;

- Brian Melancon (3-0) of Houston vs. Adam Schindler (6-1) of San Antonio;

- Humberto DeLeon (5-2) of Houston vs. Jimmy Flick (7-0) of Corpus Christi.

The Rosa-Villegas fight, however, is easily generating the most buzz.


“They’ve been trying to get us to fight for a long time,” Rosa said. “Now that it’s finally going to happen, I can tell you this much: We’re both gonna come out swinging and somebody’s gonna go down. It’s gonna be a great fight in front of my hometown crowd … I want everyone to show up.”

Rosa, a former football standout at Angelo State University in San Angelo, discovered MMA when a teammate showed him Renzo and Royler Gracie’s book, “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Theory Technique.” Since turning pro 4 ½ years ago, he has compiled an overall record of 12-3, with five of those wins coming via TKO.

“I’m a striker,” Rosa said. “I’m gonna go in there and punch him in the face and look for a knockout. That’s what I’m all about.”

Villaegas, for his part, says that he figures on taking Rosa to the ground, using the judo and jiu-jitsu skills that he’s honed over the last nine years at the MMA gym he owns and operates, Xtreme MMA in Corpus Christi. He holds black belts in both disciplines.

“I’m very picky about the fights that I take,” Villegas said. “I have to be inspired by a fight. I’ve had my ups and downs in MMA but this fight and being a part of the Bellator organization is a highlight. It’s gonna be a great show.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com or canadianprofighter.com