Las Vegas – UFC® today announced a five-year extension of its partnership with Cleveland Clinic, and its support of the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study. The multi-year commitment and one million dollar contribution to the clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas where the study is conducted, makes UFC the largest combat sport contributor to the study.

“Research and awareness are key in setting new standards for athlete health and safety,” UFC Chief Operating Officer Ike Lawrence Epstein said. “UFC is always looking for opportunities to invest in industry-leading health and wellness programs and providing resources to develop its athletes inside and outside the Octagon.”
“We have learned quite a bit in the first four years of the study about how repetitive head trauma affects the brain and how we can detect accumulating injury,” Charles Bernick, M.D., Associate Medical Director at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and principal investigator of the study said. “The involvement of the fighting community and organizations like UFC will only help us better understand the field and protect our athletes. Their support has helped sustain the infrastructure of this very large study and will allow us to follow the participants over longer periods of time and develop ways to improve safety in combat sports, along with others exposed to repetitive head trauma.”

Established in 2011, the Professional Fighters Brain Health study is focused on developing methods to detect the earliest and most subtle signs of brain injury in athletes exposed to head trauma, as well as determining which individuals may be more likely to develop chronic neurological disorders. Now in its fifth year, researchers are confident the findings will benefit the safety and health of professional fighters as well as those exposed to repetitive head trauma in other sports and activities.

UFC’s commitment to aid in the funding of the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study is provided in conjunction with other leading combat sports organizations. These funds will help provide the necessary support to continue the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study at Cleveland Clinic, with future plans to publish and advocate about the importance of this research to the sport.

To date, the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study has enrolled nearly 600 active and retired athletes. Participation is voluntary, and fighters in the study receive free, ongoing assessments of their brain health and function, including MRI scans. Individual tests will be repeated annually for a minimum of four years.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals, more than 90 northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 18 full-service family health centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2014, there were 5.9 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 152,500 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and 147 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

About Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health provides state-of-the-art care for cognitive disorders and for the family members of those who suffer from them. The physicians and staff at the Center for Brain Health continuously work towards the development of early diagnosis and the advancement of knowledge concerning mild cognitive disorders, which could one day delay or prevent their onset. Patients receive expert diagnosis and treatment at the Center for Brain Health, which offers a multidisciplinary patient-focused approach to diagnosis and treatment, promoting collaboration across all care providers, offering patients a complete continuum of care and infusing education and research into all that it does. The facility, designed by Frank Gehry, houses clinical space, a diagnostic center, neuroimaging rooms, physician offices, laboratories devoted to clinical research and the Keep Memory Alive Event Center. For more information, visit clevelandclinic.org/brainhealth.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 4, 2015) – The main card of “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” on March 4 is coming together with today’s addition of Goiti Yamauchi (19-2), who will meet Bubba Jenkins (10-2) in featherweight action, with both men hoping to keep their current winning streaks intact.
Tickets for “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” are on sale now and start at just $45. You can purchase tickets at the WinStar World Casino and Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, with the first contest taking place one hour later.

“Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” airs live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.. Additional preliminary bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Yamauchi comes into the fight riding a wave of momentum he’s caught after wins against Mike Richman, Martin Stapleton, and Isao Kobayashi. The 23-year-old Japanese fighter has only lost once in six appearances under the Bellator MMA banner and has notched 15 of his 19 wins as a professional by way of submission.

It’s hard to ignore Jenkins inside or outside the Bellator MMA cage, being that “The Highlight Kid” also doubles as a podcast host during his free time. The Arizona State alum notched two straight wins to cap off 2015, most recently, an impressive offensive display against a promising prospect in Jordan Parsons.

Updated “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” Fight Card:

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Main Event: Joe Warren (13-4) vs. Darrion Caldwell (8-0)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Michael Page (9-0) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (24-13)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (19-2) vs. Bubba Jenkins (10-2)

About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

06 February 2016 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to Jakarta with ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS. Set to take place on 20 February at the Istora Senayan, the card features an international main event headlined by welterweights Luis “Sapo” Santos and Rafael “The Machine” Silva. In the local main event, Dutch mixed martial arts veteran Vincent “Magnivincent” Latoel takes on the hard-hitting Kotetsu “No Face” Boku of Japan, while in the Indonesia Warrior Bout, Mario Satya Wirawan of Bogor, Indonesia will square off against countryman Yohan Mulia Legowo.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “Jakarta will always be one of our favorite destinations because of its energy and passion for mixed martial arts. ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS is set to bring out the best in our local and international ONE Superstars, and we’re excited to give fans another evening of electrifying mixed martial arts action.”

Luis “Sapo” Santos is a mixed martial arts veteran from Brazil with over 70 professional fights on his record, and over half of his wins ending by either TKO or KO. With a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a penchant for spectacular finishes, Santos made a successful ONE debut with a highlight-reel knockout of Bakhtiyar Abbasov. Known for his aggressiveness and brute strength, Santos looks to wreak havoc inside the ONE cage. He’s set to take on the tough Rafael Silva in his next bout.

Rafael “The Machine” Silva of Portugal has a wealth of experience competing in different promotions over almost 15 years of professional competition. Silva has amassed 40 wins and just 15 losses against some of the toughest opponents. He now goes up against one of the strongest welterweights in the division, putting his grappling skills to the test against the hulk-like Luis Santos.

Vincent Latoel was successful in his last bout, scoring an emphatic second round TKO over a game opponent. The 36-year-old mixed martial arts veteran is in his 15th year as a professional fighter and is looking for success in his next bout, this time against hard-hitting Kotetsu Boku.

Kotetsu Boku of Shizuoka, Japan is never in a boring fight. The MMA standout from Krazy Bee is one of the toughest competitors in the promotion, and he is coming off an impressive victory over highly-regarded Major Overall of the United States. Now, Boku will once again put his striking skills to the test against Dutch fighter Vincent Latoel in a 71.5kg catchweight bout.

Mario Satya Wirawan of Bogor, Indonesia recently recorded the fastest knockout victory in ONE Championship history with a six-second stoppage of Chan Heng last December. The former university soccer player is on the right track in his young MMA career and is aiming to stay in the winner’s column when he takes on countryman Yohan Mulia Legowo in the evening’s Indonesia Warrior Bout.

Yohan Mulia Legowo from Central Java, Indonesia is looking for his first win inside the ONE Cage. The Kung Fu and Boxing practitioner is also a well-rounded grappler incorporating various techniques from wrestling, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu. Legowo suffered a couple of setbacks in his last two fights but will look to put his full array of offensive weapons on display when he takes on fellow Indonesian, Mario Satya Wirawan.

Anthony Engelen is a Dutch fighter who trains full-time in Indonesia. Engelen’s strength lies in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, usually making his overall game a potential war of attrition on the ground. Engelen was met with a recent setback, but he now looks to advance his position in an extremely stacked division. Standing in his way is the Philippines’ Rocky Batolbatol.

Rocky Batolbatol of the Philippines is a former professional boxer who has transitioned into mixed martial arts. The hard-hitting Filipino constantly uses well-placed combinations in search of spectacular knockouts and will be looking for a stoppage against his next opponent. He’ll have his hands full with Anthony Engelen, who is a technical grappling ace.

Marcin Prachnio from Poland is a mixed martial artists with a 9-2 professional record. He is a victor of his last four bouts and has a whopping seven stoppage wins. Always looking for the finish, Prachnio will make his ONE Championship debut against Brazilian submission specialist, Alexandre Machado.

Alexandre Machado of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a mixed martial artist with a 7-1 record. What’s even more impressive is his ability to finish opponents either by knocking them out or submitting them. Out of seven total victories, Machado has only reached the distance once in his young career. The Brazilian finisher is set to take on Polish fighter Marcin Prachnio.

Japan’s Koetsu Okazaki is a mixed martial arts veteran who has faced the best fighters in his division in ONE Championship. The Japanese fighter currently holds a 10-4 record and has experience facing the likes of Yusup Saadulaev, Kevin Belingon, and ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes. His next opponent is a tough one – New York’s Andrew Leone.

Andrew Leone of Cortland, New York trains at Bali Muay Thai & MMA gym with some of the most talented athletes in Asia. With a standout record of seven wins and only two losses, Leone is coming off two spectacular victories over solid opponents in Geje Eustaquio and Shinichi Kojima. In his next bout, Leone will be put to the test against Japanese veteran Koetsu Okazaki.

Angela “Unstoppable” Lee is originally from Singapore but has lived and trained in mixed martial arts in Mililani, Hawaii. Lee is one of the most promising young fighters on ONE Championship’s growing roster and has impressed inside the ONE cage with her all-round striking and grappling skills. She looks to impress fans once again as she battles New York’s Rebecca Heintzman.

Rebecca Heintzman of Binghamton, New York is a 29-year-old female strawweight making her ONE Championship debut. With great all-round skills, Heintzman had a solid amateur career, transitioning well into professional MMA. Heintzman’s full arsenal should be on display as she faces one of the most promising young fighters in 19-year-old Angela Lee.

Bashir Ahmad is widely known as the ‘Father of Pakistani MMA’. He is extremely quick and relentless with his striking and will look to overwhelm opponents from the beginning of the match. He is a ONE Championship veteran and features a full range of striking and grappling skills. His next challenge will be against the Philippines’ Jimmy Yabo.

Jimmy Yabo is a former URCC standout with an impressive mixed martial arts record. He boasts one of the best knockout percentages in the division, having finished all four of his opponents when victorious. Yabo has had a few heartbreaking setbacks, but he’s back in the ONE Cage, dedicated and looking for victory. He’ll take on Bashir Ahmad in what should be an action-packed matchup.

Djatmiko Waluyo of Mexico City, Mexico is of part-Indonesian descent. He is unbeaten at five wins and no losses. Of his five victories, two have come by knockout and two by submission, making him both a threat as a striker and a grappler. Waluyo makes his ONE Championship debut against the heavy-handed Trestle Tan in his return home to the capital city of Jakarta.

Trestle Tan of Manila, Philippines is one of the hardest punchers in his weight class. With two knockout victories and one submission victory on his record, Tan is a highly-skilled opponent for any fighter. Tan has had two setbacks recently, and is now looking to get back in the winner’s column with a victory over Djatmiko Waluyo.

Jerome S. Paye of Liberia and Li Hao Jie of China will kick off ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS with an intense bantamweight battle to set the tone for what should be an amazing event.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

About MNC Group
PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk, or MNC, operates 4 of Indonesia’s 11 free-to-air (FTA) TV stations and has additional core businesses in television content production and delivery. MNC’s four FTA stations – RCTI, MNCTV, GlobalTV and SINDOTV – are complemented by a further 19 pay-TV MNC Channels. MNC also owns radio, print media, talent management and TV production companies, whose operations support MNC’s core business focus.

LAS VEGAS (February 3, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today the addition of three main card matchups, including a heavyweight co-main event contest between Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (11-3) and Mike “300” Hayes (19-10-2), to its highly anticipated WSOF29: Gaethje vs. Foster world lightweight (155 pounds) championship event at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colo. on Saturday, March 12, live on NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

In other action on the four-bout live telecast that will be headlined by the lightweight championship showdown between reigning, undefeated kingpin Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (15-0) and number one contender Brian Foster (25-9), middleweight (185 pounds) standouts Cory “The One” Devela (15-6) and Louis “Handgunz” Taylor (11-3) will collide in their respective World Series of Fighting debuts.

Kicking off the live, four-fight telecast will be a welterweight (170 pounds) scrap pitting Josh Cavan (11-6) against Kris Hocum (7-4).

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF29: Gaethje vs. Foster, are on sale at WSOF.com and the University of Northern Colorado’s online ticketing platform.

Josh Copeland vs. Mike Hayes

The 6-foot-1 Copeland of Denver, Colo. is a former number one ranked heavyweight in his home state, and a four-time title holder since turning professional in 2010.

The 33-year-old, former Youth Ministry student at Dallas Baptist College, has earned 8 of his 11 career victories as a professional by way of (T)KO or submission, with 5 of those wins coming in less than 2 minutes.

A teammate of Gaethje’s at Grudge Training Center, Copeland will look to rebound from a second round (2:50) submission (kimura) defeat at the hands of Vitaly Minakov on December 11, a result that snapped a two-fight win streak for Copeland.

During his professional career spanning eight-plus years, the 6-foot-4, 35-year-old Hayes of Redmond, Wash. has faced off with elite level competition, including former world champion Andrei Arlovski and superstar Ruslan Magomedov, both of whom he fought to a decision.

On November 2, 2013, Hayes notched his most impressive victory to date, scoring a devastating, third round (3:11) KO on decorated MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wrestling champion Jeff “The Snowman” Monson with a head kick.

In his last start on June 4, 2015, Hayes produced another impressive result, fighting former South African national wrestling champion and four-time MMA titlist Trevor Prangley, to a draw.

Cory Devela vs. Louis Taylor

The 6-foot-2, 31-year-old Devela of Bonney Lake, Wash., will enter the decagon cage in the midst of a four-fight win streak that includes a unanimous decision victory over superstar Nick “The Promise” Ring on June 26, 2015.

A longtime protégé of MMA superstar and submission expert Dennis “Superman” Hallman, Devela, who has notched 11 of his 16 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission, burst into the national spotlight at a Strikeforce promoted event in Tacoma, Wash. on February 23, 2008, scoring a first round (1:22) TKO on heralded superstar Joe “Diesel” Riggs with a thunderous slam that rendered Riggs unable to continue fighting.

Devela’s recent ascendance that has him knocking on the door of becoming a world championship contender again, comes after he took an extended, three-year hiatus from competition to care for a sick loved one between 2010 and 2013.

Also looking to earn his fifth consecutive win, the 5-foot-11, 36-year-old Taylor of Chicago, Ill. is the number one ranked middleweight in his home state, according to the latest Tapology.com ratings.

A prolific striker who has finished 10 of his 11 opponents to date by way of (T)KO or submission, Taylor’s last four victories all came inside of the first round of battle.

Prior to becoming a mixed martial artist, Taylor was a wrestling standout for the NCAA Division I program at Eastern Illinois University where he benefited from training with fellow, former team member turned assistant coach Matt Hughes, who went on to become a two-time UFC champion and Hall of Fame member.

Josh Cavan vs. Kris Hocum

Fighting out of Denver, Cavan is a 5-foot-10, 32-year-old, lifelong athlete who competed at the minor league level of professional hockey before turning his attention to MMA. A winner of 9 of his 11 professional career fights by way of (T)KO or submission, Cavan will look to bounce back from a second round (1:28) TKO (punches) defeat at the hands of Joe Eichelberger on November 6.

The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old Hocum of Fort Collins, Colo. made his professional debut on October 27, 2012 as a participant in a one-night, eight-man tournament, defeating multiple opponents to emerge the victor of the grueling affair. He will look to regain momentum after back-to-back losses in his last two appearances.

The WSOF29 preliminary bout card will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

SANTA MONICA (February 3, 2015) – Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) is the newest free agent by Bellator MMA, with the news that the Russian heavyweight has been signed to an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract. A veteran of both Strikeforce and Pride Fighting Championships, Kharitonov remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops.

Doubling as a kickboxer at different points throughout his combat sports career, “The Paratrooper” has decided to parlay his recent five-fight winning streak and focus purely on mixed martial arts. Kharitonov’s resume is extensive, with the 35-year-old scoring wins against some of the sport’s most notable names including UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Alistair Overeem.

“I have had the best seat in the house for some of Kharitonov’s heavyweight outings,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said, “and I know Sergei [Kharitonov] can come in and make an immediate impact on our heavyweight division. He is an extremely skilled and experienced fighter who can end a fight in the blink of an eye, and we look forward to having him do just that inside the Bellator cage. Plus, he’s already competed at one ‘Dynamite’ event before, maybe he could do so again in the future!”

Kharitonov joins a division that is currently championed by fellow Russian fighter Vitaly Minakov, other top names include Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Vinicius Queiroz, Kimbo Slice, Tony Johnson, Justin Wren, Dan Charles, and James Thompson.

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 2, 2015) – On the heels of what is one of the biggest free agent moves in mixed martial arts history, the man at the center of the shift, Benson Henderson (23-5), now has a debut date.

Today, Bellator MMA is pleased to announce that “Smooth” will compete for welterweight gold against current champion Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) at the newly announced “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” card on April 22 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Tickets for “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” start at just $30 and go on sale this Friday, February 5 at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com and the Mohegan Sun Box Office. A special presale offer for Bellator Nation members will be available starting Wednesday, February 3.

“Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

Henderson has accomplished a great deal over the course of his 10-year professional career as a mixed martial artist. A former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titlist, “Smooth” holds black belts in both Taekowndo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and also earned NAIA All-American honors in both 2005 and 2006. Multiple media outlets named Henderson the fighter of the year in 2012, and he has been one half of several epic battles that have received “Fight of the Year” accolades: Donald Cerrone (2009), Anthony Pettis (2010), Frankie Edgar (2012), and Brandon Thatch (2015).

The Glendale, Az., resident has shown that he can compete at both 170 and 155-pounds and few have done so as frequently as Henderson. Since his MMA debut in 2006, there’s only been one year where the MMA Lab-competitor has fought less than three times in a calendar year. If that’s any indication of what to expect, 2016 could be huge for the 32-year-old.

Standing opposite of Bellator MMA’s newest acquisition will be Koreshkov, a 25-year-old fighter out of Russia who took the title from Douglas Lima during a main event bout at “Bellator 140: Lima vs. Koreshkov” in July of last year. With only one defeat on his impressive resume, “Spartan’s” first title defense will likely put him in the position of underdog, a spot that champions rarely find themselves heading into a matchup. With 13 finishes in 18 victories, the 10-fight Bellator MMA veteran will attempt to stop a fighter who has only lost by knockout or submission three times in 28 outings.

“Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” Updated Fight Card

Bellator MMA Welterweight World Title Fight: Andrey Koreshkov (18-1) vs. Benson Henderson (23-5)

About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 2, 2015) –An injury to Mike Bronzoulis has shifted things during the SPIKE-televised main card of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” on Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Now, the lightweight contest will pit Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) against Derek Campos (15-6).

In addition, Justin “The Big Pygmy Viking” Wren (11-2) returns to action in what will be his second appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, when he meets Juan Torres (4-4) in heavyweight fisticuffs.

The fights join a card that already features a double main event — Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) meets Royce Gracie (14-2-3) for a third time and Kimbo Slice (5-2) will fight the man who has been calling him out since their friendship ended years ago, Dhafir Harris, better known as “Dada 5000” (2-0). In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11) and former light heavyweight titlist Emanuel Newton (25-9) battles Linton Vassell (15-5).

Tickets for this mixed martial arts extravaganza start at just $50 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.

“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.

Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz earlier this year. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Texas native with plenty to prove. Of Guillard’s 32 wins as a professional, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

Known as “The Stallion” to those familiar with his mixed martial arts career, Campos will come into his meeting with Guillard riding a two-fight skid. During his eight-fight tenure with Bellator MMA, the 27-year-old Texan has faced a plethora of top lightweight talent, going up against names the likes of: Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Brandon Girtz (2x), and Estevan Payan.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better story in all of MMA than the one that Wren can tell. The two-time National High School Wrestling Champion generated massive amounts of media attention on the road to his promotional debut at “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz,” where he defeated Josh Burns. His story begins several years earlier, in 2010, when Wren confronted an opponent tougher than any he could face in combat sports: addiction.

With an opportunity to continue fighting on the table, Wren left the sport and began his recovery process. A chance meeting with a friend led Wren on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he came across and developed a deep connection with the Mbuti Pygmies, many of whom were enslaved, living on only the scraps the slave masters would pay them with. Wren found his calling there and wanted to do everything in his power to help the Pygmies. With multiple visits to the Congo, including a stint that lasted a year, Wren started a foundation called “Fight for the Forgotten.” Through his efforts, Wren and his staff of 17 have systematically bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.

Partnering with other groups like Shalom University and joining forces with Water4.org, Wren and his charity are responsible for drilling 26 water wells to help provide both the Pygmies and the former slave masters with clean water, and have plans to drill hundreds more. In addition, the team has begun a sustainable farming project to benefit and provide food to both the Pygmies and non-Pygmies of the community.

Take a look below at the complete 19-fight “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” card and be sure to tune into SPIKE on February 19 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT for an event that has something for every fight fan.

Completed “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Fight Card

Bellator MMA Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek Campos (15-6)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)

Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ruben Esparsa (1-0) vs. C.J. Hancock (Debut)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Daniel Santos (3-0)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Isaac Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Manny Lozoya (Debut) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (1-5)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Amateur Bout: Leomana Martinez (2-0) vs. Casey Jones (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Chris Solis (2-0) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Jonathan Davis (2-0) vs. Shawn Solis (1-0)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Amateur Bout: Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (1-0)

About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Toyota Center:
Since opening in October 2003, Toyota Center has set a new standard for sports and entertainment, becoming one of the premier live entertainment venues in the nation. Laid over the span of six city blocks, Toyota Center is home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets and annually hosts over 100 events including the nation’s top concerts and touring shows. The arena’s playing surface is set nearly 32-feet below street level giving Toyota Center the largest lower level of any arena in the nation. Coupled with the exclusive 1510 Reserve, Lexus Lounge, trendy Woodforest Club and Red and White Bistro’s superior food and service, Toyota Center offers something for

LAS VEGAS (February 1, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) has announced the addition of two welterweight (170 pounds) bouts – Jamie “The Chosyn 1” Yager (6-4) vs. Greg Parker (5-1) and Ozzie Alvarez (6-3) vs. Andrew “The” Ramm (4-3) – to complete the live NBCSN televised (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), main card portion of its WSOF28 world bantamweight (135 pounds) championship event at Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 20.

In the main event of the four-fight telecast, reigning World Series of Fighting bantamweight kingpin Marlon Moraes (15-4-1) will put his title on the line for the third time against ferocious contender Joseph Barajas (12-1).

The co-main event will pit two other bantamweights – red-hot contenders Timur “Lucky” Valiev (10-1) and Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez (8-1-1) – against one another.

Jamie Yager vs. Greg Parker

The 32-year-old Yager of Huntington Beach, Calif. will return to the cage after being sidelined for three years due to injuries.

A lifelong athlete who took up Jiu-Jitsu while attending Pasadena City College, Yager was the middleweight winner of the 2008 MMA competition reality television series, The Iron Ring, that aired on BET.

Yager went on to compete in season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, scoring a punishing, 26 second KO on Ben Stark with a head kick in the first episode and, later, a first round (1:09) TKO (strikes) on Charles Blanchard.

In his last effort, the 31-year-old Parker of Irvine, Calif. rebounded from his first career defeat, submitting Daniel McWilliams with a rear-naked choke in the first round (2:22) of their meeting on October 2, 2015.

Between March 2009 and April 2011, Parker was perfect as an amateur, compiling a 3-0 record, before running to four consecutive wins, all by way of (T)KO or submission, in his first four professional bouts.

Ozzie Alvarez vs. Andrew Ramm

Originally from Miami, Fla., the 30-year-old Alvarez fights out of Huntington Beach, Calif. and has gained recognition as a dangerous power puncher since he turned professional in 2010.

In what will be his first start of 2016, Alvarez will look to bounce back from a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Justin Patterson on September 17, a result that snapped a five-fight win streak.

Alvarez’s five consecutive victories all came by way of (T)KO or submission, and all but one of them occurred inside the first round of action.

Ramm of Costa Mesa, Calif. via Bremerton, Wash. is a 31-year-old submission expert who recently earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under mentor and famed trainer Eddie Bravo.

To date, Ramm has produced all of his professional career victories by way of submission and, in a span of just 11 months between 2012 and 2013, he amassed a perfect 6-0 record under amateur status.

The WSOF28 preliminary bout card will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (February 1, 2016) – Bellator MMA President Scott Coker continues to make good on his commitment of adding value to the Bellator roster, as he and the promotion are pleased to announce the signing of former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson (23-5) to an exclusive, multi-fight deal. The signing was scheduled to be announced today on “The MMA Hour,” which is hosted by 6-time MMA Journalist of the Year, Ariel Helwani. When news of the signing broke earlier than anticipated, the flood of traffic to the website may have been responsible for technical difficulties causing some of the interview to not stream live; However, the interview will be available in its entirety this afternoon at www.mmafighting.com.

Henderson has accomplished a great deal over the course of his 10-year professional career as a mixed martial artist. A former WEC and UFC lightweight titlist, “Smooth” holds black belts in both Taekowndo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and also earned NAIA All-American honors in both 2005 and 2006. Multiple media outlets named Henderson the fighter of the year in 2012, and has been a part of several epic battles that have received “Fight of the Year” accolades: Donald Cerrone (2009), Anthony Pettis (2010), Frankie Edgar (2012), and Brandon Thatch (2015).

“Benson is a tremendous athlete who puts forth an exciting effort each and every time he steps into the cage,” said Coker. “Whether he chooses to fight at lightweight or welterweight, he’s without question a great addition to this promotion, and brings countless amazing matchups to the table. We’re looking forward to having him put on a show for the great Bellator MMA fans that tune into Spike. We plan on announcing his Bellator debut in the very near future.”

Having competed at both lightweight and welterweight, there are plenty of enticing potential matchups in Henderson’s future. Bellator’s lightweight division is currently championed by Will Brooks, and features many of the world’s best including: Michael Chandler, Josh Thomson, Marcin Held, Brandon Girtz, Brent Primus, Derek Anderson, and Melvin Guillard. Meanwhile, Andrey Koreshkov sits atop the welterweight division with studs the likes of Paul Daley, Brennan Ward, Michael Page, Josh Koscheck, Douglas Lima and Chris Honeycutt vying for his gold.

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

29 January 2015 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the iconic Stadium Negara with another evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. Fight fans in Malaysia were on the edge of their seats as the best in local and international mixed martial arts talent battled it out inside the ONE Cage. In the Malaysia Warrior Bout main event, Malaysia’s own Ev “E.T.” Ting defeated the Philippines’ Eric “The Natural” Kelly by submission and took the time to call out reigning champion Marat Gafurov in the post-fight interview.

Visit the official ONE: CLASH OF HEROES photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ivh34n9pza3q94o/AADwuMwRg-gnDecd5AIBoQyTa?dl=0

In the Malaysia Warrior Bout main event, an exhausted Ev Ting pulled out a gutsy victory over Eric “The Natural” Kelly of the Philippines, winning by submission in round three. Ting dominated the striking exchanges throughout the bout, blasting Kelly with various combinations. Kelly spent most of his time defending against Ting’s aggression, biding his time and pacing himself for a distance finish. In the third, Ting latched on a standing Guillotine that transitioned into a mounted Guillotine, leaving Kelly no choice but to tap out.

“Marat Gafurov I’m coming for you, where is that belt at?” said Ting, looking for a shot at the ONE Featherweight World Championship.

“With the new weight cut policy I wanna fight as much as I can and fight full time to feed my family. I want to fight Marat Gafurov. The fight was harder than I expected. I didn’t know he could take so much hits. I respect Kelly as a fighter and it was a great fight,” Ting added.

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, Philippines showcased Team Lakay’s famous Wushu base by dominating opponent Tetsuya Yamada of Japan over three rounds. Folayang completely shut down Yamada, keeping the Japanese fighter at the long end of his straight right hand and occasional spinning back kick. Folayang also landed various flush shots and stuffed numerous takedowns to earn the unanimous decision victory.

Former American freestyle wrestler Jake Butler returned to action against mixed martial arts veteran Tatsuya Mizuno to win by first round stoppage. Butler controlled the Japanese fighter with his world-class wrestling from the opening bell, pulling Mizuno down to the canvas on a successful takedown. From there, Butler unleashed a series of elbows from top position, finishing Mizuno with only a few seconds remaining in the first round.

Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio scored an electrifying first round knockout over Malaysia’s Saiful “The Vampire” Merican. After a brief moment where both fighters took the time to size each other up, Merican lunged in looking to put together a combination but Eustaquio took a step back and unleashed a counter left hook as Merican was coming in. With Merican face down on the mat, the referee stopped the bout after a technical ground kick landed for good measure.

Samir Mrabet of Brussels, Belgium remained unbeaten in a second-round submission victory over Sami Amin of Cairo, Egypt. Mrabet controlled the action on the ground, grinding away against Amin who tried his best to defend. The end came when Mrabet secured mount and worked on the Head and Arm Choke to seal the deal.

“I’m blown away by the support I get from this new family that I’ve made in Malaysia. It really humbles me,” said Mrabet.

Keanu Subba and Rayner Kinsiong brought some local flavor into the mix with an all-Malaysian lightweight bout. After a brief exchange of strikes, Subba dumped Kinsiong to the mat via an outside leg trip. From top position, Subba landed a plethora of downward punches as the referee intervened to stop the bout.

“I saw my opportunity and took him down, and capitalized on that. That was the plan, to take him down and land some big shots,” said Subba.

Former Pankration world champion, Christian “The Warrior” Lee made quick work of Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohamed, continuing his fast rise through the featherweight ranks with a crafty submission victory. Lee swarmed Mohamed with lightning quick punches from the opening bell. An emphatic slam put Mohamed on his back and from there, Lee put the finishing touches on a Single-Arm Chicken Wing, forcing Mohamed to tap out.

Colossal ONE athletes Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Malaysia and James Kouame of Canada induced a stream of cheers from the Kuala Lumpur crowd with their intense middleweight matchup. Thani impressed with various successful takedowns throughout the bout. In round two, after a slam led to full mount, Thani worked on ground-and-pound before seizing the opportunity for a fight-ending Rear Naked Choke.

Saygid ‘Dagi’ Guseyn Arslanaliev impressed fans in his ONE Championship debut with an all-out, aggressive style, taking care of business against Jakarta, Indonesia’s Mishal Alfad in just under a minute. ‘Dagi’ put on a showcase of powerful strikes and emphatic slams and after a Suplex put Alfad on his back, ‘Dagi’ went straight for the ground-and-pound to force the referee stoppage.

Female ONE athletes Jenny Huang of Chinese Taipei and Amira Badr of Egypt kicked off the action at ONE: CLASH OF HEROES. Huang dominated both the first and second rounds with her boxing until she finished the bout by Triangle Choke submission in round two.

Official results for ONE: CLASH OF HEROES
Featherweight Malaysia Warrior bout: Ev Ting defeats Eric Kelly by Submission (Mounted Guillotine) at 1:58 minutes of round 3
Lightweight bout: Eduard Folayang defeats Tetsuya Yamada by Unanimous Decision
Catchweight bout (95kg): Jake Butler defeats Tatsuya Mizuno by TKO (Strikes) at 4:30 minutes of round 1
Catchweight bout (66.8kg): Geje Eustaquio defeats Saiful Merican by Knockout at 1:21 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Samir Mrabet defeats Sami Amin by Submission (Head and Arm Choke) at 1:31 minutes of round 2
Lightweight bout: Keanu Subba defeats Rayner Kinsiong by TKO (Strikes) at 2:01 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Christian Lee defeats Mahmoud Mohamed by Submission (Single-Arm Chicken Wing) at 2:20 minutes of round 1
Middleweight bout: Agilan Thani defeats James Kouame by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:12 minutes of round 2
Lightweight bout: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev defeats Mishal Alfad by TKO (Strikes) at 0:32 minutes of round 1
Female catchweight bout (49kg): Jenny Huang defeats Amira Badr by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:09 minutes of round 2

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (January 28, 2015)- The mission of the World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) is to continue growing as the world’s governing body for professional and amateur MMA. WMMAA has already granted more than 50 memberships worldwide in its less than four-year existence.

WMMAA SANCTIONED MEMBERS

Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Columbia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, FYR of Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Mexico, Moldova, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherland Antilles, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, South Korea, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Suriname, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan Venezuela
______________________________________________________________

“My personal vision for WMMAA is extremely optimistic,” WMMAA president Vadim Finkelchtein commented. “Short term, we plan to launch female divisions. Midterm, we
aim to sign agreements with institutions like WADA and other world agencies and unions. It’s really essential in order for MMA – and that’s our long term goal – to become recognized internationally, including by the Olympic Committee, and to become official in SportAccord as well as the Olympic Games.

“Three years ago, when we first started, I didn’t dream we would have achieved as much in such a short time span. As of today our association has close to 60 members. We are just gearing up and the interest towards WMMAA keeps growing exponentially. The level of competition evolves with each new championship under the WMMAA banner and participating teams keep getting stronger. The National Federations that are members of WMMAA are evolving as well. To date, we’ve held three World Championships, several World Cups, European and Asian Championships, and this year the Pan-Am Championship will follow.”

The WMMAA’s philosophy stresses respect, honor, loyalty, self-discipline, competition, safety and education, as opposed to strictly fighting, hurting or defeating an opponent. WMMAA has made tremendous strides around the world, particularly in 2015, and its future appears to be boundless.

“The WMMAA had a deeper impact in 2015, not only within the sport, but also the perception of what MMA really is in terms of it being a non-professional platform,” WMMAA Vice President Tomas Yu said. “For the past two years, we’ve been focused on structure, developing financial models through data mining, which have resulted in value proposition that proved to be transformational, setting the standard for how we would proceed. Once we set this agenda, everyone in our organization had a very clear focus.

“It’s important to note that our sport is not just a sport, it’s an art featuring mixed martial artists, not fighters. Trash talking and aggressive public behavior may get MMA on TMZ but, as far as role models are concerned, I’d much rather have somebody like Holly Holm than Ronda Rousey because of their contrasting personalities. Media, unfortunately, follows irrelevant gossip, instead of helping to drive an educated movement in MMA.”

Understanding the need to reach a global market, Yu introduced core business principals in a sport environment to drive organizational value, integrate athletes, provide a flexible showcase of talent, and much more. Yu also recognized the need for global leaders and he has aided in the development of the first Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Combat Sports Administration.

Through the initiative of Yu and Pan-American members, the WMMAA is the only organization to have a universal MMA officials’ database, yet, Yu has a tremendous challenge ahead in terms of common knowledge and perception of MMA in most countries. In many cases, the country’s Minister of Sport is reluctant to fund membership simply because it doesn’t consider MMA a sport due to its non-Olympic status.

First, Yu must approach the country’s Administrator of Sports with MMA updated data about why MMA is indeed a sport, even though it isn’t recognized by the Olympic Committee. In lieu of MMA not being an Olympic sport, the WMMAA does have its own version, The WMMAA World Championships. The next obstacle is gaining financial support, so he speaks with the Minister of Tourism about untapped potential revenue streams and economic growth resulting from fans, athletes, media and administrators who will be attending international events in his or her country.

“Fight week leading up to an event, for example, creates commerce,” added Yu, who is a New Mexico-based merchant banker. “We need to educate everyone in the industry that making money isn’t against our philosophy and MMA isn’t just about selling tickets and pay-per-view buys. MMA offers more opportunities to create corporate sponsors than any Olympic-sponsored sport.

“Unsanctioned MMA events in non-WMMAA member countries are clearly unsafe for its participants. I believe that official MMA sanctioning by a worldwide organization like the WMMAA has to be sold for its added values. What other sport teaches respect like MMA? Hurting people, other than to defend yourself, isn’t part of true MMA teachings.”

The WMMAA philosophy is working, though, based on its remarkable growth in such a relatively short time period. Last December in Prague, the 2015 WMMAA World Championships set records with 49 represented countries and nearly 200 athletes.

“We’ve (Yu is also President of the WMMAA Pan-American Division) more than doubled membership (North America, South American Central American and Caribbean) in the past year with seven official members and five more on the way. In 2016, we need to better educate people worldwide about MMA values, as we are what the WMMAA does and stands for. We’re not promoters; WMMAA is a sanctioning body. And equally important is to determine what is needed for the future of MMA, in addition to effectively achieve our goal to be the world’s official MMA governing body.”

Information

www.WMMAA.org
www.facebook.com/World.MMA.Association
www.youtube.com/user/TheWMMAA
CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 1.978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com @FightPublicist

ABOUT WMMAA: The goal of the World MMA Association is to provide unbiased structure and guardrail the growth of MMA as the official world governing body for Mixed Martial Arts. A non-profit organization founded in 2012, WMMAA is on a mission to develop a standardized and regulated organization, including competition, training, officiating, testing and growth when necessary. More than 50 countries have been granted WMMAA membership.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 28, 2016) – M-1 Global’s first event of 2016 is shaping up as a potential blockbuster with the announcement of the second M-1 Challenge bantamweight elimination fight for M-1 Challenge 64 on February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

Antun “Killer” Racic, of Croatia, will face Ukrainian Vitaly Branchuk for right to fight for the vacant M-1 Challenge bantamweight championship. The survivor will advance to the championship round against the winner of the previously announced M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator, also part of the M-1 Challenge 64 card, between Pavel Vitruk ((12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0) and undefeated Kazakhstan-native Sergey Morozov(6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0). Vitruk is a Ukrainian-born fighter who lives and trains out of St. Petersburg, Russia.

The main event pits three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) and former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0) in the semifinals of the M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament.

In the co-feature, newly signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, takes on Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.

Racic (18-6-1, M-1: 6-2-0) is coming off of an impressive win by decision versus Alexei Nevzorov last September at M-1 Challenge 61. The powerful Croatian, who is a standout grappler, is dropping down to fight as a bantamweight.

Branchuk (20-5-0, M-1: 0-1-0) will be fighting in his second M-1 Global event, the first two years ago at M-1 Challenge 45, in which he lost a decision to Yunus Evloev. The 24-year-old Branchuk is riding a seven-fight win streak. Known as a strong striker, he has knocked out 10 of his opponents.

M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

INFORMATION:

Upcoming Events: Feb. 19 – M-1 Challenge 64 in Moscow, Russia; Mar. 4 – M-1 Challenge 65 in St. Petersburg, Russia

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews
USA MEDIA CONTACT:
Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, @FightPublicist

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

Las Vegas – UFC® announced today that its card on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will now air live on FS1 and be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout between former champion Johny Hendricks and the dynamic Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

Originally scheduled as UFC 196 live on Pay-Per-View, the fight card was moved to FS1 following the loss of the heavyweight title fight between champion Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez, as both competitors were forced out of the bout due to injuries.

Now, fans can enjoy an action-packed card including Roy Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt, Ovince Saint Preux vs. Feijao Cavalcante, Joseph Benavidez vs. Zach Makovsky, and Josh Burkman and KJ Noons live on FS1 on Saturday, Feb. 6. The full bout order is available at UFC.com.

The main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HENDRICKS vs. THOMPSON will air live on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with prelims also airing on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The UFC FIGHT PASS® Early Prelims, headlined by Mickey Gall vs. Mike Jackson, will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

With the shift, the lightweight title fight between champion Rafael Dos Anjos and featherweight champion Conor McGregor on Saturday, March 5 in Las Vegas will now be called UFC® 196: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR. The March 5 Pay-Per-View event also features UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm taking on Miesha Tate.

Fans seeking ticket refunds based on the changes to the Feb. 6 card can do so at the point of purchase.

Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 27, 2016) – M-1 Global president Vadim Finklechtein has announced contract extensions for M-1 featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger, former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight titlist Stephan “T-800” Puetz and top American featherweight contender Lee “American Bulldog” Morrison.

“We’ve prolonged the contract with M-1 Global veteran fighters Buchinger, Puetz and Morrison,” Finkelchtein said. “We constantly work on our roster to have the best possible fighters.”

Buchinger (30-4-0, M-1: 5-0-0), the 29-year-old from Slovakia, captured the vacant M-1 Challenge featherweight title in 2014, via a fourth-round knockout of Tural Raginov at M-1 Challenge 52. In his last fight this past October, Buchinger successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision over current M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 62.

Puetz (13-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0), fighting out of Germany, is an electrifying fighter who won the M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion in 2014, taking a decision from Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 46. Puetz successfully defended his title twice in 2014 against Luis Fernando Miranda (SUB2 – choke) and Valery Mykasnikov (KO/TKO2 – punches). In 2015, Puetz took on previously undefeated M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura, who lost in three rounds due to a severely broken nose at M-1 Challenge 57. In his most recent fight this past December at M-1 Challenge 63, Puetz lost his title belt in a rematch with Nemkov by way of a decision.

Morrison (13-6-0, M-1: 2-3-0) is a popular featherweight contender out of Okanogon, Washington. The gutsy 29-year-old (pictured below on right) has notable M-1 Global decision wins over Pavel Vitruk and Mikhail Malyutin.

Upcoming Events: Feb. 19 – M-1 Challenge 64 in Moscow, Russia; Mar. 4 – M-1 Challenge 65 in St. Petersburg, Russia

Information

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews
USA MEDIA CONTACT:
Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, @FightPublicist

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 26, 2016) – Reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev will take on Brazilian challenger Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao in the second M-1 Grand Prix middleweight eliminator, March 4 at M-1 Challenge 65, in Moscow.

The first M-1 Grand Prix match of 2016 is set in the middleweight division as three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) takes on former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0)at M-1 Challenge 64, February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

The winners of Shlemenko vs. Vasilevsky and Emeev vs. Falcao will advance to the M-1 Grand Prix middleweight championship later this year.

“We tried to get the strongest middleweight fighters and did a great job to give fans the most spectacular match-ups,” M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein said. “Every single fight is intriguing in M-1 Grand Prix. I can’t guess how these fights will end up. Every single fighter has his advantages. Therefore, I think all of these fights are 50-50.”

Emeev (13-3-0, M-1: 7-1-0), the 2015 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year, is a two-time M-1 Challenge middleweight champion. Born in Azerbaijan but fighting and training out of Markaxhkala, Russia, Emeev originally captured the vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight crown in 2012 at M-1 Challenge 35, winning a decision over Mario Miranda. Emeev successfully defended his title in a rematch five months later with Miranda, who was stopped via strikes in the third round at M-1 Challenge 38.

In his next title defense, Emeev lost his title belt at M-1 Challenge 51 as Vasilevsky won by fourth-round stoppage via punches. Seven months later in a rematch, Emeev defeated Vasilevsky by first round submission (choke), and the champion defended his title this past December at M-1 Challenge 63, when American challenger Fioravanti Luigi was unable to continue fighting after two rounds.

Falcao may be making his M-1 Global debut at M-1 Challenge 65, however, the Brazilian black belt holder is a veteran of 43 professional MMA bouts with 23 knockouts. The 34-year old Falcao split two fights with Vasilevsky and he was stopped by Shlemenko in the second round at Bellator 69.

M-1 Challenge 64 & 65 will be streamed live from Russia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
USA MEDIA CONTACT:
Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, @FightPublicist

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

23 January 2015 – Changsha, China: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), brought the packed crowd at the Changsha Stadium to the edge of their seats with spectacular world-class mixed martial arts action at ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA). Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes showcased why he is ONE Championship’s most dominant champion to date with a beautiful submission victory by Kimura over top Filipino bantamweight Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in the night’s main event.

Visit the official ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA) photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ivh34n9pza3q94o/AADwuMwRg-gnDecd5AIBoQyTa?dl=0

In the main event of the evening, ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes retained his title with a first round submission win over Team Lakay’s Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon. Fernandes nullified Belingon’s supposed striking advantage by going straight for the takedown. After passing Belingon’s guard and moving into side control, Fernandes worked an armbar attempt into a Kimura, forcing the tap.

In the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Final bout, Ma Hao Bin quickly locked in a Guillotine choke from against the cage to put opponent Bu Huo You Ga to sleep in just a little over a minute into the first round. Ma wasted no time in looking for the submission which he used to win in the semi-final bout, squeezing tightly until Bu Huo was out. With the victory, Ma Hao Bin was crowned Changsha Bantamweight Tournament champion.

Beijing Featherweight Tournament champions Li Kai Wen and Yang Sen showcased their complete martial arts arsenal in a high-level three round battle. Li stormed out of the gates full of aggression but Yang defended well against the onslaught. When the fight hit the ground, Yang controlled a lot of the action but Li was able to do some damage of his own. After three very close rounds, Li earned a hard-fought unanimous decision in an entertaining matchup of tournament champions.

A determined Muin Gafurov went three rounds in an intense back-and-forth battle against the extremely talented Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Finland. Gafurov stayed on top of the action, beating Tauru to the punch on numerous occasions while attempting various submissions on the ground. In the third round, Tauru used his toughness to hang in there with Gafurov but Gafurov was able to gain mount position, raining down punches from the top to force the referee to call a halt to the contest.

Riku Shibuya of Tokyo, Japan dominated Roy “The Dominator” Doliguez of the Philippines over three rounds to win by unanimous decision. Shibuya completely outclassed Doliguez both on the feet and on the ground, where he did the most work. Although Doliguez tagged Shibuya with some crisp body punches, Shibuya took him down at will and did all his damage from top position, earning the unanimous decision verdict.

Sung Ming Yen of Hsinchu, Taiwan defeated Sunoto of Jakarta, Indonesia within a minute of round one by executing a single move to perfection. After a brief feeling out process, Sunoto lunged in looking to strike. Sung kept his distance and grabbed onto a standing Guillotine choke, pulling guard and squeezing until Sunoto had no choice but to tap out.

Wu Ze raised his arms in celebration as he secured a sensational technical knockout win over Zhang You Liang in just one round. Wu, known for his athletic striking techniques, used his superior grappling to control Zhang on the ground. After attempting various submissions, Wu then opted to put his ferocious striking on full display, landing a plethora of technical ground kicks to claim the victory.

In the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Alternate bout, Tang De Pan scored an explosive knockout victory via Suplex over 19-year old Zhou Biao. Zhou attempted two standing Guillotine chokes, both of which were nullified by Tang’s exceptional wrestling. Zhou was knocked out on the second Suplex and referee Olivier Coste stopped the bout.

Freestyle wrestling champion Ma Hao Bin advanced to the Changsha Bantamweight Final bout with an easy victory over opponent Wu Ting Shen. Ma took the fight to the ground on the first opening and swiftly transitioned into a Guillotine choke. With the hooks in deep, Ma left Wu with no option but to tap out.

Greco-Roman wrestling specialist Bu Huo You Ga made quick work of opponent Cai Chang Bo to kick off ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA), winning the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout. Bu Huo shot in successfully for a takedown and abruptly took Cai’s back before securing the choke in round one.

Official results for ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA)
ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout: Bibiano Fernandes defeats Kevin Belingon by Submission (Kimura) at 4:04 minutes of round 1
Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Final bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Bu Huo You Ga by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:08 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Li Kai Wen defeats Yang Sen by Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight bout: Muin Gafurov defeats Toni Tauru by TKO (Strikes) at 1:17 minutes of round 3
Flyweight bout: Riku Shibuya defeats Roy Doliguez by Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight bout: Sung Ming Yen defeats Sunoto by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:31 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Wu Ze defeats Zhang You Liang by TKO (Strikes) at 4:17 minutes of round 1
Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Alternate bout: Tang De Pan defeats Zhou Biao by Knockout at 0:59 minutes of round 1
Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Wu Ting Shen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:27 minutes of round 1
Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout: Bu Huo You Ga defeats Cai Chang Bo by Submission (Reverse Head and Arm Choke) at 2:26 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a pair of stacked live mixed martial arts events this Saturday, Jan. 23, beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET with a live broadcast of ONE Championship: Dynasty of Champions from Changsha, China. Later, at 10 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents World Series of Fighting 27: Future Champs live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

ONE: Dynasty of Champions will air live exclusively across Canada, while WSOF 27 will be televised in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Headlining ONE: Dynasty of Champions, bantamweight beltholder Bibiano Fernandes (18-3) battles Kevin Belingon (13-4) in a five-round affair. Other featured bouts include a bantamweight clash between undefeated Tajikistan native Muin Gafurov (9-0) and Finnish standout Toni Tauru (10-2-1), a flyweight matchup pitting Filipino prospect Roy Doliguez (6-2) against Japan’s Asuka Mikami (5-1), plus Kai Wen Li (4-2) throws down with Sen Yang (2-0) in an all-Chinese featherweight attraction.

Meanwhile, WSOF 27: Future Champs showcases a bevy of top prospects, as the light heavyweight main event features heavy-handed finisher Teddy Holder (9-2) taking on undefeated Russian Shamil Gamzatov (9-0). In the co-feature, Luiz Firmino (18-6) steps in as a late replacement for Mike Ricci in a lightweight bout opposite Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-4). Rounding out the main card, Jaleel Willis (5-0) meets Chauncey Foxworth (2-0) in a showcase of unbeaten welterweights, while Jorge Medina (4-2) squares off with Bryce Mitchell (4-0) in the lightweight opener.

In addition, Fight Network is the Canadian destination for UFC live events, library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. ET, catch a full encore presentation of UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks from November 2013 in Las Vegas, featuring Canadian legend Georges St-Pierre’s last appearance in the world-famous Octagon as he defends his welterweight title against top contender Johny Hendricks, plus Rashad Evans meets Chael Sonnen, Robbie Lawler battles Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley faces Josh Koscheck.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

AS VEGAS (January 21, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) and Talk2Legends (Talk2Legends.com) today announced an unprecedented partnership that will allow fans to chat live on their iPhone devices with some of their favorite Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes and other celebrity talent, using the latter company’s new mobile app.

The partnership will commence on Saturday, Jan. 23 when over two dozen figures from the World Series of Fighting universe will be available for video chat sessions with fans during the WSOF27: Firmino vs. Fodor event that will air live on NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.

Available for download in the App Store, the Talk2Legends app also allows fans to share completed chat sessions with friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“The partnership between World Series of Fighting and Talk2Legends will enable a fan experience that is unmatched in sports, for a reasonable cost,” said Talk2Legends CEO Ryan Hermansky.

“On January 23, continued Hernansky, “fans will be able to simultaneously watch WSOF27 and get opinions from legends, such as Bas Rutten and Chael Sonnen, and world champions like David Branch and Marlon Moraes.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Talk2Legends and be able to give fans the opportunity to get to know their favorite fighters on a very personal, one-on-one basis,” said World Series of Fighting President, six-time world champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo.

Using the Talk2Legends app, fans can purchase credits for video chat sessions, review the list of MMA celebrities that will be available for a five-minute, one-on-one video chat session on January 23, and book sessions based on the talent’s availability that is provided on screen.

The athletes and other celebrity participants have the option of donating revenue they earn in exchange for their participation, to a charity or non-profit foundation of their choice.

The following talent will be available for video chat sessions during WSOF27:

On-air and other talent

Chael Sonnen – Color commentator and retired MMA superstar
Bas Rutten – Color commentator and legendary MMA champion
Ray Sefo – World Series of Fighting President and six-time world champion
Jacob “Stitch” Duran – World Series of Fighting cutman and
Andrea Lowell – Playboy Radio hostess and World Series of Fighting round card girl
Joey Varner – World Series of Fighting roving reporter
Jazz Securo – World Series of Fighting ring announcer
Emily Miller – World Series of Fighting round card girl

World Series of Fighting athletes

David Branch – Reigning light heavyweight and middleweight champion
Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje – Reigning, undefeated lightweight champion
Lance Palmer – Reigning featherweight champion
Marlon Moraes – Reigning bantamweight champion
Jon Fitch – Welterweight superstar
Jake Shields – Welterweight superstar
Jason High – Lightweight superstar
Phoenix Jones – Lightweight rising star
Robbie “Problems” Peralta – Featherweight knockout artist
“Notorious” Nick Newell – Retired lightweight phenom
Mike “Mak” Kyle – Former light heavyweight championship challenger
Joseph Barajas – WSOF28 main event competitor
Patrick Walsh – Light heavyweight prospect
Clifford Starks – Middleweight star
Colton Smith – Lightweight standout and The Ultimate Fighter winner
Mike Corey – Featherweight star
Steve Kozola – Undefeated lightweight star

The Talk2Legends app is expected to be available for Android devices in February.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

Las Vegas – The UFC® returns to Pittsburgh for the first time in five years as one of the sport’s most successful and popular fighters makes his debut in a new weight division. Fresh off competing for the lightweight title, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will fight at welterweight for the first time in his UFC career when he takes on Tim Means, Feb. 21 at CONSOL Energy Center. The event will air on FS1.

Cowboy (28-6, 1 NC; fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico) will make his debut at 170 lbs. after competing at 155 lbs. and most recently challenging lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos for the title (Dec. 19, 2015). Cowboy has won eight of his last nine bouts, including eight consecutive victories over Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, Myles Jury, Benson Henderson and John Makdessi, dating back to Nov. 2013. He has won 15 fights by submission and five by KO during his career.

Will Cowboy be able to continue his success competing against bigger fighters? That will be the question that is answered when he goes up against the veteran Means. Also a native of Albuquerque, albeit a different gym, Means (25-7-1) has won four of his last five bouts, including an impressive second-round TKO of John Howard that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. At 6’2”, Means will be taller and have a longer reach than most of Cowboy’s past opponents, and his tremendous cardio and precise technique will make for an intriguing matchup against Cowboy’s outstanding Muay Thai and submission skills.

Two hard-hitting middleweights will set the table for the main event when #12 Derek Brunson (14-3; fighting out of Wilmington, North Carolina) squares off against #14 Roan Carneiro (20-9; fighting out of Atlanta, Georgia). Brunson is riding a three-fight winning streak and has won five of his last six bouts, with his last three victories coming over highly touted opponents Sam Alvey, Ed Herman and Lorenz Larkin. An impressive victory could propel Brunson into the top 10.

At 37, Carneiro is also focused on making a run for a top-10 ranking, coming off an impressive first-round submission win over Mark Munoz. Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Carneiro has nine career first-round finishes, and a resume that includes three wins by knockout and nine by submission. A second consecutive victory could earn Carneiro a shot against a top-10 opponent.

Additional bouts include:
· No. 11 bantamweight John Lineker (26-7; Paranagua, Parana, Brazil) takes on undefeated Cody Garbrandt (7-0; Sacramento, Calif.), who launched his professional MMA career while living in Pittsburgh

· No. 8 featherweight Dennis Bermudez (15-5; Lindenhurst, New York) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-8-2; Ibaraki, Japan)

· Brandon Thatch (11-3; Denver, Colo.) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (21-6-1; Boca Raton, Fla.)

· A lightweight bout featuring James Krause (22-7; Lee’s Summit, Missouri) vs. Shane Campbell (12-3; Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada)
· Alex Garcia (13-2; Montreal, Quebec, Canada) vs. Sean Strickland (16-1; Corona, Calif.)

· Women’s bantamweights Marion Reneau (6-2; Visalia, Calif) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-1; Laguna Hills, Calif.)

· Chris Camozzi (22-10; Lakewood, Colo.) vs. Joe Riggs (41-16, 1 NC; Glendale, Ariz.)

· Middleweight Daniel Sarafian (10-5; Sao Paulo, Brazil) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1; New York, NY)

· Trevor Smith (13-6; Tukwila, Wash.) vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes (11-1; Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)

· A women’s bantamweight bout between Sarah Moras (4-3; Kelowna, BC, Canada) and Lauren Murphy (8-2; Glendale, Ariz.)

· Anthony Hamilton (14-4; Albuquerque, N.M.) vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov (15-3; Dagestan, Russia)

· Bryan Barberena (10-2; Glendale, Ariz.) vs. Jonavin Webb (8-0; Marlton, New Jersey)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: COWBOY vs. MEANS will air live on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 21, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: COWBOY vs. MEANS go on sale Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $185, $125, $90, $75 and $50. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Box Office at CONSOL Energy Center. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Jan. 21 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 20, 2016) – M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein recently announced the relaunching of its popular series, M-1 Grand Prix Tournament.

“We’ve been preparing this a long time and now we’re happy to officially announce our 2016 M-1 Grand Prix Tournament,” Finkelchtein said. “This has been a very popular format and fans are always excited about it. This time we will feature a 4-man tournament, rather than the usual 8-man pairings, because the 4-man version is faster and more entertaining. We don’t want to bore people with long expectation periods and lessen the risk of occasional injuries and fighter changes in the tournament.”

The first M-1 Grand Prix match of 2016 is set in the middleweight division as three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) takes on former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0)at M-1 Challenge 64, February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

“Well, we were choosing between several offers from different promotions,” explained Shlemenoko’s manager Alexey Zhernakov. “In the end, we came to the conclusion that M-1 Grand Prix participation is the most interesting option for us at the moment. Alexander is still under Bellator’s exclusive contract. Therefore, we had to negotiate with Bellator, which kindly allowed us to sign with M-1 Global. We expect Alexander Shlemenko to take part in major M-1 Challenge events as they are always organized at a high level and broadly covered by the media.”

M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
USA MEDIA CONTACT:
Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, @FightPublicist

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 20, 2016 – One of the most iconic athletes of all time is coming to EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that Mike Tyson will make his mixed martial arts debut as an unlockable fighter when the game comes out starting March 15, 2016. Fans who pre-order EA SPORTS UFC 2 will get instant day-one access to Tyson, and all players can unlock him by progressing in the game and making it to the Hall of Fame in Career Mode. The former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world packs the strongest punching power of any fighter in the game and will fight across two different weight classes: light heavyweight and heavyweight. For a first look at the former champ in EA SPORTS UFC 2, watch the Mike Tyson reveal video.

“When you think about the most devastating fighters of all time, Mike Tyson is either around, or at the top of everyone’s list. It’s fun to think that if MMA was as popular back when he was competing as it is today, you might have seen Tyson put on four ounce gloves and step into the Octagon®,” said Creative Director Brian Hayes. “This is one of those great ‘what ifs’ that we get to create when making a game like EA SPORTS UFC 2.”

Two versions of Tyson are coming to the game: “Iron” Mike Tyson based on his climb to stardom and string of invincible fights in the eighties; and “Legacy” Mike Tyson, developed with the end of his illustrious career in mind. Fans who pre-order the standard edition of EA SPORTS UFC 2 will get day-one access to “Iron” Mike Tyson. Those who opt for the Deluxe Edition will receive both “Iron” Mike as well as “Legacy” Mike Tyson. Both versions are available to unlock by progressing in the game.

“As a huge fan, I’m honored to be part of EA SPORTS and explore the world of mixed martial arts,” said Mike Tyson. “I follow UFC very closely and it’s going to be very cool to see how I would stack up against these amazing MMA athletes.”

EA SPORTS UFC 2 takes the franchise’s stunning character likeness and animation to another level, adds an all-new Knockout Physics System and authentic gameplay features, and introduces the biggest ever roster of real-world fighters in a MMA game who will step back into the Octagon on Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Full feature and mode details can be found at http://easports.com/ufc/features.

Fans excited to step into the Octagon® can pre-order EA SPORTS UFC 2 and get day-one access to three legendary fighters: UFC Hall of Famer and three-time King of Pancrase, Bas Rutten; Japanese MMA legend, “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba; and Mike Tyson.* The deluxe edition of the game also includes up to $60 of UFC Ultimate Team™ Premium Packs**. For pre-order information, visit http://easports.com/UFC/buy.

EA SPORTS UFC 2 is developed in Burnaby, British Columbia by EA Canada, and will be available on March 15 in North America and March 17 worldwide on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. EA Access*** members can play the full game before it’s released for a limited time and get 10% off the digital version of the game on Xbox One. Fans should keep an eye on the website, as well as the EA SPORTS UFC Facebook and Twitter pages to make sure they’re always up-to-date on the latest and greatest news.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC®.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

* Internet connection and EA Account required. Must be 13+ to create an account. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-offer-disclaimers for details.

**ADDED VALUE CALCULATED BASED ON AN UFC ULTIMATE TEAM PACK PRICE OF $2.00 AT GAME LAUNCH. PRICES MAY CHANGE. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-offer-disclaimers for details.

***CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE EA.COM/EAACCESS/TERMS AND EA.COM/EAACCESS FOR DETAILS.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players around the world. In fiscal year 2015, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, Ultimate Team, SSX, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies and Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Octagon Girls®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, Octagon® and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and affiliated entities in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners. Any use of the preceding copyrighted program, trademarks, trade dress, or other intellectual property owned by Zuffa, LLC is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Zuffa. All rights are hereby expressly reserved. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

LAS VEGAS (January 19, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) champion Marlon Moraes will make the third defense of his coveted title against fast-rising star Joseph Barajas at Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 20, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

In the bantamweight co-main event at WSOF28, Timur “Lucky” Valiev will put his 10-fight win streak on the line against fellow rising star Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez, who is unbeaten in his last 7 starts.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF28: Moraes vs. Barajas go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m. PT, at WSOF.com.

“Beginning with Marlon Moraes, the top dog in the division, the 135-pound superstars are going to be out in full force with a lot at stake at WSOF28,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Marlon Moraes vs. Joseph Barajas

The prolific, 27-year-old Moraes (15-4-1) of Nova Friburgo, Brazil retained his crown for the second time on August 1, 2015, submitting Sheymon Moraes with a rear-naked choke in the third round (3:46) of their matchup.

Since the inaugural World Series of Fighting event on November 12, 2012 when he earned a split decision over decorated superstar Miguel Torres, Moraes, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former Muay Thai champion, has been unstoppable defeating several seasoned adversaries along the way, including Tyson Nam, Cody Bollinger, Josh Hill and Josh Rettinghouse, whom Moraes defeated by way of unanimous decision to become the first-ever World Series of Fighting bantamweight kingpin on March 29, 2014.

Barajas (12-1) of Vista, Calif. is coming off his World Series of Fighting debut on November 20, when he scored a third round (4:06) TKO (punches) on Erik Villalobos at WSOF25.

Beginning with his professional debut on February 20, 2011 when he submitted Robert Carlos with a triangle choke in the first round (1:32) of action, Barajas was perfect for over two years, running to 10 consecutive wins, a streak that culminated with his explosive, first round (:51) TKO (punches) of Leonte King on September 21, 2013.

Timur Valiev vs. Chris Gutierrez

Fighting out of the famed Jackson-Winklejohn camp, the 26-year-old Valiev (10-1) of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia has remained undefeated since his second professional start on July 22, 2011, and has racked up four consecutive wins under the World Series of Fighting banner in his last four efforts.

In the first of two appearances in the decagon cage in 2015, Valiev scored a devastating, first round (1:39) TKO on Ed West with a barrage of elbow strikes and punches at WSOF19 on March 28. Valiev closed out the year with a unanimous decision victory over Tito Jones at WSOF23 on September 18.

The number one ranked bantamweight in the state of Oklahoma, Gutierrez (8-1-1) of Greenville, Texas is a ferocious, 24-year-old striker who has earned five of his eight professional career wins by way of TKO, with each of the five finishes having come with an onslaught of punches.

Gutierrez is coming off his second straight, unbeaten year as a professional, claiming two wins in 2015. In his last start, he earned a unanimous decision over Bendy Casimir on August 22.

Additional WSOF28 bouts will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Las Vegas – The Ultimate Fighter® will put mixed martial arts’ global dominance on display again as UFC® strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will coach opposite No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha. The coaches will lead a group of eight light heavyweights and eight strawweights who will compete for a UFC contract and the title of The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia will kick-off on FS1 on Wednesday, April 20 with a two-hour season premiere airing at 10 p.m. ET as 32 competitors fight for one of 16 slots – eight in each weight class – available to be coached by two of the sport’s best. The season will continue with 11 one-hour shows Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. The series is the highest rated and most watched original program since the network’s inception in August 2013.

Poland’s first UFC champion, Jedrzejczyk (11-0, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) stormed onto the scene in 2014 with her first Octagon® appearance. Since then, she’s gone on to win five straight, won the strawweight title, cemented her place on the top pound-for-pound list and is widely considered as one of the best strikers in the sport. She’ll now lend her expertise to the next generation of athletes who hope to follow in her footsteps and one day wear UFC gold themselves.

Gadelha (13-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) trains at the renowned Nova Uniao gym, home to former champions Jose Aldo & Renan Barao. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist hopes to get another crack at current strawweight champion, Jedrzejczyk, who provided Gadelha with the only blemish on her record – a three-round split decision loss in late 2014. Their contrasting styles should provide for an entertaining season between the two teams. The Brazilian’s comfort zone is on the canvas and will provide a stark contrast to the Pole’s highly skilled striking attack brings a completely different skillset to the show.

The series culminates on live on FS1 Friday, July 8 in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week and will be headlined by Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha in a championship bout for the strawweight world title.

###

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About FOX Sports

FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FS1; FS2; Fox’s 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.

Eddie Alvarez won a split decision over former Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

Alvarez was cut around his left eye in round two from a punch and his nose in round three. Alvarez got the vitory on the strength of his takedowns.

Alavrez won two cards 29-28 while Pettis took a card 29-28.

Alavrez, 155.5 lbs of Philadelphia is 27-4. Pettis, 155.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 18-4.

Travis Browne scored a 3rd round stoppage over Matt Mitrione in a Heavyweight bout.

Browne poked Mitrione in the eye in round one with his pinky and again with the thumb in round two. Mitrione said he was seeing double. In round three, Browne slammed Mitrione down to the ground and pounded on him until the fight was stopped at 4:09.

Mitrione had a grotesque swelling over his right eye.

Browne, 238 lbs of San Diego, CA is now 18-3-1. Mitrione, 249 lbs of Indianapolis, IN is 9-5.

Francisco Trinaldo won a 3-round unanimous decision over Ross Pearson in a Lightweight bout.

Pearson was cut over his right eye in round three.

Trinaldo, 155.5 lbs of Brasilia, BRA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 is now 19-4. Pearson, 155 lbs of San Diego, CA is 20-10-1.

Patrick Cote scored a 2nd round stoppage over Ben Saunders in a Welterweight bout.

Cote landed a series of uppercut that put Saunders to the ground. Cote was all over Saunders with hammerfists and the bout was stopped at 1:14 of round two.

Cote is 23-9. Saunders is 19-7-2.

Ed Herman scored a 2nd round stoppage over Tim Boetsch in a Light Heavyweight bout.

In round two, Herman landed a knee that sent Boetsch down to the ground. After a few punches the bout was stopped.

Herman is now 24-11-0-1. Boetsch is now 18-11.

Chris Wade scored a 1st round choke out over Mehdi Baghdad in a Lightweight bout.

Wade had Baghdad down and got him a rear-naked choke and Baghdad tapped out at 4:30.

Wade, 155.5 lbs of Islip, NY is 11-1. Baghdad, 156 lbs of Los Angeles, CA falls to 11-3.

Luke Sanders remained undefeated by choking out Maximo Blanco in the first round of their Featherweight bout.

Sanders landed a straight left that sent Blanco to the canvas and quickly got him in a choke that made Blanco tap at 3:38.

Sanders, 145.5 lbs of Nashville, TN is 11-0. Blanco, 146 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is 12-7-1-1.

Rob Font stopped Joey Gomez in round two of their Bantamweight bout.

Font was dominant in round one. In round two, he landed a huge flurry of punches that was started by a left hook. Font was all over Gomez and landed barrage of punches that sent Gomez down and the fight was stopped at 4:13 of round two.

Font is 12-1. Gomez is 6-1.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 17, 2016) – M-1 Global has officially announced the launching of the 2016 M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament series. The first match will be a showdown at M-1 Challenge 64, February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow between three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky

The dream battle between Russian favorites Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) and Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0), featuring two of the most respected strikers in the middleweight division, strengthens an already explosive M-1 Challenge 64 card that includes an M-1 Challenge heavyweight title fight.

M-1 Global’s newly-signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, battles powerful Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.

Known as one of the strongest and most popular fighters in Russia, Schlemenko has knocked out 29 opponents, while the equally dangerous Vasilevsky is a five-time combat Sambo World Champion.

M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Another previously announced main card match is a M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator, Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0) facing Sergey Morozov (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) with the winner advancing to fight for the vacant M-1 Challenge bantamweight title with the victor of a soon-to-be announced second title eliminator

Information

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

TORINO (Jan. 15, 2015) – New details were revealed this afternoon regarding the co-promotion between Bellator MMA and Oktagon Kickboxing. The partnership is set to take place on April 16, 2016, when the two combat sports promotions join forces at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy.

Oktagon Kickboxing President Carlo Di Blasi was joined at Comune Di Torino this afternoon by several of the world-class fighters slated to take part in the highly anticipated event including Alessio Sakara and Brian Rogers who will face one another in a light heavyweight MMA match up. Also in attendance this afternoon was Dutch knockout machine Melvin Manhoef, who will be competing in a kickboxing match up, and mixed martial artists Danilo Belluardo of Milan and Anastasia Yankova of Russia.

Although they were not in attendance at today’s press conference, it was announced that one of MMA’s most promising young prospects, A.J. McKee will be fighting Belluardo, and kickboxing standouts Raymond Daniels and Kevin Ross will be competing as well on April 16.

The event will feature both Bellator MMA and Oktagon Kickboxing bouts, with the Bellator MMA portion airing in the United States on SPIKE. Exact broadcast information and fight card will be announced in the near future.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker was unable to be in Italy for this announcement, but added: “We are beyond excited to be announcing the participation of these incredible athletes alongside Carlo Di Blasi. This is an incredible indication of the amazing show that we are putting together, and there is so much more to come!”

Oktagon Kickboxing President Carlo Di Blasi said: “When Scott Coker confirmed me of the coming of Bellator MMA in the Olympic city of Turin with Oktagon kickboxing I immediately thought this is actually the biggest hit ever in European history of fighting sport.

“The expectations are really high and I am sure the spectators at venue and on TV will keep this enthusiasm during the whole show.”

On April 16, Italy’s own Alessio Sakara will be making his first appearance for Bellator MMA and looking to build upon his first-round TKO victory this past September. “Legionarius” has competed at 185-pounds for a majority of his nearly 14-year career but going forward the 34-year-old will be facing opponents at light heavyweight. With wins against Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin already on his record, Sakara will have plenty to fight for when he enters the fray in front of a partisan crowd on April 16. It’s worth noting that Sakara has also taken professional boxing tilts, compiling a record of 8-1 with six wins coming by way of knockout.

Sakara’s opponent Rogers recently moved up in weight classes, making the jump from 185 to 205-pounds. The 31-year-old Strikeforce veteran has been competing under the Bellator MMA banner since 2011 and has had 11 fights along the way. Most recently, “The Professional Predator” finished Virgil Zwicker via arm-triangle choke, putting the exceptional roster of Bellator MMA light heavyweights on notice. Now, the Denver, CO. based slugger looks to add to his impressive record of finishing fights when competes for the first time in 2016.

The 20-year-old McKee undoubtedly has the attention of everyone in the MMA world after a 3-0 start to his career, and for good reason. The son of respected MMA veteran, Antonio McKee, A.J. fights with fearlessly aggressive, unorthodox approach that results in pure excitement and has fans and media alike clamoring for more. He will be facing Belluardo (5-1), who is sure to have the Italian fans in full support of his effort.

With his stoppage of up-and-coming Bellator MMA middleweight contender Hisaki Kato at the conclusion of 2015, the 39-year-old Manhoef has proven once again that he has plenty left in the tank. “No Mercy” has competed in more than 100 professional bouts during his combat sports tenure, with more than 50 of his victories coming by way of knockout. Look for that trend to continue when the dangerous striker returns to action in Northern Italy.

It’s easy to classify Anastasia Yankova as “just another pretty face,” but the 24-year-old Russian Muay Thai Champion has the fighting skills to more than match her good looks. Undefeated thus far in her budding MMA career, the Moscow native has attacked the limbs of both her opponents and earned early submission stoppages, piquing the interest of promotions around the globe. Ultimately, the Akademiya Box product recently signed a long-term contract with Bellator MMA, which continues to build out its impressive women’s flyweight division.

The 35-year-old Ross is a highly regarded American Muay-Thai kickboxer. Ross has racked up a slew of championships during his 52-fight career, including the WBC Muay-Thai USA welterweight title, the WBC Muay-Thai International Super-lightweight title and the Lion Fight Super Lightweight Championship. Known also as “The Soul Assassin,” Ross is working on a transition into the sport of MMA.

Daniels is a multi-time champion karate fighter who made a name for himself under the now defunct World Combat League banner. A confident, explosive striker who owns some of the most highlight-reel worthy knockouts in kickboxing history, Daniels has only been defeated four times in over 29 appearances while competing in some iteration of combat sports. Now, “The Real Deal” looks to showcase why he proudly wears the acronym “G.O.A.T.” on the back of his tights when he fights in Torino, Italy on April 16.

2015 was a record-shattering year for the Scott Coker-led Bellator promotion. The success was powered by several major events including “Bellator 138: Unfinished Business,” which generated 2.9 million viewers and “Bellator: Dynamite 1,” which set company records for attendance and gate. The April 16 event in Torino marks Bellator’s first-ever event overseas, but it won’t be the last, as the promotion has announced plans for additional international events in London and Israel slated for later this year.

About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Oktagon:
Oktagon was created by Carlo Di Blasi in 1996. At its beginning the show was dedicated to free fight, the name that was given initially to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Other disciplines such as Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Savate were gradually added from the early 2000’s onwards. During the last 20 years Oktagon has reached a huge popularity, both in Italy and abroad, creating many superstars in the process including Bellator welterweight Paul Daley as well as The Petrosyan brothers (Giorgio and Armen), Robin Van Roosmalen, Valentijn Overeem, Rico Verhoeven and Artem Levin.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents the first live Resurrection Fighting Alliance broadcast of 2015 this Friday, Jan. 15 at 10 p.m. ET, as RFA 34: Velickovic vs. Smith emanates from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Serbian sensation Bojan “Serbian Steel” Velickovic (12-3) and former RFA welterweight champion Benjamin Smith (15-3).

RFA 34: Velickovic vs. Smith will be broadcast live on Fight Network in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The domestic U.S. broadcast airs on AXS TV.

In addition to the Velickovic vs. Smith headliner, the co-main event will see Colorado native Adam Stroup (10-2) and former RFA title challenger John Poppie (6-2) meet in a middleweight showdown.

The main card of RFA 34 will also include a pair of RFA and Colorado fan favorites in the light heavyweight division, as Cody Mumma (8-2) looks to ride the momentum of three consecutive KO victories when he faces fellow RFA vet Jeremy Kimball (11-5), who will be entering this contest fresh off a lightning fast KO victory of his own.

In the bantamweight division, six-time UFC vet Hugo “Wolverine” Viana (8-3) and two-time RFA vet Zac “The Anointed Warrior” Riley (3-3) will share the RFA Octagon together, plus Brian Camozzi (4-2) makes his long awaited RFA debut when he faces Tyler Milner (7-2) in a welterweight contest, while the main card gets started in the featherweight division with a pair of top prospects eager to make their national television debuts, as Cory Sandhagen (1-0) collides with Andrew Tenneson (3-0).

Live action returns to Fight Network just two days later with a special presentation of the UFC Fight Night™: Dillashaw vs. Cruz prelims on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET, airing exclusively in Canada. In featured prelim action, battle-tested French-Canadian warrior Patrick Cote (22-9) seeks his third straight triumph at 170 pounds when he takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Ben Saunders (19-6-2). Other bouts include a light heavyweight showcase pitting Tim Boetsch (18-9) against Ed Herman (22-11, 1NC), a lightweight matchup between red-hot New Yorker Chris Wade (10-1) and highly touted newcomer Mehdi Baghdad (11-3), plus Venezuelan knockout artist Maximo Blanco (12-6-1, 1NC) looks to make it four straight against undefeated bantamweight newcomer Luke Sanders (10-0).

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 14, 2016) – Another potentially explosive match has been added to an already top heavy-loaded M-1 Challenge 64, taking place February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, as Pavel Vitruk takes on Sergey Morozov in a special M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator.

The M-1 Challenge 64 headliner finds newly M-1 Global-signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, against powerful Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.

In the co-feature, M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui (12-3-0, M-1: 2-2-0), fighting out of Paris, defends his title against Belarussian challenger Artiom Damkovsky (20-9-0, M-1: 10-6-0)

M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

A native of Ukraine fighting out of St. Petersburg, Vitruk (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0) is coming off back-to-back losses to American Lee Morrison by decision at M-1 Challenge 55 and Max Coga by third-round decision at M-1 Challenge 58. Representing the famed Alexander Nevsky Club in St. Petersburg, Vitruk has a strong Muay Thai foundation. After fighting exclusively as a featherweight, Vitruk has decided to drop down one weight class and compete as a bantamweight.

Pavel Vitruk (R) displays his effective jab to set-up his other moves

The 26-year-old Morozov (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) is coming off a pair of impressive second-round stoppages via punches over Andy Young at M-1 Challenge 59 and Rijitigala Amu at M-1 Challenge 53. The Kazakh is a hot bantamweight prospect who is equally comfortable on his feet or on the ground.

Morozov is shown here ready to unload on his opponent

The winner of Vitruk vs. Morozov will advance to fight the victor from a soon-to-be announced second title eliminator for the vacant M-1 Challenge bantamweight title.

Information

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www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
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@M1Global

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USA MEDIA CONTACT:
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ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

13 January 2016 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE) together with Tune Talk, will launch the second event of 2016 in style as the promotion heads back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 29 January for ONE: CLASH OF HEROES. In the main event featuring a Malaysia Warrior Bout, hometown hero Ev “E.T.” Ting squares off with one of the Philippines’ finest in Eric “The Natural” Kelly.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “2016 is going to be such a phenomenal year for mixed martial arts in Asia and we’re doing our best to put together the most exciting fights for fans all across the world. Ev Ting has really proven that homegrown Malaysian mixed martial artists can go toe-to-toe with the best in the world and will now face his sternest test against one of the best fighters in his division in Eric Kelly.”

Tickets for ONE: CLASH OF HEROES are available at www.AirAsiaRedTix.com.

26-year-old Ev “E.T.” Ting is one of Malaysia’s most promising young talents. His exceptional 10-3 record has come against solid opposition. Fresh off a Guillotine Choke submission victory in his last bout, Ting is known to be a ferocious striker with a well-rounded ground game making him a complete fighter. Ting will look to play off the energy of his hometown crowd when he takes on the Philippines’ Eric Kelly.

Eric “The Natural” Kelly of Baguio City, Philippines is undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters to come out of the country. With just one defeat on his professional record, Kelly has decimated opponents inside the cage with his ability to secure fight-ending finishes. Of his twelve victories, nine have come by submission. Kelly has long been due for a title shot but will have to get past Malaysia’s Ev Ting first to continue in his quest for ONE Championship gold.

Team Lakay veteran lightweight standout Eduard “Landslide” Folayang has long been among the elite mixed martial artists in the Philippines. Folayang continues his stellar career with wins over some of the most highly-regarded opponents. Since his previous fight, the 32-year old has added an improved grappling game to go with his great Wushu base. Folayang will now pit his skills against Japan’s Tetsuya Yamada next.

Tetsuya Yamada of Kanigawa, Japan is a promising young lightweight with a penchant for spectacular finishes. The 25-year-old has finished 12 of his 15 wins either by submission or by highlight reel knockout and will look to replicate his success when he makes his debut inside the ONE Cage against the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang.

Jake Butler has firmly established himself as one of the top light heavyweights in the division. He has a highlight reel of victories by exciting finishes, and possesses some of the best wrestling in the sport having honed his skills as captain of the Princeton wrestling team. Butler is unstoppable when he utilizes his signature wrestling techniques, but he has also improved his striking skills by training with Muay Thai world champions in Asia. Butler’s next challenge will be against Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno.

Tatsuya Mizuno is a mixed martial arts veteran from Tokyo, Japan. Mizuno’s good mix of stoppage and submission wins lends to the fact that both his striking and his grappling skills are well-rounded and highly effective. He’s never in a boring fight and always competes with decisive victory in mind. At 34-years of age, Mizuno looks to continue his career against the fast-rising Jake Butler.

Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Philippines is a highly-skilled Wushu practitioner. He breaks down opponents with well-placed combinations and impeccable timing. Eustaquio’s lightning quick strikes have seen him successful against high-level opponents despite two recent setbacks. Eustaquio now looks to get back on track as he takes on Saiful Merican.

Saiful “The Vampire” Merican of Malaysia is happy to compete in front of his hometown crowd in Kuala Lumpur. The 27-year old flyweight is an explosive striker who starts out fast, looking to end fights early. He’s had success inside the ONE Cage and will now look to continue his winning ways against the Philippines’ Geje Eustaquio.

Hard-hitting Sami Amin of Cairo, Egypt is a bantamweight contender with a solid professional mixed martial arts record of five wins, two losses and one draw . He’s fought once inside the ONE Cage, against Fransino Tirta in 2014 but came up short. He now looks for redemption as he returns to ONE Championship to face Samir Mrabet.

Samir Mrabet of Brussels, Belgium is undefeated as a mixed martial artist at three wins with no losses. Mrabet owns a knockout and a submission win to his credit, including a victory in his ONE Championship debut last 2013. Mrabet now returns to the ONE Cage after over two years away from professional competition to take on Sami Amin.

At just 21-years of age, Keanu Subba is a former amateur MMA champion and is one of the most promising young talents on ONE Championship’s roster. Victorious in his debut for the promotion, Subba brought the crowd to the edge of their seats with a first round stoppage of Florian Garel. Subba will look to replicate the victory by taking on Rayner Kinsiong next.

Rayner Kinsiong of Sabah, Malaysia is known for his tenacity and grit inside the cage. Never one to back down from a good scrap, Kinsiong has poured his heart and soul into martial arts and it’s evident in the way he goes out and tries to put on a show for the crowd. Kinsiong will face the toughest test in his career when he takes on Keanu Subba.

Christian Lee, younger brother of Singapore’s MMA darling Angela “Unstoppable” Lee, made a successful debut inside the ONE Cage last December with a first round TKO of Cambodia’s David Meak. Lee impressed with his relentless offense, leading to the stoppage of Meak just under a minute into the matchup. Lee now looks for the same success when he returns to the cage against Mahmoud Mohamed.

Mahmoud Mohamed of Cairo, Egypt is a mixed martial artist with a 3-2-1 professional MMA record. The Egyptian has competed solely in his home country but will be making his way overseas for this first time now in his ONE Championship debut. He’ll take on one of the promotion’s fastest rising stars in young Christian Lee.

20-year old middleweight prospect Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is unbeaten as a professional mixed martial artist, with two wins inside the ONE Cage. All three of the wins on his record have come either by knockout or by submission as the young star is making his presence felt the welterweight division. Thani will face the returning James Kouame next.

James Kouame of Ontario, Canada last competed for ONE Championship back in 2013, when he was finished by highly-regarded Jake Butler via submission. Kouame seeks redemption inside the ONE Cage now more than two years later, this time against Agilan Thani.

As part of the Facebook Livestream of preliminary bouts, Reant Febriza Rainir and Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev will do battle while female MMA athletes, Jenny Huang and Amira Badr will lock horns inside the ONE Cage.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

Las Vegas – UFC® featherweight champion Conor McGregor will look to make history on Saturday, March 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he moves up to challenge UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos for the 155-pound title.

McGregor will look to become the first fighter in history to hold UFC world titles in two different weight classes simultaneously when he challenges the red-hot Brazilian champion.

Plus, women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm puts her world title on the line for the first time against second-ranked Miesha Tate in the co-main event. The undefeated Holm became a household name at UFC® 193 when she knocked out previously unbeaten Ronda Rousey. The former boxing champion looks to keep her perfect record intact when she meets Tate, who is riding a dominant four-fight win streak.

Tickets for UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR, presented by EA SPORTS UFC® 2, go on sale to the general public on Friday, Jan. 22. Ticket information will be made available soon.

UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 5.

LAS VEGAS (January 12, 2016) –A re-injury of his hip has forced Mike “The Martian” Ricci to withdraw from his scheduled World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) main event bout with Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-4), who will now face streaking Blackzilians ace Luiz “Buscape” Firmino (18-6) under co-main event status at WSOF27, live on NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Originally billed as the co-main event, the light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest between heavy-handed finisher Teddy Holder (9-2) of Bartlett, Tenn. and undefeated Shamil Gamzatov (9-0) of Makhachkala, Russia has been elevated to the main event.

“Our entire team wishes Mike Ricci a full and speedy recovery, and hopes to see him return soon,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

“Luiz Firmino, no stranger to our decagon cage,” continued Sefo, “is truly a courageous warrior for stepping up on such short notice to compete against a fellow star like Caros Fodor. We commend Luiz for doing so and look forward to seeing him back in action.”

The 33-year-old Firmino of Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil is riding a five-fight win streak. His last two victories – a unanimous decision over Jacob Volkmann on October 26, 2013 and a unanimous decision over Tyson Griffin on June 21, 2014, both came under the World Series of Fighting banner.

Prior to the victory over Volkmann, Firmino earned an impressive, five-round unanimous decision over Luis “Baboon” Palomino, who has since gone on to challenge reigning, undefeated champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje twice for the World Series of Fighting lightweight title.

A veteran of professional MMA since the young age of 18, Firmino also boasts notable wins over prolific striker “Diamond” Ryan Healy and submission expert Toby Imada, both of whom Firmino defeated by way of unanimous decision.

Tickets for WSOF27 start at just $39.99, and are on sale at WSOF.com, all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com, the FedExForum Box Office, or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

A three-bout preliminary card will stream live on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit fedexforum.com, ‘like’ FedExForum on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@FedExForum).

MAIN CARD

Light Heavyweight Main Event: Teddy Holder vs. Shamil Gamzatov
Lightweight Co-Main Event: Caros Fodor vs. Luiz Firmino
Welterweight Bout: Jaleel Willis vs. Chauncey Foxworth
Featherweight Bout: Jorge Medina vs. Bryce Mitchell

PRELIMINARY CARD

Welterweight: Justin Hartley vs. Wade Johnson
Lightweight: Zach Underwood vs. Jason Williams
Lightweight: Alvin Williams vs. Wes Sharp

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 12, 2016) – M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev has been named M-1 Global’s 2015 Fighter of the Year.

Russian welterweight Alexey Kunchenko was selected as “Prospect of the Year,” while M-1 Challenge 63 was the M-1 Global “Event of the Year.”

Emeev (13-3-0, M1: 7-1-0), fighting out of Russia, was a runaway winner as “Fighter of the Year,” garnering 84.5-percent of the votes to easily outdistance runner-up Viktor Nemkov (23-5-0, M-1: 14-4-0), the reigning M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion.

In 2015, Emeev won both of his M-1 fights with his title-winning submission (choke) of defending champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky in the opening round of their rematch last April at M-1 Challenge 56, and first title defense this past December 4th at M-1 Challenge 63 when American challenger Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti was unable to answer the bell for the third round.

(L-R) Emeev pounds Fioravanti

Kunchenko (12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0), the undefeated Russian, defeated “Prospect of the Year” runner-up Adam “Beard” Yandiev and third-place finisher Raul Tutarauli (6-3-0, M-1: 3-0-0). Kunchenko won all five of his fights in 2015, highlighted by his opening-round stoppages of Dez Parker at M-1 Challenge 57 and Alexandre Ramos at M-1 Challenge 62.

(L-R) Kunchenko vs. Ramos

M-1 Challenge 63 was headlined by the highly entertaining rematch between defending M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan Puetz, of Germany, and Nemkov, of Russia, in the latter’s victory by five-round decision. Emeev’s triumph over Fioravanti was the M-1 Challenge 63 co-feature. M-1 Challenge 56, headlined by Emeev’s title-winning performance against Vasilevsky, was “Event of the Year” runner-up.

Nemkov (R) strikes Puetz in M-1 Challenge 63 “Event of the Year”

LAS VEGAS (January 11, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that the highly-anticipated showdown between reigning, undefeated lightweight (155 pounds) champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje and number one contender Brian Foster will take place at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo. on Saturday, March 12, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF29: Gaethje vs. Foster go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9 a.m. MT at WSOF.com and ComcastTix.com.

“This is a fight between two phenomenal athletes who are at the top of their games right now and whose fighting spirits are bound to make it an all-out war in the cage that will see the better man that night walk away as world champion,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

One of the most dominant competitors on the World Series of Fighting roster whose fearless, go-for-broke style has captured the hearts of fans worldwide, the 27-year-old Gaethje (14-0) of Safford, Ariz. is coming off the third defense of his coveted title in which he scored an explosive, second round (4:30) TKO (punches) of rival Luis “Baboon” Palomino in a rematch between the two prolific stars, on September 18.

Six months prior, Gaethje and Palomino engaged in an epic, see-saw slugfest that saw Gaethje emerge victorious by way of TKO (leg kicks and punches) in the third round (3:57) that has since been nominated for “Fight of the Year” at the eighth annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards ceremony that takes place on February 5.

To date, Gaethje has claimed a total of eight wins in the World Series of Fighting decagon cage, with seven of those wins having come by way of (T)KO. He was crowned the league’s inaugural lightweight kingpin after finishing Richard Patishnock by way of first round (1:09) TKO (punches and elbows) at WSOF8 on January 18, 2014.

Foster (25-8) of Sallisaw, Okla. earned his title shot on November 20 when the 31-year-old, decorated veteran staged a heroic effort, fighting three times in one night to win World Series of Fighting’s first-ever, one-night tournament featuring the top eight athletes in the league’s stacked lightweight division.

After suffering a first round (1:46) submission (heel hook) defeat to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Joao Zeferino, Foster experienced a stroke of luck, advancing to the tournament’s semifinal stage of competition in place of an injured competitor, and capitalized on the opportunity by defeating Palomino via second round (4:19) TKO (punches) and Zeferino via second round (4:51) KO (punches) in a championship stage rematch, to claim first prize and a shot at Gaethje’s title.

A 10-year veteran of the sport, Foster has produced notable victories over Brock Larson, Forrest Petz and world top 10 ranked welterweight (170 pounds) superstar Matt Brown, whom Foster conquered by way of second round (2:11) submission (guillotine choke) on November 20, 2010.

Additional WSOF29 bouts will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 11, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced its signing of undefeated Russian welterweight prospect Alexey Kunchenko (12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) to an exclusive promotional contract.

The 31-year-old Kunchenko, fighting out of Tyumen, Russia, has a Muay Thai foundation. Representing the Boets Club, Kunchenko has nine knockouts, along with two submission and one decision victory.

At M-1 Challenge 62 last October, Kunchenko stopped Alexandre Ramos in punches in the third round. (Below see picture of Kunchenko kicking Ramos)

Information

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews
USA MEDIA CONTACT:
Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, @FightPublicist

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 was another sensational year of world-class competition. Its 2016 calendar of Challenge events will soon be announced, fueled by a talent-rich contention system, ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!