LAS VEGAS (May 20, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) has signed undefeated middleweight (185 pounds) prospect Phil Hawes (3-0) to an exclusive, multi-year promotional agreement.

A product of the famed Jackson-Winklejohn camp in Albuquerque, N.M., the 6-foot, 27-year-old Hawes who hails from Little Ferry, N.J., will make his promotional debut against Joshua “The Prince of MMA” Key (6-11, 2 NC) on the live, five-bout NBCSN telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) of WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.

“Phil is one of the most exciting, young prospects in the sport of MMA, so we are excited to welcome him to the World Series of Fighting family, and we look forward to seeing how his career develops under our promotion,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

The matchup with Key will be Hawes’ first start since 2014, his professional debut year when he ran to three straight victories, the first two by way of TKO and the third – a first round victory over Brandon Collins on October 18 – by way of armbar submission.

A 2009 junior college national wrestling champion for Iowa Central Community College, the alma mater of UFC champion and Jackson-Winklejohn teammate Jon “Bones” Jones, Hawes has been described by Jones as having “limitless” potential.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.

In the main event of the live NBCSN telecast, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1).

In the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD (Live on NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Championship Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov (Champion) vs. Josh Copeland (Challenger)

Lightweight: Jason High vs. Mike Ricci
Welterweight: John Howard vs. Thiago Meller
Featherweight: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Joshua Key

PRELIMINARY CARD (Live on WSOF.com)

Lightweight: Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell
Heavyweight: Juliano Coutinho vs. Justin Willis
Heavyweight: Tyler King vs. Lorenzo Hood
Welterweight: Robert Fonseca vs. Sean Lally
Lightweight: Bruce Boyington vs. Saul Almeida
Bantamweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Ben Pierre-Saint
Lightweight: Sam Watford vs. Christian Torres

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.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

LAS VEGAS (May 19, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) today announced a complete, seven-bout preliminary fight card for its WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.

The WSOF31 undercard lineup includes the promotional debut of heavyweight knockout artist Lorenzo Hood (9-3), who will square off with fellow finisher Tyler “The Marauder” King (10-4).

The 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Hood of Chicago, Ill. is a former professional football player turned MMA wrecking machine who has notched all 9 of his professional victories by way of (T)KO in the first round of battle.

King, a 6-foot-5, 35-year-old resident of North Attleboro, Mass. has earned 8 of his 10 career wins via (T)KO or submission. He is coming off a 51-second submission (heel hook) of Eric Bedard on April 16.

In another heavyweight contest, Juliano “Banana” Coutinho (7-2) of Cape Cod, Mass. via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will look to secure his second straight victory when he faces off with Team AKA product Justin Willis (3-1) of San Jose, Calif.

Willis, who is riding a three-fight win streak, was originally slated to face Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett on the main card portion of the bill.

Returning to the decagon cage for the fourth time, submission specialist Tom “Tommy Gunnz” Marcellino (7-4) of Amsterdam, N.Y. will take on Devin Powell (6-1) of South Berwick, Maine in one of three lightweight (155 pounds) matchups on the WSOF31 preliminary bout card.

Powell boasts won four straight fights, three by way of (T)KO or submission.

In welterweight (170 pounds) action, Robert Fonseca (10-3, 1 NC) of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil will seek his fourth consecutive victory when he squares off with Sean Lally (4-2) of Orleans, Mass.

Saul “The Spider” Almeida (18-6) of Boston, Mass. will make his third start in the decagon cage in a lightweight matchup with prolific power striker Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington of Bangor, Maine.

Thirty-year-old rising star Rodrigo “The Young Lion” Almeida of Woburn, Mass. will do battle with Ben Pierre-Saint (9-4) of Superior, Wisc. at bantamweight (135 pounds).

In the leadoff preliminary card fight, unbeaten Sam Watford (2-0) of Mount Vernon, N.Y. will face Christian “The Terminator” Torres (0-0) of Endicott, N.Y.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.

In the live NBCSN televised main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) while, in the lightweight co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

Elsewhere on the live NBCSN telecast, John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will make his highly-anticipated World Series of Fighting debut against submission expert Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) at welterweight.

In a featherweight (145 pounds) tilt between two prolific strikers, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) will battle former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

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.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (May 17, 2016) – Former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight and middleweight champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (28-4-0, M-1: 10-2-0) has stepped up to replace injured Ramazan Emeev against Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0) in the final of the M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament, headlining
M-1 Challenge 68, June 16 at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0) suffered a torn ligament in his elbow during training camp. In a M-1 Challenge Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament semifinals match last February, Vasilevsky lost a majority decision to Shlemenko in the M-1 Challenge 64 Fight of the Night.

“We were in a very difficult situation after Ramazan Emeev got injured,” M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein explained. “The whole event was in jeopardy. So, now, we’re grateful to Vyacheslav Vasilevsky for agreeing to step in and face Shlemenko in our M-1 Grand Prix finals being held on his (Vasilevsky) birthday.

“Due to our contract obligations, we were unable to postpone the event because it is officially included in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, which is something every one of our fighters knew from the very beginning. There’s a paragraph in the Grand Prix fighters’ contract stating we can use one of the guys who fought in the semifinals of the tournament in case someone gets injured. Now we’re making one of the most anticipated rematches in the history of Russian MMA.”

M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0) will make his first title defense against Attila “Pumuklo” Vegh (29-6-2, M-1: 0-0-0) at M-1 Challenge 68. A match between Russian middleweight Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (10-1-1, M-1: 1-1-1) and Spanish veteran Enoc Solves Torres (18-9-0, M-1: 5-6-0) has also been announced for the June 16th card.

“The M-1 Challenge 68 event is going to be huge,” Finkelchtein added. “We’re stacking the card with Alexander Volkov vs Attila Vegh fighting in an M-1 Challenge heavyweight title fight. The Grand Prix winner, Shlemenko still gets $50,000. As for Ramazan Emeev, we will put efforts into arranging his fight with Alexander Shlemenko this fall, if Shlemenko is still fighting in Russia. Emeev versus Shlemenko will provide the answer to all of the questions MMA fans still arguing about.”

M-1 Challenge 68 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg 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.

Upcoming M-1 Global Events:

May 27 – M-1 Challenge 66: Nemkov vs. Yusopov, Orenburg City, Russia
June 4 – M-1 Challenge 67: Buchinger vs. Idrisov, Baku, Azerbaijan

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

LONDON (May 17, 2016) – BoxNation will air a world title tripleheader exclusively live this weekend as the light-middleweight division takes centre stage.

Cuban hotshot Erislandy Lara rematches U.S. Olympian and top contender Vanes Martirosyan as he puts his WBA light-middleweight world title on the line at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas this Saturday night.

The pair met previously in 2012 in an intriguing matchup with neither man claiming the victory as the judges scored it a draw after the fight was stopped in the ninth round due to an accidental headbutt that caused a cut to the eye of Martirosyan.

Both men will now be looking to settle an old score and are out to stake their claim in a division stacked with top talent, including Liverpool’s Liam Smith who is set to defend his WBO world title exclusively live on BoxNation on June 4th.

“I’m looking forward and I’m excited to be making my 2016 debut in the boxing capital of Las Vegas come May 21,” said Lara. “I can’t wait to get in the ring as I have unfinished business to take care of with Vanes. I’m the champion and will remain the champion. I will leave no doubt who the better fighter is and will show the world that I’m the best fighter in the 154-pound division.”

“Erislandy Lara and I have unfinished business from our first fight,” said Martirosyan. “I had him beat that night and I’ll beat him on Saturday night. My time is now and I know I will be the new champion of the world on May 21.”

The card also sees IBF light-middleweight world champion Jermall Charlo out in action as he faces his toughest fight to date when he squares up against former world champion Austin Trout.

Trout has shared the ring with some of boxing’s biggest names including Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto and will be looking to make a major comeback to the 154-pound division with a victory over the so far undefeated Charlo.

Twin brother Jermell will also feature on the night when he takes on the big-punching John Jackson, son of one of boxing’s hardest hitters Julian Jackson, for the vacant WBC light-middleweight world title.

25-year-old Charlo like his sibling is undefeated and will be making his first stab at the world title.

“This will be a history-making, record-breaking night for the Charlo twins,” said Jermall Charlo. “It means everything to us to be able to fight in two championship fights on the same card. This is everything we’ve ever dreamed of. This is going to be a great night of boxing and I’m preparing myself for war. Austin Trout is a seasoned vet. He’s fought world champions and beaten a future Hall of Famer in Miguel Cotto. This is one of my biggest fights to date, but I’m preparing the same way I always do. I’m going to be on my ‘A’ game. I’m ready to make history.”

“I’m extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to fight for the world title on May 21,” said Trout. “It’s a twice-in-a-lifetime chance for a second world title and I’m going to take full advantage of it. I’ve sat at the champions’ table before and am ready to go back again and eat from it again. Destiny brought me here not to lose, but to win. I’m going to show up and show out and win this world title.”

“This is a huge fight for me,” said Jermell Charlo. “It’s my first opportunity to fight for a title and my brother is on the same card defending his belt. There have never been identical twin brothers that are both world champions in the same weight class. We’re going to go out there and make history and send a message to the whole division. I’m excited to get in the ring and I know John Jackson is too. This is an important time in my career and I will be well prepared. Let the best man win.”

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to become a world champion,” said Jackson. “I’ve been training very hard for the last two months for this fight and come Saturday night I will be victorious over Jermell Charlo and realise my lifelong dream of becoming a world champion, like my dad, the great Julian Jackson.”

To watch Lara v Charlo v Trout exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/Online & App) this Saturday night, go to boxnation.com to subscribe.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel.

For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee

LAS VEGAS (May 17, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it is launching a groundbreaking program designed to support and further the athletic careers of military veterans who actively compete, or are seeking to compete, in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

“WSOF: Who’s The Toughest?” will include a dedicated recruitment program that will see World Series of Fighting President and six-time world champion Ray Sefo and his staff visit MMA gyms, beginning with a location in San Diego, Calif. next month, in order to evaluate the pool of competitors with veteran status.

The first two recruits from the program will square off with each other live on NBCSN at WSOF35, which will take place at a location to be announced, on Saturday, Nov. 12, one day after Veterans Day.

“We are looking forward to embarking on this venture that will allow us to give back to our armed forces that serve our country and protect our freedom,” said Sefo.

“As one of the major leagues in the sport of MMA with a national television platform in NBC and NBCSN, we have the ability to offer a potentially life-changing opportunity to fighters who are ready to make the jump, and we intend to leverage our position in the industry to benefit any veterans that show promise,” said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva.

In January, World Series of Fighting placed its first military veteran – Caros “The Future” Fodor – in action. Fodor, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps just six days after his high school graduation, was sent to Kuwait for the Iraq invasion after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and eventually earned the rank of sergeant before completing his military stint in 2007.

Fodor will be back in action on Saturday, July 30, when he faces his adopted brother Phoenix Jones, aka Ben Fodor, at WSOF32, live on NBCSN from XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash., beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
“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.

Stipe Miocic won the UFC Heavyweight title with a 1st round knockout over Fabrico Wedum in front of over 45,000 in Brazil.

Miocic landed a crushing right that knocked Werdum completely out and the fight was stopped at 2:47.

Miocic is now 15-2. Werdum is 20-6-1.

Jacare Souza stopped former world champion Vitor Belfort in the 1st round of their middleweight bout.

Souza cut Belfort’s nose with a hard series of ground punches. Belfort continued to take hard blows until the bout was stopped at 4:38.

Souza is now 23-4-1. Belfort is 25-12.

Cris Cyborg made a sucessful UFC debut by taking out Leslie Smith in 81 seconds.

Cyborg landed some vicious shots that knocked Smith to the ground. Cyborg landed some hard ground shots and the fight was stopped.

Cyborg is now 16-1-1. Smith is 8-7-1.

Mauricio Rua won a split decision over Corey Anderson in a light heavyweight bout.

Rua won two cards 29-28. Anderson took a card 29-28.

Rua is 24-10. Anderson is 8-2.

Bryan Barberena won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Warlley Alves in a welterweight bout.

Barberena won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 12-3. Alves is 10-1.

Demian Maia choked out Matt Brown in the 3rd round of their welterweight bout.

Maia is now23-6. Brown falls to 20-14.

Thiago Santos stopped Nate Marquardt in the 1st round of their middleweight fight.

Santos dominated the fight and dropped Marquardt with a big left and the fight was stopped at 3:39.

Santos is 13-3. Marquardt is 34-16-2.

In a wildly entertaining lightweight bout, Francisco Trinaldo won a unanimous decision over Yancy Medeiros.

Both guys were almost knocked out on several occasions but Trinaldo took rounds one and three.

Trinaldo is 20-4. Mediros is 12-4.

John Lineker won a unanimous decision over Rob Font in a Bantamweight bout.

Linker is now 27-7. Font is 13-2.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (May 14, 2016) – An elbow injury has forced M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (pictured to left) to withdraw from his June 16th showdown with Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko at M-1 Challenge 68 at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0) suffered a torn ligament in his elbow during training camp, postponing his M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Championship fight against Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0) to a future date pending Emeev’s recovery period.

M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0) will make his first title defense against Attila “Pumuklo” Vegh (29-6-2, M-1: 0-0-0) at M-1 Challenge 68. A match between Russian middleweight Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (10-1-1, M-1: 1-1-1) and Spanish veteran Enoc Solves Torres (18-9-0, M-1: 5-6-0) has also been announced for the June 16th card.

“This is a tough blow for our organization because there is only one month before M-1 Challenge 68 and we have lost one of our main event fighters,” M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein said. “It was the most anticipated fights for fans. We still have a great heavyweight title fight between defending champion Alexander Volkov and challenger Attila Vegh and we’re looking for a suitable replacement for Emeev to fight Shlemenko. M-1 Global has been working under a lot of pressure recently but, never-the-less, we continue to promote great events for our loyal fans. We will do everything possible to keep our fans happy.”

M-1 Challenge 68 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg 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.

Upcoming M-1 Global Events:

May 27 – M-1 Challenge 66: Nemkov vs. Yusopov, Orenburg City, Russia
June 4 – M-1 Challenge 67: Buchinger vs. Idrisov, Baku, Azerbaijan

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

LAS VEGAS (May 10, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) has announced a new main event and second championship rematch between reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) kingpin Marlon Moraes (16-4-1) and streaking challenger Josh “Gentleman” Hill (14-1), for its stacked Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at XFINITY Arena at Everett on Saturday, July 30, live on NBCSN at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

The highly-anticipated world featherweight (145 pounds) title fight and second showdown between Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (18-5) and the man he took the title from – Lance Palmer (10-2) – will now serve as the co-main event of WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill II.

“The magnitude of this event has increased dramatically with the addition of a second world title fight and rematch between Marlon Moraes, who has been unstoppable, in the cage, and one of the most formidable and talented contenders in the world in Josh Hill” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

The second meeting between Moraes and Hill comes 17 months after the two superstars went the five-round distance of their championship main event fight at WSOF18 on February 12, 2015, with Moraes successfully defending his coveted title by way of unanimous decision.

The 5-foot-6, 28 year-old Moraes of Howell, N.J. via Nova Friburgo, Brazil is a former Muay Thai champion and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt whose reign of terror in the 135-pound division has been ongoing since the end of 2011, when he ignited a win streak that has spanned 11 straight fights, including 3 defenses of his World Series of Fighting title.

In his last start and third title defense at WSOF28 on February 20, Moraes, who captured the World Series of Fighting crown with a unanimous decision over Josh Rettinghouse on March 29, 2014, needed just 1 minute and 13 seconds to score a brutal TKO on Joseph Barajas with a series of rapid-fire leg kicks.

Since the first meeting with Moraes, his only loss to date, the 5-foot-6, 29-year-old Hill of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has rebounded with four straight victories, a streak that Hill started with a third round (2:01) submission (rear-naked choke) of Rettinghouse on May 30, 2015.

Hill is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Bendy Casimir on April 9, in a bout that took place in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.

Priced from $29, tickets for WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill II are on sale at XFINITYArenaEverett.com and WSOF.com.

In other action on the live NBCSN telecast, costumed crusader Phoenix Jones (6-1-1) aka Ben Fodor of Seattle, Wash. will look to settle his rivalry with adopted brother Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-5) of Seattle in a 162-pound catchweight affair.

Additional bouts for WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill II 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.

About XFINITY Arena at Everett
The XFINITY Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows and is home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise. The venue is managed by Spectra by Comcast Spectacor and embodies all three of its divisions: Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality and Ticketing & Fan Engagemen

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (May 5, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced that M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger will defend his title against undefeated challenger Magomed Idrisov, headlining M-1 Challenge 67, June 4 at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Also announced is a fight between undefeated Kazakh welterweight prospect Shavkat Rakjmonov and Brazilian veteran Carlos Alexandre “Indio” Pereira.

M-1 Challenge 67 will be streamed live from Azerbaijan 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.

Buchinger (30-4-0, M-1: 5-0-0), fighting out of his native Slovakia, captured the vacant M-1 Challenge featherweight title 1-½ years ago at M-1 Challenge 52, stopping Tural Ragimov (see picture below) in the fourth round on punches. His lone title defense last October was a decision win over current M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Mansour Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 62. Undefeated in his last nine fights, dating back four years, Buchinger is 5-0 in M-1 Global competition.

Fighting out of Russia, Idrisov (6-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0) is the European Wu-Sanda champion. He has three wins in M-1 Global fights, including a pair of notable decisions over Max Coga last May at M-1 Challenge 57, and in his last fight this past December against Sergej Grecicho (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 61.

Rakhmonov vs. Pereira is a classic clash between young and old, Combat Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialists.

The 21-year-old Rakhmonov (5-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0) was a decorated MMA amateur who has won two Submission of the Night honors in only three M-1 Global events against Michal Wienek last July at M-1 Challenge 59, and versus Adam Tsurpov (pictured below) October 17, 2014 in Rakhmonov’s professional debut.

Pereira, 37, won Submission of the Night in his only M-1 Global fight to date, last September against Ruslan Zhemuklkov (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 61.

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04 May 2016 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), is set to electrify the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on 27 May with an electrifying fight card for ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS. This historic event is the first live ONE Championship event in Bangkok and features hometown hero, ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, in the card’s headlining bout against undefeated Japanese fighter Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito.

Tickets for ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS are available at https://www.thaiticketmajor.com/.

ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee stadium Muay Thai world champion and is also undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist. He is known as a technical fighter with quick hands and lightning feet. Dejdamrong employs some of the most unique and creative striking combinations in MMA, and is a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience. He will defend his title against Japanese fighter Yoshitaka Naito in the headlining bout of ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS.

Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Chiba, Japan, is an unbeaten mixed martial artist with a perfect 10-0 record. He has four wins by submission and one knockout under his belt. The 32-year-old, who made a name for himself at Japan’s world-famous Korakuen Hall competing as the Shooto flyweight champion, will be fighting outside of his native Japan for the first time, and it will be in a contest for the ONE Strawweight World Championship against Thai titlist Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia is undefeated at 13 wins and no losses and is the former M-1 featherweight champion. In his first four bouts with ONE Championship, he defeated the top ranked fighters in his weight-class with relative ease. Out of his 13 victories, 9 have come by submission, proving that Gafurov is an absolute force to be reckoned with on the ground. He is the reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion and will defend his belt against Kazunori Yokota.

38-year-old Kazunori Yokota of Chiba, Japan, is a mixed martial arts veteran with over 12 years of professional fight experience under his belt. The reigning Deep featherweight champion, Yokota is one of the toughest fighters at featherweight, sporting a stellar record of 25 wins and just 5 defeats. He will be making his ONE Championship debut in a title bout against reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion, Marat Gafurov.

Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin has notched a series of ferocious finishes since joining ONE Championship, including stoppage wins over top fighters Eduard Folayang and Yusuke Kawanago. Nastyukhin now returns to action against one of the biggest names in Asian MMA, taking on striking specialist Rob Lisita.

33-year-old Rob “Warrior of God” Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is making his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Cage. At 14-7, feared striker Lisita is raring to go, and promises an overall improved martial arts game in his next outing. He’ll battle Timofey Nastyukhin in what promises to be an instant classic.

Leandro Ataides of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will return to the ONE Cage on a mission to regain his standing in the middleweight ranks. Ataides, 29, strung together eight straight victories before encountering his first setback, and is a force to be reckoned with for any contender. Ataides looks to get back on track by defeating his next opponent, Marcin Prachnio.

Marcin Prachnio is a Polish mixed martial artist with an impressive 10-2 professional record. He’s won his last five bouts, four of which by devastating technical knockouts. The attacking machine was victorious in his first appearance inside the ONE Cage, ousting Alexandre Machado just last February, and is making a quick turnaround to face the returning Leandro Ataides.

Thailand’s Anatpong “Mak Mak” Bunrad is one of the fiercest competitors at flyweight. He has a standout 5-2 professional mixed martial arts record, and has defeated the likes of Geje Eustaquio and Marc Marcellinus. Bunrad likes to pepper opponents with heavy handed strikes and powerful kicks, maximizing the effectiveness of his world-class Muay Thai. His next assignment is against Filipino Eugene Toquero.

Flyweight standout Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and fitness coach in his native Manila, Philippines. The Filipino stalwart has a knack for highlight-reel striking techniques and operates at a pace which opponents find hard to keep up with. In his last bout, Toquero nearly defeated former ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes, showcasing his elite skills. He now faces Thailand’s Anatpong Bunrad.

41-year-old WBA Boxing World Champion Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong of Thailand is making his return to professional mixed martial arts competition at ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS. With the opportunity to compete in Bangkok, Sityodtong just simply could not pass up the chance to perform in front of his hometown crowd. He’ll take on Chrech Kosal of Cambodia next.

Cambodian bantamweight prospect Chrech Kosal has two wins and only one loss as a professional mixed martial artist. A Khun Khmer specialist, Kosal is quick on his feet and powerful with his strikes. Thailand and Cambodia are set to rekindle their age-old rivalry when Kosal meets Thai boxing specialist Yodsanan Sityodtong.

Shannon Wiratchai is one of the promotion’s most devastating strikers. A Muay Thai specialist with 4 wins and only 1 loss, Wiratchai has competed against solid opposition since joining ONE Championship in 2012. In his most recent bout, Wiratchai starred in an absolute classic against young Singaporean prospect Amir Khan in one of the best bouts of the year. Now, Wiratchai gets a chance to perform in front of his hometown crowd in Bangkok against Kyal Linn Aung.

Myanmar’s Kyal Linn Aung is a two-time Lethwei Gold Belt Champion, a glowing testament to his elite striking ability. Kyal made his professional MMA debut at ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS, prevailing in a hugely entertaining three-round battle with Thway Thit Aung. He now faces Shannon Wiratchai as his next assignment in ONE Championship in a clash between two of the region’s national martial arts.

Also, young local Thai mixed martial arts prospects Pongsiri Mitsatit and Kritsada Konsrichai will take to the ONE Cage, against high-level strikers Ye Thway Ne of Myanmar and Cambodia’s Kev Hemmorlor respectively, to kick off what is expected to be an exciting night of world-class mixed martial arts action.

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 largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 75+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

LAS VEGAS (May 3, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it will head to Washington State for the first time ever with a star-studded Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) mega-event, headlined by a world featherweight (145 pounds) championship rematch between reigning kingpin Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (18-5) and the man he took the title from – Lance Palmer (10-2) – at XFINITY Arena at Everett on Saturday, July 30, live on NBCSN at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Priced from $29, tickets for WSOF32: Almeida vs. Palmer go on sale at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, May 6, at XFINITYArenaEverett.com and WSOF.com.

In the co-main event, the long-standing and well-documented sibling rivalry between costumed crusader Phoenix Jones (6-1-1) aka Ben Fodor, and Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-5) will come to a head when the adopted brothers from Seattle face off against each other at a catchweight of 162 pounds.

“We are excited to make our debut in the great state of Washington with such a spectacular affair that will feature one of the most anticipated and well-deserved rematches of the year, as well as a something that you rarely see in combat sports – a matchup between family members whose competitive rivalry is so intense that, after so many years, it has resulted in the two agreeing to settle their differences in the cage,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Additional bouts for WSOF32: Almeida vs. Palmer will be announced soon.

Alexandre Almeida vs. Lance Palmer

On December 18, the 5-foot-11, 27-year-old Almeida of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil notched his fifth consecutive win, seizing the World Series of Fighting featherweight title from Palmer of Sacramento, Calif. via a controversial, unanimous decision after Almeida used his significant height and reach advantage to continuously frustrate the 5-foot-6, 28-year-old Palmer for the duration of their five-round matchup.

The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Palmer, who captured the featherweight strap when he submitted Rick Glenn with a rear-naked choke in the third round (3:09) of their matchup on December 13, 2014.

Phoenix Jones vs. Caros Fodor

Over the course of the last five years, Jones and Fodor of Seattle have each, on several occasions, gone on the record expressing their desires to fight one another, despite the fact that they grew up under the same roof and train in the same camp owned by head coach Matt Hume.

The 6-foot, 27-year-old Jones, whose local crime fighting escapades have made national headlines, will make his first start in the decagon cage since September 18 when he submitted Roberto Yong with a rarely seen, highlight reel scissor choke in the first round (3:09) of their meeting at WSOF23.

Fodor, a 5-foot-9, 32-year-old veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Strikeforce, made his debut under the World Series of Fighting banner, after a five-fight stint with ONE in Asia, on January 23, losing a unanimous decision to Luiz Firmino in the main event of WSOF27.

During his seven-year professional career, Fodor, a former U.S. Marine who did battle in the Iraq War, has notched impressive wins over the likes of Team AKA member Justin Wilcox and Cung Le-trained James Terry.

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.

About XFINITY Arena at Everett
The XFINITY Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows and is home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise. The venue is managed by Spectra by Comcast Spectacor and embodies all three of its divisions: Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality and Ticketing & Fan Engagement.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (May 2, 2016) – An intriguing fight between a pair of Russian featherweights, Mikhail Korobkov and Timur Nagibin, has been added to the M-1 Challenge 66 event, May 27 in Orenburg City, Russia.

In the main event, M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Viktor Nemkov (23-5-0, M-1: 14-4-0) will defend his against challenger Rashid Yusupov (6-2-0, M-1: 3-1-0). Former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan “T-800” Puetz (13-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0), fighting out of Munich, Germany, also returns to face M-1 Global-debuting Andrey Seledtsov 5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), who is a former Spetsnev solider.

M-1 Challenge 66 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.

Korobkov (9-0-1, M-1: 0-0-1) is coming off of a hard-fought draw with Rodrigo Magalhaes (see above picture) last December at M-1 Challenge 63, in which he had his 9-fight win streak snapped that started with his pro debut.

Nagibin has reeled-off seven consecutive wins since he lost his pro debut. At M-1 Challenge 64 this past February, he won a decision over Andrey Lezhnev. Nagibin is known for his powerful kicks (see picture below) and back-fists.

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2 May 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced the addition of three key senior hires to join its executive leadership team. Pithambar Gona joins as ONE Championship’s Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Sim as Head of Media Rights Sales, and Kevin Matas as Head of Marketing.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “I am thrilled to announce the addition of world-class business leaders at ONE Championship to drive our next stage of global growth. Without a doubt, we sit here today as Asia’s most successful sports media property in history because of the amazing leaders and staff at ONE Championship. With the addition of Preet, Kevin, and Kevin, our senior leadership team is now the most globally-seasoned corporate leadership team in the entire sports media industry in Asia. I have never been more excited for the future of ONE Championship.”

Prior to joining ONE Championship, Pithambar (“Preet”) Gona was most recently a Managing Director at Blackstone, one of the world’s largest and most successful investment firms, where he worked for approximately 7 years, most recently based in Singapore. As Blackstone’s first investment professional in Singapore, Gona launched and led the firm’s private equity business in Southeast Asia. During his tenure, Blackstone’s overall operations in Singapore grew to more than 35 professionals. Before joining Blackstone in 2008 as a founding member of its Asian M&A advisory business in Hong Kong, Gona worked as an Associate at Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. Gona received an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, a Masters in Manufacturing Management from the Pennsylvania State University and a BE with distinction in Mechanical Engineering from Osmania University in India.

Hailing from Red Bull, the leading energy drink & one of the top action sports media brands in the world, Kevin Matas is a seasoned marketing & social media executive who has spent his career building, launching, and developing various brand and media properties. Most recently, Matas was in charge of Red Bull’s entire social media platform in the US: social media strategy, programming, content development, community management, and analytics across various platforms (with a collective audience of 50 million followers). Matas was also a key part of the pioneering team that launched Red Bull’s monthly magazine (The Red Bulletin) in the United States. Heading up all marketing efforts for the magazine, he led the charge in production, distribution, audience development, brand management, brand activations, partnerships, and social media. During his tenure, the Red Bulletin’s audience grew from 0 – 315,000 print subscribers in 3 short years, making it the fastest growing active-lifestyle magazine in the U.S.

Kevin Sim is a world-class media executive with a sharp focus on media rights sales in Asia. As a sales and marketing executive, Sim was part of the pioneering team of MP & Silva as its 3rd employee, and played a pivotal role as Marketing Director in transforming the upstart into one of the world’s premier international sports media distribution companies. He played an active role in driving TV and media rights for sports federations, leagues, clubs and rights holders. Sim also has significant experience as a regional commercial director at MCA where he held a number of key sales and commercial roles across Asia-Pacific, including sales, partnership, business development and distribution roles. At MCA, Kevin led all aspects of commercial responsibilities for the firm and its umbrella of channel and media partners, which includes Bloomberg Television, ITV Choice (Granada), Outdoor Channel, amongst others.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook atwww.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 largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 75+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

LAS VEGAS (April 28, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has signed heavyweight knockout artists Shawn Jordan (18-7) and Lorenzo “The Dream Killer” Hood (9-3) to exclusive, multi-fight agreements.

Hood of Chicago, Ill. has been tabbed to make his promotional debut against an opponent to be announced soon, at the WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shawn Jordan and Lorenzo Hood to our ever-growing roster of world-class athletes, and look forward to seeing both of them compete in our heavyweight division soon,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M., the 6-foot, 30-year-old Jordan is coming off a 4-year, 10 fight stint with the UFC, during which he compiled an overall record of 6-4, notching all of his wins, including a vicious, first round (:59) decimation of Pat “HD” Barry on June 15, 2013, by way of (T)KO.

A two-time veteran of the now-defunct Strikeforce, and a four-time veteran of Bellator action, Jordan has earned 14 of his 18 career victories by way of (T)KO, and another 3 via submission.

The 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Hood, a former professional football player turned MMA wrecking machine, has earned all 9 of his professional career victories to date by way of (T)KO inside the first round of action.

After an aggressive debut year in 2009 in which he competed 7 times and amassed a near-perfect record of 6-1, Hood walked away from the fight world for a span of 5 years to play defensive lineman in the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League, eventually returning to the cage in 2014.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
“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.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (April 28, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced a blockbuster M-1 Challenge 68 event as Ramazan Emeev and Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko battle in the M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Championship, while M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov makes his first title defense against Attila “Pumuklo” Vegh, Thursday night, June 16, at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 68 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg 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.

Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0), fighting out of Russia by way of Dagestan, is the reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, although his title belt will not be at stake against Shlemenko. The 28-year-old Emeev, who was the 2015 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year, is a two-time M-1 Challenge middleweight champion. He originally captured the coveted crown in 2012, taking a decision from Mario Miranda for the vacant title. In his first title defense, Emeev lost to Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, who stopped the defending champion via punches in the fourth round.

In their much anticipated rematch April 10, 2015, Emeev recaptured the title from Vasilevsky, choking the defending champion into an opening-round submission. Last December, Emeev successfully defended his title when Luigi Fiorvanti retired after four rounds. Earlier this month at M-1 Challenge 65, Emeev defeated Maiquel Falcao in the M-1 Grand Prix semifinals, by way of a first-round submission (choke – see picture below), to qualify for the final versus Shlemenko.

The 31-year-old Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0) is a three-time Bellator champion from Omsk, Russia. He returned to M-1 Global competition in February, taking a decision from Vasilevsky (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 64. The Siberian-born Shlemenko hadn’t competed in M-1 Global since 2005.

Volkov (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0), 27, also fought in Bellator for three years, 2012 to 2015, returning to M-1 Global action this past February for the first time in 5 ½ years. The popular fighter from Moscow signed a promotional contract with M-1 Global, fighting Denis Smoldaraev Feb. 19, 2016 (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 64 for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship. Volkov emerged victorious, using a choke in the third round to win with the Submission of the Night.

Vegh (29-6-2, M-1: 0-0-0), will make his M-1 Global debut versus Volkov in their M-1 Challenge title fight. Fighting out of Slovakia by way of his native Czechoslovakia, Vegh (pictured below) is a former Bellator light heavyweight champion who is moving up one weight class to challenge Volkov.

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28 April 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced that ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash will no longer be able to compete at ONE: ASCENT TO POWER due to an injury he suffered during training. The co-main event will now be between Roger Gracie and Michal Pasternak with the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship at stake. In the main event, Singapore’s Angela Lee remains set to do battle with Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

Tickets for ONE: ASCENT TO POWER are available at http://www.sportshubtix.com.sg.

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Waipahu, Hawaii, is one of the promotion’s most promising young prospects regardless of gender or weight class. Lee has strong roots in Singapore and trains at Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts gym, Evolve MMA. Lee’s beautiful combination of solid striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success as she remains unbeaten so far in her MMA career. Lee will now challenge Japanese MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

33-year-old Japanese MMA veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi is a female atomweight from Tokyo with a 15-8-1 professional mixed martial arts record. She is the current Deep Jewels Atomweight Champion and has won her last three bouts, including two by knockout. Yamaguchi’s experience and championship mettle will prove to be the biggest test of the surging Angela Lee’s career in a battle for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

In the evening’s co-main event, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Roger Gracie of the Gracie fighting family returns to ONE Championship seeking to continue his winning ways. In Gracie’s last bout, he overcame a dangerous James McSweeney to win via third-round technical knockout at ONE: WARRIOR’S WAY. This time, Gracie takes on unbeaten contender Michal Pasternak for the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship.

32-year-old Michal Pasternak of Pinczow, Poland, was successful in his ONE Championship debut against Rafael Silva, prevailing by decision to extend his win streak to 11. More than half of his victories have come either by knockout or submission, and he’ll be put to the test against Roger Gracie in a highly-anticipated five round title tiff for the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship.

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia makes his highly-anticipated return to the ONE cage since losing his title to current titleholder Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in an instant classic last November. Jadambaa and Gafurov went back-and-forth for four gruelling rounds before Gafurov was able to unseat the former champion. Jadambaa is now on the comeback trail, but will face tough foe Kotetsu Boku next.

Kotetsu “No Face” Boku, although originally from South Korea, is a Japanese mixed martial arts legend and former ONE Lightweight World Champion. With more than 30 professional fights on his fight resume, Boku has the experience of a seasoned veteran and has seen it all inside the cage. Always a crowd pleaser, Boku gets to showcase his dynamite fists once again as he takes on fellow former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa.

Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of Angela “Unstoppable” Lee, has impressed in his first few outings in ONE Championship. Lee is riding the momentum of three stoppage wins inside the ONE Cage, two by highlight-reel knockout and the other by crafty submission. Lee looks to continue his early success but will face a stern test when he takes on the Philippines’ Cary Bullos.

32-year-old Filipino featherweight contender Cary “The Prince” Bullos is the URCC Visayas Bantamweight Champion. He has finished all his opponents in his seven wins, making him one of the top mixed martial arts prospects in the Philippines. Bullos fell short of victory in his first two appearances inside the ONE Cage, but he’s determined to get back in the win column by defeating Singapore’s Christian Lee.

Mohamed Ali is a mixed martial arts veteran who hails from Alexandria, Egypt. The well-travelled striker has competed in several countries in his mixed martial arts career. A national kickboxing and sanda champion, he has finished most of his opponents by KO or TKO, a clear indication of his striking capabilities. In his last bout, Ali went shot-for-shot with Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang. He’ll now take on Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno.

Tatsuya Mizuno is a 34-year-old Japanese mixed martial arts veteran from Tokyo. His extensive professional MMA record of 14 wins and 11 losses has given him knowledge and experience that is a cut above the level of many fighters. Mizuno uses his great all-round striking and grappling skills to subdue his opponents, and he gets another chance for victory inside the ONE Cage against Mohamed Ali.

21-year-old Singaporean mixed martial arts prospect Amir Khan will make his much-anticipated return to competition following a win over Filipino Jimmy Yabo back in November. Khan of Evolve MMA is a five-fight ONE Championship veteran who has only lost once inside the ONE Cage. The young gun is well-rounded and very aggressive, and will look to take on John Chang next.

Taiwanese mixed martial artist John “The Blade” Chang will be making his ONE Championship debut. At four wins and three losses, Chang is a Sanda specialist and a solid prospect. He is the former Chinese Taipei K-1 Rules champion as well as the former Sanda-King champion. His first foray into Asia’s largest MMA promotion will be a tough one, when he takes on the promising young Amir Khan.

Unbeaten young Singaporean Benedict Ang has two wins and no losses inside the ONE Cage. The 19-year-old featherweight from Evolve MMA defeated mixed martial arts veteran Yohan Mulia Legowo in his last bout, stopping the Indonesian after two rounds of hard action. The highly-skilled Ang will showcase his talents once more when he faces Filipino Jimmy Yabo.

The Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo is a former URCC standout with an impressive mixed martial arts record of five wins and two losses. He boasts a perfect knockout percentage, having finished all five of his opponents by KO within the distance, including his last bout when he felled Pakistan’s Bashir Ahmad with one punch. A rededicated Yabo is now looking for victory, but he’ll have to go through tough Singaporean Benedict Ang to get it.

Undefeated 21-year-old Dagistani Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev impressed fans in his first appearance in the ONE Cage last January, winning by technical knockout at just over 30 seconds into the first round against Mishal Alfad. Arslanaliev brought the crowd to the edge of their seats from the opening bell, swarming his opponent with fearless aggression and impressive wrestling technique. Arslanaliev will take on China’s Ma Jia Wen next.

Chinese standout Ma Jia Wen is 2-1 inside the ONE Cage, and a victor in his last bout against compatriot Wang Ya Wei last November at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS – Beijing II. Ma is part of a quickly rising contingent of rock-solid Chinese mixed martial artists, and will look to put his skills further to the test against aggressive Dagistani standout Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev.

Unbeaten 20-year-old Malaysian prospect Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur will return to the cage following an impressive showing last January against James Kouame. The brutishly strong Thani is one of Malaysia’s most promising young fighters, and has a perfect record of exciting finishes. He’ll take on Brad Robinson in a catchweight bout next.

The United States’ Brad Robinson will return to the ONE Cage seeking his first victory in the promotion. Robinson has a 3-1 professional mixed martial arts record, and is a winner of his last bout by submission. His next contest is against unbeaten up-and-comer Agilan Thani.

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

Sergio Pettis won a unanimous decision over Chris Kelades in a Flyweight bout.

Pettis, 126 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 14-2.  Kelades, 126 lbs of Cole Harbour, CAN is 9-3.

Danny Roberts won a three round unanimous decision over Dominique Steele in a Welterweight bout.

Roberts won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 13-1.  Steele, 171 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 14-7.

Former Strawweight world champion Carla Esparza won a unanimous decision over Juliana Lima.

Scores were 30-27 on all cards for Esparza, 116 lbs of Irvine, CA and she is now 11-3.  Lima, 115 lbs of Brazil is 8-3.

James Vick remained perfect by winning a unanimous decision over Glaico Franca in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Vick, 155 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is 9-0.  Franca, 156 lbs of Brazil is 13-4.

Walt Harris scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Cody East in a Heavyweight bout.

Both guys landed hard shots until Harris landed a big left that sent East to the canvas.  Harris landed several flush blows and the fight was almost stopped several times until two more hard shots landed on the face of East and the fight was stopped at 4:35.

Harris, 255 1/2 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 8-4.  East 245 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 12-2.

Marcos Rogerio De Lima made Clint Hester tap in the first round of their Light Heavyweight bout.

De Lima landed hard shots before getting Hester in an arm triangle and he tapped at 4:35 of round one.

De Lima, 205 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 14-3-1.  Hester, 205 lbs of Atlanta, GA is 11-6.

Kevin Lee won a unanimous decision over Efarin Escudero in a Lightweight fight.

Lee, 156 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 12-2.  Escudero, 155.5 lbs of Tempe, AZ is 24-11.

Jon Jones 205 – Ovince Saint Preaux 205
(UFC Interim Light Heavyweight Title
Demetrious Johnson 125 – Henry Cejudo 125
(UFC FLYWEIGHT TITLE)
Anthony Pettis 156 – Edson Barboza 155
Robert Whittaker 185.5 – Rafael Natal 186
Yair Rodriguez 145.5 – Andre Fili 146
Sergio Pettis 126 – Chris Kelades 126
Danny Roberts 170.5 – Dominique Steele 171
Carla Esparza 116 – Juliana Lima 115
Glaico Franco 156 – James Vick 155
Walt Harris 255.5 – Cody East 245.5
Marcos Rogerio de Lima 205 – Clint Hester 205
Efrain Escudero 155.5 – Kevin Lee 156

22 April 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), and global music industry giant Universal Music Group (UMG) have agreed to collaborate and create an unprecedented level of sports and entertainment across Asia. The collaboration will see blockbuster concert performances by UMG artists as part of ONE Championship’s live mixed martial arts events, bringing together the intense, adrenaline-pumping action that ONE Championship has become known for with UMG’s world-class musical productions.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “ONE Championship and UMG are a natural fit of two global leaders in their respective industries. ONE is the largest and most prolific MMA promotion in Asia, while UMG is the world’s leading music company. Working together will result in new innovations to bring fans to the next level of entertainment, one that they have never experienced before. We’ve always said that the energy of a live ONE Championship event is akin to that of a live rock concert. Now, we are literally putting the two together, bringing the best of the music world to our fans.”

UMG is the world’s leading music company with the largest, most diverse, and culturally rich collection of music ever assembled in the past century. The company features today’s biggest artists such as Rihanna, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Kanye West. As digital technology refashions the world, UMG’s unmatched commitment to lead in developing new services, platforms, and business models for the delivery of music and related content empowers ONE Championship with the opportunity to allow new commercial and artistic opportunities to flourish.

ONE Championship has spearheaded the growth of MMA in Asia in recent years, and has become the largest sports media property in Asian history. Working with UMG, ONE Championship is set to leverage its strong global broadcast reach of a potential 1 billion viewers in over 70 countries.

As ONE Championship continues its expansion to major cities across the region, with plans to penetrate potential new markets such as Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Macau, the collaboration will undoubtedly add a new level of flair to ONE Championship’s already-exceptional delivery model.

Managing Director of Universal Music, Singapore and Malaysia, Kenny Ong stated: “I am excited that we have reached a mutual understanding to explore with ONE Championship in bringing world-class music to fans using MMA as a vessel, starting with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, and Indonesia. Working with Asia’s largest MMA promotion is in line with our vision to provide our artists and large collection of music a unique platform for creativity to flourish. Imagine live ONE events decked out with the best local and international music, that’s what fans can expect!”

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.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (April 19, 2016) – M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Viktor Nemkov will defend his title May 27 against challenger Rashid Yusupov, headlining M-1 Challenge 66, in Orenburg City, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 66 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.

M-1 Global also announced that former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan “T-800” Puetz will also return to action against M-1 Global-debuting Andrey Seledtsov.

Nemkov (23-5-0, M-1: 14-4-0) captured the coveted M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title this past December, taking a hard-fought 5-round decision from defending champion Puetz, who had won a 5-round split decision April, 2014 against Nemkov for the title. Nemkov (pictured to left) is a two-time M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion having defeated Vasily Babich (WSUB3 – arm-lock) for the vacant title that he then lost in his first title defense to Puetz.

A native of Kazakhstan who fights out of Russia, Nemkov will be making his initial title defense of his second championship belt against Yusopov.

Nemkov (L) and Puetz (R)

The 23-year-old Yusupov (6-2-0, M-1: 3-1-0), fighting out of Sochi, Russia, has won four fights in a row to put himself into title contention. A former Russian, European and World Amateur MMA champion, unlike many of his fellow countrymen from the North Caucasus, Yusupov (pictured below) is a dangerous striker whose signature moves are powerful kicks. He is also a top-notch wrestler, evident by his M-1 Challenge victories against Charles Andrade and Martin Zawada.

Puetz (13-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0), fighting out of Munich, Germany, successfully defended his M-1 Challenge title twice, after beating Nemkov in their original championship match, against Luis Fernando Miranda (SUB2 – choke) August 15, 2014 at M-1 Challenge 50, and Valery Myasnikov (KO/TKO2 – punches) December 17, 2014 at M-1 Challenge 54. In a non-title fight this past May, Puetz stopped then M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura in the third round due to severely damaged broken nose.

The 28-year-old Seledtsov (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0) is a former Spetsnev solider who has a solid boxing, combat samba and MMA background. The powerful Russian is the local White-Rex promotion champion.

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

MOSCOW (April 19, 2016) – M-1 Global recently announced its M-1 Challenge 65 bonus performances, highlighted by the Fight of the Night award, along with Submission of the Night and KO of the Night.

The M-1 Challenge 65 Fight of the Night was between Russian middleweight prospect Artem Frolov (6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) against Kristijan “Klitschko” Perak (8-3-1, M-1: 0-2-1), in which Frolov won by way of an opening-round submission by way of an arm-bar.

M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0) was awarded the Submission of the Night. The reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, who advanced to the M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Championship versus Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0), used a choke hold on his Brazilian opponent, Maiquel “Big Rig” Facao (35-9-0, M-1: 0-1-0), midway through the first round to win the main event.

M-1 Challenge 65 Submission of the Night: Ramazan Emeev

Former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Max Divnich (12-1-0, M-1: 6-1-0) captured KO of the Night honors with an impressive second-round stoppage (punches) of Robert “TQ” Turnquest (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0).

M-1 Challenge 65 KO of the Night: Max Divnich

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (April 19, 2016)- The second annual World MMA Association (WMMAA) Asian Championship will be held May 27-30 at Hwasoon Culture and Sports Center in the Republic of South Korea.

The Asian MMA Championship will feature the top amateur MMA fighters in six different weight classes.

“This year’s Asian MMA Championship is a significant milestone for our association,” WMMAA president Vadim Finkelchtein said. “We strive to educate people from each country in which we hold regional championships. This time will be no different with more people learning the beauty of Mixed Martial Arts. We’re also organizing a judges and referee seminar within a certification process. We are looking forward to this event and hope to have as many Asian countries participating as possible.”

An international judges’ seminar will be held May 24-27, to certify and accredit judges. Only accredit judges will be allowed to work during the Asian MMA Championships. Preliminary and semifinal matches will be May 28, followed by the championship final matches.

The official weigh-ins and competition draws will be conducted May 27,

The Asia Division Congress: Battle of the Nomads of the WMMAA Pro Asian Division will be held May 29.

Individual team competition will be held in accordance with the “Official Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Competition, subject to WMMAA approval. Including revisions, additions and clarifications of certain clauses. Matches will held in accordance with the Olympic system with two third-places in each of the six weight divisions.

Team scoring is awarded by the maximum amount of points scored by individual team members on the following basis: 1st – 10, 2nd – 8, 3rd – 6, 4th – 5, 5th – 4, 6th – 3, 7th – 2, 8th – 1.

All individual first-place winners will be awarded special championship belts and medals, second and third-place finishers will receive a medal and certificate. Teams finishing among the top three in the final standings will be awarded cups and certificates.

In addition to the host, South Korea, other eligible countries to compete in the Asian MMA Championship include Afghanistan, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Singapore and Tajikistan
Information

www.WMMAA.org
www.facebook.com/World.MMA.Association
www.youtube.com/user/TheWMMAA

Michael Chiesa scored a 2nd round chokeout over Beneil Dariush in a Lightweight bout.

The bout was stopped at 1:20 of round two.

Raquel Pennington scored a split decision over Beth Correia in a Bantamweight bout.

Pennington won two cards 29-28 while Correia won a card 29-28.

John Dodson made quick work of Manvel Gamburyan in a Bantamweight bout.

Dodson ran out and landed a hard left that rocked Gamburyan and he followed it up with a barrage of flush punches and the bout was stopped at 28 seconds.

15 April 2016 – Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), put on a spectacular show at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena, featuring the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent. Geje Eustaquio turned in a masterful performance against young Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba to win by unanimous decision in the co-main event. In the main event, ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren overcame a spirited performance from Russian contender Nikolay Aleksakhin to win by unanimous decision in a five-round Super Fight.

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

In the main event of the evening, the United States’ Ben “Funky” Askren overcame a tremendous effort from Nikolay Aleksakhin of Seltso, Russia to win by unanimous decision in a five-round Super Fight. Askren put on an amazing display of high-level wrestling to score on multiple takedowns, maintaining control of Aleksakhin on the ground while doing damage from the mounted crucifix position. Aleksakhin connected on a few solid strikes, but it wasn’t enough to trump Askren’s overall solid performance.

In a much-awaited bantamweight contest, Team Lakay’s Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio completely outclassed top Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba in an exciting three-round bout in front of Eustaquio’s home crowd in Manila. Eustaquio kept Subba at bay all night at the end of his lightning fast kicks and sharp counterpunching. Subba could not get his offense going as Eustaquio dominated from end-to-end to earn the unanimous decision.

Lightweight standout Lowen Tynanes of Ewa Beach, Hawaii defeated highly-regarded Japanese veteran Koji “The Commander” Ando by unanimous decision in a gruelling contest. Tynanes used his superior wrestling skills to control the action in the cage, while also getting the better of Ando in the stand-up with his powerful leg kicks and straight right hand. After three rounds, Ando couldn’t amount to much as Tynanes ran away with the judges’ nod.

Filipino-Australian fighter Reece “Lightning” McLaren showed the world that he is an absolute force to be reckoned with by dominating former combat sambo world champion Muin “Tajik” Gafurov over three rounds. McLaren completely shut down Gafurov with his impeccable mat and cage control, displaying a high-level grappling game that Gafurov had no answer to. McLaren wins a unanimous decision in a very technical affair.

A memorable lightweight contest ensued between Filipino combatants Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Vaughn “The Spawn” Donayre. Banario dominated the striking exchanges, landing the right hand over the top frequently and with good, solid power. The former featherweight champion also controlled action on the ground, almost finishing the fight with an armbar submission, showcasing his improved grappling. In the end, Banario did just enough to earn the unanimous decision.

In an intense, crowd-pleasing fight, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen and China’s Li Kai Wen brought fans up to their feet with a display of fierce and explosive striking exchanges. The two fighters unloaded on each other from the opening bell. As they traded blows, Li dropped Nguyen with a punch but Nguyen was able to withstand the damage and recover. Once on the ground, Nguyen’s superiority showed as he was able to control Li’s back and finish the fight with punches from the top.

Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio debuted for ONE Championship with a solid victory over Rabin Catalan, remaining an unbeaten young prospect. Pacio controlled the action from top position after scoring on a big slam over Catalan, landing some heavy blows in the first round. In the second round, Pacio again scored with a big overhead slam. This time, Pacio was able to step over into mount and finish the fight with ground-and-pound.

Team Lakay’s lady warrior April Osenio impressed the crowd with vastly improved grappling skills to win by submission over British-Filipina fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills in a battle of female atomweights. Although Hills was able to take Osenio down successfully, it was Osenio who was dangerous on the back. In her rubber guard, Osenio needed only a brief moment to latch on the fight-ending armbar.

Indonesia’s Sunoto overcame an ill-advised kimura attempt by Filipino contender Burn “Hitman” Soriano to win by technical knockout. After Sunoto found himself in mount position, the Indonesian fighter unloaded a volley of strikes to force the stoppage just minutes into the first round.

Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad made an impressive ONE Championship debut with a victory over Malaysia’s Muhamad Haidar to kick off an exciting evening at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS. Kingad showcased his wrestling ability by shooting for a double-leg takedown and taking Haidar for a ride with two emphatic slams before finishing the Malaysian off with ground-and-pound.

Official results for ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS
Catchweight Super Fight (85.3kg): Ben Askren defeats Nikolay Aleksakhin by Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight bout: Geje Eustaquio defeats Gianni Subba by Unanimous Decision
Lightweight bout: Lowen Tynanes defeats Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight bout: Reece McLaren defeats Muin Gafurov by Unanimous Decision
Lightweight bout: Honorio Banario defeats Vaughn Donayre by Unanimous Decision
Featherweight bout: Martin Nguyen defeats Li Kai Wen by TKO (Strikes) at 4:44 minutes of round 1
Catchweight bout (57.4kg): Joshua Pacio defeats Rabin Catalan by TKO (Strikes) at 3:19 minutes of round 2
Women’s Atomweight bout bout: April Osenio defeats Natalie Gonzales Hills by Submission (Armbar) at 3:23 minutes of round 1
Catchweight bout (67.3kg): Sunoto defeats Burn Soriano by TKO (Strikes) at 3:50 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Danny Kingad defeats Muhamad Haidar by TKO (Strikes) at 2:20 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.

Las Vegas – Following today’s landmark bill signing by Governor Andrew Cuomo to legalize and regulate professional mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York, UFC® announced that it will host a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 12.

Additionally, UFC will be adding another live event in Upstate New York before the end of the year. The organization has pledged four events per year for the first three years after passage of the bill. The events will be held in Upstate cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany, in addition to Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center.

Today’s bill signing and event date announcements cement mixed martial arts’ incredible future in the state of New York, and reaffirm UFC’s commitment to a market that is home to many top stars including former UFC champions Jon Jones, Chris Weidman and Rashad Evans, and countless other title contenders.

“I want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, Senator Joe Griffo and the many other leaders in the state of New York for legalizing and regulating the sport of mixed martial arts,” said UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta. “Our commitment to bringing incredible live events to New York starts immediately, as we’ve planned a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on November 12. It’s going to be a historic, monumental moment for this sport and our passionate fans when the Octagon finally arrives in New York.”

“Today marks a great day for both MMA fans and New York,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, Marquee Events and Operations, The Madison Square Garden Company. “We think it’s only fitting that the first UFC event is taking place at The World’s Most Famous Arena and look forward to these world-class athletes becoming part of The Garden’s storied history.”

Further information about the upcoming live event at Madison Square Garden will be announced in the weeks to come.

###

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.

14 April 2016 – Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE) has just announced a monumental deal with the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company, ABS-CBN. The multimedia conglomerate, with a reach that spans the entire nation and millions of homes all around the globe, will broadcast coverage of live ONE Championship events in Asia to fight fans across the Philippines on its sports channel ABS-CBN Sports + Action. ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history and the largest media broadcast in Asia with streams to a potential one billion homes in over 75 countries. Among the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions in ONE Championship are Filipino mixed martial artists who have exemplified courage and honor inside the ONE Cage, helping make ONE Championship what it is today.

Apart from unprecedented coverage of live ONE Championship mixed martial arts (MMA) events across the region via ABS-CBN Sports + Action, ABS-CBN will also bring to Filipino fight fans ONE Championship’s events in glorious High Definition (HD) on ABS-CBN Sports + Action HD on SkyCable Ch166. Morever, regular weekly programming of ONE Championship’s world-class content will also be seen on free TV on ABS-CBN Sports + Action, bringing Asia’s favorite local and global MMA superstars closer to Filipino audiences several days a week, all year round.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “ONE Championship is proud to announce its partnership with television network giant ABS-CBN. ABS-CBN is by far the largest TV broadcaster in the Philippines with reach that spans the entire country, as well as internationally to millions of homes across the globe. We’re excited at the multitude of possibilities this tremendous opportunity presents to bring our unique brand of world-class mixed martial arts action to Filipino fight fans all over the world.”

“The Philippines is fortunate to enjoy such a rich martial arts culture. We are also proud to have one of the greatest Filipino combat sports athletes in history, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and Filipino ring icon Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao, as co-owner of ONE Championship. The possibilities are endless, and it has everyone at ONE Championship buzzing with excitement at what’s to come,” Cui added.

ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena, meanwhile, said the network’s partnership with ONE Championship is another step towards ABS-CBN’s goal of promoting sports development in the nation. “When we said we are committed to helping develop sports in the country, we knew we would have to give exposure not just to popular sports like basketball or boxing. ABS-CBN has played a big role in promoting mixed martial arts in the country for many years, and we hope to continue leading the way by supporting exciting and quality fight leagues in MMA or mixed martial arts, such as ONE,” he said.

ABS-CBN Corporation is the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment organization. Primarily involved in television and radio, the company has since expanded and now owns the leading cinema and music production/distribution outfits in the country, and operates the largest cable TV service provider as well. ABS-CBN also has business interests in merchandising, licensing, mobile and online multimedia services, publishing, video and audio post production, overseas telecommunication services, money remittance, cargo forwarding, TV shopping services, food and restaurant services, theme park development and management, and property management. These investments are all aimed at making positive changes in the media landscape and strengthening the fiscal position valued by stakeholders.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA. For more information on ABS-CBN Sports, visit sports.abs-cbn.com and follow ABS-CBN Sports’ official Facebook and Twitter accounts, @abscbnsports.

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 ABS-CBN Corporation
ABS-CBN Corporation is the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment organization. The Company is primarily involved in television and radio broadcasting, as well as in the production of television and radio programming for domestic and international audiences and other related businesses. ABS-CBN produces a wide variety of engaging world-class entertainment programs in multiple genres and balanced, credible news programs that are aired on free-to-air television. The company is also one of the leading radio broadcasters, operating eighteen radio stations throughout the key cities of the Philippines. ABS-CBN provides news and entertainment programming for eight channels on cable TV and operates the country’s largest cable TV service provider. The Company also owns the leading cinema and music production and distribution outfits in the country. It brings its content to worldwide audiences via cable, satellite, online and mobile. In addition, ABS-CBN has business interests in merchandising and licensing, mobile and online multimedia services, glossy magazine publishing, video and audio post production, overseas telecommunication services, money remittance, cargo forwarding, TV shopping services, theme park development and management, property management and food and restaurant services, all of which complement and enhance the Company’s strength in content production and distribution. The Company is also the first TV network in the country to broadcast in digital. In 2015, it commercially rolled out its digital TV box, ABS-CBN TVplus, to prepare for the country’s switch to digital TV.

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) today announced the addition of three star-studded matchups to complete the main card for its WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, rising star Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett (14-2) will make his World Series of Fighting debut against Team AKA prodigy Justin Willis (4-1).

Also stepping in the decagon cage for the first time, battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will collide with submission expert Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) in a welterweight (170 pounds) affair.

In a featherweight (145 pounds) scrap between two prolific strikers, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) will face off with former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

In the main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) while, in the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

Chris Barnett vs. Justin Willis

After spending the last year and a half making waves in Japan, the 5-foot-9, 29-year-old Barnett of Tampa, Fla. will suit up as “Huggy Bear,” and make his way onto a major stage in the U.S. for the first time in his career.

With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 of his 14 career victories by way of (T)KO, and has celebrated his wins in flamboyant fashion, with everything from cartwheels to breakdancing to hand stands.

Like Barnett, the stocky, 6-foot-3, 28-year-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, has been enjoying success in Japan under the promotion of Inoki Genome Federation (IFG).

Willis will make his first start of 2016, and look to extend his win streak to four consecutive bouts. In his last effort on August 29, he earned a unanimous decision over Rizvan Kuniev in Tokyo.

Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes

The 5-foot-8, 35-year-old Palomino of Miami, Fla. via Lima, Peru is coming off an epic year in which he engaged in two, all-out wars with reigning, undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, both of which earned “Fight of the Month” honors.

After closing out 2015 with a gutsy appearance in World Series of Fighting’s first-ever, one-night, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, first round (4:55) TKO (punches) on Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) TKO (punches) at the hands of eventual tournament winner Brian Foster, Palomino will return to the featherweight division where he has held two world titles.

The 5-foot-8, 25-year-old Moraes of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil returned to form in his last bout, decimating fellow knockout artist Robbie “Problems” Peralta by way of TKO (punches) in the second round (3:21) of their matchup at WSOF26.

A seasoned Muay Thai stylist, Moraes ran to seven straight victories in his first seven starts as a professional MMA competitor before being handed his first career defeat by way of third round (3:46) submission (rear-naked choke) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) champion Marlon Moraes.

John Howard vs. Thiago Meller

Following his second stint with the UFC that spanned seven bouts and included victories over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada and Cathal Pendred, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mass. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (punches) loss to Tim Means on December 10.

To date, Howard has notched 15 of his 23 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, third round (4:55) KO (punches) on submission ace Dennis “Superman” Hallman on December 5, 2009, marking his third consecutive conquest in the league.

Meller of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil will look to collect his second win in a row, following his first round submission (rear-naked choke) of Leonardo Rodriguez on June 26, 2015.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 of his 20 career wins, by way of submission.

The preliminary bout card lineup for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland will be announced soon.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for the event are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.

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.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 11th, 2016) — The world’s fastest-growing mixed martial arts promotion is six days away from debuting in a new state, opening new doors for a new crop of fighters hoping their careers travel the same path as some of their more well-known predecessors.

CES MMA makes its Massachusetts debut Saturday, April 16th, 2016 at the historic North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass., with “CES MMA 35,” sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino, an exciting pro-am event featuring 12 total bouts, seven on the pro side and an additional five amateur bouts with each fighter competing for a promotional contract.

Debuting in September of 2010, the Rhode-Island based promotion hosted 31 of its first 34 events at the Twin River Event Center, which has since become its home base. During that span, the company has expanded into Connecticut, hosting three events at Foxwoods, gained worldwide exposure through its broadcast partnership with AXS TV, and played a key role in helping several fighters pave their road to the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

Expansion beyond Rhode Island and Connecticut was only a matter of time, and with the promotion’s momentum continuing to build following nine nationally televised events over the past year and a half, the timing for a Massachusetts debut couldn’t be better.

With a capacity of 1,800, the North Shore Music Theatre provides the perfect backdrop; the historic venue is well for hosting many award-winning musicals and celebrity concerts over the past six decades since it first opened its doors in 1955 and remains the largest operating regional theater in New England under the new ownership of Bill Hanney.

“For a number of years we have discussed bringing the show to Massachusetts,” CES vice president Jimmy Burchfield Jr. said. “With all the incredible talent in this region, the most difficult challenge was finding the right venue partner. The North Shore Music Theatre is it. This special Saturday night event will showcase some of the most exciting fighters in the region.

“Come witness what everyone is talking about. CES MMA: The gateway to the UFC!”

“Our team is the best in combat sports,” added CES president and longtime boxing promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. “We were the first promoters to bring mixed martial arts to Rhode Island and now we’re proud to bring our brand to Massachusetts. It’s been a long time coming.

“Massachusetts fighters are among the best in the sport, a rich tradition that includes local legends such as Jorge Rivera, Kenny Florian and John “Doomsday” Howard, and the fans are incredibly loyal. This is just the beginning for CES MMA. Our company has grown exponentially over the past two years and I guarantee we’ll continue to expand both in New England and beyond.”

“CES MMA 35” is headlined by the return of Gloucester, Mass., Pedro Gonzalez (10-5, 9 KOs), who ends a two-year layoff against Boston’s Andres Jeudi (7-5, 3 KOs) in the main event, in addition to the third and final installment of the regional trilogy between North Attleboro, Mass., heavyweight Tyler King (9-4, 3 KOs) and Providence’s Eric Bedard (6-6, 4 KOs).

The event will also feature a special ceremony honoring Massachusetts pros Charles Rosa and Rob Font, both of whom starred with CES MMA before getting the call from the UFC.

Rosa, a Peabody, Mass., native, debuted with the UFC in October of 2014 and has since won twice, beating fellow CES MMA alumni Sean Soriano and Kyle Bochniak. A Tampa, Fla., native who eventually relocated to Boston, Font is 2-0 under the UFC banner, including a win over another CES alum, Joey Gomez, and returns to the cage in May on the undercard of UFC 198.

Thanks in large part to their success on the regional circuit, Rosa and Font are among CES MMA’s notable alumni to advance to the UFC, a list that also includes Soriano, Bockniak, Gomez, Tateki Matsuda and Dominique Steele.

“I fought and had to do all the training and that stuff on my own and travel all around the world to get the best training, from [Floyd] Mayweather’s boxing gym in Vegas all the way to Holland to work on my kickboxing, but [CES MMA] helped me get to the UFC,” Rosa said.

“They helped build me and gave me that feeling of being comfortable knowing my opponent wasn’t going to change or they’re going to pull some crazy thing last minute. They always got me the right opponent at the right time and the fact their fights are on TV, sometimes you can fight and nobody sees you, but being put on AXS TV and being on the highlights, they have all the right people around you that can get you to where you want to get to.”

In addition to creating ample opportunities with its annual Twin River Casino Fight Series, which includes five to six events per year, CES MMA also fosters a comfortable, family-like work environment for its fighters, spearheaded by the grassroots promotion of the Burchfields and matchmaker / director Pat Sullivan.

“They’re standup, good businessmen and they’re good people, too,” Rosa said. “A lot of promoters can be scumbags. They lie and they do things, but the thing about Pat Sullivan and the Burchfields, they’re always honest, good people and they always look out for the fighters’ best interest, which is very rare in this sport. They’re not always trying to make a buck.

“Yeah, it’s a business and that’s what they have to do, but you don’t have to lie along the way. They do things the right way. The have good business ethics and they’re good people. They’re a family and they treat like you part of their family. When you have a business that’s grounded in such good values, you’ll have success.”

While CES MMA is taking time to honor its past on Saturday, all eyes are on the potential future stars fighting on this weekend’s card, including Boston’s Lewis Corapi (6-2, 3 KOs), a two-time CES MMA vet who returns to face Providence’s Keenan Raymond (3-2, 1 KO) in a lightweight bout.

“CES making the expansion to Massachusetts, and hopefully other states in the future, is a huge positive for the local MMA landscape,” Corapi said. “As a local fighter we all know that CES is the promotion to fight for because of the quality of their shows, how they treat us as entertainers and their record of having guys move from CES to the UFC.

“With CES moving to Massachusetts, us Massachusetts fighters get a chance to showcase our skills closer to home and get a bigger group of fans out to the events. Having more fans at the events and introducing CES to new people that otherwise would not have seen it is extremely beneficial. It also shows that CES is really solidifying their hold on being the northeastern powerhouse promotion for MMA events.”

As one of eight Massachusetts natives fighting on the professional side of Saturday’s event, not including five additional amateurs from the Bay State, Corapi is hoping to carve a path similar to his predecessors — and, in some cases, training partners — who’ve gained widespread notoriety with the UFC.

“CES’s track record of advancing fighters to the UFC is something that is extremely attractive to me,” Corapi said. “I don’t want to say that it provides extra motivation for me, because I’m training for every single fight with everything I have, however, it does provide me with extra motivation to get onto a CES show.

“I know several fighters personally that have made that trip from CES to the UFC — Charles Rosa, Rob Font, Kyle Bochniak, John Howard — and seeing them get to the UFC helps reinforce the crazy notion that I will in fact make it there as well. If I’m given the choice between fighting for another promotion, even for more money, and fighting for CES, I’ll always go with CES because it helps me more in my long-term goals.”

With what Corapi hopes is a raucous cheering section behind him on Saturday at the North Shore, CES MMA’s Massachusetts debut figures to be a tremendous success. The sky’s the limit for both the promotion and the fighters.

“As much as I have enjoyed fighting for CES at Twin River Casino, it ends up being a bit of a hassle to get down there with all of the traffic and the nightmare that is Friday afternoon,” Corapi said. “I have many fans that won’t make the trek down to Rhode Island because of the distance, so with this card being in my ‘backyard’ there are a ton of people that are finally willing and able to come see me fight in person.”

Added Rosa: “I think it’s going to be a great show and I think it’s going to be a really good night.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 35” are priced at $35.00, $50.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can also be purchased online at www.nsmt.org, by phone at 978-232-7200 or at the North Shore Music Theatre Box Office. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET and the first bout begins at 7. All bouts are subject to change.

Also on the pro portion of the card, Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line against Buck Pineau (1-2) of Ashland, Maine in a rematch of their amateur bout in which Pineau won by third-round submission.

Boston’s Devin Carrier (0-1) searches for his first win as a pro in a lightweight bout against Meriden, N.H., native Wayne Ahlquist (1-2, 1 KO); Fall River, Mass., lightweight Josh LaBerge (9-5, 4 KOs) faces 37-fight vet Ran Weathers (18-21, 6 KOs) of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Rico DiSciullo (5-0, 2 KOs), an undefeated Peabody native with three appearances each for Bellator and CES MMA, will face Ohio’s Jake Constant (6-9, 2 KOs) in a rematch. The two went toe-to-toe at “CES MMA XXX” with Constant forced to tap out in the opening round due to a shoulder injury.

On the amateur side, Mark Bordieri of Foxborough, Mass., faces Nick O’Connell of Cranston, R.I., in a bantamweight bout; welterweight Jamie Collins of Woonsocket, R.I., battles Boston’s Jon Ciampa; and Aaron Reverdes of Pawtucket, R.I., faces Joao Ramos of Framingham, Mass., in a featherweight bout.

Also on the amateur portion of the card, Providence’s Marquis Brewster faces Billy Keenan of Salem, Mass., and Boston’s Sean Murrin (1-0, 1 KO) battles featherweight John Douma (2-1) of Providence. All amateurs are competing for a promotional contract with CES MMA.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES35 to join the conversation.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (April 10, 2016) – M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev won last night at M-1 Challenge 65 to advance to the M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Championship, while undefeated challenger Alexey Kunchenko defeated defending champion Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev to become the new M-1 Challenge welterweight titlist, at CSC Sibur Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Ramazan (14-3-0, M-1: 810), the 2015 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year, used a choke hold on his Brazilian opponent, Maiquel “Big Rig” Facao (35-9-0, M-1: 0-1-0), in their M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals match. The main event ended at the 2:50 mark of the opening round as Ramazan advances to face three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) in the upcoming M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Championship showdown.

Emeev finishes off Falcao

In the co-feature, undefeated Russian Alexey Kunchenko (13-0-0, M-1: 5-0-0) wrested the M-1 Challenge welterweight title from his fellow countryman, defending champion Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev (14-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0), whose corner stopped the bout in the fourth round.

New champ Kunchenko strikes

Former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Max Divnich (12-1-0, M-1: 6-1-0) put himself back into title contention with an impressive second-round stoppage on punches of M-1 Global-debuting American opponent Robert “TQ” Turnquest (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0).

Russian middleweight prospect Artem Frolov (6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) kept his unbeaten pro record intact, submitting Kristijan “Klitschko” Perak (8-3-1, M-1: 0-2-1) in the first round by way of an arm-bar.

Rounding out the main card, Russian welterweight Sergei Romanov (8-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0) stopped Brazilian Sergio “Sergingo” de Fatima (12-3-1, M-1: 0-1-0) in the first round of a battle featuring a pair making their M-1 Global debut.

On the preliminary card, Russian light heavyweight Murad Kamilov (6-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0) was victorious when the corner of Brazilian veteran Charles “Gracie” Andrade (28-28-0, M-1: 1-3-0) corner stopped the match in the second round, Russian welterweight Danila Prikaza (3-0-1, M-1: 2-0-0) remained unbeaten with a first-round stoppage of Azerbaijan foe Manaf Damirli (1-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Ukrainian lightweight Alexander “Iron Capture” Butenko (40-11-0, M-1: 7-1-0) won his 40th pro fight with a three-round decision over German Sascha Sharma (8-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russian lightweight Damir Ismagulov (5-2-0, M-1: 3-1-0) forced an opening-round submission of Ukrainian Vyacheslav Ten (12-8-2, M-1: 0-2-0) via a rear naked choke, and in a St. Petersburg MMA SuperCup match, Russian Salman Magomedov (3-0-0, M-1: 0-1-0) choked out Georgian pro-debuting Zurab Jojua (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0) with an arm triangle in the second round.

Complete results:

MAIN CARD

M-1 GLOBAL GRAND PRIX MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS
Ramazan Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0), Russia
WSUB 1 (Choke – 2:50)
Maiquel Falcaio (35-6-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil

M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexey Kunchenko (13-0-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Russia
WTKO4 (Corner Stoppage – 3:12)
Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev (13-2-0, M-1: 4-2-0), Russia
(Kunchenko won M-1 Challenge welterweight title)

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Maxim Divnich (12-1-0, M-1: 6-1-0), Russia
WKO/TKO2 (Punches – 4:40)
Robert “Turnquest (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), USA

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Artem Frolov (6-0-0, (M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Armbar – 4:54
Kristijan Perak (8-3-1, M-1: 0-2-1), Croatia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Sergei Romanov (8-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 3:44)
Sergio de Fatima (12-2-1, M-1), Brazil

PRELIMINARY CARD

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Murad Kamilov (6-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia
WSUB2 (Corner Stoppage – 3:35)
Charles Andrade (28-28-0, M-1: 1-3-0), Brazil

Danila Prikaza (3-0-1, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia
WTKO1 (Punches – 4:33)
Manaf Damirli (1-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Azerbaijan

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Alexander Butenko (40-11-0, M-1: 7-1-0), Ukraine
WDEC3
Sascha Sharma (8-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Germany

Damir Ismagulov (5-2-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:30)
Vyacheslav Ten (12-8-2, M-1: 0-2-0), Ukraine

Salman Magomedov (3-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
(Arm Triangle Choke – 3:10)
Zurab Jojua (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Georgia

Emeev dominated

Kunchenko & Abdulaev

Divnich kicks Turnquest

Frolov & Perak

Romanov vs. de Fatima

Prikaza rocks Damirli

Butenko & Sharma

Ismagulov & Ten

Magomedov & Jojua

Information

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www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 8th, 2016) — Their first two fights were so good, Tyler King and Eric Bedard figured it was worth trading blows one last time.

“The feeling was, ‘We have to do this,'” said King, who won the first bout between the two in 2012.

“Everybody wants to see it,” added Bedard, who avenged that loss in the rematch two years later.

Coincidentally, the two crossed paths in December at another event, squashed their differences and discussed a third and final fight. Just like that, a trilogy was born.

The rubber match will take place Saturday, April 16th, 2016 on the undercard of “CES MMA 35” at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass., sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Both King (9-4, 3 KOs) and Bedard (6-6, 4 KOs) are coming off back-to-back losses, so if a third fight was going to happen, it was now or never, especially with rumors swirling about King’s impending retirement. There was bad blood between the two, admits Bedard, a misunderstanding stemming from a rival promoter’s attempt to book the fight long before either side was ready, but that’s in the past now.

With two fights between them in the books, both ending in first-round knockouts lasting a grand total of 5 minutes, 56 seconds, there’s nothing but mutual respect along with a corresponding desire to “settle the score,” a common phrase in the fight game both King and Bedard are using loosely leading up this rubber match.

“I can’t help but respect the guy,” said King, a North Attleboro, Mass., native. “He goes in there and mixes it up with all the toughest guys. If you look at his last two fights, he fought Matt Thompson, who just fought Anton Berzin, and I know Matt and train with Matt and he’s a tough prick. He’s been around forever. Then he went out and fought Parker Porter, who I think is the best heavyweight in New England. He’s not taking easy fight, so I can’t help but respect the guy.”

Added the Providence, R.I., native Bedard: “When he came up to me at the fight in December, he said, ‘I’m not going to talk any shit. Let’s just get the fight done.’ I was cool with that. I have respect for him. Anyone who gets in that cage and fights, I’ve got to respect you. There are a lot of different personalities. Some people rub you the wrong way. I rub people the wrong way. It is what it is.”

Pleasantries aside, both sides are willing to do whatever it takes to win next weekend’s third and final installment. In Bedard’s case, that means more of the same, even if his approach is as predictable as it is effective.

“I never really have a strategy to fight,” he said. “I’m going to walk out there and everyone knows what I’m going to do. You can ask anyone who’s ever seen me fight. I’m going to walk out there and I’m going to throw bombs. Anybody that trains with me, they know I walk forward and throw bombs.

“Yeah, I’m not that great on the ground,” Bedard admits. “One of my two submissions is a tap out due to strikes. I just pounded the guy until he gave up. Realistically, I have one submission.

“I won’t try to give up position to go for a submission. I’ll punch you in the face. If there’s a position where I can crack you with an elbow, that’s what I’ll do. If you turn around and do something stupid and leave your neck out there, I’ll rip your head off, but that’s about all I’ll do. I’m not going to go for an omoplata or a gogoplata. You’re going to see keylocks, kimuras, guillotines, that’s about it.”

King plans on adding a new wrinkle to his game plan, even if the perception is he and Bedard know each other too well to fool one another at this point.

“I’m going to put out something he’s never seen before,” King said. “Don’t get me wrong, he trains with some of the best guys in New England, so I’m sure he’s seen plenty, but, hey, I’m me. I’m a different fighter.

“One thing I try to do is evolve every time out. I was much different fighter coming off my layoff. I had a couple of tough fights and had to go back and analyze what I’ve done. I’m going to have some new things out there. It’s not going to be the same old, same old. If you’re not evolving, you’re getting worse, and I pride myself on getting better every time I go out there.”

Whether next weekend’s fight ends in another quick knockout or unfolds over the course of three hard rounds, neither fighter will lean on excuses when the trilogy is finally over. Why start now? Both King and Bedard have owned up to their shortcomings in their losses and are ready to accept whatever happens on the 16th, win or lose.

“One thing in my career is I’ve had guys who I’ve beaten soundly make a ton of excuses and I promised myself I’d never do that,” King said, “so the one thing I’m going to say is he was the better man that night. There’s no two ways around it. I can’t say, ‘This happened,’ or, ‘I was pissed off because my dog ran away.’ None of that. You get in the cage and it is what it is. I have to be better this time out.”

“He won the first fight. I’m not going to take anything away from him,” Bedard said. “I’ve watched the fight since then and I’ve had a couple of people come up to me and say out of the blue, ‘Hey, when you fight Tyler you were winning that fight until you got caught.’ Whatever. He caught me and he won. That’s how it is. I don’t look back at fights and say, ‘Well, I could’ve,’ or, ‘I should’ve,’ or, ‘I was winning until …’ It doesn’t matter. Look at the Cheick Kongo fight [against Pat Barry]. [Barry] knocked him [down] three times, Kongo came back and knocked him out. You don’t win the fight until the ref raises your hand at the end and calls your name.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 35” are priced at $35.00, $50.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can also be purchased online at www.nsmt.org, by phone at 978-232-7200 or at the North Shore Music Theatre Box Office. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET and the first bout begins at 7. All bouts are subject to change.

Headlining “CES MMA 35” is the return of Gloucester, Mass., bantamweight Pedro Gonzalez (10-5, 9 KOs), who faces Boston’s Andres Jeudi (7-5, 3 KOs) in the main event.

Having battled injuries and setbacks for more than a year and a half, Gonzalez steps back into the cage for the first time since 2014 against the seasoned Jeudi, who has squared off against regional standouts Saul Almeida, Matt Bessette, Leon Davis, Chris Foster and Lucas Cruz.

Also on the pro portion of the card, Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line against Buck Pineau (1-2) of Ashland, Maine in a rematch of their amateur bout in which Pineau won by third-round submission. Pineau returns to CES MMA for the first time since October when an arm injury cut short his match against Pat McCrohan at “CES MMA XXXI.”

Rounding out the main card of “CES MMA 35,” Medford, Mass., lightweight Lewis Corapi (6-2, 3 KOs) faces Keenan Raymond (3-2, 1 KO) of Providence, R.I., who scored his first career knockout win in January at “CES MMA XXXII,” and Boston’s Devin Carrier (0-1) searches for his first win as a pro in a lightweight bout against Meriden, N.H., native Wayne Ahlquist (1-2, 1 KO). Corapi looks to rebound from a stunning second-round knockout loss to Jay Bakanowski at “CES MMA XXVIII.” Fall River, Mass., lightweight Josh LaBerge (9-5, 4 KOs) faces 37-fight vet Ran Weathers (18-21, 6 KOs) of Albuquerque, N.M.

Rico DiSciullo (5-0, 2 KOs), an undefeated Peabody, Mass., native with three appearances each for Bellator and CES MMA, will face Ohio’s Jake Constant (6-9, 2 KOs) in a rematch. The two went toe-to-toe at “CES MMA XXX” with Constant forced to tap out in the opening round due to a shoulder injury.

On the amateur side, Mark Bordieri of Foxborough, Mass., faces Nick O’Connell of Cranston, R.I., in a bantamweight bout; welterweight Jamie Collins of Woonsocket, R.I., battles Boston’s Jon Ciampa; and Aaron Reverdes of Pawtucket, R.I., faces Joao Ramos of Framingham, Mass., in a featherweight bout.

Also on the amateur portion of the card, Providence’s Marquis Brewster faces Billy Keenan of Salem, Mass., and Boston’s Sean Murrin (1-0, 1 KO) battles featherweight John Douma (2-1) of Providence. All amateurs are competing for a promotional contract with CES MMA.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES35 to join the conversation.

08 April 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), in partnership with Official Timekeeper G-Shock, Under Armour, Mah Motors, and Marvel´s Captain America: Civil War, returns to the Lion City with another heart-thumping evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. Nine exciting new bouts are scheduled to take place on 6 May at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. In the main event, Singapore’s Angela Lee is set to do battle with Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. In the co-main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash will defend his title against challenger Aleksei Butorin.

Tickets for ONE: ASCENT TO POWER are available at http://www.sportshubtix.com.sg.

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Waipahu, Hawaii, is one of the promotion’s most promising young prospects regardless of gender and weight class. Lee, who is of Singaporean and Korean descent, has strong roots in Singapore and trains at Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts gym, Evolve MMA. Lee’s beautiful combination of solid striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success as she remains unbeaten so far in her MMA career. Lee will now challenge Japanese MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

33-year-old Japanese MMA veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi is a female atomweight from Tokyo with a 15-8 professional mixed martial arts record. She is the current Deep Jewels Atomweight Champion and has won her last three bouts, including two by knockout. Yamaguchi’s experience and championship mettle will prove to be the biggest test of the surging Angela Lee’s career in a battle for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash of Rostov-on-don, Russia, will be making the first defense of his title since winning the belt back in October. Bigdash’s resounding technical knockout victory over former champion Igor Svirid is one of the most action-packed fights under ONE Championship, and he showcased tremendous heart and resolve to overcome a devastating attack by Svirid to score the upset. Now, he takes on his first challenger as champion in Aleksei Butorin.

St. Petersburg, Russia’s middleweight contender Aleksei Butorin debuted successfully in ONE Championship with an exciting knockout over highly-regarded Leandro Ataides last September. Butorin made waves with his frightening knockout power and relentless attack, showing fans why he remains undefeated in his seven-year mixed martial arts career. Now, Butorin receives the opportunity to fight for the title against ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash.

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia makes his highly-anticipated return to the ONE cage since losing his title to current titleholder Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in an instant classic last November. Jadambaa and Gafurov went back-and-forth for four gruelling rounds before Gafurov was able to unseat the former champion. Jadambaa is now officially on the comeback trail, but will face tough foe Kotetsu Boku next.

Kotetsu “No Face” Boku, although originally from South Korea, is a Japanese mixed martial arts legend and former ONE Lightweight World Champion. With more than 30 professional fights on his fight resume, Boku has the experience of a seasoned veteran and has seen it all inside the cage. Always a crowd pleaser, Boku gets to showcase his dynamite fists once again as he takes on fellow former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa.

Needing no introduction, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Roger Gracie of the Gracie fighting family returns to ONE Championship seeking to continue his winning ways. In Gracie’s last bout, he overcame a dangerous James McSweeney to win via third-round technical knockout at ONE: WARRIOR’S WAY. This time, Gracie takes on unbeaten middleweight contender Michal Pasternak.

Undefeated 32-year-old Michal Pasternak of Pinczow, Poland, was successful in his ONE Championship debut against Rafael Silva, prevailing by decision to extend his win streak to 11. More than half of his victories have come either by knockout or submission, and he’ll be put to the test against Roger Gracie in a highly-anticipated three-round middleweight contest.

French mixed martial artist Sylvain Potard is an aggressive and powerful contender who has enjoyed mixed success in the ONE Championship cage. He is a 12-fight veteran who possesses experience and solid technique to match his undoubted power. In his promotional debut, he defeated highly-regarded American wrestler Jake Butler by knockout. Now, he returns to ONE to face Tatsuya Mizuno.

Tatsuya Mizuno is a 34-year-old Japanese mixed martial arts veteran from Tokyo. His extensive professional MMA record of 14 wins and 11 losses has given him knowledge and experience that is a cut above the level of many fighters. Mizuno uses his great all-round striking and grappling skills to subdue his opponents, and he gets another chance for victory inside the ONE Cage against Sylvain Potard.

Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of Angela “Unstoppable” Lee, has impressed in his first few outings in ONE Championship. Lee is riding the momentum of three stoppage wins inside the ONE Cage, two by highlight-reel knockout and the other by crafty submission. Lee looks to continue his early success but will face a stern test when he takes on the Philippines’ Cary Bullos.

32-year-old Filipino featherweight contender Cary “The Prince” Bullos is the URCC Visayas Bantamweight Champion. He has finished all his opponents in his seven wins, making him one of the top mixed martial arts prospects in the Philippines. Bullos fell short of victory in his first two appearances inside the ONE Cage, but he’s determined to get back in the win column by defeating Singapore’s Christian Lee.

21-year-old Singaporean mixed martial arts prospect Amir Khan will make his much-anticipated return to competition following a win over Filipino Jimmy Yabo back in November. Khan of Evolve MMA is a five-fight ONE Championship veteran who has only lost once inside the ONE Cage. The young gun is well-rounded and very aggressive, and will look to take on Chang Ching Hsiung next.

Taiwanese mixed martial artist “The Lightning” Chang Ching Hsiung will be making his ONE Championship debut. At four wins and three losses, Chang is a Sanda specialist and a solid prospect. He is the former Chinese Taipei K-1 Rules champion as well as the former Sanda-King champion. His first foray into Asia’s largest MMA promotion will be a tough one, when he takes on the promising young Amir Khan.

Unbeaten young Singaporean Benedict Ang has two wins and no losses inside the ONE Cage. The 19-year-old featherweight from Evolve MMA defeated mixed martial arts veteran Yohan Mulia Legowo in his last bout, stopping the Indonesian after two rounds of hard action. The highly-skilled Ang will showcase his talents once more when he faces Filipino Jimmy Yabo.

The Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo is a former URCC standout with an impressive mixed martial arts record of five wins and two losses. He boasts a perfect knockout percentage, having finished all five of his opponents by KO within the distance, including his last bout when he felled Pakistan’s Bashir Ahmad with one punch. A rededicated Yabo is now looking for victory, but he’ll have to go through tough Singaporean Benedict Ang to get it.

Undefeated 21-year-old Dagistani Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev impressed fans in his first appearance in the ONE Cage last January, winning by technical knockout at just over 30 seconds into the first round against Mishal Alfad. Arslanaliev brought the crowd to the edge of their seats from the opening bell, swarming his opponent with fearless aggression and impressive wrestling technique. Arslanaliev will take on China’s Ma Jia Wen next.

Chinese standout Ma Jia Wen is 2-1 inside the ONE Cage, and a victor in his last bout against compatriot Wang Ya Wei last November at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS – Beijing II. Ma is part of a quickly rising contingent of rock-solid Chinese mixed martial artists, and will look to put his skills further to the test against aggressive Dagistani standout Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev.

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.