Tag Archives: Islam Mamedov

Complete Results & Photos for BELLATOR MMA 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky

A group of men in a boxing ring

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Complete Fight Night Photos Here – Please Credit: BELLATOR MMA
  
BELLATOR MMA 273: BADER VS. MOLDAVSKY MAIN CARD:
C-Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) defeated IC-Valentin Moldavsky (11-2) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
 
Ryan Bader defends his heavyweight title: ““Obviously, it was a really close fight and at the end there I’m like man that’s a toss up. I felt like I did more damage but it felt so good considering the last fight was a fight I lost. But it was a back and forth, even fight the whole five rounds. It’s just anticlimactic to go out there and have a exciting heavyweight championship five-rounder with a tough dude in Arizona. I wanted that bad! 

I’m never too confident, going to judges you know. It’s the first time in my life that I was hoping that they weren’t scoring for the wrestling. I was rocking him pretty good with my punches and I was seeing everything clearly. I underestimated his clenching, his body lock, he kept stepping in front of me with this weird move and he’s stronger than I thought. I’ve never been picked up like before…but I just told myself to keep getting up and then keep with the strikes. At the end there he was just holding on and I landed 20 unanswered elbows to his head. Those can’t be ignored and so when he went to the score cards, I said who knows now…”

#6-Benson Henderson (29-11) defeated #7-Islam Mamedov (20-2-1) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
 
Benson Henderson following the win in front of his hometown: “Fighting in front of my adopted hometown Phoenix, AZ, it’s amazing. Last time I didn’t give Arizona a very good show. This time, I thought I had a better performance so win or lose I knew that I could live with that. Just having a good performance, not a great performance but having a good performance, as opposed to having a bad performance, win or lose you always feel good after great performances. We’re seeking perfection. If you write a book, all these journalists, all these moviemakers, they want to make them part of a movie then make an amazing movie. If you want to, then you have to do your absolute best out there and that’s why I’m always after a better performance.”
“Tonight, getting my hand raised is awesome. This was the first time I fought in front of my sons, my two oldest sons. My 6 year-old and my 4-year-old. Tonight was a great night, but they’re not all great nights so I’m learning to definitely appreciate the good ones when I have them.”

“I felt that I did enough to deserve to get my hand raised, but you just never know. Like Burt Watson always says, if you leave it to the judges, they’re going to make you cry. He is absolutely right. So, I definitely don’t ever want to leave it to the judges. When someone says split decision I’m like oh no, my boys are in the ring…but it was a good night, so I was thankful for it.”

Henry Corrales (20-6) defeated Aiden Lee (10-6) via unanimous technical decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) – (accidental eye poke)
 
Henry Corrales following his victory: “That’s definitely not the way I wanted to end it here in Phoenix. The fans deserve more and that’s nothing against him, it’s just kind of a late finish and this was the final fight on my contract. This was my 15th fight with BELLATOR and my 20th win, so there’s a lot riding on this fight. I needed to go out there and put on a good performance…I tried.”
 
I didn’t feel like I really poked him to be honest with you and the replay was showing that it just didn’t look as serious as he was playing it off to be, but it’s the eye, so only he knows how much that hurt. He was super upset after and I was like hey big dog I didn’t poke you on purpose. I mean this is a fist fight! But, he was walking away from the cage after and he was acting disappointed the the fight was stopped but while the fight was going on he wasn’t really fighting. His demeanor was off and he was kind of whimpering on shots and it’s like dude you weren’t really going, you were just acting.”
 
Sabah Homasi (16-10) defeated Jaleel Willis (15-4) via submission (arm-triangle) at 1:42 of round one
 
Sabah Homasi following his submission win: “It’s one of the kicks I threw I just kicked hard man. I expect this after every fight but just a little swelling. It’s the same stuff after every fight man from all my kicks.”
 
“You know I just I take whatever they give me. I had his back, I thought I was going to get the rear naked. I don’t like to exert too much energy on something, so if I don’t have it I’m not going to force it. I’m going to take something that’s there, so I let it go and I set up a little trap. It’s something that I’ve transitioned with very well from the back to that trick, so it was there and I took it.”
 
“He was saying something to me earlier and if he’s saying something to me he should say it like a man. Say it with your damn chest, don’t whisper it. I forgot what he said, but I told him he was going to feel real power tonight and that was it and then obviously quick fight. I’m healthy, I’m in great shape, going to get back in the gym and whenever BELLATOR lets me know I’ll give my manager the green light.”
 
PRELIMINARY CARD: 
Enrique Barzola (17-5-2) defeated Darrion Caldwell (15-6) via TKO (strikes) at 3:01 of round three
Chris Gonzalez (7-1) defeated Saad Awad (24-14, 1 NC) via KO (punches) at :36 of round one
Dalton Rosta (6-0) defeated Duane Johnson (6-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nikita Mikhailov (9-1) defeated Blaine Shutt (8-6) via TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round three
Lucas Brennan (6-0) defeated Ben Lugo (5-5) via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:27 of round one
Sullivan Cauley (3-0) defeated Ben Parrish (5-2) via TKO (punches) at 4:35 of round one
 
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
 
****

COMPLETE LINEUP SET FOR “WSOF 25: 8-MAN LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT” AT COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ. ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN

Twelve bout card kicks off live on WSOF.com at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, followed by live NBCSN telecast at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

Live stream includes one-night tournament’s quarterfinal stage bouts

LAS VEGAS (November 16, 2015) –The complete fight card and bout order for World Series of Fighting’s highly-anticipated “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” extravaganza at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz. is set for Friday, November 20.

Headlined by the first one-night, eight-man tournament in World Series of Fighting history, the event will kick off with a preliminary bout card that will stream live, worldwide on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The live stream will be comprised of eight bouts, including all four quarterfinal stage matchups in the lightweight (155 pounds) tournament that will crown its winner, who will have fought three times in one night, the new number one contender in the coveted weight division.

The four-fight, live NBCSN telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT with the two semifinal stage tournament bouts, and conclude with the tournament’s championship round showdown.

The non-tournament, lightweight co-main event contest between Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (18-5) of Kansas City, Mo. and rival star Estevan Payan (16-8) of Tempe, Ariz. will take place between the conclusion of the second semifinal stage tournament bout and the championship round fight.

In one tournament bracket, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla., coming off another “Fight of the Month” performance at WSOF 23 in September, will square off with rising star Rich Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Pa., while Brian Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla., fresh off a thunderous, first round (:32) KO of previously unbeaten LaRue Burley at WSOF 23, will collide with streaking submission wizard Joao Zeferino (18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In the opposite bracket, wrestling and submission ace Brian “The Bandit” Cobb(20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. will battle Firas Zahabi-trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt  Mike “The Martian” Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whileIslam Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia will put his phenomenal, 11-fight winning streak on the line against five-time, one-night tournament winner and Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jorge “Macaco” Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The winner of the quarterfinal stage bout between Palomino and Patishnock will meet the winner of the fight between Foster and Zeferino in the semifinal stage of the single-elimination affair, and the winner of the matchup between Cobb and Ricci will face the winner of the bout between Mamedov and Patino in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

Leading off the preliminary bout card will be the first of two tournament reserve bouts –Benny Madrid (8-3) of Phoenix vs. Ramil Mustapayev (3-1) of Albuquerque, N.M. via Ossetia, Russia, which will be followed by the second tournament reserve fight – LaRue Burley (6-1) of Phoenix vs. Joe Condon (12-8) of Victorville, Calif.

The preliminary bout card will conclude with a 165-pound catchweight tilt betweenJimmy Scully (3-3) of Phoenix and Roberto Yong (2-3) of Glendale, Ariz. and a bantamweight (135 pounds) battle between Joseph Barajas (11-1) of Vista, Calif. and Erik Villalobos (3-0) of Glendale.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” are on sale at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at Comerica Theatre open at 5 p.m. MT and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. MT.

MAIN CARD

Lightweight Tournament Championship Bout:
Semifinal Bout Winner # 1 vs. Semifinal Bout Winner # 2

Lightweight Co-Main Event:
Jason High vs. Estevan Payan

Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Stage Bout # 2:
Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 3 vs. Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 4

Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Stage Bout # 1:
Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 1 vs. Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 2

PRELIMINARY CARD

Bantamweight Bout: Joseph Barajas vs. Erik Villalobos

Catchweight (165 pounds) Bout: Jimmy Scully vs. Roberto Yong

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 4:
Luis Palomino vs. Rich Patishnock

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 3:
Brian Foster vs. Joao Zeferino

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 2:
Brian Cobb vs. Mike Ricci

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 1:
Islam Mamedov vs. Jorge Patino

Lightweight Tournament Reserve Bout # 2:
LaRue Burley vs. Joe Condon

Lightweight Tournament Reserve Bout # 1:
Benny Madrid vs. Ramil Mustapayev

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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING ANNOUNCES RULES FOR EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN FROM COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ.

Fourth judge to be added in event of any draws 

LAS VEGAS (October 29, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today, a comprehensive set of rules for its historic, one-night, eight-man lightweight (155 pounds) tournament on Friday, Nov. 20, live on NBCSN at11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT from Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz.

“We are looking forward to a competitive night of tournament action after months of evaluating how we could make this the most exciting event possible and, at the same time, ensure the safety of our athletes and give each of them the best opportunity to prevail in the cage,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

A former, six-time world kickboxing champion and two-time Hall of Famer, Sefo is a decorated veteran of over 50, one-night tournaments.

Designed to maximize the performance of its athletes and ensure that a decisive winner emerges in each bout, the “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” rules include scoring by a fourth cageside judge in the event that the original three judges in place score any bout a draw.

Additionally, elbow strikes will be permitted in the championship bout of the tournament when the standard, Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts take effect, but not in the quarterfinal or semifinal stages of the single-elimination affair.

Each of the four quarterfinal stage tournament bouts as well as both semifinal stage bouts will consist of two, five-minute rounds.  The championship bout will be comprised of three, five-minute rounds.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” are on sale at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

In one bracket of the eight-man tournament affair, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla. will square off with Rich Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Pa., while Brian Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla. will collide with Joao Zeferino(18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In the opposite bracket, Brian “The Bandit” Cobb (20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. will battle Mike “The Martian” Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whileIslam Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia will face Jorge “Macaco” Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The winner of the fight between Palomino and Patishnock will meet the winner of the fight between Foster and Zeferino in the semifinal stage of the tournament, while the winner of the bout between Cobb and Ricci will square off with the winner of the bout between Mamedov and Patino in the semifinal stage of the event.

The two semifinal stage winners will face one another in the championship round.

In the lightweight co-main event, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (18-5) of Kansas City, Mo. will duke it out with Estevan “El Terrible” Payan (16-8, 1 NC) of Tempe, Ariz.

In one of two tournament reserve bouts, LaRue “The Cannibal” Burley (6-1) of Mesa, Ariz. will go to war with Joe Condon (12-8) of Victorville, Calif.

In the second reserve contest, Benny “El Hijo” Madrid (11-3) of Phoenix will face Ramil Mustapayev (3-1) of Ossetia, Russia.

Should any of the tournament’s quarterfinal stage fight winners be unable to re-enter the cage for his semifinal stage commitment due to an injury sustained en route to victory, the loser of the bout will advance to the following tournament round in place of the hurt fighter.

If neither the winner nor loser are healthy enough to re-enter the cage, however, one of the reserve fight winners will serve as a replacement in the tournament field.

Doors at Comerica Theatre will open at 5 p.m. MT, and the first bout will begin at 6 p.m.

Additional bouts will be announced soon.

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING ADDS TWO RESERVE BOUTS TO ONE-NIGHT TOURNAMENT ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN FROM COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ.

WSOF 25 receives new NBCSN start time of 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

LAS VEGAS (October 27, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) has confirmed the addition of two alternate bouts – LaRue “The Cannibal” Burley vs. Joe Condon and Benny “El Hijo” Madrid vs. Ramil Mustapayev – for its highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man lightweight (155 pounds) tournament on Friday, Nov. 20, live on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT from Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz.

Should any of the tournament’s quarterfinal stage fight winners be unable to re-enter the cage for his semifinal stage commitment due to an injury sustained en route to victory, the loser of the bout will advance to the following tournament round in place of the hurt fighter.

If neither the winner nor loser are healthy enough to re-enter the cage, however, one of the reserve fight winners will serve as a replacement in the tournament field.

“Our tournament lineup is officially complete with the addition of these matchups, and we are looking forward to having the four talented fighters selected for these two important fights, compete on this historic card and be prepared to enter the single-elimination contest if necessary,” said World Series of Fighting PresidentRay Sefo.

The 31-year-old Burley (6-1) of Gilbert, Ariz. is looking to return to form after suffering his first career blemish, a first round (:32) KO (punch) at the hands of accomplished veteran and one of the eight tournament contestants, Brian Foster, at WSOF 23 on September 18.

Prior to the defeat, Burley had emerged one of MMA’s hottest prospects, recording victories in his first six professional fights, including a third round (3:40) TKO (punches) of fellow rising star Bubba Jenkins, after an unbeaten career as an amateur.  Four of Burley’s six career wins have come by way of (T)KO or submission.

Condon (12-8) of Victorville, Calif. is also looking to return to the win column in what will be his third start for World Series of Fighting, following a unanimous decision defeat to Nick Newell at WSOF 20 on April 10.

In his promotional debut on January 17, the 29-year-old Condon submitted Jonathan Nunez with a guillotine choke in the third round (4:22) of battle at WSOF 17.

The 35-year-old Madrid (8-3) of Phoenix is coming off a splendid, first round (1:26) submission (rear-naked choke) victory over Jeff Fletcher at WSOF 23.  The win snapped a three-fight skid that came after Madrid had reeled off wins in his first seven professional career fights, a streak that spanned four years between 2009 and 2013.

Mustapayev (3-1) of Albuquerque, N.M. via Moscow, Russia will make his World Series of Fighting debut and will risk a perfect, 3-0 run that he is in the midst of this year.

A member of Greg Jackson’s and Mike Winklejohn’s famed fight team, Mustapayev is fresh off a stunning, first round (3:10) TKO (punches) of Jarel Askew in a matchup that took place on August 29.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: Eight-Man Lightweight Tournament” are on sale at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

In one bracket of the eight-man tournament affair, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla. will square off with Rich Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Pa., while Brian Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla. will collide with Joao Zeferino(18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In the opposite bracket, Brian “The Bandit” Cobb (20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. will battle Mike “The Martian” Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whileIslam Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia will face Jorge “Macaco” Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The winner of the fight between Palomino and Patishnock will meet the winner of the fight between Foster and Zeferino in the semifinal stage of the tournament, while the winner of the bout between Cobb and Ricci will square off with the winner of the bout between Mamedov and Patino in the semifinal stage of the event.

The two semifinal stage winners will face one another in the championship round.

In the lightweight co-main event, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (18-5) of Kansas City, Mo. will duke it out with Estevan “El Terrible” Payan (16-8, 1 NC) of Tempe, Ariz.

Doors at Comerica Theatre will open at 6 p.m. MT, and the first bout will begin at 7 p.m.

Additional bouts will be announced soon.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF.com) is a world wide 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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING ANNOUNCES BRACKETS, FIRST-STAGE MATCHUPS FOR ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT AT COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ. ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN

Plus: Jason High faces Estevan Payan in WSOF 25 co-main event

Tickets on sale now

LAS VEGAS (October 17, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced tonight during its live NBCSN telecast of “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami,” the quarterfinal stage matchups and brackets for its historic, one-night, eight-man tournament that will crown its winner the new number one contender in the promotion’s coveted lightweight (155 pound) division, at “WSOF 25: Eight-Man Lightweight Tournament,” on Friday, Nov. 20, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz.

Additionally, a lightweight co-main event pitting Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High against fellow battle-tested star and World Series of Fighting newcomer Estevan “El Terrible” Payan was announced for WSOF 25.

“We are excited about the star-studded lineup and incredible matchups we have assembled for the first World Series of Fighting one-night tournament in history,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.  “Combined with an outstanding co-main event between Jason High and Estevan Payan, this is a must-see event for any fight fan.”

In one tournament bracket, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla., coming off another “Fight of the Month” performance at WSOF 23 in September, will square off with rising star Rich Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Pa., while Brian Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla., fresh off a thunderous, first round (:32) KO of previously unbeaten LaRue Burley at WSOF 23, will collide with streaking submission wizard Joao Zeferino (18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In the opposite bracket, wrestling and submission ace Brian “The Bandit” Cobb(20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. will battle Firas Zahabi-trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt  Mike “The Martian” Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, while Islam Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia will put his phenomenal, 11-fight winning streak on the line against five-time, one-night tournament winner and Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jorge “Macaco” Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The winner of the quarterfinal stage bout between Palomino and Patishnock will meet the winner of the fight between Foster and Zeferino in the semifinal stage of the single-elimination affair, and the winner of the matchup between Cobb and Ricci will face the winner of the bout between Mamedov and Patino in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

The two semifinal stage victors will face off against each other for the tournament championship and the right to challenge reigning, undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

High (18-5) of Kansas City, Mo. will look to establish his presence in the World Series of Fighting lightweight division after defeating top-level competition elsewhere in the U.S. as well as in Japan, where the 34-year-old made his initial mark in the sport by collecting wins in the now defunct DREAM and K-1 promotions, and followed up his stellar performances overseas with a perfect, 3-0 run in the Strikeforce cage.

Another former Strikeforce standout, the 33-year-old Payan (16-8, 1 NC) of Tempe, Ariz. has also scrapped with notable adversaries, and has imposed his will with dangerous punching power.  Payan is looking for his second straight victory after scoring a third round (2:45) KO on Roberto Young with a barrage of punches on June 6.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: Eight-Man Lightweight Tournament” are on sale at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

World Series of Fighting will announce additional details concerning the format and rules of the tournament soon.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF.com) is a world wide 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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING HITS COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ. WITH ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN

Tickets on sale Friday, Oct. 9

Luis Palomino, Brian Foster, Mike Ricci, Islam Mamedov, Brian Cobb, Jorge Patino, Joao Zeferino and Rich Patishnock all slated for action
in star-studded, single-elimination affair at WSOF 25

Winner will be named number one contender for world 155-pound title
LAS VEGAS (October 7, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) will return to Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz. with a historic, one-night, eight-man tournament that will appoint its winner the number one contender in the promotion’s fearsome lightweight (155 pounds) division, on Friday, Nov. 20, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: Eight-Man Lightweight Tournament” go on sale on Friday, Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. PT at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

All eight tournament participants – Luis “Baboon” Palomino, Brian Foster,Mike Ricci, Islam Mamedov, Brian “The Bandit” Cobb, Jorge “Macaco” Patino, Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino and Rich Patishnock – have been confirmed for battle in the first-ever World Series of Fighting one-night tournament.

Quarterfinal stage matchups for the tournament will be announced soon.

“We are excited to roll out our first-ever, one-night tournament filled with some of MMA’s top lightweight fighters, and to distinguish a new number one contender in this weight class that has been growing aggressively and is packed with world-class talent,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla. is coming off an unforgettable, second, all-out slugfest with reigning, undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight championJustin Gaethje in the main event of WSOF 23, a fight that was named “Fight of the Month” for September last week.

The 34-year-old Palomino, who holds notable wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Gesias Cavalcante and Patino, put Gaethje on the defensive in the outset of their rematch before being stopped near the close of the second round (4:30) with a Gaethje barrage of punches.

Another proven entity who has fought remarkable wars in the cage, Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla. is fresh off a spectacular performance at WSOF 23 where the 31-year-old scored a thunderous, first round (:32) KO (punch) of previously unbeaten LaRue Burley.

Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada is one of the latest additions to the ever-growing World Series of Fighting roster.  The 29-year-old, Firas Zahabi-trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt has faced and defeated a collection of top rivals during his seven-year professional career.

Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia is a ferocious 25-year-old who is unbeaten in his last 10 starts, a streak that dates back to Aug. 1, 2010.  To date, Mamedov has made two appearances in the World Series of Fighting cage, scoring vicious, first round TKO’s on Leon Davis and Jimmy Spicuzza at WSOF 20 and WSOF 22, respectively.

Cobb (20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. is a wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu expert who has produced submission finishes in 12 of his 20 career wins since his professional debut in 2004.  He holds notable victories over fellow standouts Rad Martinez,Drew Fickett, Kazunori Yokota and Ronys Torres.

Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil who holds black belts in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, and boasts the most one-night tournament competition experience of the six competitors slated for action, thus far, in the Nov. 20 affair.  Of the seven previous one-night tournaments he saw action in, the 42-year-old emerged the winner in five of them.

Zeferino (18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil is a submission ace who has won 13 of his 18 career conquests by way of submission.  A new addition to the World Series of Fighting roster, the 29-year-old will make his promotional debut in the midst of a five-fight win streak.

Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Penn. is a 27-year-old rising star and a three-time veteran of World Series of Fighting action.  Under the promotional banner, he holds victories over Igor Gracie and Gregor Gracie, both members of MMA’s legendary first family.

World Series of Fighting will announce additional details concerning the format and rules of the tournament, soon.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF.com) is a world wide 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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

LIVE NBCSN TELECAST OF “WSOF 22: PALHARES VS. SHIELDS” POSTS BEST WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING VIEWERSHIP IN OVER ONE YEAR

LAS VEGAS (August 10, 2015) –The live NBCSN telecast of “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” averaged 254,000 viewers during the two-hour live telecast that began at 10:40 p.m. ET/7:40 p.m. PT – ranking as the best World Series of Fighting show on NBCSN in more than a year (6/21/14). In addition, the viewership is up 9% from NBCSN’s 2014 WSOF average of slightly over 233,000.

“We are thrilled with the outstanding, recent performance of our programming on NBCSN,” said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva.  “World Series of Fighting has been putting on some incredible fights in our decagon cage, and NBCSN has been a great partner, offering its audience a healthy dose of both live events and replays of recent, past events, all of which undoubtedly helps the continued growth of our brand and our great sport through consistent and prominent exposure to a national audience.

“WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” was headlined by a long-awaited showdown between World Series of Fighting World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares and challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields

Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN with “WSOF 23: Gaethje vs. Palomino II” on Friday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT from Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz.  In the highly-anticipated main event, undefeated, reigning world lightweight (155 pounds) champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje will put his title on the line for the second time against hard-hitting Luis “Baboon” Palomino.

About “World Series of Fighting” (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a world wide 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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

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 — NASCAR, Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, and America’s Cup. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as 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.

ALL 20 FIGHTERS MAKE WEIGHT FOR “WSOF 22: PALHARES VS. SHIELDS” TOMORROW, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 IN LAS VEGAS

NEW LIVE NBCSN TELECAST START TIME:
10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT

LIVE PRELIMINARY CARD BEGINS ON WSOF.COM AT
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

Las Vegas, Nev. (July 31, 2015) – All 20 fighters, reigning World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) and challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields (31-7), made weight one day before the highly-anticipated “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) mega-event at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., live on NBCSN, beginning at a new start time of 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Palhares weighed in at 169.8 pounds and Shields clocked in at the weight limit of 170 pounds. 

WSOF World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) tipped the scales at 135 pounds and his opponent, undefeated challenger Sheymon Moraes (7-0) registered a weight of 134.2 pounds.

The live, five-bout preliminary card stream will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on an embeddable video player on www.WSOF.com.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will open at 4:00 p.m. PT.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 5:00 p.m.

COMPLETE “WSOF 22: PALHARES VS. SHIELDS” WEIGH-IN RESULTS:

Main Card:

Main Event: World Welterweight (170 pounds) Championship Bout

Rousimar Palhares (17-6) (169.8 lbs.) vs. Jake Shields (31-7) (170lbs)
Minas Gerais, Brazil                                    San Francisco, Calif.

Co-Main Event:  World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Championship Bout

Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) (135 lbs.) vs.   Sheymon Moraes (7-0) (134.2 lbs.)
Toms Rier, N.J.                                      Rio de Janeiro, Brazil            .

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Mike Kyle (21-12-1) (206 lbs.)   vs.    Clifford Starks (11-2) (204.8 lbs.)
San Jose, Calif.                                  Tempe, Ariz.

Welterweight (170 pounds) Bout

Abubakar Nurmagomedov (9-1) (171 lbs.) vs.    Jorge Moreno (4-0) (168.8 lbs.)
Dagestan, Russia                                                Moses Lake, Wash.

Lightweight (155 pounds) Bout

Jimmy Spicuzza (6-2) (155.4 lbs.) vs.    Islam Mamedov (11-1) (155.4 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                      Jersey City, N.J.

Preliminary Card:

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Jake Heun (7-4) (205.6 lbs.) vs. Davin Clark (5-2-2) (206 lbs.)
Coconut Creek, Fla.                   San Jose, Calif.

Flyweight (125 pounds) Bout

Donavon Frelow (4-0) (125 lbs.) vs. Carlos Garcia (0-0) (124.8 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                 Las Vegas, Nev.

Catchweight (140 pounds) Bout

Jimmy Jones (4-3) (139.4 lbs.) vs. Marco Simmons (0-0) (140.6 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                              Las Vegas, Nev.

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Cory Hendricks (2-0) (204.4 lbs.) vs.  Julio Hinojosa (3-1) (206 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                   El Paso, Texas

Lightweight (155 pounds) Bout

Gil Guardado (3-1) (154 lbs.)  vs.  Pete Martin (5-3) (155.6 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                             Las Vegas, Nev.

Thiago Silva Out, Clifford Starks In Against Mike Kyle at “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Saturday, August 1, Live on NBCSN from Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (July 28, 2015) – World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that, due to a previous suspension in the state of Nevada, Thiago Silva has been declared ineligible to compete at “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” on Saturday, Aug. 1, and will be replaced by Clifford Starks, who will face off with Silva’s scheduled opponent Mike “MAK” Kyle in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest, live on NBCSN from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Due to the previous suspension, Silva must attend a future Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing.  The next hearing takes place in Aug.

“We hope that Thiago will take the steps necessary to be in compliance with the state athletic commission so that he can make a quick return to action,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo.  “In the meantime, we appreciate Clifford Starks’ willingness to take the fight against Mike Kyle on just a few days’ notice, and look forward to having him compete for us again after putting on a great show in the WSOF cage in March.”

The 34-year-old Starks (11-2) of Tempe, Ariz. is coming off a second round (4:11) submission (arm-triangle choke) of Jake Heun at WSOF 19.  The victory was Starks’ third straight and second consecutive finish.

The live, five-bout NBCSN telecast of “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

In the highly-anticipated main event, reigning WSOF World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) will square off with top-ranked challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields (31-7).

WSOF World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) will put his title on the line in the co-main event against undefeated challenger Sheymon Moraes (7-0).

In other live NBCSN televised WSOF 22 action, fast-rising star Abubakar Nurmagomedov (9-1) will square off with undefeated finisher Jorge Moreno (4-0) at welterweight, and four-time WSOF veteran Jimmy Spicuzza (6-2) will meet submission ace Islam Mamedov (11-1) at lightweight (155 pounds).

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will open on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m. PT.

MAIN CARD

WSOF World Welterweight Championship Main Event:
Rousimar Palhares (Champion) vs. Jake Shields (Challenger)

WSOF World Bantamweight Championship Co-Main Event:
Marlon Moraes (Champion) vs. Sheymon Moraes (Challenger)

Light Heavyweight: Mike Kyle vs. Clifford Starks
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno
Lightweight: Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight: Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
Flyweight: Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia
Catchweight (140 pounds): Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons
Light Heavyweight: Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa
Lightweight: Gil Guardado vs. Pete Martin

“WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Adds Five-Bout Preliminary Card Featuring Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark

Preliminary bouts stream live on WSOF.com
prior to two world title fights on NBCSN

LAS VEGAS (July 23, 2015) – World Series of Fighting’s blockbuster “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event will feature five preliminary contests that will stream live on WSOF.com prior to the live NBCSN telecast of the much-anticipated world championship doubleheader on Saturday, August 1.

Featuring a pair of highly anticipated world title fights with reigning WSOF World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) vs. top-ranked challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields (31-7) as well as WSOF World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) vs. undefeated challenger Sheymon Moraes (7-0), the mega-card will take place at The AXIS inside Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The new preliminary contests include light heavyweights (205 pounds) Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun (7-4) vs. Davin “Relentless” Clark (5-2-2), flyweights (125 pounds) Donavon Frelow (4-0) vs. Carlos Garcia (0-0), a 140-pound catchweight contest with Jimmy “Rabbit” Jones (4-3) vs. Marco Simmons (0-0), light heavyweights Cory Hendricks (2-0) vs. Julio Hinojosa (3-1) and lightweights (155 pounds) Gil Guardado (3-1) vs. Pete Martin (5-3)

Fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla., the 27-year-old Heun is a two-time veteran of WSOF action who is sporting an overall record of 1-1 in the promotion.  Four of his seven career victories have come by way of (T)KO and one by way of submission.  He is looking to rebound from a second round (4:11) submission (arm-triangle choke) defeat at the hands of Clifford Starks.

Heun faces Clark, a 33-year-old American Kickboxing Academy product from San Jose, Calif., who has been competing professionally since 2007. While he suffered an October loss to fellow veteran Joe Vedepo, Clark’s previous two appearances saw him earn a pair of first-round finishes.

Las Vegas’ Frelow was originally expected to compete on the evening’s main card for the inaugural World Series of Fighting flyweight title. However, fellow undefeated contender Magomed Bibulatov suffered an injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the contest. Frelow elected to stay busy rather than wait on a title fight and now meets fellow Las Vegas resident Garcia, an Xtreme Couture fighter making his professional debut.

Additional preliminary bouts see some of Las Vegas’ top prospects enter the WSOF cage, as Xtreme Couture’s Jones meets Wand Fight Team’s Simmons, and Xtreme Couture’s Guardado faces Wand Fight Teams’ Martin.

Meanwhile, Syndicate MMA’s Hendricks welcomes Hinojosa, of El Paso, Texas, to the World Series of Fighting decagon.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will open at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m. PT.

The live NBCSN telecast of the main card begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

MAIN CARD

WSOF World Welterweight Championship Main Event:
Rousimar Palhares (Champion) vs. Jake Shields (Challenger)

WSOF World Bantamweight Championship Co-Main Event:
Marlon Moraes (Champion) vs. Sheymon Moraes (Challenger)

Light Heavyweight: Thiago Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno
Lightweight: Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight: Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
Flyweight: Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia
Catchweight (140 pounds): Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons
Light Heavyweight: Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa
Lightweight: Gil Guardado vs. Pete Martin