WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION
OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS
WELTERWEIGHT: JOHN HOWARD VS. THIAGO MELLER
Fjervægt: LUIS PALOMINO VS. SHEYMON MORAES
HEAVYWEIGHT: CHRIS “HUGGY BEAR” BARNETT VS. JUSTIN WILLIS
LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 P.M. OG
FROM MASHANTUCKET, CONN. PÅ FREDAG, Juni 17
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) begivenhed, live på NBCSN på 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. fra Foxwoods Resort Casino i Mashantucket, Conn. på fredag, Juni 17.
In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, stigende stjerne Chris "Huggy Bjørn" 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) i en weltervægt (170 pounds) affære.
In a featherweight (145 pounds) scrap between two prolific strikers, Luis "Bavian" Palomino (24-12) will face off with former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).
I main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) mens, in the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstjerner Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) og Mike "The Mars" 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, 5-fods-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 første gang i sin karriere.
With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 sin 14 karriere sejre i form af (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-jar-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez og 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 i 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 twden, all-out wars with reigning, ubesejrede World Series of Fighting letvægts mester Justin "Højdepunktet" 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, en nat, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, første runde (4:55) WHO (punches) på Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) WHO (punches) at the hands af 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 "Problemer" Peralta by way of TKO (punches) i anden runde (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) indsendelse (bageste nøgne choker) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) mester 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 og Cathal Pendred, den 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Masse. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (punches) tab til Tim Means på December 10.
Til dato, Howard has notched 15 sin 23 karriere sejre i form af (T)KO eller indsendelse. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 og juni 2011, Howard scored a memorable, tredje runde (4:55) KO (punches) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman på 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 (bageste nøgne choker) af Leonardo Rodriguez juni 26, 2015.
The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 sin 20 career wins, i form af indsendelse.
The preliminary bout card lineup for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland will be announced soon.
Prissat fra $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, på 5 p.m. OG, og den første foreløbige kort Bout vil begynde på 6 p.m. |
