Tag Archives: Mixed Martial Arts

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BENSON HENDERSON-PATRICIO ‘PITBULL’ TO VIE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE SHOT DURING MAIN EVENT OF ‘BELLATOR 160: HENDERSON VS. PITBULL’

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TICKETS: SPECIAL BELLATOR NATION PRESALE STARTS TODAY WITH TICKETS GOING ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC TOMORROW, FRIDAY, JULY 22

 

 

SANTA MONICA, CALIF (July 20, 2016) – Patricio “Pitbull” (25-3) is actively seeking revenge for his brother Patricky “Pitbull” after Bellator MMA’s new 155-pound kingpin Michael Chandler brutally finished the elder Freire during the co-main event of last month’s “Bellator: Dynamite 2” event.

 

Patricio will be given the opportunity to avenge his brother’s loss – but in order to reach Chandler, “Pitbull” must first defeat Benson Henderson(23-6) in the main event of “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” on August 26 inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and airing LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT.

 

The card will be the Scott Coker-led promotions first at the Honda Center, which is home to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, AFL’s LA KISS, the Wooden Legacy Basketball Tournament, as well as the Big West Basketball Tournament.

 

Tickets starting at $30 for “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” can be purchased on Ticketmaster and Honda Center Box Office starting Friday, July 22 with an exclusive Bellator Nation pre-sale on Thursday, July 21.

 

Following Chandler’s knockout of Patricky, “Iron Mike” scaled the Bellator Cage to celebrate with his hometown faithful of St. Louis, but was immediately met by Patricio, who had been cornering his brother. The two exchanged words and now Bellator’s former featherweight titlist has made the decision to move up to lightweight and begin his path towards gold in two divisions.

 

Click image above to watch the altercation

 

In the way stands Henderson, a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, who after three fights at welterweight now returns to the division where he reigned supreme for nearly two years. In his Bellator MMA debut, despite a size disparity, “Smooth” fought valiantly against 170-pound championAndrey Koreshkov, dropping a unanimous decision. Now it will be “Pitbull” who’s fighting the larger competitor, and it all comes to a head during the main event of “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” on Aug. 26, LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.

 

Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

“Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” Main Card:

Bellator MMA Lightweight #1 Contender Main Event: Benson Henderson (25-3) vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (25-3)

 

About Bellator MMA:

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

 

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights, wrestling

NEF ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF WRESTLING ESSAY CONTEST

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Rumford, Maine (July 20, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number one regional fight promotion, earlier today announced the winners of this year’s contest to attend the University of Southern Maine’s (USM) annual “Brawlin’ Lobster Wrestling Clinic.”

 

Isaiah Cogswell, a junior at More High School in Bath, Maine and Benjamin Mahoney, a junior at York High School in York, Maine, will both have their tuition costs covered to attend this year’s clinic and will both receive a unique NEF prize package that includes tickets to “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLIANS” to be held on September 10th at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. The contest was sponsored by NEF and NEF professional featherweight mixed martial artist, Brandon “The Dream Killer” Bushaw. In order to enter, applicants needed to submit a 200-word essay outlining how attending the 2016 clinic would help them to achieve their wrestling goals. Cogswell and Mahoney were selected out of over 40 applicants.

 

“I want to attend this camp so I can achieve my goal of Maine heavyweight champion and this camp will help me not only keep my skills but to improve upon them,” wrote Mahoney, who has placed at both mid-states and the Atlantic Invitational tournament since he began wrestling on the varsity team his freshman year. “I would like to show to my coaches that I am willing to take the extra step to show leadership and experience, so that I could also be a team captain this year.”

 

“This camp would give me an opportunity to be exposed to more coaching styles and learn more about who I am as a wrestler,” Cogswell, a varsity wrestler and KVAC Champion, wrote in his essay. “I am not done, I still have work to do to reach my goals.”

 

This year’s dual sponsorship to send two wrestlers to the clinic was made possible by the contribution of Brandon Bushaw, a two-time state wrestling champion and member of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame. After a successful career at Westbrook High School, Bushaw went on to wrestle at Michigan State University alongside teammates and UFC-standouts Rashad Evans and Gray Maynard. With almost 20 fights under his belt between his amateur and professional mixed martial arts careers, Bushaw has never forgotten his wrestling roots and the lessons he gained from competing in the sport.

 

“Wrestling has molded my life on and off the mat since my freshman year of high school,” said Bushaw.  “I look back and am so thankful to this day that Coach Walsh wouldn’t leave me alone about coming out for the Westbrook wrestling team all those years ago. If I can give back even one percent of what I got out of wrestling, it would be monumental to me. That’s why when I saw NEF was paying for a young wrestler to go to camp, I called Matt and told him I would like to send someone as well! I’m glad he accepted my offer and I hope that wrestling has the same impact on this young man’s life that it did mine!”

 

“Wrestling is one of the oldest and most effective martial arts in the world,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Participating in the sport of wrestling has the potential to improve one’s performance in all areas of life. We’re proud to send these two deserving young men to the USM clinic this summer and hope this plays a part in helping them to achieve their goals both on and off the wrestling mat next season.”

 

“Myself and our coaching staff appreciate NEF and Brandon for sponsoring these wrestlers and giving them an opportunity to attend our camp,” stated Mike Morin, USM Head Wrestling Coach, himself a two-time All-American, when reached for comment. “We are the only NCAA program in the state and will have coaches from all over the Northeast as clinicians. These sponsorships are allowing these wrestlers to participate and learn at a high level. In turn, this only helps the state as a whole grow and get better.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF Presents Dana White: Looking for a Fight”  takes place on Friday, August 5, 2016 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor,  Maine.  Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com or by calling the box office at 800.745.3000.

 

For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA andwww.flocombat.com, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

mixed martial arts, MMA, WMMAA

WMMAA terminates head of judges Radmir Gabdullin

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MONTE CARLO, Monaco(July 20, 2016)- The World MMA Association (WMMAA) has terminated its Head of Judges, Radmir Gabdullin, due to his imprudence, inexperience, and technical inability to evaluate Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the professional sector.
 
Regarding recent statements that he recently made in the Russian press, Gabdullin expressed himself disrespectfully to other colleague judges, WMMAA Board member Alexander Engelhardt and the Association itself, as Worldwide WMMAA President Vadim Finkelchtein expressed, “One of the key factors of MMA is respect. This is a line we should and can never cross. That being said, it leaves me no other choice than to release Radmir Gabdullin from his function. We also severely advise that the Russian MMA Union do the same. (The Russian MMA Union is a full member of the World MMA Union.)
“We are working hard on standardizing in all countries of the world, all continents, in terms of Rules, Regulation and Referees committees, including anti-doping.We are a real worldwide organization and therefore we also have to reflect this in all of the WMMAA committees.  Also, Russia will be, of course, represented in these as part of the WMMAA. More information will follow soon.”
Finkelchtein, who as WMMAA president reserves any other actions towards the associate judge, noted that, during the November 4-6WMMAA Congress in Macau, China, a board of judges will be discussed and created.
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
 
Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
Information
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights, UFC

ERICKSON OUT, POWELL IN TO FACE LEMKE IN FRONT OF UFC PRESIDENT

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Bangor, Maine (July 18, 2016) – When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White comes to Bangor onAugust 5, 2016 to check out the local talent New England Fights (NEF) has to offer, Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (7-5) will unfortunately have to watch from the sidelines.  Erickson suffered an injury while training for his bout with Jon Lemke (5-5) previously-scheduled to take place that evening.  White will be present to record a future episode of his web series Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight in which professional mixed-martial-artists have a shot at earning a UFC contract based on their performance.

 

Within mere hours of being informed of Erickson’s injury, NEF executives had found a replacement in the form of the promotion’s reigning professional lightweight champion Devin Powell (7-1).  The bout will be a non-title contest scheduled for three-rounds at a catchweight of 160-pounds.  It is a rematch of a May 2014 NEF fight which Powell won via first-round submission.  Should Lemke win the rematch, he will be in line for a title shot in the rubber match.

 

“Once again, I am incredibly thankful and grateful to NEF for making this fight happen,” said Lemke.  “Getting an opponent change last minute is usually pretty stressful. Not this time, however, as the crew at NEF was on top of it, and the next day I had a new opponent.  I am very much looking forward to getting another crack at Devin, as I had a horrible showing in our first fight.  Devin is a highly-touted and talented fighter and I expect an all out battle for sure.  I have been looking forward to another crack at him for some time and you will see the best Jon Lemke yet.”

 

“Taking a short notice fight against Lemke was a no brainer,” stated Powell.  “No way could I pass on a chance to fight a fellow Mainer a few hours away from my mom’s hometown of Allagash, Maine.  Dana, I hope you get your popcorn, because you’re about to see a show. Hell or high water, I’m getting my hand raised.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF Presents Dana White: Looking for a Fight”  takes place on Friday, August 5, 2016 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor,  Maine.  Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com or by calling the box office at 800.745.3000.

 

For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA andwww.flocombat.com, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BENSON HENDERSON-PATRICIO ‘PITBULL’ TO VIE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE SHOT DURING MAIN EVENT OF ‘BELLATOR 160’

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NEWLY ANNOUNCED EVENT TAKES PLACE AUGUST 26 AT HONDA CENTER IN ANAHEIM, CALIF.

 

 

SANTA MONICA, CALIF (July, 16) – Patricio “Pitbull” (25-3) is actively seeking revenge for his brother Patricky “Pitbull” after Bellator MMA’s new 155-pound kingpin Michael Chandler brutally finished the elder Freire during the co-main event of last month’s “Bellator: Dynamite 2”event.

 

Today, Bellator MMA is pleased to announce that Patricio will be given the opportunity to avenge his brother’s loss – but in order to reach Chandler, “Pitbull” must first defeat Benson Henderson (23-6) in the main event of “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” on August 26 inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and airing LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.

 

The card will be the Scott Coker-led promotions first at the 18,000 plus Honda Center, which is home to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, AFL’s LA KISS, the Wooden Legacy Basketball Tournament, as well as the Big West Basketball Tournament.

 

Tickets starting at $30 for “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” can be purchased on Ticketmaster and Honda Center Box Office starting Friday, July 22 with an exclusive Bellator Nation pre-sale on Thursday, July 21.

 

Following Chandler’s knockout of Patricky, “Iron Mike” scaled the Bellator Cage to celebrate with his hometown faithful of St. Louis, but was immediately met by Patricio, who had been cornering his brother. The two exchanged words and now Bellator’s former featherweight titlist has made the decision to move up to lightweight and begin his path towards gold in two divisions.

 

 

In the way stands Henderson, a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, who after three fights at welterweight now returns to the division where he reigned supreme for nearly two years. In his Bellator MMA debut, despite a size disparity, “Smooth” fought valiantly against 170-pound champion Andrey Koreshkov, dropping a unanimous decision. Now it will be “Pitbull” who’s fighting the larger competitor, and it all comes to a head during the main event of “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull”on Aug. 26, LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.

 

Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

“Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” Main Card:

Bellator MMA Lightweight No. 1 Contender Main Event: Benson Henderson (25-3) vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (25-3)

 

mixed martial arts, MMA, Rizin FF

RIZIN FF: MIRKO CRO COP EMERGES FROM RETIREMENT FOR 16-MAN, OPEN WEIGHT TOURNAMENT KICKING OFF IN TOKYO ON SEPTEMBER 25!

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WANDERLEI SILVA, KAZUYUKI FUJITA, AND BARUTO KAITO
ALL TABBED FOR ACTION IN MULTI-STAGE TOURNAMENT

PLUS:
DARON CRUICKSHANK FACES ANDY SOUWER,
AND GABI GARCIA AND KANAKO MURATA RETURN TO ACTION

TOKYO – July 16, 2016 – RIZIN FF, the combat sports federation headed by former PRIDE Fighting Championships boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced at a press conference today that all-time great Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (MMA: 31-11-1, 1 NC; Kickboxing: 23-8, 12 KO’s) will come out of retirement and return to Japan, where his legendary career was born, to compete in the highly-anticipated, 16-man, open weight “Grand Prix” tournament that begins in Tokyo on Sunday, Sept. 25.

A former PRIDE and K-1 Grand Prix tournament champion, Filipovic earned his place as one of the greatest martial arts combatants in history with an elite set of striking skills that helped him earn the most first round finishes as well as the most head kick knockouts in PRIDE history.

It was also announced today that 4 of the 16 Grand Prix participants, including superstar Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC) of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, will receive a bye in the first stage, and automatically advance to the tournament’s second, or quarterfinal stage, which will take place at a location to be announced on Thursday, Dec. 29.

Joining Sakakibara, Filipovic and Silva at the press conference were veteran warhorse Kazuyiki Fujita (15-11) of Funabashi, Chiba, Japan and former sumo wrestling champion turned MMA upstart Baruto Kaito (1-0) of Estonia, both of whom have been tabbed for battle in the first stage of the tournament.

The round of 16 matchups will be announced at the end of July.

In other, single-fight action on September 25, two striking sensations – Daron Cruickshank (17-8, 1 NC) and Andy Souwer (MMA: 1-0, Kickboxing: 159-19, 98 KO’s) – will collide in a lightweight (155) affair.

Cruickshank of Wayne, Mich. is a 13-fight veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) who made a successful RIZIN FF debut on April 17, scoring a first round (4:36) TKO with a series of kicks on a downed Shinji Sasaki.

A longtime kickboxing icon, Souwer of Den Bosch, Netherlands, is a two-time winner of the K-1 World Max tournament and a four-time Shootboxing world champion.  On December 31, 2015, he made his long-awaited MMA rules debut at the inaugural RIZIN FF event in Saitama, Japan, decimatingYuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima by way of first round (5:29) KO with an onslaught of punches.

Unbeaten women’s light heavyweight and nine-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gabi Garcia (2-0) and three-time junior Olympic wrestling medalist and undefeated flyweight (125 pounds) MMA star Kanako Murata (3-0) of Ehime, Japan will each see action against an opponent to be announced soon.

Garcia of Porto Alege, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil made quick work of both of her MMA opponents to date, scoring a first round (2:36) TKO (punches) in her professional debut on Lei’d Tapa at the RIZIN FF promotional kick-off event on December 31, and submitting Anna Malyukova with an armbar in the second round (2:04) of battle at the RIZIN FF affair on April 17.

Just 22 years of age, Murata made her professional MMA debut under the promotion of RIZIN FF on April 17, notching a unanimous decision overNatalia Denisova, and has since already competed twice more, defeatingMaia Kahaunaele-Stevenson via third round (3:43) TKO (punches) andIlona Wijmans by way of first round (1:17) TKO (punches), on June 4 and July 7, respectively.

Kizaemon Saiga (2-1) of Sakai, Osaka, Japan will take on fellow upstartAsen Yamamoto at a weight to be determined.

Women’s shoot boxing champion and unbeaten MMA competitor Rena Kubota (1-0) of Osaka, Japan will make her second start under MMA rules against an opponent to be announced.

Follow RIZIN FF:

Website – http://www.rizinff.com/en/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rizin_PR
mixed martial arts, MMA, WMMAA

WMMAA appeal review results in draw for June 17th Emelianenko vs. Maldonado fight

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MONTE CARLO, Monaco(July 15, 2016)- The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) has issued an announcement regarding an appeal recently filed by Stefano Sartori, manager of Brazilian fighter Fabio Maldonado, to reassess the result of his June 17th fight with Fedor Emelianenko, which headlined Fight Nights Global 50 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
WMMAA General Secretary & Senior Vice President Alexander Engelhardt (pictured to left) has declared that Emelianenko vs. Maldonado, which was originally ruled a majority decision victory in favor of Emeliananko, officially be changed to a draw.
Team Malondado’s appeal to the WMMAA was filed claiming a conflict of interest because all of the judges are employed by the Russian MMA Union, of which Emelianenko serves as president, as well as for the initial appeal to the Russian MMA Union, a sanctioned WMMAA member, being unjustly rejected by the head jury.
Engelhardt was appointed by WMMAA present Vadim Finkelchetein to handle the appeal procedure.  A committee was formed comprised of Engelhardt, Hector Molina (Mexico), Chairman of the Rules, Regulations and Referee Committee; Ino Alberga (The Netherlands), Member of the Rules, Regulations and Referee Committee; Poalo Biotti (Italy), Chairman Ethics and Disciplinary Committee; Zaya Zaya (Australia), Member Professional Referee Committee.
In addition, independent judge Marco Broersen (The Netherlands), Chairman of Professional Referee Committee and Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, was responsible for selecting an independent judges’ panel to reassess the original result.  The three-judges were Youri Lamoureux (Canada), Lukasz Bosacki(Poland) and Alexey Zemskov (Russia).
Each of the three aforementioned judges scored the first round in favor of Emelianenko, 10-8, and the second and third rounds for Maldonado, 10-9 each, resulting in a 28-28 draw.
The appeal procedure was divided into two parts for review in terms of whether the procedural mistakes related to the fight were made and that an independent international judges’ panel had to review the fight.
The WMMAA came to the conclusion that the appeal was legitimate and it was accepted due to the fact one of the fighters, Emelianenko, as President of the Russian MMA Union, and Head of Judges, Radmir Gabdullin, had a working relationship that could potentially affect the judgmental decisions.  The WMMAA made it clear that it wasn’t saying the aforementioned relationship led to a different outcome of the result, just that it was an unfortunate choice.
Additionally, the WMMAA ruled that initially refusing the appeal was a mistake based on WMMAA amateur rules as Emelianenko vs. Maldonado was conducted under WMMAA rules.
The appeal decision that resulted in the result being changed to “Unanimous Draw” was accepted by the WMMAA, which informed Fight Nights, the promoter of Emelianko vs. Maldonado, Emelianenko, Sartori and the Russian MMA Union of its decision, and that it official had closed the appeal.
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
 
Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
Information
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA

M-1 CHALLENGE 69 OFFICIAL WEIGHTS

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MAIN CARD
HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 

DENIS SMOLDAREV (11-2-0, M-1: 7-2-0), Estonia 270 lbs. (122.7 kg)
vs.
KENNY “Deuce” GARNER (16-9-0, M-1: 9-7-0), Russia 271 ½ lbs. (123.3 kg)

MARCUS “Montanha” VINICIUS LOPES (9-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 225 lbs. (102.3 kg)
vs.
KURBAN “Shkaf” IBRAGIMOV (5-1-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia 224 lbs. (101.9 kg)
FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 

RAFAEL DIAS (11-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 133 ½ lbs. (60.7 kg)
vs.
SERGEY MOROZOV (6-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Kazakhstan 134 ½ lbs. (65.6 kg)

ANDREY “Iron” LEZHNEV (8-6-0, M-1: 2-2-0), Ukraine 144 lbs. (65.4 kg)
vs.
LEE “Bulldog” MORRISON (15-6-0, M-1: 2-3-0), USA 144 lbs. (65.6 kg)

ANTUN “Killer” RACIC (18-7-0, M-1: 3-4-0), Brazil 136 lbs. (62.0 kg)
vs.
MUSA KAZIKHANOV (3-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 136 lbs. (62.0 kg)
FLYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 

RONNY GOMEZ (3-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Spain 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)
vs.
KHAMZAT DALGIEV (5-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)
PRELIMINARY CARD
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 
DARWIN RODRIGUEZ (0-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Spain 203 lbs. (92.4 kg)
vs.
AMIRKHAN GULIEV (2-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia 208 lbs. (94.7 kg)
WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
MAGOMED MAASAEV (pro debut), Russia 171 lbs. (77.8 kg)
vs.
INGISKHAN OZDOEV (1-2-0, M-1: 1-2-0), Russia (M-1: 1-2-0) 173 ½ lbs. (78.9 kg)
LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 

GABRIEL SABO (6-1-1, M-1: 0-0-0), Switzerland 154 lbs. (70.0 kg)
vs.
LOM-ALI NALGIEV (6-4-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 155 lbs. (70.6 kg)

SERGEY “Bender” ASTAPOV (6-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine 155 lbs. (70.4 kg)
vs.
ABUBAKER MESTOEV (pro debut), Russia 155 ½ lbs. (70.7 kg)
FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
 

ZAUR AKHMEDOV (pro debut), Russia 140 ½ lbs. (63.9 kg)
vs.
ADAM GAGIEV (0-1-1, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia 208 lbs. (94.7 kg)
MEDIEVAL KNIGHT FIGHT — HEAVYWEIGHTS
 

VITALY KRAVCHENKO, Russia 244 lbs. (110.9 kg)
vs.
RUSTAM KUKURKHOEV, Russia 234 lbs. (106.2 kg)
WHEN:             Saturday, July 16, 2016
WHERE:           Targim, Ingushetia, Russia
PROMOTER:    M-1 Global
LIVE STREAM: www.m-1global.tv (5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT in USA) 
         
Information

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
Facebook:
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA, UFC

COMBATE AMERICAS RETURNS TO UFC FIGHT PASS® WITH HARD-HITTING, HISPANIC MMA ACTION LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 11

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NEW YORK – July 14, 2016 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, today announced its return to UFC FIGHT PASS® with a stacked, 10-bout fight card that will air live from The Exchange in Los Angeles, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for “Aspira A Mas Presents Combate Americas: Combate Ocho,” priced from $40, are on sale at ItsMySeat.com as well as at The Exchange box office. UFC FIGHT PASS is available on personal computers, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV and Roku devices.

In the featherweight (145 pounds) main event, Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (7-2) of Sacramento, Calif. will look for his third win in the Combate Americas cage, or “La Jaula,” and fourth consecutive victory overall when he squares off with dangerous finisher Angel “Tito” Cruz (5-2) of Rio Piedras, P.R.

In the women’s atomweight (105 pounds) co-main event, emerging star Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (5-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. will collide with battle-tested veteran Lisa Ellis (15-10) of Olympia, Wash.

“We are excited to be back in action on UFC FIGHT PASS with a tremendous fight card featuring the best, up-and-coming Hispanic fighters in the U.S., some of whom have been climbing the ranks with explosive performances under our promotion since last year and others whom we recently recruited because of their outstanding results elsewhere,” said McLaren.

In other action on the five-fight main card, ferocious knockout artist Jonathan “Dragon” Martinez (8-1) of Plainview, Texas will battle fellow finisherBenjamin Vinson (8-3-1) of Portland, Ore. in a flyweight (125 pounds) contest.

Another flyweight matchup will see undefeated, submission ace Heinrich “Ricky Scraps” Wassmer (4-0) of Los Angeles put his perfect record on the line against dangerous puncher Benji “The Brawler” Gomez (5-5) of Oxnard, Calif.

Izic Fernandez (2-1) of Santa Ana, Calif. and Marcos Bonilla (3-2) of Los Angeles will face off in a featherweight scrap.

In preliminary card action, Yoandy Carrillo (1-0) of Naples, Fla. will battleErick Gonzalez (4-1) of Los Angeles.

Carrillo, the cousin of former World Boxing Association (WBA) world lightweight champion Richar Abril, is coming off a devastating, second round (:19) knockout (punches) of George Hernandez at Combate Americas onApril 25.

Gonzalez, who has notched three of his four professional career wins by way of (T)KO, was also victorious at the Combate Americas event on April 25, earning a split decision over Victor Martinez.

In another lightweight preliminary bout, Jose “Froggy” Estrada (1-0) of Oxnard, Calif. will return to action after his explosive debut in La Jaula, in which the 25-year-old scored a highlight reel, first round (1:44) knockout (punch) on Jonathan Quiroz on April 18, and collide with Christian Cardona(0-1) of Las Vegas, Nev.

Elsewhere on the preliminary bout card, Jonathan Santa Maria (3-3) of Whittier, Calif. will face Albert Tapia (3-5) of Huntington Beach, Calif. in a flyweight affair.

Unbeaten Daniel Rodriguez (1-0) of Alhambra, Calif. will meet Hector Saldana (1-2) of Murrieta, Calif.

The final undercard bout will be announced soon.
mixed martial arts, MMA, World Series of Fighting

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING SIGNS WELTERWEIGHT STAR PAUL BRADLEY TO EXCLUSIVE, MULTI-FIGHT AGREEMENT

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LAS VEGAS (July 14, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has signed another heralded star – welterweight (170 pounds) powerhouse Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley (23-6, 2 NC) – to an exclusive, multi-fight agreement.

The 5-foot-9, 33-year-old Bradley of San Diego, Calif. will make his debut inside the World Series of Fighting decagon cage on a date to be announced.

“We are excited to welcome aboard Paul Bradley, and look forward to having him test his skills in our highly competitive welterweight division,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.  “Paul has fought and triumphed over some top caliber opposition during his 10-year career, so we are confident that he will be a great addition to our roster.”

In his last start on January 29, Bradley, who originally hails from Tama, Iowa, scored a stunning, 40-second TKO (punches) on previously undefeated, rising star and fellow, former collegiate wrestling ace Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 148.

A veteran of both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Strikeforce and a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrestreality series, Bradley will look for his third consecutive win when he competes under the World Series of Fighting promotional banner for the first time.

Prior to the victory over Honeycutt, Bradley notched a unanimous decision over Josh “The Dentist” Neer at Bellator 129 on October 17, 2014.

A lifelong athlete, Bradley twice earned All-American honors while wrestling for the University of Iowa.  He placed as high as fourth in the NCAA national championships during his tenure at the NCAA Division I program.

Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Saturday, July 30 at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, with star-studded event featuring two world championship rematches.

In the main event of WSOF32, reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) championMarlon Moraes (16-4-1) will risk his title for the second time against Josh “Gentleman” Hill (14-1) while, in the co-main event, featherweight (145 pounds) champion Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (18-5) will defend his title against the fighter he took it from – Lance Palmer (10-2).