|
||
|
Tag Archives: mma
MARCOS GALVAO SET TO DEFEND BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST EDUARDO DANTAS IN MAIN EVENT OF ‘BELLATOR 156’ ON JUNE 17
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (March 21, 2016) – Bellator MMA’s Bantamweight Championship will be on the line in a rematch pitting Marcos “Loro” Galvao (17-6-1) and former champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (17-4) against one another in the main event of “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” on June 17 inside Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
The bout was originally slated to take place at “Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan” in February, but the current champion was forced to withdraw from the contest due to illness.
“Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. Additional fights will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the event start at only $25 and are on sale this Thursday, March 24 with a special pre-sale this Tuesday and Wednesday at Ticketmaster, Bellator.com and the Save Mart Center Box Office.
“Loro,” who has fought for world-renowned promotions the likes of World Extreme Cagefighting and Shooto since 2003, will be competing for the 11thtime under the Bellator MMA banner. The 33-year-old is presently in the midst of a four-fight winning streak and has emerged victorious in seven of his last eight scraps. In his last outing, Galvao finished Joe Warren at “Bellator 135: Warren vs. Galvao” via submission to win his first-ever championship.
Meanwhile, Dantas will be looking to duplicate the success he had against Galvao in their first meeting, which resulted in a second-round knockout atBellator 89. The 27-year-old Nova Uniao product bounced back from his unanimous decision loss against Warren to defeat Mike Richman in the same manner at “Bellator 137: Halsey vs. Grove.” The Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament winner is looking to call himself a two-time bantamweight champion come June 17.
Updated “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” Card:
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title Bout: Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)
FIVE-FIGHT MAIN CARD NOW COMPLETE FOR INAUGURAL ‘BELLATOR KICKBOXING: TORINO’ EVENT ON APRIL 16 IN ITALY
KEVIN ROSS, RAYMOND DANIELS & DENISE KIELHOLTZ RECEIVE OPPONENTS
SANTA MONICA, CA. (March 18, 2016) – Bellator Kickboxing’s groundbreaking inaugural event, “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino,” has been finalized with the opponents for Kevin Ross (30-9), Raymond Daniels (10-3) and Denise Kielholtz (43-2). Ross will square off against Matteo Taccini (24-3-1), while Daniels takes on Francesco Moricca (15-2-1) and Kielholtz goes head to head with Veronica Vernocchi (31-6-1) at the historic Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy on April 16.
The trio of Italy natives join a card that already features some of the top athletes in kickboxing, including one of the most accomplished knockout artists in all of combat sports, Melvin Manhoef (37-12), who takes on the always dangerous Alexandru Negrea (8-2). Also, a 165-pound ISKA title fight between Mustapha Haida(37-3-3) and Karim Ghajji (95-12) will take place in the co-main event slot. “No Mercy” is also scheduled to return to MMA when he challenges for the Bellator MMA middleweight title against Rafael Carvalho at“Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” on May 20.
The debut of “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” will take place on April 16 and be televised Friday, April 22 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” on SPIKE. Meanwhile, “Bellator 152: Pitbull vs. Campos” airs on SPIKE Saturday, April 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
American Muay Thai standout Ross is also referred to as “The Soul Assassin,” and he will look to live up to that name come April 16. Ross and his opponent, who is a 2014 ISKA Champion out of Rome are currently scheduled to be the very first fight in Bellator Kickboxing history. The two will undoubtedly look to kick off the promotion’s first event with an emphatic, memorable performance.
The pair of flyweights will come out swinging when Kielholtz and Vernocchi bring their impressive skill sets to the cage in an enticing matchup. Dutch striking specialist Kielholtz recently went “5 Rounds” in a Bellator digital piece.
In the welterweight division, Daniels, a 35-year-old American southpaw will be opposite Moricca, an Italian slugger and winner of the 2015 Ring Rules tournament, looking to impress in front of his home crowd. Daniels has made a name for himself as one of the top karate fighters in the USA and through his numerous knockouts by way of spinning-kick, translating to an instant fan-favorite wherever he fights.
For additional information about the “Bellator 152: Pitbull vs. Campos” event, click here.
Complete “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” Fight Card:
Bellator Kickboxing Middleweight Main Event: Melvin Manhoef (37-12) vs. Alexandru Negrea (8-2)
Bellator Kickboxing 165-Pound Feature Bout: Mustapha Haida (37-3-3) vs. Karim Ghajji (95-12)
Bellator Kickboxing Welterweight Feature Bout: Raymond Daniels (10-3) vs. Francesco Moricca (0-0)
Bellator Kickboxing Flyweight Feature Bout: Denise Kielholtz (43-2) vs. Veronica Vernocchi (31-6-1)
Bellator Kickboxing Bantamweight Feature Bout: Kevin Ross (30-9) vs. Matteo Taccini (0-0)
Complete “Bellator 152: Pitbull vs. Campos” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA Lightweight Main Event: Patricky Freire (15-7) vs. Derek Campos (16-6)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Alessio Sakara (17-11) vs. Brian Rogers (12-8)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: A.J. McKee (3-0) vs. Danilo Belluardo (5-1)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Feature Bout: Anastasia Yankova (2-0) vs. Anjela Pink (Debut)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Daniele Miceli (2-0) vs. Daniele Scatizzi (6-2)
DAN CHARLES SET TO FIGHT AUGUSTO SAKAI DURING MAIN CARD OF ‘BELLATOR 155: CARVALHO VS. MANHOEF’
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (March 17, 2016) – A heavyweight bout between Dan “The Man” Charles (10-3) and Augusto Sakai (9-0) has been added to the main card of “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho on May 20.
The fight joins a card that already features an enthralling Middleweight World Championship main event, when Rafael Carvalho (12-1) defends his belt against the explosive power of Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (30-12-1). In addition, former Bellator MMA Featherweight titlist Pat Curran (21-7) will return to action for the first time since June, when he faces the always-dangerous Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1) in the card’s co-main event.
Tickets for “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” start at just $25 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, the CenturyLink Arena Box Office or CenturyLinkArenaBoise.com.
“Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com andThe Bellator Mobile App. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.
After an injury bumped Sakai from the co-main event of “Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan,” the 24-year-old Brazilian heavyweight is ready to return to action and has his sights set on remaining unbeaten in his 2016 debut. Sakai is coming off of another flawless year under the Bellator MMA banner, recording victories in each of his two appearances, including a unanimous decision win over Alex Huddleston in his most recent bout at “Bellator 145: With A Vengeance.”
Dan “The Man” Charles, enters his sixth fight with Bellator MMA and looks to add to his impressive 10-3 professional record. The 30-year-old Phoenix native, capped off 2015 with an emphatic knockout of Chase Gormley at “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” in September.
Updated “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” Fight Card
Bellator MMA Middleweight World Title Fight: Rafael Carvalho (12-1) vs. Melvin Manhoef (30-12-1)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Co-Main Event: Pat Curran (21-7) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: Dan Charles (10-3) vs. Augusto Sakai (9-0)
BARBARIAN VERSUS BERSERKER ON APRIL 23 IN LEWISTON
Lewiston, Maine (March 17, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE” on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature a mix of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of a professional light-heavyweight bout to the MMA portion of the “NEF 22” fight card. Mike “The Mustache” Hansen (3-3) has signed to face Jesse “The Barbarian” Baughman (0-1) at a fight weight of 205-pounds.
Mike Hansen is the founding member of Berserkers MMA based out of Rumford, Maine. He is an alumni of Mountain Valley High School (MVHS) where he won a state championship wrestling as a heavyweight in 2004. Hansen made his MMA debut shortly after graduating from high school, only to step away from the sport for a decade in order to serve his country as a combat engineer in the United States Army. He returned to the MMA cage in 2015 as a member of the NEF roster. After restarting his career with a record of 2-1, Hansen dropped his first bout of 2016 to Zach Elkins (1-1) last month. He will look to rebound from that loss on April 23.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the cage fast coming off this loss,” said Hansen. “I wasn’t mentally in that fight, so this time around with Baughman, I’m going to be mentally focused. Jesse is a big guy and a tough fighter – and he seems like a guy I could get along with. So, when we are done smashing each other up, hopefully we can get a drink.”
Like Hansen, Baughman is a United States military veteran, where he served in a recon unit of the special forces and earned a level-three certification in Army combatives. He is currently a member of Team Link based out of Hooksett, New Hampshire. As an amateur MMA fighter, Baughman put together a perfect record of 5-0 and was the number-one ranked light-heavyweight in the northeast region prior to turning professional. Baughman made his pro debut last November at “NEF 20” against Matt Andrikut (2-0).
“On April 23rd, I’m looking forward to getting back in there and putting on a show,” said Baughman. “My fans from New Hampshire want to see a war – and best believe they will! Mike Hansen is a worthy opponent. He knows going in, this will be a bloody battle till the end. I have the best guys around preparing me for this matchup. Big thanks to Taylor Trahan, Kevin Haley, Brett Trahan and Rob Belliveau.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE,” takes place Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. 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, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
HEAT RISING ON UPCOMING DENNING-HARVEY FIGHT AT NEF 22 APRIL 23RD
Lewiston, Maine (March 16, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE” on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature a mix of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Earlier this month, NEF announced the addition of a professional lightweight contest to the MMA portion of the “NEF 22” fight card. Matt “Ken Doll” Denning (2-1) will meet Josh “Hook On” Harvey (0-0) at a fight weight of 150-pounds. Since the announcement, the anticipation has continued to accelerate for the upcoming bout. In a recent interview with Jason Floyd on The MMA Report, Harvey made some comments that has sent the energy around the fight into overdrive.
“I find him disrespectful as a person and I want to keep it classy on a podcast,” Harvey stated in the beginning of the interview. “I do not want to speak my full mind. You meet the guy, talk to him for a minute and you want to fight him. But it depends on which Matt you are talking to. Because he can rub people the wrong way and he can kiss their ass on the same day. That is who he is.”
The bad blood between the two rivals has been rising for a long time. The potential matchup had been talked about for years, but is scheduled to finally become a reality on April 23rd.
“In this case, I’ve wanted to fight Matt Denning since we were both amateurs,” Harvey stated to Floyd during the interview. “I couldn’t make it happen then. I guess I wasn’t the fight he wanted. At the time, I only had one or two amateur fights and he was towards the end of his amateur career.”
“He’s backed out of fights before at the pro level,” “Harvey stated. “He’s missed weight. Is it a career? Is it a hobby? I mean, it’s for him to decide, but we’ll find out if he wants to show up to fight.”
When Floyd asked Harvey if the fight was personal, Harvey confirmed the obvious. “I think it is,” Harvey replied. “I’m not saying they’re going to want two refs in there to pull me off of him, but it’s going to finish that way.”
During the interview, Harvey also noted the difference in quality of training partners, as he sees it, and how that will impact the outcome of the fight.
“I don’t think he’s rolling with the animals that we’re bringing in every day,” Harvey stated. “The people he has submitted, I don’t think their jitz game was tight—and that’s why he took those fights.”
When asked how he would like to end the fight with Denning, Harvey explained to Floyd that a submission finish would be satisfying, but that he was prepared to create the finish wherever it presents itself.
“It would be nice to turn Ken Doll into Stretch Armstrong—that would be sweet,” Harvey stated toward the end of the interview. “But I’m going to beat him wherever the fight goes. I’m not going to force it down to beat him on the ground and I’m not going to force it to stay up. Of course, if he tries to take me down—I don’t give up takedowns for nobody. I’ll beat him wherever the fight goes.”
To listen to Josh Harvey’s complete interview on The MMA Report visit:
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE,” takes place Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. 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, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
Abdulaev vs. Kunchenko title clash & Divnich vs. Turnquest fight added to M-1 Challenge 65 card April 8 in St. Petersburg, Russia
 ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (March 16, 2016) – M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev will make his first title defense, April 8 in M-1 Challenge 65,against undefeated challenger Alexey Kunchenko at Ice Palace Sports Center in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Abdulaev vs. Kunchenko replaces the rescheduled M-1 Challenge lightweight championship bout between defending champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui and challenger Artem Damkovsky due to injuries suffered by both fighters during training camp.
M-1 Global has also announced an M-1 Challenge 65 match between former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divinich and M-1 Global debuting Robert Turnquest.
Ramazan Emeev (13-3-0, M-1: 7-1-0), reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, takes on Brazilian challenger Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (35-8-0, M-1: 0-0-0) in the M-1 Challenge 65 main event. Emeev vs. Falcao is an M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals match with the winner advancing to the final later this year against the other M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals winner, former three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0).
 Abdulaev (13-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title last June at M-1 Challenge 58, taking a five-round decision from Marcelo Brito. A powerful striker always with knockout intentions, Abdulaev (shown above in action) has been out of action since then due to a variety of reasons.
 Also a KO specialist like his fellow-Russian opponent, Kunchenko (12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) has stopped 10 of his 12 victims inside the distance. The Russian (shown above kicking) was M-1 Global’s 2015 Prospect of the Year.
 Divnich (11-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight crown December 19, 2014, registering a third-round technical knockout (punches) ofDzhambulat Kurbanov (shown above getting hit by Divnich on right) at M-1 Challenge 54.
 Fighting out of Pensacola, Florida, American, US Navy veteran Turnquest (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0) will be making his M-1 Global debut against Kunchenko. Turnquest (pictured to right) is the Atlas Fights welterweight champion who has a strong Judo background. He competed in the 2013 World Games for military competitors.M-1 Challenge 65 will be streamed live from Russia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register atwww.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
Information
Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
Facebook:
|
RIZIN FF ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF KAZUYUKI FUJITA; WILL FACE NEW YEAR’S EVE GRAND PRIX TOURNAMENT RUNNER-UP JIRI PROCHAZKA IN NAGOYA, JAPAN ON APRIL 17
|
||
|
BELLATOR KICKBOXING’S WEIGHT CLASSES & RULE SET REVEALED
SANTA MONICA, CA. (March 15, 2016) – Bellator Kickboxing is set to make its world premiere in just over a month on Friday, April 16 with “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino.” The event will be broadcast in America on April 22 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following the“Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” event on SPIKE. Today the promotion is pleased to announce its official weight classes and rule set.
The Pala Alpitour, which has been the home to several amazing events including the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, will host the inaugural “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” card. The groundbreaking evening of fights will be headlined by one of the most accomplished knockout artists in combat sports, Melvin Manhoef (49-12), who takes on Alexandru Negrea (8-2). The co-main event features Mustapha Haida (37-3-3) taking on Karim Ghajji (95-12) for the 165-pound ISKA title. Kickboxing sensations Raymond Daniels (10-3), Denise Kielholtz (43-2) and Kevin Ross (30-9) will round out the card of the initial event against yet to be announced opponents.
Traditionally, kickboxing has never had a set amount of weight classes, with the number differing by promotion. In Bellator Kickboxing, the weight classes will be identical to those utilized in mixed martial arts, starting with heavyweight and ending with flyweight. Generally, there is a one-pound allowance for non-title fights, although that allowance may vary depending on the regulatory body sanctioning the event.
– Heavyweight: 265 pounds
– Light Heavyweight: 205 pounds
– Middleweight: 185 pounds
– Welterweight: 170 pounds
– Lightweight: 155 pounds
– Featherweight: 145 pounds
– Bantamweight: 135 pounds
– Flyweight: 125 pounds
In addition, below is an overview of Bellator Kickboxing’s rule set, which will make for the most explosive kickboxing action on the planet.
– The competitors will attack and defend using punches (including spinning backfists), kicks and knee strikes.
– Each non-title fight is scheduled for three, three-minute rounds with the potential for an extra sudden victory round if the bout is scored a draw. Title fights will be scheduled for five, three-minute rounds.
– Prohibited techniques include: elbow strikes, throws, takedowns, and submission attempts or striking a downed fighter. Fighters may only clinch if they immediately attack with a knee strike.
– Three judges will score Bellator Kickboxing using the “10-Point-Must” system applying a prioritized criterion that values knockdowns, impact on the opponent and clean scoring strikes.
Updated “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” Fight Card:
Bellator Kickboxing Middleweight Main Event: Melvin Manhoef (49-12) vs. Alexandru Negrea (8-2)
Bellator Kickboxing 165-Pound Feature Bout: Mustapha Haida (37-3-3) vs. Karim Ghajji (95-12)
Bellator Kickboxing Welterweight Feature Bout: Raymond Daniels (10-3) vs. TBA
Bellator Kickboxing Flyweight Feature Bout: Denise Kielholtz (43-2) vs. TBA
Bellator Kickboxing Bantamweight Feature Bout: Kevin Ross (30-9) vs. TBA
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
MATT MITRIONE CHOOSES BELLATOR MMA, SIGNING AN EXCLUSIVE, MULTI-FIGHT CONTRACT WITH THE PROMOTION
SANTA MONICA (March 14, 2016) – Last week, top mixed martial art’s free agent Matt Mitrione (9-5) joined Ariel Helwani’s “MMA Hour” show and revealed that he had been fielding offers from multiple promotions, including a great bid he had received from Bellator MMA. In a very rare move, Helwani had Mitrione rejoin his popular talk show for a second straight week to announce that the paperwork has been finalized, making Mitrione the newest member of Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division.
“There comes a time in every athlete’s life, where the scenarios change and the landscape has eroded from what made you fall in love with it initially,” said Mitrione. “It has become that time for me. After a mutually beneficial free agency period, I’ve decided to move my career to Bellator. I’ve enjoyed almost every second of my career and unlike most that switch organizations due to being cut or no longer being able to perform at the sports highest levels, I am bringing a body and skillset that are only getting better and I cannot wait to test my abilities against the best Bellator has to offer.”
Lovingly referred to as “Meathead,” Mitrione is one of the few fighters to have started his professional career with the UFC without previously competing on the regional circuit. His 14-bout stint with that promotion began in 2009, where he faced formidable opponents the likes of: Kimbo Slice, Gabriel Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Derrick Lewis, Brendan Schaub, Roy Nelson, Shawn Jordan and Travis Brown amongst others.
Prior to competing in MMA, Mitrione earned a scholarship to play defensive tackle for the Purdue Boilermakers football team, not far from where he grew up in Springfield, Ill. After college, he played in the NFL for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings until 2005.
At the conclusion of his professional football career, the Shotokan Karate Black Belt focused all of his attention on the sport of MMA. Mitrione spent time training with Duke Roufus and the highly-respected Roufusport team before landing with the famed Blackzilians camp in Boca Raton, FLA, where he trains today.
The extremely popular and well-spoken Mitrione has allowed the judges to determine the result of his fight only twice, against Joey Beltran and Cheick Kongo, both of whom currently fight for Bellator MMA. His entertaining fighting style has earned him recognition with “Performance of the Night” (twice) and “Fight of the Night” accolades.
Prior to his last fight with his former promotion, Mitrione was forced to participate in a media session barefoot, as his shoes didn’t adhere to the strict company uniform policy. He will have no such problems at Bellator, where he is free to secure his own sponsors and keep his feet warm with the footwear of his choosing.
Bellator has been bolstering their heavyweight division as of late, and Mitrione becomes the second heavyweight free agent the promotion has signed in as many months, as Sergei Kharitonov joined the fray in February. The division is currently championed by Vitaly Minakov, and includes other top names like Slice, Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Vinicius “Spartan,” Tony Johnson, Justin Wren, Dan Charles and Augusto Sakai.