WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION

OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS

WELTERWEIGHT: JOHN HOWARD VS. THIAGO MELLER
Muší: LUIS PALOMINO VS. SHEYMON MORAES
Těžká váha: CHRIS “HUGGY BEAR” BARNETT VS. JUSTIN WILLIS

LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 P.m. A
FROM MASHANTUCKET, CONN. V PÁTEK, Června 17

LAS VEGAS (Duben 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) událost, žít na NBCSN na 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. od Foxwoods Resort Casino v Mashantucket, Conn. v pátek, Červen 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, stoupající hvězda Chris "Huggy medvěd" 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) bude kolidovat s podání odborníka Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) v welterweight (170 liber) záležitost.

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

V hlavní události, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) zatímco, in the lightweight (155 liber) co-hlavní události, superstars Jason "Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) a Mike "Martian" Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

Chris Barnett vs.. Justin Willis

After spending the last year and a half making waves in Japan, 5-noha-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. poprvé v kariéře.

With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 z jeho 14 kariéra vítězství Cestou (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-anor-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez a 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 v Tokiu.

Luis Palomino vs.. Sheymon Moraes

5 stop 8, 35-year-old Palomino of Miami, Fla. via Lima, Peru is coming off an epic year in which he engaged in two, all-out wars with reigning, neporažený World Series of Fighting lehké šampion Justin "Highlight" Gaethje, both of which earned "Fight of the Month” honors.

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

5 stop 8, 25-year-old Moraes of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil returned to form in his last bout, decimating fellow knockout artist Robbie "Problémy" Peralta by way of TKO (údery) ve druhém kole (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) předkládání (zadní nahý tlumivka) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 liber) mistr 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 a Cathal Pendred, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Hmota. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (údery) ztráta Tim Means prosince 10.

K dnešnímu dni, Howard has notched 15 z jeho 23 kariéra vítězství Cestou (T)KO nebo podání. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, Třetí kolo (4:55) KO (údery) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman prosince 5, 2009, marking his third consecutive conquest in the league.

Meller of Porto Alegre, South Rio Grande, Brazil will look to collect his second win in a row, following his first round submission (zadní nahý tlumivka) na Leonardo Rodriguez června 26, 2015.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 z jeho 20 kariéry vyhraje, cestou podání.

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

Ceny od $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, na 5 p.m. A, a první předběžná karta zápas začne v 6 p.m.