WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION

OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS

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

LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 Kepala kantor pos. DAN
FROM MASHANTUCKET, Conn. PADA HARI JUMAAT, Jun 17

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2016) -World Siri Pertempuran (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) acara, hidup di NBCSN di 9 petang. ET / 6 petang. dari Foxwoods Resort Casino di Mashantucket, Conn. pada hari Jumaat, Jun 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, bintang yang semakin meningkat Chris "Huggy Bear" 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) dalam kelas menengah yang (170 pound) urusan.

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

Sekiranya utama, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) manakala, in the lightweight (155 pound) bersama-utama acara, superstar Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) dan Mike "Marikh" 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-kaki-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 the first time in his career.

With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 dia 14 kemenangan kerjaya melalui (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-year-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Kain Velasquez dan 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 di 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 twyang, all-out wars with reigning, Siri Dunia tanpa ditewaskan daripada Fighting juara ringan Justin "The 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, satu malam, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, pusingan pertama (4:55) WHO (tumbukan) pada Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) WHO (tumbukan) at the hands daripada 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 "Masalah" Peralta by way of TKO (tumbukan) pada pusingan kedua (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) penyerahan (belakang-telanjang pencekik) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pound) juara Marlon Moraes.

John Howard vs. Thiago Meller

Following his second stint with the UFC that spanned seven bouts and included victories over Uria Dewan, Siyar Bahadurzada dan Cathal Pendred, yang 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mass. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (tumbukan) kerugian kepada Tim Means pada Disember 10.

Sehingga kini, Howard has notched 15 dia 23 kemenangan kerjaya melalui (T)KO atau penyerahan. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, pusingan ketiga (4:55) KO (tumbukan) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman pada Disember 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 (belakang-telanjang pencekik) daripada Leonardo Rodriguez pada Jun 26, 2015.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 dia 20 career wins, dengan cara penyerahan.

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

Berharga dari $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, di 5 petang. DAN, dan kad pertarungan awal yang pertama akan bermula pada 6 petang.