WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION

OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS

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

LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 P.m. EN
FROM MASHANTUCKET, CONN. OP VRIJDAG, 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) evenement, live op NBCSN op 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. van Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. op vrijdag, Juni 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, rijzende ster 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) zal botsen met indiening expert Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) in een weltergewicht (170 pond) affaire.

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

In het main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) terwijl, in the lightweight (155 pond) co-main event, supersterren Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) en Mike "The 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, de 5-foot-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. voor het eerst in zijn carrière.

With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 zijn 14 carrière overwinningen door middel van (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 en 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, Hij verdiende een unaniem besluit over Rizvan Kuniev in Tokio.

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 twde, all-out wars with reigning, ongeslagen World Series of Fighting lichtgewicht kampioen Justin "De 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, een nacht, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, eerste ronde (4:55) WHO (stoten) op Rijke Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) WHO (stoten) at the hands van 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 "Problemen" Peralta by way of TKO (stoten) in de tweede ronde (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) onderwerping (achter-naakte vernauwing) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pond) kampioen 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 en Cathal Pendred, de 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Massa. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (stoten) verlies Tim Means in december 10.

Daten, Howard has notched 15 zijn 23 carrière overwinningen door middel van (T)KO of onderwerping. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 en juni 2011, Howard scored a memorable, derde ronde (4:55) KO (stoten) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman in december 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 (achter-naakte vernauwing) van Leonardo Rodriguez op juni 26, 2015.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 zijn 20 career wins, bij wijze van indiening.

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

Geprijsd vanaf $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, bij 5 p.m. EN, en de eerste voorlopige card aanval zal beginnen om 6 p.m.