WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION

OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS

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

LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 P.m. I
FROM MASHANTUCKET, ZŁĄCZE. W PIĄTEK, Czerwca 17

LAS VEGAS (Kwiecień 12, 2016) -World Seria 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) wydarzenie, żyć na NBCSN na 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. z Foxwoods Casino w Mashantucket, Conn. Piątek, Czerwiec 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, Wschodząca gwiazda Chris "Huggy Miś" 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) w półśredniej (170 funtów) sprawa.

W piórkowej (145 funtów) scrap between two prolific strikers, Luis "Pawian" Palomino (24-12) will face off with former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

W turnieju głównym, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Iwanow (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) podczas, in the lightweight (155 funtów) współpraca Głównym wydarzeniem, gwiazdy Jason "Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) i Mike "Marsjański" 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-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. for the first time in his career.

With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 z jego 14 kariery zwycięstwa w drodze (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-takr-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez i 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 w 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 two, all-out wars with reigning, niepokonany World Series of Fighting mistrz wagi lekkiej 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, Pierwsza runda (4:55) WHO (stemple) na Bogaty Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) WHO (stemple) at the hands z 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 "Problemy" Peralta w drodze TKO (stemple) W drugiej rundzie (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) uległość (duszenie) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 funtów) mistrz 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 i Cathal Pendred, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Masa. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (stemple) strata Tim Means w grudniu 10.

Aktualne, Howard has notched 15 z jego 23 kariery zwycięstwa w drodze (T)KO lub poddanie. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 i czerwiec 2011, Howard scored a memorable, Trzecia runda (4:55) KO (stemple) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman w grudniu 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 (duszenie) z Leonardo Rodriguez czerwca 26, 2015.

5-stopa-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 z jego 20 kariera wygrywa, w drodze złożenia.

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

W cenie 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, w 5 p.m. I, i pierwsza wstępna karta walka rozpocznie się 6 p.m.