WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND
MAIN CARD COMPLETE WITH ADDITION

OF THREE NEW, STAR-STUDDED MATCHUPS

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

LIVE ON NBCSN AT 9 P.m. OCH
FROM MASHANTUCKET, CONN. PÅ FREDAG, JUNI 17

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2016) -World Serie av Slagsmål (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) händelse, bor på NBCSN på 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. från Foxwoods Resort Casino i Mashantucket, Conn. på fredag, Juni 17.

In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, stigande stjärna 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) i en weltervikt (170 pounds) affär.

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

I main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) medan, in the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, super Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) och 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, 5-fot-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 av hans 14 karriär segrar i form av (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 och 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 i 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 twden, all-out wars with reigning, obesegrad World Series of Fighting lätta mästare Justin "Höjdpunkten" 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, en natt, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, första omgången (4:55) VEM (stansar) på Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) VEM (stansar) at the hands av 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 "Problems" Peralta by way of TKO (stansar) i den andra omgången (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) underkastelse (bakre naked choke) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) mästare 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 och Cathal Pendred, den 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mäss. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (stansar) förlust för Tim Means december 10.

Hittills, Howard has notched 15 av hans 23 karriär segrar i form av (T)KO eller underkastelse. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, tredje omgången (4:55) KO (stansar) on submission ace Dennis "Superman" Hallman december 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 (bakre naked choke) av Leonardo Rodriguez på juni 26, 2015.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 av hans 20 career wins, i form av underkastelse.

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

Kostar från $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, vid 5 p.m. OCH, och den första preliminära kortet skjutningen börjar på 6 p.m.