Category Archives: mixed martial arts

Fight Network Presents UFC Fight Night Seoul Main Card & Pre-Show LIVE

TORONTO (November 26, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents extensive coverage of UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal this Saturday, November 28 from Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.
Fight Network will air the live UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal main card exclusively in Canada at 8 a.m. ET. Encores will air in primetime at 9 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. PT for viewers on the West Coast.
In the main event, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (22-5) seeks his second straight win at 170 pounds opposite battle-tested veteran Jorge Masvidal (29-9). Local welterweight superstar Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1, 1NC) competes in the co-feature against late replacement Dominic Waters (9-3). Rounding out the main card, Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-5, 2NC) returns to South Korea for the first time since 2007 for a welterweight matchup with undefeated grappling ace Alberto Mina (11-0), while explosive South Korean knockout artist Doo Ho Choi (12-1) looks to build on an impressive promotional debut last November when he faces off with fellow featherweight Sam Sicilia (15-5), who carries a two-fight winning streak into the bout.
On Thursday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network premieres a one-hour UFC® Fight Night Seoul Pre-Show, which features previews, predictions and analysis for the event, and also serves as a lead-in to the live prelims.
In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.
This Sunday, Nov. 29 at 9 p.m. ET, catch a full encore presentation of UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez from October 2010 in Anaheim, Calif., headlined by a showdown between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight championship, plus Jake Shields makes his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann, The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Diego Sanchez collides with Paulo Thiago, pioneer Tito Ortiz clashes with former pupil Matt Hamill,and Brendan Schaub battles Gabriel Gonzaga in heavyweight action.
The full card for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal includes:
Main Card (Live on Fight Network, 8 a.m. ET):
-Benson Henderson (22-5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (29-9)
-Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1, 1NC) vs. Dominic Waters (9-3)
-Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-5, 2NC) vs. Alberto Mina (11-0)
-Doo Ho Choi (12-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-5)
Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 5 a.m. ET):
-Dongi Yang (12-3) vs. Jake Collier (9-2)
-Yui Chul Nam (18-5-1) vs. Mike De La Torre (13-5, 1NC)
-Tae Hyun Bang (17-9) vs. Leo Kuntz (17-2-1)
-Seohee Ham (15-6) vs. Cortney Casey (4-2)
-Yao Zhikui (2-3) vs. Fredy Serrano (2-0)
-Ning Guangyou (6-2-1) vs. Marco Beltran (6-4)
-Dominique Steele (13-6) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (13-6)
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

EMMANUEL SANCHEZ-DANIEL PINEDA ADDED TO MAIN CARD OF ‘BELLATOR 149’

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (November 25) – A featherweight contest pitting Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) against Daniel Pineda (21-11) has been added to the SPIKE-televised main card of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” onFeb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

 

The fight joins a card that already features a double main event — MMA legends Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie meet for a third time and Kimbo Slice will fight the man who has been calling him out since their friendship ended years ago, Dhafir Harris, better known as “Dada 5000.”

 

Tickets for this mixed martial arts extravaganza start at just $30 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as HoustonToyotaCenter.com, Toyota Center Box Office, and Houston area Randall’s locations.

 

“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” airs live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Spike.com.

 

Sanchez has bounced back from a tough decision loss against former Bellator MMA Featherweight Champion Pat Curran with two wins against young, top-flight 145-pound talent, distancing himself from the title of prospect and solidifying himself as a contender. “El Matador” now boasts a 4-1 record under the Bellator MMA umbrella and will be fighting for the fifth time in a span of 329 days.

 

Standing opposite of the Roufusport fighter will be Pineda, a 30-year-old that already has amassed a 32-fight professional career. A veteran of Legacy Fighting Championship, “The Pit” has never seen a victory reach the judges’ scorecards, finishing 15 pairings via submission, the other six by knockout. This will be Pineda’s first appearance for Bellator MMA since 2010 at “Bellator 19.”

“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Updated Fight Card

 

Bellator MMA Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. Dada 5000 (2-0)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING FINALIZES STAR-STUDDED WSOF26 MAIN CARD FOR FRIDAY, DEC. 18 AT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS, LIVE ON NBCSN

Featherweight Championship Main Event:
Lance Palmer (Champion) vs. Alexandre Almeida (Challenger)

Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Tyrone Spong vs. Jake Heun

Plus:
Lightweight: Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Nic Herron-Webb
Bantamweight: Josh Hill vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
Featherweight: Robbie Peralta vs. Sheymon Moraes
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 24, 2015) – World Series of Fighting announced today that it has added three new bouts to complete the main card for “WSOF26: Palmer vs. Almeida,” which will be headlined by a world championship showdown between reigning featherweight kingpin Lance Palmer and Alexandre Almeida, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 18, live on NBCSN, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Joining the previously announced main event and light heavyweight co-main event between Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong and Jake Heun, will be a lightweight (155 pounds) contest between aggressive-minded, rising star Ozzy Dugulubgov and submission wizard Nic “Naptime” Herron-Webb; a bantamweight matchup between wrestling phenom Josh “Gentleman” Hill and undefeated sensation Bekbulat Magomedov; and a featherweight (145 pounds) tilt between devastating strikers Robbie “Problems” Peralta and Sheymon Moraes.

“We are looking forward to closing out a year of incredible growth for World Series of Fighting with an exceptional lineup of world-class bouts featuring some of our most established superstars as well as several new faces that we recently welcomed to our roster and that we expect to make an immediate impact in our decagon cage,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Priced from $29.99, tickets are available for purchase atwww.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com , www.WSOF.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The complete WSOF26 preliminary bout card will be announced soon.  The card is subject to change.

Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Nic Herron-Webb

The 26-year-old Dugulubgov (7-2) of Hackensack, N.J. is looking to notch his third consecutive win and second of 2015, following a first round (3:39) TKO (arm injury) of Lucas Montoya on April 10.  Prior to his latest conquest, Dugulubgov, a Renzo Gracie protégé that boasts a near-perfect record of 4-1 in World Series of Fighting competition, scored a highlight reel-worthy KO (punch) ofKeon Caldwell in the third round (1:38) of their matchup on September 13, 2014.

Herron-Webb (18-6) of Anchorage, Alaska is a 25-year-old, former welterweight (170 pounds) who has been fire, winning all four of his last bouts by way of submission, to arrive at his debut with World Series of Fighting.  To date, 14 of Herron-Webb’s 18 professional career wins have come by way of submission, 8 of which he produced inside the first round of battle.

Josh Hill vs. Bekbulat Magomedov

A former World Series of Fighting championship challenger, Hill (12-1) of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada went the distance with reigning bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes before finding himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision on February 12.

The 28-year-old has since re-grouped after what marked his first career defeat, and reeled off two consecutive wins outside of the World Series of Fighting decagon – a third round (2:01) submission (rear-naked choke) of Josh Rettinghouse on May 30, and a unanimous decision over Ion Vranceanu on August 31.

Magomedov (16-0) of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, will risk his perfect record in the U.S. for the first time ever, after a run that has distinguished the 24-year-old Sambo champion as the number two ranked featherweight in Ukraine and the number seven ranked featherweight in Russia.

Of Magomedov’s 16 professional career victories, 8 have come by way of (T)KO and 3 have come by way of submission.

Robbie Peralta vs. Sheymon Moraes

Making his World Series of Fighting debut, Peralta (18-6, 1 NC) of Escondido, Calif. has served up several memorable moments in the cage with his punching power, notching 13 of his 18 professional career wins to date by way of (T)KO.  The 29-year-old made his first big mark in the sport on April 9, 2011 when he scored a major upset over then-DREAM champion Hiroyuki Takaya by way of split decision under the promotion of the now-defunct Strikeforce.

Moraes will look to rebound after suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of reigning World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes on August 1.  Prior to the title fight, the dangerous 25-year-old member of Team Nogueira had appeared to be unstoppable, scoring (T)KO wins over four of his first seven opponents.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries.  WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a luxury resort offering a decidedly different perspective. Located at the heart of The Strip, the resort’s uniquely vertical multi-tower design offers spectacular views of the vibrant city. The new 2,959-room resort features oversized residential-style living spaces with expansive, one-of-a-kind private terraces. The Cosmopolitan’s luxurious resort amenities include a 100,000 square foot casino; Sahra Spa & Hammam and Violet Hour Hair Nails Beauty; three unique pool experiences; Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, a multi-level integrated indoor/outdoor nightclub; 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art convention and meeting space; 40,000-square foot performance and event space The Chelsea; and modern supper club Rose. Rabbit. Lie. An eclectic line-up of new-to-market retailers include:  AllSaints Spitalfields, CRSVR Sneaker Boutique, DNA2050, Jason of Beverly Hills, Kidrobot, Molly Brown’s Swimwear, Rent the Runway, Retrospecs & Co, Skins 62 Cosmetics, Stitched and U*tique Shop. Signature restaurants include: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Estiatorio Milos, by international restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Holsteins from Block 16 Hospitality; Jaleo and China Poblano restaurants by acclaimed Chef José Andrés; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. by award-winning Chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The ONE Group; bustling culinary food hall The Wicked Spoon; and The Henry, an all-day dining concept.

For more information visit: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv
Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan
Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/cosmopolitan_lv

M-1 Medieval Knight Fight added to stacked M-1 Challenge 63, Dec 4 in St. Petersburg, Russia

 

WATCH LIVE ON WWW.M1GLOBAL.TV

 
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (November 24, 2015) – An already stacked M-1 Challenge 63got even more entertaining with M-1 Global’s announced addition of the inaugural M-1 Challenge Knight Fighting Lightweight Championship. 
 
Russian knight fighters Dmitry Kovrizhin (4-0-0) and Evgeniy Bedenko (7-1-0) battle on the preliminary card for the first M-1 Challenge Medieval title, December 4 at the Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia.
 
Rising MMA star Stephan “T-800” Puetz (13-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) defends his M-1 Challenge light heavyweight crown against former champion Viktor Nemkov (22-5-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 SUB)., Also featured on the main card is another title fight as M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (12-3-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 SUB) faces American challenger Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (26-13-0, 10 KO/TKO, 2 SUB).
Kovrizhin, representing the Bern Fight Club in Moscow, was a member of the 2014 and 2015 World Champion Team.  He stopped Roman Zuevearly in his M-1 Challenge 60 fight.
 
Bedenko (pictured to left) was a winner at the White Castle and Battle of Nations. He won impressively atM-1 Challenge 56, where he defeated Ivan Vasilev.
 
Three other fights on the main card pits German light heavyweight Martin “King Kong” Zawada (26-12-0, 16 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) vs. Russian Rashid Yusupov (6-0-0, 2 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), Russian lightweight Alexey “Ataman” Makhho (10-3-0, 4 KO/TKO, 1 SUB) vs. Georgian Raul Tutarauli (5-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 1 SUB), and Russian featherweight Mikhail Korobkov (9-0-0, 1 KO/TKO, 6 SUB) vs. Brazilian foe Rodrigo “Delegado” Magalhaes(7-0-0, 6 SUB).
 
Two other fights have been announced for the preliminary card: Ukraine veteran lightweightAlexander Butenko (38-11-0, 4 KO/TKO, 24 SUB) meets Heydar Mamadaliev (8-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), of Azerbaijan, while Russian middleweights Ruslan Shamilov andButat Zhumabatov make their professional debuts against each other.
 
M-1 Challenge 63 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg in high definition onwww.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
 
Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 63 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable, Suddenlink Communications and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Information

www.M1Global.tv

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@M1GlobalNews
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NEW ENGLAND FIGHTS ANNOUNCES THE RESULTS OF NEF XX

Lewiston, Maine (November 22, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, held its latest event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” on Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  Some 2,500 packed the Colisée for the historic first-ever hybrid mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing card in Maine.

 

In the boxing main event of the evening, Brandon “The Cannon” Berry (10-1) went eight-rounds for the first time in his career, defeating gritty Mexican veteran Roberto Valenzuela (72-70-1) via unanimous decision.

 

On the professional MMA portion of the card, Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington(12-8) was victorious in defending the NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Championship against Jimmy “Jimbo Slice” Davidson (7-2).

 

In addition, NEF announced its next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” will take place on February 6, 2016 in Lewiston.  Another hybrid MMA-pro boxing event, “NEF 21” will feature Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (6-4) taking on Devin Powell (4-1) in a lightweight contest.  Already announced to be competing the boxing card are Brandon Berry and Joel “The Baby Bull” Bishop (0-0-1).  Erin “Fun Size” Lamonte, who improved to 5-0 tonight, will return on the amateur MMA portion of the February 6 card.

 

The results from Lewiston, Maine:

 

PROFESSIONAL BOXING

 

150 Brandon Berry def. Roberto Valenzuela via unanimous decision

155 Tollison Lewis def. Zenon Herrera via TKO, round 3

135 Josh Parker  drew  Elias Leland

CATCH Ernesto Ornelas def. Brandon Ali Garvin via TKO, round 2

 

PROFESSIONAL MMA

 

155*TITLE Bruce Boyington (c) def. Jimmy Davidson via TKO, round 3

CATCH Jon Lemke def. Matt Denning via TKO, round 1

170 Matt Bordonaro def. Crowsneck Boutin via knee bar, round 1

CATCH Matt Andrikut def. Jesse Baughman via TKO, round 1

145 Damon Owens def. Derek Shorey via Gogoplata, round 1

 

AMATEUR MMA

 

125*TITLE Ryan Burgess def. Dustin Veinott (c) via unanimious decision

145*TITLE Aaron Lacey def. Caleb Horner via unanimous decision

125 Justin Witham def. Brent Ouellette via TKO, round 2

155 Rafael Velado def. Ken Dunn via Kimura, round 1

155 CJ Ewer def. Jason Lachance via unanimous decision

S.HWT Nick Gulliver def. Jason Field via TKO, round 1

145 Caleb Hall def. Matt Tamayo via armbar, round 1

265 Mike Williams def. Joe Krech via armbar, round 1

200  Victor Irwin def. Anthony Spires via TKO, round 1

CATCH Ricky Dexter def. Steve Bang via KO, round 1

140 David Thompson def. Richmond Pierce Wiegman via TKO, round 1

121 Erin Lamonte def. Randi Beth Boyington via armbar, round 1

185 Caleb Farrington def. Ruben Redman via guillotine, round 2

265 Bryce Bamford def. Bryce Locke via TKO, round 1

170 Caleb Swoveland def. Taylor Carey via arm triangle, round 2

155 Levi Sewall def. Matt Hanning via TKO, round 2

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS,” takes placeSaturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  Tickets for “NEF 21” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

UFC STAR TO BE GUEST OF HONOR AT NEF XX; MEET-AND-GREET ANNOUNCED

Lewiston, Maine (November 18, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” this Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will feature a first for Maine – mixed-martial-arts (MMA) bouts and professional boxing bouts on the same event with an MMA cage and a boxing ring set up side-by-side.  The fight promotion announced earlier today that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (18-9) would be the guest of honor at the event.  It was further announced that Boetsch will be available to meet fans in attendance and sign autographs from 6:00 to 7:00 pmprior to the first fight.

 

Boetsch is a native of Lincolnville, Maine.  He is a lifelong wrestler, having won four state championships while attending Camden Hills Regional High School.  Boetsch was inducted into the Maine Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.  After high school, Boetsch would go on to compete for Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice.

 

He is currently in his second stint with the UFC.  Boetsch holds victories over many of the sport’s biggest names like Kendall Grove (22-15), Brad Tavares (13-4) and Yushin Okami (30-10) just to name a few.  Most recently, he headlined “UFC Fight Night 68” in New Orleans, Louisiana against Dan Henderson (31-14).  Boetsch is scheduled to face Ed Herman (23-11) at “UFC Fight Night 81” onJanuary 17, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He is currently training with fellow UFC veteran Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis at Davis’ Team Irish facility in Brewer, Maine in preparation for the upcoming bout.

 

“Very excited to be supporting Maine MMA,” exclaimed Boetsch of his upcoming appearance at NEF XX.  “Looking forward to watching a full card of great fights and meeting all the fans that come out to see an exciting show!”

 

“I’ve been watching Tim compete as a wrestler and mixed martial artist for almost 20 years,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “I watched him cement his legacy in Maine amateur wrestling by winning four high school state championships and cheered him on as he fought his way to becoming one of the baddest men on the planet in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Tim, along with Marcus Davis, Mike Brown and Tim Sylvia, makes up the Mount Rushmore of Maine MMA and it will be an honor to have him and Marcus both in attendance at the 20th installment of New England Fights on November 21st.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,” takes place this Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will mark the first time in Maine history a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event and a professional boxing event have taken place together on the same show.  Tickets for “NEF XX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

COMPLETE LINEUP SET FOR “WSOF 25: 8-MAN LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT” AT COMERICA THEATRE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ. ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20, LIVE ON NBCSN

Twelve bout card kicks off live on WSOF.com at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, followed by live NBCSN telecast at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

Live stream includes one-night tournament’s quarterfinal stage bouts

LAS VEGAS (November 16, 2015) –The complete fight card and bout order for World Series of Fighting’s highly-anticipated “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” extravaganza at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz. is set for Friday, November 20.

Headlined by the first one-night, eight-man tournament in World Series of Fighting history, the event will kick off with a preliminary bout card that will stream live, worldwide on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The live stream will be comprised of eight bouts, including all four quarterfinal stage matchups in the lightweight (155 pounds) tournament that will crown its winner, who will have fought three times in one night, the new number one contender in the coveted weight division.

The four-fight, live NBCSN telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT with the two semifinal stage tournament bouts, and conclude with the tournament’s championship round showdown.

The non-tournament, lightweight co-main event contest between Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (18-5) of Kansas City, Mo. and rival star Estevan Payan (16-8) of Tempe, Ariz. will take place between the conclusion of the second semifinal stage tournament bout and the championship round fight.

In one tournament bracket, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-11) of Miami, Fla., coming off another “Fight of the Month” performance at WSOF 23 in September, will square off with rising star Rich Patishnock (6-2) of East Stroudsberg, Pa., while Brian Foster (23-7) of Sallisaw, Okla., fresh off a thunderous, first round (:32) KO of previously unbeaten LaRue Burley at WSOF 23, will collide with streaking submission wizard Joao Zeferino (18-6) of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In the opposite bracket, wrestling and submission ace Brian “The Bandit” Cobb(20-8) of Bakersfield, Calif. will battle Firas Zahabi-trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt  Mike “The Martian” Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whileIslam Mamedov (12-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan, Russia will put his phenomenal, 11-fight winning streak on the line against five-time, one-night tournament winner and Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jorge “Macaco” Patino (38-15-2, 1 NC) of Houston, Texas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The winner of the quarterfinal stage bout between Palomino and Patishnock will meet the winner of the fight between Foster and Zeferino in the semifinal stage of the single-elimination affair, and the winner of the matchup between Cobb and Ricci will face the winner of the bout between Mamedov and Patino in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

Leading off the preliminary bout card will be the first of two tournament reserve bouts –Benny Madrid (8-3) of Phoenix vs. Ramil Mustapayev (3-1) of Albuquerque, N.M. via Ossetia, Russia, which will be followed by the second tournament reserve fight – LaRue Burley (6-1) of Phoenix vs. Joe Condon (12-8) of Victorville, Calif.

The preliminary bout card will conclude with a 165-pound catchweight tilt betweenJimmy Scully (3-3) of Phoenix and Roberto Yong (2-3) of Glendale, Ariz. and a bantamweight (135 pounds) battle between Joseph Barajas (11-1) of Vista, Calif. and Erik Villalobos (3-0) of Glendale.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 25: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament” are on sale at the Comerica Theatre box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at Comerica Theatre open at 5 p.m. MT and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. MT.

MAIN CARD

Lightweight Tournament Championship Bout:
Semifinal Bout Winner # 1 vs. Semifinal Bout Winner # 2

Lightweight Co-Main Event:
Jason High vs. Estevan Payan

Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Stage Bout # 2:
Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 3 vs. Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 4

Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Stage Bout # 1:
Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 1 vs. Quarterfinal Bout Winner # 2

PRELIMINARY CARD

Bantamweight Bout: Joseph Barajas vs. Erik Villalobos

Catchweight (165 pounds) Bout: Jimmy Scully vs. Roberto Yong

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 4:
Luis Palomino vs. Rich Patishnock

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 3:
Brian Foster vs. Joao Zeferino

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 2:
Brian Cobb vs. Mike Ricci

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Stage Bout # 1:
Islam Mamedov vs. Jorge Patino

Lightweight Tournament Reserve Bout # 2:
LaRue Burley vs. Joe Condon

Lightweight Tournament Reserve Bout # 1:
Benny Madrid vs. Ramil Mustapayev

About “World Series of Fighting” (WSOF®)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

FIGHT NETWORK MMA, KICKBOXING, WRESTLING & JUDO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Nov. 16-22, 2015)

(U.S. only schedules unless otherwise indicated. For full Canadian schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com from your region.)
 
Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, boxing, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.
Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

 

Monday, Nov. 16
6:00 p.m. ET – Global Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casper gives weekly news and analysis centering around the global wrestling scene, including interviews, features, the latest news and results, plus a look back at the past.
6:30 p.m. ETJudo Samsun Grand Prix Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Samsun Grand Prix from Mar. 27-29, 2015 in Turkey.
7:00 p.m. & 11:00 ET5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
 
Tuesday, Nov. 17
1:30 a.m. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S. professional and amateur MMA events.
5:00 & 5:30 p.m. ET – Xtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based pro MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans.
6:00 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds Today – Video podcast with John Ramdeen and Robin Black breaking down a wide variety of topics in the MMA world, including previews of upcoming events and all the latest rumors and headlines.
8:00 p.m. ET5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
8:30 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ETFighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others.
10:00 p.m. ETHard Knocks Fighting 47 – Featuring Professional MMA from Nov. 13, 2015 in Calgary, Canada.
 
Wednesday, Nov. 18
5:00 p.m. ET – Texas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage.
6:00 p.m. ETBest of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the OK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Vitor Belfort, Paul Daley and others.
7:00 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
7:30 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ETCage Warriors Fighting Championships 61 – Featuring Bruno Carvalho vs. Mat Inman from Nov. 15, 2013 in Amman, Jordan.
11:00 p.m. ETMMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.
 
Thursday, Nov. 19
2:00 a.m. & 1 p.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 34 – Featuring Makunga Bunduku vs, Ricky Campbell and Nathan Jones vs. Julian Kerr from June 1, 2013 in London.
4:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. ETTakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.
3:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. ETChampionship Fighting Alliance – Pro MMA from Florida featuring the likes of Josh Sampo, Mike Kyle, John Howard, Sean McCorkie, Luis Palomino and others.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Rookies – Aspiring kickboxers climb the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at5 a higher level.
8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ETEnfusion Live #33: Switzerland – Featuring Diogo Calado vs. Rafael Ilodra for the Enfusion -75kg world championship from Nov. 7, 2015 in Matigny, Switzerland.
 
Friday, Nov. 20
12:00 a.m. & 11 a.m. ET – It’s Showtime Special – The world’s premier kickboxing organization featuring Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Giorgio Petrosyan.
2:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
4:00 a.m. ET – Best of DEEP – Featuring classic fights from the historic Japanese DEEP promotion including Shinua Aoki, Hayatpo Sakurai and Gegard Moisasi.
5:00 a.m. ETBest of Jewels – Classic fights from the all-female Japanese MMA league Jewels.
12:30 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge 62 – Featuring Ivan Buchinger vs. Mansour Barnaoui for the Mi-1 Challenge featherweight title from Oct. 10, 2015 in Sochi, Russia.
4:30 p.m. ETFighting Rookies – Aspiring kickboxing climb  the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at a higher level.
5:00 p.m. ET

UFC Fight Night Monterrey Weigh-Ins 

– LIVE coverage of the official weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Gastelum from Monterrey, Mexico.

7:00 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
7:30 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ETToe 2 Toe with Greg Jackson – Sit-down interview with renowned MMA coach Greg Jackson.
8:30 p.m. ETHip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.
9:00 p.m. ETKSW 26: Materia vs. Silva – Featuring Michal Materia vs. Jay Silva and Marcin Rozalski vs. Nick Rossborough from Mar. 22, 2014 in Warsaw, Poland.
11:00 p.m. ET — CANADA ONLY — WSOF 25: Lightweight Tournament – LIVE coverage featuring Islam Mamedov, Mike Ricci, Joao Xerferino, Rich Patishnock, Jorge Patino, Brian Cobb, Brian Foster and Luis Palomino fro, Phoenix, AZ.
Saturday, Nov. 21
4:30 a.m. ETBookie Beatdown – Preview of the betting lines and top picks for major UFC events.
6:00 a.m. ETBest of TKO – Featuring George St-Pierre vs. Travis Galbraith from UCC 11.
7:00 a.m. ETBest of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Jake Shields vs. Randy Velarde from Gladiator Challenge 2.
8:00 a.m. ETBest of SportFight – Top quality MMA from the Pacific Northwest.  Hosted by UFC veterans Matt LIndland and Chael Sonnen.  This episode features Brian Caraway and Ian Loveland in action.
3:00 p.m. ETEnfusion #34 Holland – LIVE professional kickboxing from Groningen, Holland, featuring Ilias Bulaid vs. Houcine Bennoui for the -67kg world championship, plus Artur Kyshenko vs. Hicham El Gaoui.
5:00 p.m. ETMMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.
7:00 p.m. ET — UFC Fight Night Monterrey Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight coverage and analysis for UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Gastelum from Monterrey, Mexico.
8:00 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
8:30 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ETSuper Fight League 3 – Featuring James Thompson vs. Bobby Lashley and Trevor Prangley vs. Baga Agaev from May 6, 2012 in New Delhi, India.
 
Sunday, Nov. 22
 
6:00 a.m. ET – CANADA ONLY – ONE: Dynasty of Champions – LIVE featuring Marat Gafurov vs. Jadamba Narantungalag for the ONE featherweight title, plus Adriano Moraes vs. Kairat Akhmetov for the One flywidht Championship, in Beijing, China.
6:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
11:00 a.m. ETBest of ADCC – Features compilations of the greatest grappling matches ever held, featuring Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Eddie Bravo, Fabricio Werdum, Marcelo Garcia, Ronaldo Souza and Royler Gracie.
12:00 p.m. ETElite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters taking on the renowned Thailand National Team.
5:00 p.m. ETGlobal Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casper gives weekly news and analysis centering around the global wrestling scene, including interviews, features, the latest news and results, plus a look back at the past.
5:30 p.m. ETJudo Zagreb Grand Prix – Highlights from the Judo Zagreb Grand Prix from May 1-3, 2015 in Croatia.
6:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend FFC, M-1 and more.
8:00 p.m. ET – CANADA ONLY – UFC Fight Night PreLims– LIVE preliminary fights featuring Eric Perez vs. Taylor Lapilus, Hector Urbina vs. Bartosz Fabinski, Scott Jorgensen vs. Alejandro Perez and Gabriel Benitez vs. Andre Fili from Monterry, Mexico.
11:00 p.m. ETEnfusion Live #21: Merseburg, Germany – Pro kickboxing featuring Mohammed Jaraya vs. Mark Vogel, Andrew Tate vs. Orhan Karalioglu and Max Baumert vs. Valdet Galshi from Oct. 4, 2014 in Merseburg, Germany.
Information:
Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

Makhno vs. Tutarauli, Zawada vs. Yusupov Added to loaded M-1 Challenge 63 card Headlined by two M-1 Challenge title fights Puetz vs. Nemkov II, Emeev vs. Fioravanti

Dec. 4 in St. Petersburg, Russia

 
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (November 16, 2015) – Featuring a pair of title fights, M-1 Challenge 63 is shaping up as possibly the best M-1 Global event of the year.
 
M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan “T-800” Puetz (13-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) defends his title against former champion Viktor Nemkov (22-5-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 SUB), while M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (12-3-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 SUB( meets American challenger Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (26-13-0, 10 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), December 4 at the Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia.
 
M-1 Global has announced two other main card bouts as German light heavyweight Martin “King Kong” Zawada faces Russian Rashid Yusupov and Russian light weight Alexey “Ataman” Makho takes on Raul Tutarauli, of Georgia.
 
M-1 Challenge 63 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
 
 
Zawada (26-13-0, 16 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) is an experienced fighter who was a KSW Grand Prix finalist, as well as two-time German champion.   Known as a dangerous striker, Yusupov is a hot prospect with title fight aspirations.
                      
         Yusupov unloading a kick                                        Zawada ready to strike
Makhno (10-3-0, 4 KO/TKO, 1 SUB) and Tutarauli (5-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 1 SUB) are both hot fighters, winning six and four in a row, respectively.  A regional champion in Russia, Makhno prefers stand-up fighting and striking.  Tutarauli is a rising knockout artist who is known for his excellent conditioning and stamina.
                                       
Makhno (top) and Tutarauli (below) are shown celebrating victories
Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 63 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable, Suddenlink Communications and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Additional fights will soon be announced by M-1 Global.
Information

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
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JASON LACHANCE: “I WAS BLESSED WITH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY”

Lewiston, Maine (November 16, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” this Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will feature a first for Maine – mixed-martial-arts (MMA) bouts and professional boxing bouts on the same event with an MMA cage and a boxing ring set up side-by-side.  In a featured lightweight amateur MMA bout, Jason “2nd Chance” Lachance (2-2) will take on CJ Ewer (4-2) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

 

Lachance is coming off a first-round submission victory over David Thompson (0-1) at “NEF XIX” this past September.  He is confident in his abilities and predicts victory over Ewer when they meet this weekend.  While Lachance’s future in the sport appears brighter every day, he vows not to overlook the task at hand and to let his Christian faith guide him through his career.

 

“I will beat CJ in any way possible,” said Lachance.  “MMA is a sport where anything can happen.  I am fully prepared for whatever may come on the 21st.  I will focus on my next opponent when this fight is out of my way. I will not overlook my opponent. God will set up the future for me, as he has thus far.”

 

Lachance credits his faith and the sport of MMA with helping him conquer his much-publicized addiction to heroin.  He began training over two years ago at MMA Athletix in Bath, Maine, where he also joined the Victory Church ministry of the gym’s then-owner Ryan Cowette (2-3).

 

“I was blessed with an amazing opportunity, and I couldn’t be more grateful.  The fight game is the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The most defining moments of my short career have not come from inside the cage, but from learning and growing day to day as a man and as a fighter.”

 

Recently, Lachance and teammate Norman Fox (4-2) purchased the MMA Athletix gym from Cowette after Cowette decided to redirect his focus to his roofing business.  When the challenges of small business ownership reared its head, Lachance once again lets his faith guide him.

 

“Purchasing the gym was a huge moment for both Norman and myself,” stated Lachance.  “We had to sit back and really evaluate what we wanted out of our careers, and also out of our business.  We quickly realized that with full time jobs, we don’t have time to be coaches, trainers, fighters and business owners and still expect to succeed.  We prayed on it and God sent us the perfect team of coaches and trainers, along with a new group of up and coming fighters.

 

“MMA has already changed my life in many ways. I expect to take it to the top, as a business owner and as a fighter. God has given me the opportunity to live my dream, day after day.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,” takes place this Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will mark the first time in Maine history a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event and a professional boxing event have taken place together on the same show.  Tickets for “NEF XX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.