Category Archives: mixed martial arts

Bellator, mixed martial arts

PRELIMINARY PORTION OF ‘BELLATOR MMA: GUILLARD VS. GIRTZ’ FINALIZED WITH THE ADDITION OF FIVE PRELIMINARY BOUTS

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (August 3, 2015) – August 28th’s “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” is now complete with the addition of four new bouts which will take place during the preliminary card at the beautiful Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.

In a critical lightweight matchup, Brent Primus (5-0) will put his undefeated record on the line against the dangerous Derek “The Barbaric” Anderson (12-1, 1 NC). Also on the card, middleweights AJ “The Mercenary” Matthews (7-3) versus Emiliano “He-Man” Sordi (13-4), as well as light heavyweights Ray Sloan (8-0), who goes to battle with Luc Bondole (4-1), and the young featherweight A.J. McKee (1-0) returns to face James Barnes (4-0). Finally, a third women’s bout has also been added, with the inclusion of Ilima Macfalane (1-0) against Maria Rios (2-2) in flyweight action.

The newly announced contests will stream on Spike.com at 7:45 p.m. ET during the preliminary portion of “Bellator MMA: Guillard vs. Girtz,” which is followed by the main card, which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

 

Limited tickets for the event, which start at just $50, remain on sale now at Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office. Doors for the event open at 4 p.m. PT local time.

 

In the evening’s main event, Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) will face Brandon “Cold Roll” Girtz (11-4). The co-headliner will feature lightweight action that pits Saad Awad (18-6) against Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (13-6). Opening the main card, Lorenzo Hood (9-2) will make his Bellator MMA debut against Raphael Butler (9-1-1).

 

San Diego’s Anderson will look to parlay his impressive technical knockout of Danny Navarro at Bellator 132 when he steps into the Bellator MMA cage for the second time in 2015. A product of Team Xplode MMA, the man fans describe as “The Barbaric” will be seeking his 12th finish in 14 tries.

 

Since joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2013, Primus has been on a tear, ripping through all three opponents with first-round finishes. Now, the 30-year-old Portland, Ore., native will face the stiffest test of his young career when he goes up against Anderson. Will he manage to keep his undefeated, first-round finish streak alive?

 

Known by most mixed martial arts fans as one of top up-and-coming 185-pound fighters on the Bellator MMA roster, Matthews emphatically solidified his contender role in the division with his show-stopping knockout of Kyle Bolt at Bellator 131 this past November. Known as “The Mercenary,” the Blackline MMA product and Strikeforce veteran will look to continue his rise to the top of the middleweight heap when he returns to action on Aug. 28.

 

Standing opposite of Matthews will be Sordi, who burst on the Bellator MMA scene with a 58-second submission of former UFC fighter Bubba McDaniel. The 24-year-old Argentinian has not tasted defeat since 2012 and has earned all 13 of his professional victories before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

 

Undefeated in eight fights, Sloan has entered Bellator MMA impressively, winning his first two tilts. The Oceanside, Calif., native trains out of Excel Jiu-Jitsu and has utilized the discipline to defeat seven out of eight opponents via submission.

 

Bondole is a highly regarded prospect, fighting out of Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, Calif., whos last outing resulted in a draw against Chris Hererra. Now, he will look to secure a win over Sloan on his own terms, and not let the judges have a say.

 

The son of respected MMA fighter Antonio McKee, “The Mercenary” will look to continue to pave his own way through the sport.  A.J. shined in his first outing, securing a first round rear-naked choke over Marcos Bonilla. He now faces a fellow Angelino in Barnes, who has been tearing up the Gladiator Challenge circuit, going 4-0 with two KO’s and two submissions, all taking place in the first round.

 

Best known for her viral performance in her professional MMA debut, Macfarlane will now make her first appearance for Bellator MMA when she faces Maria Rios.

“Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” – Friday, August 28, Pechanga Resort & Casino

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Melvin Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) vs. Brandon Girtz (11-4)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Patricky Pitbull (13-6) vs. Saad Awad (18-6)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Justin Wren (10-2) vs. Josh Burns (8-8)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (9-1-1) vs. Lorenzo Hood (9-2)

Bellator Women’s Flyweight Prelim: Ilima Macfarlane (1-0) vs. Maria Rios (2-2)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim: A.J. McKee (1-0) vs. James Barnes (4-0)

Bellator Womens Featherweight Prelim: Adrienna Jenkins (18-6) vs. Lissette Neri (6-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Prelim: Ray Sloan (8-0) vs. Luc Bondole (4-1)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim: Johnny Cisneros (8-4) vs. Gabriel Miglioli (9-7)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim: Curtis Millender (7-2) vs. Steven Ciaccio (4-3)

Bellator Womens Featherweight Prelim: Marloes Coenen (22-6) vs. Arlene Blencowe (6-4)

Bellator Lightweight Prelim: Brent Primus (5-0) vs. Derek Anderson (12-1, 1 NC)

Bellator Middleweight Prelim: AJ Matthews (7-3) vs. Emiliano Sordi (13-4)

 

boxing, mixed martial arts, UFC, women's boxing, women's MMA

Two-time world champion, female boxer Amanda Serrano blasts Ronda Rousey’s trainer, and makes challenge

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Serrano with the WBO title
Two-time world champion, Amanda Serrano (24-1-1, 18 KO’s) from Puerto Rico, and her trainer/ manager, Jordan Maldonado consider it very disrespectful for the boxing community, the comments made by Edmond Tarverdyan, trainer of the UFC World Champion, Ronda Rousey in www.mmafighting.com.
“I know she can do it,” Tarverdyan told MMA Fighting, “I know she can win the boxing world title. Ronda spars with boxing world champions that punch way harder than Cyborg,”, Tarverdyan also added that, “Ronda has never lost a round in the gym. A round. With boxing world champions”.
“Definitely Rousey’s trainer does not have any knowledge about the sport of boxing. She is a very good fighter in the Octagon, and I really congratulate her for everything she has done. Her opponents cannot box and It’s easy to look great but when facing a high quality boxer with punching power as myself, believe me, things are gonna change. In a boxing ring, the canvas will be your comfort zone”.
About Rousey’s fight last Saturday, where she defeated Bethe Correia in 34 seconds, Serrano said, “As a boxing point of view, she looked like a rookie amateur fighter, throwing very wide punches with no cordination. I heard that Cyborg is not willing to come down to the lightweight division to fight Ronda, but I can go up to 135, and we can settle a boxing match so I can prove her trainer wrong. I once went up to the lightweight division, and traveled to Argentina for a world title fight. At the end, the results was that I became the first ever Puerto Rican female boxer to captured a world title in two weight classes”.
Serrano’s manager and trainer, Jordan Maldonado pointed out that “we do not challenge other fighting styles. We represent boxing and we want to get some respect. We are available for any sparring they may want or a boxing match, so we can show Edmond Tarverdyan how wrong he is about boxing”.
On August 15, 2014, Serrano traveled to Argentina to face WBO Lightweight World Champion Maria ‘Tily’ Maderna, who at that time, had three successful title defenses, but could not handle the aggressiveness of the Puerto Rican power puncher, who ended the fight in the sixth round by way of knockout.
With this victory, Serrano became the first Puerto Rican female boxer to win world titles in two divisions (130-135).
Serrano’s first title reign came in September 2011 when she knocked out Kimberly Connor in the first round to become the IBF World Champion at the super featherweight division.
mixed martial arts, UFC

UFC 190 Main Card Preview and Predictions

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By: Rich Bergeron

 

Ronda Rousey (11-0) and Bethe Correia (9-0) will headline UFC 190 in a women’s bantamweight title bout that is guaranteed to deliver fireworks. These two rivals will fight in the challenger’s home country, but Rousey is a worldwide star who is on an epic roll so far in her MMA career. Correia is an underdog in her own country, but she’s also an undefeated striker who could give Rousey trouble if the armbar doesn’t come into play.

 

Correia made some insensitive remarks about Rousey committing suicide leading up to this fight. Suicide is a sore subject for the champ, who saw her father take his own life when she was younger. Rousey’s since promised to “punish” Bethe when they meet in the cage tonight.

 

Rousey is a perfectionist, plain and simple. Just when you think she can’t get any better, she surprises you and does just that. Correia is a tough-talking and confident fighter, but she is just nowhere near Rousey’s level. If she has any chance at all, it is in the first round. Rousey is not looking for a quick submission if we are to believe her admitted intentions of hurting Correia are genuine. Correia could use her reach and power-punching ability to rattle Rousey early and knock her out, but that means going to to toe with a champion who’s shown much-improved striking over the course of her last few fights.

 

Prediction: Look for Rousey to go back on her promise and finish this fight early, as her emotions will take over and stop her from thinking too much about drawing this one out. She will just wade in, throw down and walk out of the first round with another TKO to add to all her submission wins. She will smash Correia’s big nose wide open and judo toss the challenger to the mat where she’ll close the show with effective ground and pound.

 

The co-main event features Mauricio Rua (22-10) versus Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-6) in a rematch of a fight that happened under the PRIDE banner in January of 2005. Rua won the first fight by unanimous decision. This time, both fighters are long past their prime, and Rua enters the cage with just one win in his last four bouts. Nogueira also has a handicap since he’s coming in more than a year after his last fight, which was a one-sided TKO loss to Anthony Johnson that lasted just 44 seconds.

 

Prediction: Rua is not as heavy handed as Johnson, and Nogueira should get his revenge in this fight by knocking out Rua in the second or third round. Nogueira will have better head movement and defense in the rematch, and Rua just doesn’t have any recent wins against any big names. He’s in over his head in this fight, and “Minotouro” is going to send him into retirement.

 

Antonio Rodrgio Nogueira (34-9-1) also fights on the undercard against “The Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (25-7). This should be an exciting bout, and Mark Hunt showed that Struve is susceptible to haymakers. Can Nogueira exploit that weakness, or will Struve show he’s a legend killer this time out?

 

Prediction: Nogueira’s coming in with all the experience in this bout while Struve has the physicality. It’s said that the bigger they are, the harder they fall, but Struve is an exception. He should be able to take advantage of his youth and his long time away from the cage addressing injuries and health concerns. He will out-strike Nogueira and fight tall throughout the first two rounds, finally finishing Nogueira off with a vicious combo early in the third.

 

Other major highlights on this card include a women’s MMA showdown between Jessica Aguilar (19-4) and Claudia Gadelha (12-1) and a heavyweight clash between Soa “The Hulk” Palelei (20-4) and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (18-7-1). Click Here (http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-190-Rousey-vs-Correia-42221) to check out the full UFC 190 card.
mixed martial arts, NBC, World Series of Fighting

ALL 20 FIGHTERS MAKE WEIGHT FOR “WSOF 22: PALHARES VS. SHIELDS” TOMORROW, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 IN LAS VEGAS

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NEW LIVE NBCSN TELECAST START TIME:
10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT

LIVE PRELIMINARY CARD BEGINS ON WSOF.COM AT
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

Las Vegas, Nev. (July 31, 2015) – All 20 fighters, reigning World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) and challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields (31-7), made weight one day before the highly-anticipated “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) mega-event at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., live on NBCSN, beginning at a new start time of 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Palhares weighed in at 169.8 pounds and Shields clocked in at the weight limit of 170 pounds. 

WSOF World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) tipped the scales at 135 pounds and his opponent, undefeated challenger Sheymon Moraes (7-0) registered a weight of 134.2 pounds.

The live, five-bout preliminary card stream will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on an embeddable video player on www.WSOF.com.

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will open at 4:00 p.m. PT.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 5:00 p.m.

COMPLETE “WSOF 22: PALHARES VS. SHIELDS” WEIGH-IN RESULTS:

Main Card:

Main Event: World Welterweight (170 pounds) Championship Bout

Rousimar Palhares (17-6) (169.8 lbs.) vs. Jake Shields (31-7) (170lbs)
Minas Gerais, Brazil                                    San Francisco, Calif.

Co-Main Event:  World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Championship Bout

Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) (135 lbs.) vs.   Sheymon Moraes (7-0) (134.2 lbs.)
Toms Rier, N.J.                                      Rio de Janeiro, Brazil            .

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Mike Kyle (21-12-1) (206 lbs.)   vs.    Clifford Starks (11-2) (204.8 lbs.)
San Jose, Calif.                                  Tempe, Ariz.

Welterweight (170 pounds) Bout

Abubakar Nurmagomedov (9-1) (171 lbs.) vs.    Jorge Moreno (4-0) (168.8 lbs.)
Dagestan, Russia                                                Moses Lake, Wash.

Lightweight (155 pounds) Bout

Jimmy Spicuzza (6-2) (155.4 lbs.) vs.    Islam Mamedov (11-1) (155.4 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                      Jersey City, N.J.

Preliminary Card:

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Jake Heun (7-4) (205.6 lbs.) vs. Davin Clark (5-2-2) (206 lbs.)
Coconut Creek, Fla.                   San Jose, Calif.

Flyweight (125 pounds) Bout

Donavon Frelow (4-0) (125 lbs.) vs. Carlos Garcia (0-0) (124.8 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                 Las Vegas, Nev.

Catchweight (140 pounds) Bout

Jimmy Jones (4-3) (139.4 lbs.) vs. Marco Simmons (0-0) (140.6 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                              Las Vegas, Nev.

Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Bout

Cory Hendricks (2-0) (204.4 lbs.) vs.  Julio Hinojosa (3-1) (206 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                                   El Paso, Texas

Lightweight (155 pounds) Bout

Gil Guardado (3-1) (154 lbs.)  vs.  Pete Martin (5-3) (155.6 lbs.)
Las Vegas, Nev.                             Las Vegas, Nev.
mixed martial arts, World Series of Fighting

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING RETURNS TO FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO WITH STACKED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, LIVE ON NBCSN

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Main Event: Jon Fitch vs. Yushin Okami

World Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derek Mehmen

Plus: 
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Matt Hamill
and the Return of “Notorious” Nick Newell

Tickets on Sale Friday, July 31

LAS VEGAS (July 30, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) will return to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. for the second time this year with another star-studded, world-class Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) mega-event, headlined by a welterweight (170 pounds) showdown between rival superstars Jon Fitch and Yushin “Thunder” Okami, on Saturday, Oct. 17, live on NBCSN.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami” go on sale on tomorrow,Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. ET at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

“We are excited to return to Foxwoods Resort Casino and the state of Connecticut, where we showcased our brand of world championship MMA action in front of a highly passionate audience earlier this year,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo.

“Beginning with Jon Fitch and Yushin Okami, two of the best 170-pound athletes in our entire sport,” continued Sefo, “we are assembling another card loaded with some of the top superstars and emerging stars in MMA, and we look forward to giving fans another memorable night of fights.”

In the co-main event, WSOF World Heavyweight Champion Blagoy Ivanov will put his coveted title on the line for the first time when he squares off with seasoned contenderDerek “Caveman” Mehmen.

In other action on the live NBCSN telecast, superstars Vinny Magalhaes and Matt “The Hammer” Hamill will make their respective WSOF debuts against each other in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest.

Also returning to the cage will be local favorite “Notorious” Nick Newell, who will take on an opponent to be named soon.

Jon Fitch vs. Yushin Okami

Both Fitch (26-7-1, 1 NC) of Las Vegas, Nev. and Okami (30-9) of Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan will look to return to the win column after their suffering defeats in their respective last starts, which were both world championship title bouts.

During his 12-year professional career, the 6-foot, 37-year-old Fitch, a former captain of world renowned fight team AKA and NCAA Division I wrestler for Purdue University, has submitted or scored TKO’s on a long list of rival superstars, including Roan Carneiro, Josh Burkman and Thiago Alves, and has earned decision wins over Diego Sanchez, Erick Silva and Ben Saunders.

Also a 12-year veteran of the sport, the 6-foot-2, 34- year-old Okami has earned 50 percent of his wins by way of (T)KO or submission, and boasts victories over a host of fellow marquee competitors, including Hector Lombard, Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz and Alan Belcher.  In his WSOF debut on March 29, Okami notched a spectacular, second round (4:46) submission (arm-triangle choke) of Svetlozar Savov.

Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derek Mehmen

Ivanov (12-1) of Sofia, Bulgaria made history on June 5, 2015 when the 5-foot-11, 28-year-old pulled off a stunning, third round (1:17) submission (guillotine choke) of Smealinho Rama to become the second WSOF world heavyweight champion ever.

A judo black belt and 2008 Combat Sambo world champion, Ivanov defeated all-time great Fedor Emelianenko in the semi-final stage of the championship tournament.

Mehmen (19-6) of Coconut Creek, Fla. via Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a 6-foot-4, 30-year-old member of American Top Team. The heavy-handed, 9-year veteran of the sport has earned 11 of his 19 professional career wins by way of (T)KO.

Mehmen earned the 2013 “KO Punch of the Year,” awarded by AXS TV’s Inside MMAprogram, for his devastating, second round (2:40) finish of Rolles Gracie, Jr. at WSOF 5 on Sept. 14, 2013.

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Matt Hamill

A former world MMA champion and multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, Magalhaes (12-7, 1 NC) of Las Vegas, Nev. will look to notch his third consecutive victory during his first start in the WSOF decagon cage and first appearance of 2015.

In his last effort, the 6-foot-3, 31-year-old native of Brazil submitted (guillotine choke)Jason Brilz in the fourth round (:36) of their matchup on Sept. 26, 2014.

A decade long veteran of MMA, Hamill of Loveland, Ohio remains one of the most inspirational athletes in all of MMA.  Deaf since birth, Hamill has persevered time and time again, earning his way to three NCAA Division III wrestling national titles before dedicating himself to MMA.

The subject of a 2010 biographical film entitled “The Hammer,” the 6-foot-2, 38-year-old owns notable wins over Tito Ortiz, Tim Boetsch, Keith Jardine and Mark Munoz, among others, and also boasts past clashes with Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin,Alexander Gustafsson, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Jon Jones.

The live NBCSN telecast of “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami” will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.

Doors at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Additional matchups will be announced soon.  The card is subject to change.
Bellator, GLORY, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

GLORY KICKBOXING ADDS LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT BETWEEN ZACK ‘THE BLACK WARRIOR’ MWEKASSA & SAULO ‘CASSIUS CLAY’ CAVALARI TO ‘BELLATOR MMA: DYNAMITE’

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Dynamite rendering

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 30, 2015) – On Saturday, September 19, Bellator MMA will present a landmark event in American combat sports history with “Bellator 142: Dynamite,” featuring Tito Ortiz taking on Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion Liam McGeary.  A spectacle so big, it will include two fields of battle – a Bellator cage and a Glory kickboxing ring, takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and airs live and free on Spike at 9/8c.

 

Today, Glory kickboxing has also added its own Light Heavyweight Championship bout to the “Bellator 142: Dynamite” docket.  Congolese power-puncher Zack “The Black Warrior” Mwekassa (13-2, 12 KO) will look for revenge against the last man to defeat him, Brazilian knockout artist Saulo “Cassius Clay” Cavalari (31-2, 19 KO), in an explosive clash that headlines the kickboxing portion of the card featured during “Bellator MMA: Dynamite.”

 

The new bout joins the previously announced fight card, which features MMA legend Ortiz (18-11) challenging Bellator’s reigning light heavyweight king, McGeary (10-0) and the four-man, one-night light heavyweight tournament to determine the No. 1 contender in the division that includes the promotional debut of Phil Davis (13-3), as well as Emanuel Newton (25-8-1), Linton Vassell (15-4-1) and the return of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (15-4, 1 NC).

 

In their previous meeting, Cavalari defeated Mwekassa in the third round with a show-stopping head kick knockout. Additional Glory kickboxing bouts and competitors for “Bellator MMA: Dynamite” will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for “Bellator 142: Dynamite” start at just $30 and are on sale now at the SAP Center box office and are also available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

 

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader.  Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.  Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

 

About Spike:

Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press.  Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

 

About GLORY:
Founded in 2012, GLORY is owned and operated by GLORY Sports International (GSI), a professional martial arts organization and television content provider that maintains offices in New York, Denver, London, Amsterdam, and Singapore. GLORY programming is seen in over 170 territories. GLORY kickboxing rules are comprised of a mix of several combat disciplines including Karate, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do and traditional Boxing. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @GLORY_WS, and visit us online at gloryworldseries.com.

 

About SAP Center in San Jose

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SAP Center at San Jose is the premier sports and entertainment venue in Northern California.  Each year, SAP Center hosts approximately 175 events featuring professional and amateur athletes, Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners, international recording artists, and a variety of performers who appeal to children and families alike.  SAP Center at San Jose is home to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League as well as the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League.  For more information about SAP Center at San Jose and for a list of upcoming events, visit the SAP Center home page atwww.sapcenter.com.

M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura to defend title Sept. 5 vs. Ante Delija in Beijing China

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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

 

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you byM-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (July 30, 2015) – M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura will defend his title September 5 against challenger Ante “The Walking Trouble” Delija, headlining M-1 Challenge 61 in Beijing, China.

 

 

                     Marcin Tybura                                            Ante Delija

M-1 Challenge 61 will be streamed live from Beijing 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.

 

The 29-year-old Tybura (12-1, 3 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) captured the coveted M-1 Challenge heavyweight title August 15, 2014, chocking out defending champion Damian Grabowskiin the opening round with theM-1 Challenge 50“Submission of the Night”.

 

The 6′ 3″, 250-pound Tybura (on top in picture to left), fighting out of Poland, successfully defended his title in his first defense last November in Beijing against previously undefeated Denis Smoldarev, using another choke hold in the first round at M-1 Challenge 53.

 

A former M-1 Challenge Grand Prix heavyweight titlist, Tybura is coming off his only professional loss this past May at M-1 Challenge 57, in which he was stopped in the third round by M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan Puetz in their “Super Fight,” due to a severely broken nose.

 

Undefeated in his last five fights, Delija (14-2-0, 5 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) is a grappling specialist from Croatia, who is coached by M-1 Challenge light heavyweight contender Maro Perak, who is headlining M-1 Challenge 60 versus Viktor Nemkov on August 5 in Orel, Russia.

 

The 6′ 5″, 250-pound Delija (standing in picture to right) won a three-round decision over veteran Konstantin Gluhov last April at M-1 Challenge 56 to earn this heavyweight title shot. Delija, 24, and Tybura have two common opponents: both defeated Gluhov – Tybura by first-round submission – Delija lost to Smoldarev by second-round submission.

 

Fights and fighters are subject to challenge. Additional bouts will soon be announced.

 

M-1 Challenge 61 will be held in association with the Beijing International Economic Forum at a unique cultural business center, Chang An No. 1 (see picture below headline), which consists of 78 palaces and villas located on 3.2 million square feet (250,00 square meters) of natural landscape.

 

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 61 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.

 

 

Upcoming Event:M-1 Challenge 60, August 5 in Orel, Russia.

 

Information

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

 

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews

@VFinkelchtein

@M1Global

 

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mixed martial arts, World Series of Fighting

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING APPOINTS SPORTS MEDIA EXECUTIVE CARLOS SILVA TO CEO POSITION

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Longtime sports media executive Carlos Silva (pictured) has been appointed the new CEO of world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) franchise World Series of Fighting.

LAS VEGAS (July 29, 2015) –World championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has appointed sports media executive Carlos Silva to the position of CEO, effectively immediately.

The former President and COO of NBCU’s Universal Sports Network and former President and COO of Back9Network, Silva has launched, operated and spearheaded the meteoric growth of sports and entertainment media properties over the course of the last 25 years.

“I am excited to join one of the premier and most dynamic combat sports franchises on the planet in World Series of Fighting. They have a tremendous team  of media and MMA industry veterans in place that works well with the blue-chip team at NBCU, our television partner that is helping us usher the company into its next chapter of growth,” said Silva.

Silva was an instrumental force behind the launch of Back9Network on DIRECTV in Sept. 2014 and, in just a two-year span, catapulted engagement of the start-up media company’s digital platform to  two million monthly unique users.

During his four-year tenure with Universal Sports Network, Silva led the expansion of NBCU’s Olympic and lifestyle sports television platform into 68 million homes, including all top 10 U.S. markets, and increased the number of unique users of its digital platform to  three million.

Earlier in his career, Silva, was a Senior Vice President with AOL Time Warner, and was responsible for developing AOL Sports, News, and Money into top premier digital destinations.  Silva also remains as a Board Advisor for PARK LANE, the premier sports investment bank in Los Angeles.

WSOF action returns to NBCSN with a five-bout, live telecast on Sat., Aug. 1, at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.  In the main event of the star-studded, world championship doubleheader extravaganza, reigning WSOF World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar “Toquino” Palhares will risk his title against two-time world champion Jake Shields, from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
mixed martial arts, World Series of Fighting

Thiago Silva Out, Clifford Starks In Against Mike Kyle at “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Saturday, August 1, Live on NBCSN from Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS (July 28, 2015) – World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that, due to a previous suspension in the state of Nevada, Thiago Silva has been declared ineligible to compete at “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” on Saturday, Aug. 1, and will be replaced by Clifford Starks, who will face off with Silva’s scheduled opponent Mike “MAK” Kyle in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest, live on NBCSN from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Due to the previous suspension, Silva must attend a future Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing.  The next hearing takes place in Aug.

“We hope that Thiago will take the steps necessary to be in compliance with the state athletic commission so that he can make a quick return to action,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo.  “In the meantime, we appreciate Clifford Starks’ willingness to take the fight against Mike Kyle on just a few days’ notice, and look forward to having him compete for us again after putting on a great show in the WSOF cage in March.”

The 34-year-old Starks (11-2) of Tempe, Ariz. is coming off a second round (4:11) submission (arm-triangle choke) of Jake Heun at WSOF 19.  The victory was Starks’ third straight and second consecutive finish.

The live, five-bout NBCSN telecast of “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

In the highly-anticipated main event, reigning WSOF World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) will square off with top-ranked challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields (31-7).

WSOF World Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) will put his title on the line in the co-main event against undefeated challenger Sheymon Moraes (7-0).

In other live NBCSN televised WSOF 22 action, fast-rising star Abubakar Nurmagomedov (9-1) will square off with undefeated finisher Jorge Moreno (4-0) at welterweight, and four-time WSOF veteran Jimmy Spicuzza (6-2) will meet submission ace Islam Mamedov (11-1) at lightweight (155 pounds).

Priced from $29.99, tickets for “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Doors at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will open on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m. PT.

MAIN CARD

WSOF World Welterweight Championship Main Event:
Rousimar Palhares (Champion) vs. Jake Shields (Challenger)

WSOF World Bantamweight Championship Co-Main Event:
Marlon Moraes (Champion) vs. Sheymon Moraes (Challenger)

Light Heavyweight: Mike Kyle vs. Clifford Starks
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno
Lightweight: Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight: Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
Flyweight: Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia
Catchweight (140 pounds): Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons
Light Heavyweight: Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa
Lightweight: Gil Guardado vs. Pete Martin
Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

FOUR PRELIMINARY BOUTS ADDED TO ‘BELLATOR 141: GUILLARD VS. GIRTZ’

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 22, 2015) – The preliminary portion of the “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” card is beginning to take shape with the addition of four fresh bouts which will stream live on Spike.com from the beautiful Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.

At the forefront of the newly signed fights is a pair of women’s featherweight scraps with Marloes “Rumina” Coenen (22-6) vs. Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe(6-4) and Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins (18-6) vs. Lissette Neri (6-2), as well as welterweight action with Curtis Millender (7-2) facing Steven “Stryker” Ciacco(4-3) and Johnny “The Tattooed Terror” Cisneros (8-4) battling Gabriel “Biel” Miglioli (9-7).

The contests will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET during the preliminary card of “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz,” which is followed by the main card, airing live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for the event, which start at just $50, are on sale now at Bellator.com, Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office. Doors for the event open at 4 p.m. PT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour later.

 

In the evening’s main event, Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) will face Brandon “Cold Roll” Girtz (11-4). The co-headliner will feature lightweight action when Saad Awad (18-6) takes on Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (13-6). Opening the main card, Lorenzo Hood (9-2) will make his Bellator MMA debut against Raphael Butler (9-1-1).

 

Coenen will be returning to the Bellator MMA cage on the heels of third round rear-naked choke finish of Annalisa Bucci at Bellator 130. “Rumina” has been competing professionally since the year 2000 in promotions the likes of Strikeforce, Smackgirl, and Invicta Fighting Championships, winning a title under Bellator President Scott Coker in the process. The Dutch competitor wants nothing more than to eventually add a Bellator belt to her mantel in the near future.

 

Standing in the way will be former World Boxing Federation titlist Arlene Blencowe, who is also riding high after an impressive stoppage of “AJ” Jenkins at Bellator 137. Popularly known as “Angerfist,” the 32-year-old Australian has not suffered defeat since 2013 and has avoided the judges’ scorecards in four of her six professional victories. This tilt has 145-pound title implications written all over it.

 

In the second women’s featherweight matchup on the card, the aforementioned “A.J.” Jenkins will attempt to get back in the win column when she faces a surging Lissette Neri, who has started off her 2015 with an undefeated record.

 

After prominent roles on the main card of both Bellator 134 and Bellator 137, Millender will look to get back to his winning ways when he faces Jackson on August 28. “Curtious” hails from San Bernardino, Calif., and has an unquestionable amount of talent and size at his disposal and will play the role of spoiler when his “Bellator MMA: Guillard vs. Girtz” opponent makes his debut.

 

With the nickname “Stryker,” it goes without saying that Steven Ciaccio has an affinity for helping his opponents find the canvas. The Irvine, Calif., native has slept his foe in three out of four wins and will be taking a significant step up in competition when he makes his Bellator MMA debut on Aug. 28.

 

The fourth preliminary bout will take place in the welterweight division, when Johnny Cisneros meets Gabriel Miglioli. “The Tattooed Terror” will be competing for the third time under the Bellator MMA umbrella and will likely have plenty of hometown support from his fellow citizens in Laguna Nigel, Calif. Hailing from Brazil, Miglioli has competed against the likes of Al Iaquinta and Rafael dos Anjos. “Biel” will be fighting for the second time in 2015.