|
|||
|
Category Archives: mixed martial arts
FIGHT NETWORK MMA, JUDO & KICKBOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (July 20-26, 2015)
|
||||||||||
|
RFA RETURNS TO THE CORNHUSKER STATE
 |
|
RFA 30 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena
in Lincoln, Nebraska
FEATURING:
Nebraska MMA Stars
Anthony Smith, Ryan Roberts, and
Darrick Minner
PLUS:
James Nakashima and Kevin Gray
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH LIVE ON AXSTV
LIVE at The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD
Tickets on Sale Friday July 31st at Ticketmaster.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) president Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return home to its roots in Nebraska with RFA 30 in September. The promotion hosted its first show in the “Cornhusker State” in December 2011 and has since promoted MMA events in 13 states across 3 time zones. RFA 30 will take place Friday, September 18th inside the state-of-the-art Pinnacle Bank Arena located in the state’s capital city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“RFA started in Nebraska and a lot of our history happened in the great “Cornhusker State”, stated Saores. “I’m happy to announce that we will be bringing the promotion back to its birthplace with RFA 30.”
Tickets for RFA 30 are available for purchase on Friday, July 31st through Ticketmaster.com. You can also support your favorite fighter buy purchasing your tickets through CageTix.com.
Scheduled to fight at RFA 30 in the RFA’s highly-anticipated return to Nebraska are three of the state’s biggest MMA stars. Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (22-11), Ryan Roberts (20-10-1), and Darrick Minner (13-4) are all slated to compete on the main card. Smith and Roberts, who are both veterans of the UFC, will be making their RFA debut in front of their home crowd. Meanwhile, Minner is a longtime RFA fan favorite. This will be his fifth appearance for the promotion.
Also scheduled to return to the “Cornhusker State” is former University of Nebraska wrestler James Nakashima. The Cornhusker wrestling standout was a main training partner of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs during their time on the wrestling mats in Lincoln. Nakashima now trains at The MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona and is widely-considered one of the most promising welterweight prospects in the sport. He will be competing for the RFA for a third time this year just like Nebraska based flyweight prospect Kevin “Pocket Herc” Gray. This will be the fourth overall appearance for Gray in the RFA.
The RFA 30 fight card, bout announcements, and further information regarding this event will be announced soon. RFA 30 will be the promotion’s sixth event to take place in Nebraska since its inception in 2011. The entire main card of RFA 30 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, September 18th.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
|
BELLATOR MMA SIGNS KERI ANNE TAYLOR-MELENDEZ TO AN EXCLUSIVE, MULTI-FIGHT KICKBOXING & MMA CONTRACT
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 24, 2015) – Bellator MMA is pleased to announce the signing of Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez to an exclusive, multi-fight deal. The 31-year-old has previously competed in kickboxing and muay Thai, but fully intends on transitioning to the sport of mixed martial arts in the future.
Taylor-Melendez will debut as a kickboxer in front of her home town on June 19 at the highly anticipated “Bellator: Dynamite”show in San Jose, Calif. An opponent for Taylor-Melendez has yet to be decided upon.
The spouse of former WEC and Strikeforce Champion Gilbert Melendez and co-owner of El Nino Training Center in San Francisco, Taylor-Melendez first took up combat sports close to 10 years ago, making a name for herself on unsanctioned cards held in the Bay Area. After racking up a 4-1 amateur record, she took her talents to the professional circuit, where she currently holds a 2-1 kickboxing record.
“I’m very honored for the opportunity to fight on such a big stage with a great promotion and promoter. I actually fought for Scott Coker before Gilbert and we both have a great relationship with him, so I feel very comfortable with this situation,” Taylor-Melendez said. “Even though I haven’t been super active as a fighter I have never really stopped training and look forward to testing my skills as a muay Thai fighter and a mixed martial artist. My goal is to go out there and do my best and make my daughter, my family and team proud.”
Fight Network Presents Battlefield Fight League 37 LIVE Saturday, July 25 at 11 p.m. ET
|
|||||
|
MAINE’S KNOCKOUT KING BACK IN THE CAGE AGAINST BLACK BELT AT NEF XIX
Lewiston, Maine (July 23, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its nineteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XIX,” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of an amateur lightweight bout to the fight card. Cory Trial (1-1) is scheduled to face the debuting Rafael Velado (0-0) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.
Trial is coming off a huge win at “NEF XVIII” last month. He knocked out Corey Hinkley (2-4) in just seven seconds of the first round. In doing so, Trial became the new holder of the NEF fastest knockout record. The finish was so brutal that Hinkley was taken from the cage on a stretcher by paramedics. Trial trains under coach Josh Parker at Ruthless MMA & Boxing in Benton, Maine. He is confident that he will repeat his knockout performance on Velado at “NEF XIX.”
“I’m excited to get back in the cage,” said Trial. “Having a seven second knockout and breaking the NEF record was nice, but it wasn’t enough. I’ve been busting my ass in the gym with the best coach and I’m ready for anything – but it’s inevitable. This fight will end the same way the last one did.”
While Rafael Velado may be making his official MMA debut at “NEF XIX,” he is no stranger to combat sports. Velado is an accomplished practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Training in the sport since 2005, Velado earned his black belt in 2012 from world famous BJJ legend, and UFC veteran, Joe Moreira. He was raised in Skowhegan, Maine and now resides in neighboring Norridgewock. Velado represents John Raio’s First Class Fitness & MMA of Brunswick, Maine.
“It’s been hard finding an amateur that will take a fight against a BJJ black belt, so I decided to call out the guy who is riding high from an impressive victory,” said Velado. “I’m sure he feels unstoppable right now, and that should make this fight very interesting. I don’t know if I would call it a classic striker versus grappler match-up, but if that’s how it’s billed, I’m not mad at that.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX,” takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX” 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.
“WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” Adds Five-Bout Preliminary Card Featuring Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
|
|||
|
LORENZO HOOD SET FOR PROMOTIONAL DEBUT AGAINST RAPHAEL BUTLER DURING MAIN CARD OF ‘BELLATOR: GUILLARD VS. GIRTZ’ ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 AT PECHANGA RESORT & CASINO
Easy Tweet: Heavyweights with KOs for days! @RealThaSilencer takes on @hood_zo at #Bellator141
August 28, at @PechangaCasino and only on @spike
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 22, 2015) – The highly anticipated promotional debut of Lorenzo “The Samoan Silverback” Hood (9-2) will come on the main card of “Bellator MMA: Guillard vs. Girtz” against Raphael “The Silencer” Butler (9-1-1) on Friday, Aug. 28 at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The contest will serve as the opening main card bout of “Bellator MMA: Guillard vs. Girtz,” which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, with preliminary bouts streaming on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the event, which start at just $50, are 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, 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 Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (13-6).
One of the most sought-after heavyweight prospects in MMA, the 6-foot-3 Hood has been competing professionally since 2009 and has never allowed a fight to go past the first round. Of his nine career victories, each and every one has come by knockout. Hood has fought throughout the U.S. while competing on the regional circuit, earning himself the distinction of being one of the top heavyweight prospects in the sport.
“The Silencer” started his combat sports career as a professional boxer, where he racked up 28 knockouts in his 35 total victories, and still trains with high caliber strikers including Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder. Butler now makes his seventh appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, his first since finishing Josh Diekmann at “Bellator MMA: British Invasion” this past February. Much like Hood, the Minnesota native has never allowed a match-up to reach the judges’ scorecards, accruing six knockouts and three submissions along the way.
With all the hype surrounding the debut of Hood, Butler will look to play the role of spoiler when he enters the Bellator MMA cage for second time in 2015.
Fight Network weekly MMA, Judo & Kickboxing programming (July 20-26)
| (U.S. only schedule. 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, July 20 7:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invice special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action. 7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game. 8:00 p.m. ET – Final Fight Championship 14 MMA: Krisic vs. Racic – Featuring Lemmy Krusic vs. Antun Racic from Oct. 3, 2014 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. 10:00 p.m. ET – Final Fight Championship 14 Kickboxing: Petje vs. Mikelic – Featuring Samo Petje vs. Teo Mikelic and Mirko Vorkapic vs. Kevin Hessling from Oct. 3, 2014 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.. Tuesday, July 21 1:30 a.m. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S. professional and amateur MMA events. 7:30 a.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game. 4:00 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. 5:00 & 5:30 p.m. ET – Xtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based pro MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans. 8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Hosts John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to break down the weekend of MMA action. 8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game. 10:00 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. 11:00 p.m. ET – Ring of Combat 50 – Featuring George Sheppard vs. Jeff Lentz, Phillipe Nover vs. Dan Cion, Julio Arce vs. Thomas Vasquez and Chris Piriz vs. Leo Muniz from Jan. 23, 2015 in Atlantic City, NJ. Wednesday, July 22 3:00 a.m. ET – Texas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage. 6:00 p.m. ET – Best of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the UK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Victor Belfort, Paul Daley and others. 7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature. 7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game. 8:00 p.m. ET – Cage Warriors FC: Fight Night 6 – Featuring MMA action from Qatar featuring international stars and up-and-coming prospects. 11:00 p.m. ET – MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews. 11:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews. Thursday, July 23 1:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 17: Kings of the Cage – Featuring Ben Smith vs. Irving Daniels from Dec. 4, 2010 in London. 3:30 a.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others. 6:00 p.m. ET – Championship 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 at a higher level. 8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features. 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. ET – GFC 5: Saki vs. Ciobanu – Pro kickboxing from Dubai, U.A.E., featuring Gokhan Saki vs. Sebastien Ciobanu, plus Steve McKinnon vs. Zabit Samedov and Jafar Ahmadi vs. Danyo Ilunga. Friday, July 24 12:00 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 Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai and Gerard Mousasi. 5:00 a.m. ET – Best of Jewels – Classic fights from the all-female Japanese MMA League, Jewels. 12:00 p.m. ET – Bookie Beatdown – Preview of the betting lines and top picks for major UFC events. 5:00 p.m. ET – UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 Weigh-ins – LIVE coverage of official weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 6:00 p.m. ET — M-1 Challenge– Pro MMA from Europe and Russia featuring top prospects and international stars. 7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features. 7:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game. 8:00 p.m. ET – UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 Pre-Show – Pre-fight coverage and analysis for UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 in Chicago. 8:30 p.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures. Saturday, July 25 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. ET – UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 Pre-Show – Pre-fight coverage and analysis for UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 in Chicago. 6:00 a.m. ET – Best of TKO – Featuring Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar from TKO 24. 7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Keith Jardine vs. Amir Rahnavardi from Gladiator Challenge 5. 8:30 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others. 4:00 p.m. ET – Deep: 70 Impact– Featuring Yoshiyuki Nakanisho vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura and Yuta Watanabe vs. Yuya Shirai from, Dec. 21, 2014 in Tokyo. 8:00 p.m. ET – Enfusion Live #30 Dublin: Philpott vs. Jaraya – Featuring Alan Philpott vs. Mohammed Jaraya and Ilias Bulaid vs., Simon Santana in championship fights from July 11, 2105 in Dublin, Ireland. 10:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others. 11:00 p.m. ET – Battlefield Fight League 37 – LIVE MMA from Coquitlam, BC, Canada, featuring Jeremy Kennedy vs. Kyle Nelson and Ryan Janes vs. Brendan Kornberger in championship fights. Sunday, July 26 6:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others. 1:00 p.m. ET – Australian Fighting Championship 9 – Featuring Corey Nelson vs. Callan Potter and Gustavo Falciroli vs. Kaiwhare Kara-France from May 17, 2014 in New South Eales, Austrailia. 11:00 a.m. ET – Best of ADCC – Featuring 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. ET – Elite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters taking on the renowned Thai National Team 5:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET – USA Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casber gives weekly news and analysis centering around USA Wrestling, the sport’s national governing body, including interviews, features, and a look back at the past. 5:30 p.m. ET – Judo Dusseldorf Grand Prix 2015 – Highlights from the Judo Dusseldorf Grand Slam – Highlights from the Judo Dusseldorg Grand Tokyo Grand Prix from Feb. 20-22 in Germany. 11:00 p.m. ET – Enfusion Live #24: Lazaar vs. Venneste – Featuring Ismael Lazaar vs. Thomas Vanneste for the Enfusion heavyweight world title from Feb. 7, 2015 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
INFORMATION:
Twitter & Instagram @fightnet
|
 |
| ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK: Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes in the U.S. and Canada, streamed live on website KlowdTV.com, and available on all major carriers in Canada and more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. |
MMA LIVE – THIS SATURDAY- TUCSON
|
||||||
|
