TORONTO | NEW YORK (April 7, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a pair of exciting mixed martial arts events this Friday, April 10, beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET with M-1 Challenge 56 from Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, followed by a one-hour tape delay broadcast of RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 11 p.m. ET.
In the M-1 Challenge 56 main event, a much anticipated rematch pits M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky against challenger Ramazan Emeev, plus M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger faces Aliyar Sarkerov.
Fight Network’s live broadcast of M-1 Challenge 56 will air on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (Note: RFA 25 will not be available on Fight Network’s U.S. feed)
In their first fight last September, Vasilevsky captured the belt from Emeev by way of fourth-round stoppage from punches, while Buchinger captured the vacant title with a fourth-round stoppage of Tural Ragimov in the “Fight of the Night” this past October. Buchinger hasn’t lost a fight in nearly 3 ½ years, winning seven in a row and 10 of his last 11.
The fight card for M-1 Challenge 56 includes:
-Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-2) vs. Ramazan Emeev (11-3) – M-1 middleweight title
-Ivan Buchinger (28-4) vs. Aliyar Sarkerov (13-4) – M-1 featherweight title
-Konstantin Gluhov (28-15) vs. Ante Delija (12-2)
-Valery Myasnikov (8-1) vs. Kristijan Perak (8-1)
-Javier Fuentes (2-1) vs. Nikolay Kaushansky (6-1)
-Rakhman Makhazhiev (2-1) vs. Alexey Makhno (8-3)
Airing at 11 p.m. ET following Fight Network’s weekly Canadian premiere of IMPACT Wrestling, RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer will feature a main event between RFA featherweight champion Justin “The American Kidd” Lawrence and No. 1 contender “Super” Sam Toomer, who will be looking to keep his undefeated record intact. In the co-main event, Gabriel “Zangief” Checco meets fellow Brazilian Francisco “Kiko” France for the middleweight title.
The fight card for RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer includes:
-Justin Lawrence (6-2) vs. Sam Toomer (9-0) – RFA featherweight title
-Gabriel Checco (8-1) vs. Francisco France (11-3-1) – RFA middleweight title
-TJ Hepburn (4-0) vs. LaRue Barley (5-0)
-Khalil Rountree (2-0) vs. Cameron Olson (2-0)
-Jordon Larson (5-1) vs. Jarrod ‘LHeureux (7-1)
-Josh Rave (21-11) vs. Geane Herrera (6-0)
On Saturday, April 11, catch the UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 main card live on Fight Network in Canada at 3 p.m. ET. Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the main card on Saturdayafternoon with Fight Network’s UFC Pre-Show Live at 2 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
