Tag Archives: Mixed Martial Arts

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, New England Fights

POPULAR DEMAND WINS OUT; IMMEDIATE REMATCH ORDERED FOR NEF 21

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Lewiston, Maine (December 2, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The fight card is scheduled to feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts.  Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur female strawweight fight to the MMA portion of the card.  Randi Beth Boyington (1-2) is scheduled to face Erin Lamonte (5-0).

 

The bout will be a rematch from “NEF XX” last month in Lewiston.  The previous fight ended with a first-round submission victory for Lamonte.  Veteran referee John English stopped the bout when it appeared as though Lamonte had an armbar locked in deep on Boyington.  Per the Unified Rules of Amateur MMA, as adopted in Maine, a referee is allowed to stop a bout on a technical submission to prevent injury to a fighter.

 

Shortly after English stopped the fight, Boyington popped out of the armbar and began to vehemently protest the call.  Her fans and supporters in the audience were incensed.  They contended that Boyington was in the process of breaking free of the hold, and therefore the fight should have continued.

 

“Before the next fight even made it to the cage, we had at least a half-dozen messages on our Facebook page demanding a rematch,” recalled NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo.  “Our fans are passionate.  If the fans want it, and the fighters want it, then we will do a rematch.  It’s as simple as that.”

 

The February 6th rematch will not be the first time a Boyington has had the opportunity to avenge a controversial submission finish in the NEF cage.  Randi’s husband and trainer, current NEF MMA Professional MMA Lightweight Champion Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (12-8), defeated John “First Class” Raio (2-8) earlier this year via second-round TKO.  That bout was a rematch of a February 2014 fight in which Raio submitted Bruce in a controversial stoppage by referee Jimmy Bickford.

 

Lamonte sees things quite differently, and is certain that she will defeat Randi for the second time at “NEF 21.”

 

“I’m excited to get back in there with Randi Beth for NEF 21,” said Lamonte.  “I submitted her in front of her fans once before, I sure don’t mind doing it again. This time I will lose the empathy factor as I see the ref circling, and I’ll just go at the finish 100%. She should be thanking me and the ref that she wasn’t maimed that night. I could be a poor sport and say a few things about Randi, as she and her fans have about me and the finish, but my mother taught me better than that.February 6th, I will prove, again, who the better fighter is in the NEF cage.”

 

I’m ecstatic to be closed in the cage with Erin Lamonte on Feb 6th,” exclaimed Randi Beth Boyington when reached for comment.  “I’ll be returning with a vengeance to correct a fight that was stopped too early. I’m looking to end this fight the way it should have ended on November 21st because my parents taught me: when you start something, finish it!”

 

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.

Fight Network, Judo, martial arts, mixed martial arts, wrestling

FIGHT NETWORK MMA, KICKBOXING, WRESTLING & JUDO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2015)

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(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. 30
6:00 p.m. ET — Global Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casber 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. ET – Judo Zagreb Grand Prix Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Zagreb Grand Prix from May 1-3, 2015 in Croatia.
7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – GFL Greatest Knockouts – Compilation show of boxing, MMA and kickboxing knockouts.
11:00 ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
 
Tuesday, Dec. 1
12:00 p.m. ET – GFL Greatest Knockouts – Compilation show of boxing, MMA and kickboxing knockouts.
2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
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. 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.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others.
10:00 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, Dec. 2
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. ET – Best 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. 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 Fighting Championships 63 – Featuring Stevie Ray vs. Ivan Buchinger for the lightweight title, plus Jim Alers vs. Graham Turner for the featherweight title from Dec. 31, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
10:30 p.m. ET – Cage Contender FanZone – A trip into the archives of the UK-based Cage Contender to relive the promotion’s best fights and highlights.
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 – World Combat Games Day 1 Highlights – Highlights from Day 1 of the 2013 SportAccord World Combat Games from Oct. 19, 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia,
 
Thursday, Dec. 3
1:30 a.m., 4:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.
2:00 a.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 36: Kinslow vs. Chapman – Featuring Carl Kinslow vs. Nick Chapman from Oct. 5, 2013 in London.
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.
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. ET – KSW 33: Khalidov vs. Materia – Featuring Mamed Khalidov vs. Michal Materia for the KSW middleweight title and Michael Kita vs. Karol Bedorf for the KSW heavyweight title from Nov. 28, 2015 in Krakow, Poland.
 
Friday, Dec. 4
12:00 a.m. ET — It’s Showtime Special – The world’s premier kickboxing organization featuring Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Giorgio Petrosyan.
12:30 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge 63: Puetz vs. Nemkov 2 – LIVE MMA from St. Petersburg, Russia, featuring Stephan Puetz defending his M-1 light heavyweight title vs. Viktor Nemkov.
5:00 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.
6:00 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge – Pro MMA from Europe featuring top rising prospects and international stars.
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 – Toe 2 Toe with Luke Rockhold – Sitdown interview with current UFC star and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
8:30 p.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m vy 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.
9:00 p.m. ET – KSW 28: Fighters’ Den – Featuring Karol Bedorf vs. Rolles Gracie for the KSW heavyweight title from Oct. 4, 2014 in Szcecin, Poland.
 
Saturday, Dec. 5
6:00 a.m. ET — Best of TKO – Featuring Shonie Carter vs. Jason MacDonald from TKO 21.
7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Joe Stevenson vs. Kai Kamaka from Gladiator Challenge 2.
8:00 a.m. ET – Best 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.
5:00 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.
6:00 p.m. ET – Enfusion Live #34: Holland – Featuring Artur Kyshenko vs. Hicham El Gaoul, plus Ilias Bulaid vs. Houcine Bennoui for the Enfusion -67 kg world championship from Nov. 21, 2015.
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. ET – M-1 Challenge 63: Puetz vs. Nemkov 2 – Featuring Stephan Puetz defending his M-1 light heavyweight title vs. Viktor Nemkov from Dec. 4, 2015 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
 
Sunday, Dec. 6
11:00 a.m. ET – Best 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. 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 Thailand National Team.
1:00 p.m. ET – Legend 3: Pour Homme – Featuring hybrid MMNA/kickboxing action from Milan, Italy, including Armen Petrosyan, Andy Souwer and Pavel Zhuravlev and Paul Daley from Apr. 5, 2014.
5:00 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.
5:30 p.m. ET – Judo Baku Grand Slam – Highlights from the Judo Baku Grand Slam from May 8-10, 2015 in Azerbaijan
6:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend FFC, M-1 and more.
Information:
Twitter & Instagram @fightnet
mixed martial arts

RIZIN FF Announces Tournament Brackets, Matchups for Eight-Man Heavyweight Tournament on December 29 and 31 

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Fighters comment on the highly-anticipated tournament that will award its winner a $300,000 grand prize

TOKYO, JAPAN (Nov. 30, 2015) –A drawing to determine the tournament brackets and first stage matchups for the RIZIN FIGHTING GRAND-PRIX 2015 eight-man, heavyweight tournament that will take place over the course of two days – December 29 and December 31 – and will award its winner a grand prize of $300,000, was held today in Tokyo.

BAMMA Heavyweight Champion Mark Godbeer, who had been scheduled to compete in the tournament, was forced to withdraw due to a neck injury sustained in training. BAMMA will announce a replacement fighter for the tournament soon.

Prior to the drawing, Chairman Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated, “This tournament will be the highlight of RIZIN. Fighters from around the world who are proud to represent their promotion and country, and are eager to use this platform to boost their career to make a name for themselves have gathered in the tournament. The majority of the media who gathered today may not know much about these athletes, but when K-1 first kicked off in 1993, nobody knew about Branko Cikatić or Mike Bernardo. The fighters who open up the new doors are those who exceed their expectations.”

The seven contestants slated for tournament action appeared at the press conference.  Each drew an envelope  numbered one through seven, and those who drew numbers one through four received the opportunity to choose their respective places in the tournament draw.

The first stage tournament matchups will be as follows:

Bout # 1: Lawal vs BAMMA fighter
Bout # 2: Aukstuolis vs Cappelozza,
Bout # 3  Ishii vs Prochazka,
Bout # 4: Reljic vs Nemkov.

A tournament reserve bout between Valentine Moldovsky and Yuta Uchida was also announced during the press conference.

Fighter Quotes:

– 1st Pick = “King Mo” Lawal – selected Slot A

“I am honored to fight for RIZIN. I am excited to showcase my skills in front of the Japanese fans and get the job done. I’m happy to be able to pick number one. I’m always number one. I’m in a position where others will pick me, my job is to crush whoever stands next to me.”

““I currently don’t have an opponent, but I’m sure that BAMMA will send a good fighter for me. But unfortunately whoever comes will get smashed so he better be prepared. I think Ishii made a smart choice by avoiding me and my bracket. Good for him.”

“That’s a lot of money! I’d buy a bunch of ice cream, some nice clothes, and go to Disney World and see a bunch of movies. I’d go to Vegas and party, and buy tons of gold accessories.”
– 2nd Pick = Teodoras Aukstuolis (BUSHIDO Europe Champion) – selected Slot C

“I am grateful to be given such an opportunity. At this level of competition, you have to be ready to fight anybody so I don’t care who my opponent will be. I believe in myself and am ready to fight anybody.”

“For me, becoming the champion in more important than the money. Money will follow as a result of being a true champion. My mind is set to win the tournament.”

“The reason why I am here is because I believe in myself. I will fight to represent my small country. My opponent has wild striking but there is no reason why I would lose. I will put on a show and come out victorious.”

– 3rd Pick =  Goran Reljic (Former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion) – selected Slot G

“I don’t care who fights me. My dream since I was a kid was to fight in Japan, and I am living the dream right now, my goal is to show my best performance on New Years Eve.”

“I like the matchup. I’ve been training with Sambo world champion Blagoi Ivanov and am familiar with the Sambo fight style. I know he comes from a great team, but I will be ready to take anything he has to offer so it will be a good fight.”

“I am living a childhood dream. I am more focused on continuing my journey on my dream to become a champion in Japan. I will think of what to do with the money once I achieve my goal.”

–  4th Pick = Satoshi Ishii (Beijing Olympics Judo Gold medalist) – selected Slot E

“Preparation is good. I will not feel that a fight is a fight, the battle on NYE has just begun.”

“My plan is to invest half of the prize money in gambling and will donate the rest.”

“This was a good offer that I could not turn down. An MMA tournament, Good opponents, good prize money. I don’t want to focus too much on winning the tournament because that will affect my mental game, so I will focus on one fight at a time.”

– 5th Pick = Bruno Cappelozza (Jungle Fight 100kg Champion) – selected Slot D

“I really don’t know any of the fighters here today, so I will choose my opponent and hope I’m lucky.”

“That type of big money will change my life and my family’s life. And also becoming a champion. Those two aspects will be huge accomplishments for me.”

“It has been my dream to fight in Japan. I do not know too much about my opponent, but I’m sure we will both be prepared for an exciting fight. I think this will be an excellent fight.”

– 6th Pick = Vadim Nemkov (MMA Union Heavyweight Champion) – selected Slot H

“I will be representing Sambo. I would like to show the beauty of Sambo and the art of Sambo.”

– 7th Pick = Jiri Prochazka (GCF Czech Light Heavyweight Champion) – selected Slot F“I am very excited to be able to show my skills in a country where the Samurai was born. I will not disappoint you.”

“Everybody here is tough. Since I will be fighting the hometown favorite, my fight will be gathering attention. I would like to use this opportunity and this challenge to become the next big thing.”

“It is so much money I do not know where to start. I believe that the money will come later. So as of now, my focus is to give it all I have to make RIZIN proud that they chose me for a participant.”

General Manager Nobuhiko Takada took the microphone after the drawing, “I am feeling a familiar, comfortable yet tense atmosphere right now. I am just excited to witness the birth of future stars. I hope Ishii can perform in a way where he will make us Japanese fans proud. Ishii’s first accomplishment was winning the gold medal, but we have not seen any outstanding results from him in MMA. I really hope he can use this opportunity to achieve the biggest accomplishment of his career.”
Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BELLATOR MMA ANNOUNCES FIRST OVERSEAS EVENT TO TAKE PLACE AT PALA ALPITOUR IN TORINO, ITALY ON APRIL 16, 2016

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Coker and Di Blasi

Above: Scott Coker and Carlo Di Blasi

 

PARIS (Nov. 27, 2015) – Not even an entire month after announcing plans to host multiple international events in 2016, Bellator MMA has come out with a date and location for its first foray across the pond. Bellator MMA President Scott Coker joined Oktagon Kickboxing President Carlo Di Blasi in Paris this afternoon to announce a co-promoted event set to take place on April 16 at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy.

The event will feature both Bellator MMA and Oktagon Kickboxing bouts, with the Bellator MMA portion airing in the United States on SPIKE. Exact broadcast information and fight card will be announced in the near future.  Tickets for the event will be available at www.oktagon.it beginning December 14th 2015.

“We are very excited to be working side by side with my friend Carlo Di Blasi and his team,” said Coker. “Carlo is a great ally, and someone who I admire for all of the amazing work he has done in combat sports throughout Europe over the past twenty years.  We look forward to putting on an amazing show for the Italian people, and fans tuning in from around the world when we combine our efforts on April 16 in Torino”

“Oktagon has had incredible success building a loyal and committed fanbase throughout Europe over the past twenty years,” said Di Blasi. “I know that these fans are going to really enjoy the exciting brand of MMA that Bellator offers when we partner with them on April 16.”

In conjunction with the fight announcement, Bellator MMA has signed one of Italy’s most notable mixed martial artists, Alessio Sakara (17-11, 2 NC MMA / 8-1 Boxing), who is expected to fight at the event. Sakara has competed as a middleweight, but recently returned to light heavyweight, scoring a TKO victory just 1:32 into his last outing this past September.  The tattooed striker has always performed well in front of his countrymen, going 6-0 in MMA and 6-1 in boxing when fighting in Italy, and looks to add onto that success next April.

Bellator has had a record-shattering year in 2015 with Coker at the helm, powered by several major events including “Bellator: Kimbo vs. Shamrock,” which generated 2.9 million viewers and “Bellator: Dynamite 1,” which set company records for attendance and gate. The event in Torino marks Bellator’s first-ever event overseas, but it won’t be the last. In addition to the Torino event, Bellator MMA has announced plans for additional international events in London and Israel slated for 2016.

Oktagon Kickboxing has been a mainstay in combat sports for 20 years now, officially founded in 1996.  Under the watchful eye of Di Blasi, the promotion has put on some memorable matchups throughout the years with top fighters including Bellator welterweight Paul Daley as well as The Petrosyan brothers (Giorgio and Armen), Robin Van Roosmalen, Valentijn Overeem, Rico Verhoeven and Artem Levin.

mixed martial arts, MMA, UFC

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

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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.
Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

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

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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)

mixed martial arts, World Series of Fighting

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.
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Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

NEW ENGLAND FIGHTS ANNOUNCES THE RESULTS OF NEF XX

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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.

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

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

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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.