Tag Archives: Mixed Martial Arts

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

M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Nate “The Train” Landwehr To make first title defense vs. Andrey Lezhnev

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M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau, Dec. 15, in Kazakhstan
Nate Landwehr is excited to make his first title defense
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (November 28, 2018) — M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Nate “The Train” Landwehr will make his first title defense December 15, headlining M-1 Global’s final event of the year – M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau– versus challenger Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev, in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.
M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau will be live-streamed from Kazakhstan 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 the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets. M-1 Challenge 97 will also be is available onwww.FITE.TV(preliminary card is free, $7.99 for the main card).
 
This will mark the first M-1 Global show in Kazakhstan in three years, since M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of the Nomads 5 in Astana, in which Russian star Sergei Kharitonov knocked out American Kenny Garner in the first round.
The 30-year-old Landwehr (11-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), fighting out of the Nashville suburb of Clarksville, Tennessee, captured the coveted M-1 Challenge featherweight title belt this past June at M-1 Challenge 95 in Nazran, Ingushetia, Russia. The entertaining American fighter stopped defending champion Khamzat Dalgiev on punches in the second round. Dalgiev was making his first title defense, after he shocked the MMA world by knocking out longtime M-1 champion Ivan Buchinger in the opening round.
  “The Train” keeps rollin’
In two other M-1 fights that set-up his title shot, Landwehr won a split decision over Viktor Kolesnik at M-1 Challenge 85, preceded by a third-round stoppage of Mikhail Korobkovvia punches at M-1 Challenge 83.
“Make no mistake,” Lanwehr said, “I want to put an ass whooping on everyone in the division. Lezhnev is just the next in line. Don’t think of me as just the champion, think of me as the baddest S.O.B that can make 145 pounds. I will be coming at him as if I am still a hungry challenger trying to make a statement to become a champion.
“I would love to have a tournament with all the contenders. We’d all fight multiple times on one night against everyone and the last man standing is crowned King. But, for now, I will fight who M-1 feels is the next contender. If you have a problem with that, then it means you are not as impressive as a fighter as you think. Because I convinced them in two fights that I was the one for the job and I got the job done in my third (M-1) fight.
Fighting out of Ukraine, Lezhnev (18-7-0, M-1; 6-3-0) earned this title shot by winning nine of his last 10 fights, including the last three in a row. His victims include another U.S., Lee “American Bulldog” Morrison, who lost a unanimous decision to Lezhnev at M-1 Challenge 69 in 2016.
Andrey Lezhnev has earned his title shot against Lanwehr
“Landwehr is a typical brawler with nice cardio,” Lezhnev commented. “Everybody who plays by his rules loses. He is also very provocative, he loves creating the hype around him. For a long time, he tried to avoid this fight, challenging guys who passed their prime, because he understood he had no chances against me. But now the time has come to beat that hype out of him.”
All fights and fighters are subject to change. Additional M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyraufights will soon be announced.
INFORMATION:

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Dec. 15 – M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau: Landwehr vs. Lezhnev in Atyrau, Kazakhstan
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES  “COPA COMBATE” TOURNAMENT ALTERNATE BOUTS FOR ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN $100,000 GRAND PRIZE SHOWDOWN AT SAVE MART CENTER IN FRESNO, CALIF. ON FRIDAY, DEC. 7

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COMBATE AMERICAS’ BIGGEST MMA EVENT OF 2018   
“COPA COMBATE”
MARKS FIRST ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT IN CALIFORNIA, AIRS LIVE ON DAZN, UNIVISION AND UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK

ALSO:
FEATURED WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CONTEST PITS
MARIA BUZAGLO VS. CORINA HERRERA  

TICKETS FOR “COPA COMBATE” ON SALE NOW

NEW YORK  – November 27, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a pair of “alternate” bouts for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament that will award its featherweight (145 pounds) winner of three consecutive bouts a $100,000 grand prize at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 7.

 

The second annual “COPA COMBATE” tournament airs live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), and marks the first time in history that California State will sanction a one-night, eight-man MMA tournament.

 

In one of two tournament alternate bouts announced today, Michael Irizarry (9-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico will take on Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (8-5) of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and in the second alternate bout, Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1) of Las Vegas, Nev., USA will face off with” Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) of Las Vegas via Guatemala City, Guatemala.

 

Should any of the winners of the four quarterfinal stage tournament bouts be unable to re-enter La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, for his semifinal stage bout due to injury sustained in quarterfinal stage action, one of the two tournament alternate bout winners will replace the injured competitor in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

 

Also announced today was a featured women’s strawweight (115 pounds) contest between unbeaten Maria Buzaglo (1-0) of Lima, Peru and relentless battler Corina Herrera (3-4-1) of Porterville, Calif., USA.

 

The “COPA COMBATE” tournament field features eight previously announced fighters, representing eight different countries: Andres “The Bullet” Quintana(15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA; Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay; and Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain; Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American MMA pioneer Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile; undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia; and powerhouse Marlon “Deriko Siete”  Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.

 

The tournament brackets and quarterfinal stage tournament matchups will be announced this week.

 

In “COPA COMBATE” preliminary bout action announced today, local police officer Evan “Pitbull” Solorio (3-2) of Fresno will face off with Jimmy “Mamba” Molina (0-0) of Spokane, Wash., USA in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

 

In a battle of two professional debut competitors, Albert Gonzales (0-0) of Fresno will collide with James Porter (0-0) of Fresno.

 

Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.

 

Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

 

 

# # #

Bellator, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

TWO TITLES ON THE LINE AT BELLATOR 214 IN L.A. ON JANUARY 26

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GEGARD MOUSASI DEFENDS BELLATOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST UNBEATEN RAFAEL LOVATO JR.

 

LOS ANGELES – The co-main event of Bellator’s return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 26 will see reigning middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) defend his title against undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0).

 

 

 

The main event of the card will feature the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the greatest heavyweight of all-time Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) faces current light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader (26-5) for the Bellator world heavyweight title. A recently added featherweight bout will pit super-prospect Aaron Pico (4-1) against the always-tough Henry Corrales (16-3). Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

Tickets for Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader are on sale now and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and will be simulcast live on DAZN. Preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.

 

 

 

Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Gegard Mousasi will be looking to follow-up his decisive TKO victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 in what will be his second title defense since becoming champion earlier this year. “The Dreamcatcher” is currently in the midst of an impressive eight-fight win streak that dates back to 2016. The 33-year-old judo black belt has dominated the stacked middleweight class since signing with Bellator in 2017, collecting three victories in as many bouts, including a pair of knockouts against Rafael Carvalho and MacDonald in both of his world title fights. The former Strikeforce champion, who debuted in impressive fashion against Alexander Shlemenko, now looks to extend his current win streak and defend the middleweight belt for the second time in just five months.

 

 

 

Rafael Lovato Jr. will be making his sixth appearance for Bellator, a bout where not only will the 35-year-old’s unblemished mark of 9-0 be on the line, but also a world championship belt. Since signing with the Viacom-owned promotion in 2017, the Oklahoma City-based fighter has tallied five wins and four finishes, three of which came in the opening round, including his most recent submission win over top middleweight contender John Salter at Bellator 205. A fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the former Legacy FC middleweight champ will finally have his shot at Bellator gold when he takes on current 185-pound champion Mousasi in the co-main event of Bellator’s return to Los Angeles on Jan. 26.

 

 

 

Updated Bellator: Fedor vs. Bader Fight Card:

 

 

Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1NC) vs. Ryan Bader (26-5)

Middleweight World Title Bout: Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0)

Featherweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (4-1) vs. Henry Corrales (16-3)

 

 

 

Updated Preliminary Card:

 

 

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (9-6) vs. Richard Leroy (7-1)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jorge Juarez (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (Pro Debut)

 

 

 

*Card subject to change

 

 

 

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

NEF FINISHES 2018 SEASON WITH SOLD-OUT EVENT IN PORTLAND

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NEF FINISHES 2018 SEASON WITH SOLD-OUT EVENT IN PORTLAND

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (November 18, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) held its most recent mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 36: Battle for the Gold,” on Saturday night at Aura in Portland, Maine.  The event officially sold-out days prior to doors opening.  It was the fifth and final NEF event of the 2018 season, and what many in attendance insisted was the standout show of the year.

In the main event, Ryan Sanders (18-9) put the NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Title on the line against Jacob Bohn (7-6).  Sanders retained the championship after the cageside doctor stopped the fight due to a cut on Bohn’s head in the second round.

History was made when Ras Hylton (3-2) and Yorgan De Castro (3-0) faced off to crown the first-ever NEF MMA Professional Cruiserweight Champion in the co-main event.  De Castro captured the strap in dramatic fashion with a violent first-round knockout of Hylton.

Matt Probin (3-0) made his long-awaited NEF debut against Lionel Young (7-16).  Probin remained undefeated in his professional career when he forced a referee stoppage to strikes early in the second round.

In the opening fight of the evening, Taylor Thompson (3-0) and Catie Denning (1-1) waged an absolute war that had the entire crowd on its feet to kick off the amateur card.  Thompson won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Later on in the amateur card, Megan Rosado (0-1) and Glory Watson (2-0) battled back and forth in another crowd-pleasing thriller that went the distance.  Watson was victorious via split decision in a very close fight.

In the third and final women’s fight of the evening, Chelsea Tucker (1-3) picked up the first win of her amateur career with a late-fight technical knockout of BJ Garceau (1-1).

Zac Richard (3-0) remained undefeated with a first-round submission of Chris Lachcik (0-2).  It was a fight that Richard had dedicated to the memory of his older sister Lacey who passed away from cancer six years ago this weekend at the age of 23.

Likewise, in a post fight interview, an emotional Henry Clark (5-4) dedicated his victory over Killian Murphy (1-2) to a friend of his named Justin who recently passed away.

NEF further announced that its next event, “NEF 37: SUB ZERO,” would originate from the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine on Friday, February 1, 2019.  The main event will feature Josh “Hook On” Harvey (5-0-1) and Bill “Jonesi” Jones (13-11) squaring off for the vacant NEF MMA Professional Featherweight Title.

The full results from Portland, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL MMA

Ryan Sanders def. Jacob Bohn via doctor stoppage, round 2

Yorgan De Castro def. Ras Hylton via knockout, round 1

Jose Lugo def. Ernesto Ornelas via rear-naked choke, round 1

Matt Probin def. Lionel Young via technical knockout, round 2

 

AMATEUR MMA

Chelsea Tucker def. BJ Garceau via technical knockout, round 3

Henry Clark def. Killian Murphy via unanimous decision

Nate Boucher def. Jordan Young via tap to rear-naked choke, round 1

Zac Richard def. Chris Lachcik via tap to rear-naked choke, round 1

Glory Watson def. Megan Rosado via split decision

Ben Peters def. Brandon Maillet-Fevens via verbal submission to Kimura, round 1

Felipe Günter def. Schuyler Vaillancourt via tap to rear-naked choke, round 2

Mohammad Al Kinani def. Clifford Redman via TKO, round 1

Jordan Norman def. Jon Assam via split decision

Taylor Thompson def. Catie Denning via unanimous decision

 

NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 37: SUB ZERO,” will take place on Friday, February 1, 2019 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine with a bell time of 8 pm.  Tickets are on-sale now atwww.CrossInsuranceCenter.com now with pre-sale code “NEF.”

boxing, FFC, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, MMA

Kickboxing Rocks The Dome at FFC 34

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Petje Retains FFC Lightweight Title After 5 Round War With Gazani

Photo: Bruno Gazani (left) takes a body kick from FFC Lightweight Kickboxing Champion Samo Petje (right)
 
Photo courtesy: Sergey Baranov/Final Fight Championship

 

Las Vegas, NV, (November 17, 2018) – The Main Event of “FFC 34” featured an unforgettable Kickboxing title bout that was filled with non-stop action for all five championship rounds.

 

 

 

Samo Petje (36-6-1) retained his FFC Lightweight Kickboxing Title by defeating a very game challenger, Bruno Gazani (60-7-0), by majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 46-48).

 

 

 

As advertised, these two warriors (Gazani and Petje) went toe-to-toe in a very entertaining Main Event that had no shortage of crowd-pleasing highlights and thrilling moments. Gazani came forward and pressed the action for most of the night, using his solid boxing skills to his advantage. Petje was able to counter with high knees and vicious body kicks that ultimately led to the majority decision victory. It looked as if Gazani had knocked Petje down in the fifth round but it was ultimately ruled as a slip.

 

 

 

The night’s Co-Main Event, was another war that featured two MMA Heavyweights standing and striking for three straight rounds. Tony “Hulk” Johnson (12-4-1) defeated D.J. “Da Protégé” Linderman (21-15-0) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in what was an absolute slugfest. Linderman suffered a large cut above his right eye early on in the fight and despite the constant stream of blood running down his face, he still decided to stand in the pocket and trade blows with Johnson.

 

 

 

Kevin “Thunderstorm” Johnson (6-1-0) went the distance with Isaac Luna (3-1-0) in their Super Lightweight Boxing bout. Keys won by unanimous decision (59-55, 58-56, 59-55) in an exciting fight where Luna kept coming forward and forcing Johnson to engage all night long. Johnson countered well and was able to use crisp combinations to get the decision.

 

 

 

In a Kickboxing Catchweight matchup, Meletis “Nightmare” Kakoubavas (33-7-0) caught Jermaine “J.J.” Soto (24-7-0) with a high right kick to the side of Soto’s head at the fifty-two second mark of round two of their three round fight. The fight was stopped after Soto rose to his feet from the canvas, resulting in a TKO victory for Kakoubavas.

 

 

 

The night began with Heavyweight Zac Cavender (1-0-0) winning his professional MMA debut with a first round TKO victory over Marius Cantoneru (0-2-0). Cavender’s ground and pound worked to perfection as a series of fists to the side of Cantoneru’s head caused the stoppage at the 2:30 mark of round one.

 

 

 

“FFC 34 promised to deliver action-packed fights, and as advertised, that is exactly what we delivered to our fans,” said FFC CEO/Founder, Orsat Zovko. “All of our fights, in every discipline, were competitive and that is what this Fight Dome experience is all about.”

 

 

 

“FFC 34” took place at its permanent home, “Fight Dome”, which is located at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas. The event aired nationwide on CBS Sports Network, and Claro Sports in Mexico and Latin America.

 

 

 

Final Fight Championship (FFC) is the first and only professional combat sports franchise offering fans a unique ‘multi-discipline’ experience (Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA), where every event culminates with a championship title bout. All FFC events take place inside “Fight Dome” at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas, the all-new mecca of combat sports.

 

 

 

 

Complete “FFC 34” MMA results below:

 

 

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS

 

 

 

(KICKBOXING) FFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Samo Petje (36-6-1), Ljubljana, Slovenia

Win by Majority Draw, 5 Rds. (47-47, 47-47, 46-48)

Bruno Gazani (60-7-0), Sao Paulo, Brazil

(Petje Retains FFC Middleweight Title)

 

 

 

(MMA) HEAVYWEIGHTS

Tony Johnson Jr. (12-4-1), Nashville, TN

Win by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rds. (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

D.J. Linderman (21-15-0), Yreka, CA

 

 

 

(BOXING) SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS

Kevin Johnson (6-1-0), Las Vegas, NV

Win by Unanimous Decision, 6 Rds. (59-55, 58-56, 59-55)

Isaac Luna (3-1-0), El Paso, TX

 

 

 

(KICKBOXING) LIGHTWEIGHTS

Meletis Kakoubavas (33-7-0), Athens, Greece

Win by TKO, Referee Stoppage, (:52 – 2nd Rd.)

Jermaine Soto (24-7-0), Los Angeles, CA

 

 

 

(MMA) HEAVYWEIGHTS

Zac Cavender (1-0-0), Tooele, UT (Pro Debut)

Win by TKO, Punches, (2:30 – 1st Rd.)

Marius Cantoneru (0-2-0), Las Vegas, NV

 

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

BELLATOR 209: PITBULL vs. SANCHEZ RESULTS & PHOTOS

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Full Event Photos

  

Complete Bellator 209 Main Card Results:

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (28-4) defeated Emmanuel Sanchez (17-4) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-46)

Ryan Couture (12-6) defeated Haim Gozali (8-6) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

Vadim Nemkov (10-2) defeated Phil Davis (19-5) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Olga Rubin (5-0) defeated Cindy Dandois (12-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-27)

Adam Keresh (3-0) defeated Kirill Sidelnikov (11-6) via KO (strikes) at 1:12 of round one

 

Undercard Results:

Khonry Gracie (1-1) defeated Ron Becker (2-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Aviv Gozali (1-0) defeated Anton Lazebnov (0-1) via submission (armbar) at 4:27 of round one

Jamil Ibragimov (2-0) defeated Jackie Gosh (7-2) via TKO (strikes) at 1:37 of round one

Sidemar Honorio (13-6) defeated Liudvik Sholinian (3-1-1) via unanimous decision (30-26 x3)

Denis Palancica (7-0) defeated Kirill Medvedovsky (11-6) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Viktoria Makarova (1-0) defeated Yulia Sachkov (0-2) via TKO (strikes) at 2:44 of round one

Andrei Barbarosa (6-6) defeated Honor Kelesh (3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Christos Nicolaou (2-1) defeated Fadi Haiyadre (0-1) via TKO (strikes) at 4:48 of round one

Shimon Smotritsky (5-0) defeated Matan Levi (3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Itsik Rubinov (2-0) defeated Ion Pop (8-12-1) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Nika Ben Tuashy (1-0) defeated Nisim Rozalis (0-1) via KO (strikes) at :47 of round one

 

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

 

Golden Boy Promotions, mixed martial arts, MMA

Time-limited Black Friday deal revealed for Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 online Pay Per View on FITE.TV

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Golden Boy Promotions and FITE TV teamed up to release a Black Friday special offer of 50% off the regular PPV price for Liddell Ortiz 3 available for the duration of 2 hours only on Friday, Nov.23, 2018 ahead of the big trilogy showdown between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz on the following day, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018.

 

 

The deal goes live with the start of Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 Weigh-In official live stream at 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST on November 23

rd and ends two hours later at 6 PM EST / 3 PM PST.

 

 

During the 2-hour special, Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 will be on sale for only $19.99 exclusively on the

FITE.TV website and mobile apps for viewers in United States and Canada. The price includes both live and on-demand access to the pay per view program, available for viewing on every FITE-supported device.

 

 

Free signup on FITE is required for this amazing deal so make sure you create your FITE account now and bookmark the event to get notified when the deal unlocks.

 

 

With many Black Friday deals already coming in fast, this one is too good to pass on giving hard-core MMA fans the huge opportunity to witness the final chapter of one the biggest rivalries of the sport for half the price.

 

 

Deal closes at 6 PM EST / 3 PM PST when the event will go back on sale for $39.99 USD. Sign up to FITE now to be the first to know when sale starts.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA

MONSTER ENERGY AND BELLATOR RENEW GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP IN THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT

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LOS ANGELES – Bellator is pleased to announce a renewed global partnership with Monster Energy. The new three-year-deal sees Monster Energy, a longstanding official partner, remain a key part of Bellator’s marketing strategy going forward.

 

 

 

“The partnership with Monster Energy has been an important component of our business since day one,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “They have played a factor in our success and we are thrilled to announce this new three-year extension. The hard work and passion that Hans Molenkamp and the rest of their team have for this sport is unmatched. We look forward to new and exciting opportunities for our brand, fighters and fans that this continued relationship brings to the table.”

 

 

 

Beginning in 2014, Bellator became the first MMA promotion to partner with Monster Energy, which paved the way in creating numerous future sponsorship opportunities throughout the combat sports landscape. Since that time, many of MMA’s most memorable events and elite athletes have been supported by the industry-leading energy drink brand.

 

 

 

“Bellator delivers compelling, high-action, adrenaline-pumping MMA events worldwide,” added Monster Energy Vice President of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington. “We are thrilled to continue our longtime partnership and look forward to evolving our relationship even further, allowing us to further integrate the Monster Energy and Bellator brands.”

 

 

 

Over the years, Monster Energy and Bellator have worked together to host unique and creative activations for fans. Previously, Monster Energy Bellator MMA fight series events have been held during Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Monster Energy Supercross races. Drawing thousands in attendance to experience live MMA bouts and fighter autograph signings, these events are expected to continue and evolve under the new partnership.

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Monster Energy has also led the way in fighter sponsorship, building one of the most talented and diverse athlete rosters in the sport. Monster currently sponsors prominent Bellator fighters Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, current welterweight champ Rory MacDonald, Michael Chandler, Roy Nelson, Phil Davis, James Gallagher and Gaston Bolanos, as well as kickboxers Kevin Ross, Joe Schilling and John Wayne Parr.

 

 

 

Monster Energy will also be featured prominently throughout the broadcast, including on-screen integration and placement inside the Bellator cage.

 

 

 

Additionally, fans can look forward to meeting their favorite fighters and Bellator personalities at official dinners, parties and other meet-and-greets throughout the year.

 

 

 

For more information, please visit Bellator.com and MonsterEnergy.com.

 

 

boxing, FFC, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, MMA

Official Weights For “FFC 34” Multi-Discipline Event at Fight Dome

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Las Vegas, NV, (November 15, 2018) – The weights are official for “FFC 34 – Gazani vs. Petje”, a ‘multi-discipline’ (Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA) fight card, which takes place Friday night, November 16th, at “Fight Dome,” located at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. (PST), the first bout is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. (PST).

 

 

 

A raucous crowd of combat sports fans gathered in front of the Fight Dome TV Studio, located in the Masquerade Village of Rio Las Vegas, to watch the “FFC 34” fighters make weight for Friday evening’s fight card.

 

 

 

“This will be an entertaining night of fights that is for sure,” said FFC CEO/Founder, Orsat Zovko. “Every fighter possesses a very fan-friendly style of fighting and they have all promised to deliver a show for the fans here at Fight Dome Las Vegas and the fans watching on CBS Sports Network.”

 

 

 

Final Fight Championship (FFC) is the first and only professional combat sports franchise offering fans a unique ‘multi-discipline’ experience (Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA), where every event culminates with a championship title bout. All FFC events take place inside “Fight Dome” at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas, the all-new mecca of combat sports.

 

 

 

Tickets are available for purchase at any Las Vegas Caesars Entertainment Box Office and TicketMaster.com. The ‘multi-discipline’ event will air nationwide on CBS Sports Network, and in Spanish, on Claro Sports in Mexico and Latin America. Check your local listings for more information.

 

 

 

For more information on FFC you can visit www.finalfightchampionship.com or follow FFC on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @FFCFighting.

 

 

 

Here are the official weigh-in results from “FFC 34 – Gazani vs. Petje”

 

 

 

(MMA) Heavyweight Division

Marius Cantoneru (0-1-0), Las Vegas, NV/Romania, 219 lbs.

Zac Cavender (Pro Debut), Tooele, UT, 212.4 lbs.

 

 

 

(Kickboxing) Catchweight Bout

Jermaine “J.J.” Soto (24-6-0), Los Angeles, CA, 153.8 lbs.

Meletis “Nightmare” Kakoubavas (32-7-0), Athens, Greece, 155.2 lbs.

 

 

 

(Boxing) Super Lighweight Division

Isaac “Blue” Luna (3-0-0), El Paso, TX, 143.4 lbs

Kevin “Thunderstorm” Johnson (5-1-0), Las Vegas, NV, 144 lbs.

 

 

 

(Co-Main Event – MMA) Heavyweight Division

D.J. “Da Protege” Linderman (21-14-0), Yreka, CA, 264.2 lbs.

Tony “Hulk” Johnson (11-4-1), Nashville, TN, 265.6 lbs

 

 

 

(Main Event – Kickboxing) FFC Lightweight Title Bout  

Bruno Gazani (60-6-0), Brazil, 154.4 lbs.

[Defending Champion] Samo Petje (35-6-1), Slovenia, 154.8 lbs.
Pictured in photo above (from left to right) Bruno Gazani, FFC CEO Orsat Zovko and Reigning FFC Lightweight Kickboxing Champion, Samo Petje (FFC 34 Main Event Fighters.)
 

Pictured in photo above (from left to right) DJ Linderman, FFC CEO Orsat Zovko, Tony “Hulk” Johnson (FFC 34 Co-Main Event)
 
Photos Courtesy of: Sergey Baranov/Final Fight Championship
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS UNVEILS THE LARGEST WINNER’S TROPHY IN SPORTS, COMPLETES ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT FIELD WITH FOUR NEW FEATHERWEIGHT ENTRANTS WHO WILL BATTLE FOR $100,000 GRAND PRIZE

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(Pictured from left to right below): “COPA COMBATE” tournament fighters Andres Quintana (USA), Gaston Reyno (Uruguay) and Alejandro Flores (Mexico) were on hand today for the 2018 “COPA COMBATE” kick-off press conference that took place at the Mexican Consulate in Fresno, Calif. in promotion of the event that takes place on Friday, Dec. 7.  At the press conference, the tournament winner’s cup (pictured below) – the largest trophy in sports – was unveiled, and the names of the remainder of the 145-pouund fighters that will complete the tournament field, were revealed.

COMBATE AMERICAS’ BIGGEST MMA EVENT OF 2018   
“COPA COMBATE”
MARKS FIRST ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT IN CALIFORNIA

LIVE ON DAZN, UNIVISION AND UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK
FROM SAVE MART CENTER IN FRESNO, CALIF. ON FRIDAY, DEC. 7

BRUNO CANNETTI (ARGENTINA), PABLO VILLASECA (CHILE),
JOHN BEDOYA (COLOMBIA) AND MARLON GONZALES (PERU)
COMPLETE THE “COPA COMBATE” TOURNAMENT FIELD

 

FRESNO  – November 8, 2018 – Combate Americas today unveiled at a news conference at the Mexican Consulate in Fresno, Calif., a massive winner’s cup trophy, and announced the final four featherweight (145 pounds) contestants for its much-anticipated, “COPA COMBATE,” one-night Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament extravaganza featuring eight fighters, representing eight different countries, battling it out for a $100,000 grand prize, at Save Mart Center in Fresno on Friday, Dec. 7.

 

The previously announced, second annual “COPA COMBATE” event will air live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).

 

 

The winner of the tournament will have persevered through three fights in one night to claim the grand prize check and the trophy.

 

 

The “COPA COMBATE” winner’s trophy unveiled today stands over 4 and a half feet tall, and is nearly 2 feet wide at its widest point.   Custom made by U.K.-based CA Models, the makers of the Viking-style headdress that music superstar Madonna wore during her 2012 NFL SuperBowl halftime performance, the gold-colored trophy, valued at $100,000, is constructed from high-tech composite plastics used in Formula 1 racing and aerospace.

 

 

Announced today as the four fighters who will complete the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man tournament field were Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American MMA pioneer Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile; undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia; and powerhouse Marlon “Deriko Siete”  Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.

 

 

Cannetti is the 29-year-old, younger brother of MMA superstar Guido “Ninja” Cannetti, and is riding a three-fight winning streak.

 

 

Combate Americas’ La Jaula model Alyshia Barragan with the “COPA COMBATE” winner’s trophy 

 

 

Villaseca is a 31-year-old, battle-tested veteran who has competed on three different continents – North America, South America and Europe – and who has earned 10 of his 13 professional victories via (T)KO or submission.

 

 

Bedoya was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America reality television series. The 27-year-old has scored three of his six professional victories by way of submission.

 

 

The 26-year-old Gonzales is the number one ranked featherweight fighter in Peru.  He is coming off a thunderous, first round (3:34) TKO (punches) of Mariano Rocca on August 18.

 

 

The four “COPA COMBATE” tournament entrants announced today join the four previously announced entrants – Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA; Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay; and Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain.

 

 

The official “COPA COMBATE” tournament brackets with quarterfinal stage matchups for the one night, eight-man tournament will be announced soon.

 

 

Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.

 

 

Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

 

 

Combate Americas also announced today that it has partnered with Jimenez Grappling Academy, an Exeter-based non-profit organization focused on utilizing martial arts classes to create family and community-oriented programs.  As part of the local partnership, MMA superstar Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña will join fellow Combate Americas commentator and multiple-time WWE Heavyweight Champion, Alberto El Patrón, formerly known as Alberto Del Rio, to offer an MMA seminar to Jimenez’s students on Wednesday, Dec. 5, two days before the “COPA COMBATE” affair.