ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (August 22, 2017) – M-1 Global will promote the first international mixed-martial-arts event in Republic of Tatarstan history, September 23, as Kazan, Russia hosts M-1 Challenge 83: Tatfight 5.
The main event of the evening will be a light heavyweight bout between American invader Brandon “Bull” Halsey (9-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), the two-time Bellator champion, and Mikhail Ragozin (8-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), a National Pankration champion of Russia who is also a pupil of legendary Russian MMA fighter Alexander Shlemenko.
The inaugural M-1 Challenge Flyweight Championship will be contested as the two Grand Prix finalists, Ukrainian MMA National Champion Alexander Doskalchuk (7-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0) takes on Russian Vadim “Bad Santa” Malygin (11-2-1, M-1: 2-1-1), who is a multiple regional champion in hand-to-hand combat and kickboxing.
Also scheduled to fight on the growing M-1 Challenge 83 card is Georgian champion Raul Tutarauli (17-3-0, M-1: 5-1-0) against multiple Russian Army hand-to-hand combat champion Vladimir Kanunnikov (8-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0) in an M-1 Challenge lightweight eliminator to determine the No. 1 contender.
The Republic of Tatarstan will be represented at this event by the best fighters from Kazan City, including 2015 & 2016 Republic of Tatarstan MMA champion Ruslan Khisamutdinov, representing the “Divizion” Fight Club, two-time Republic of Tatarstan and Volga Federal District MMA champion Kirill Kuzmin, representing the “Bars Profi” Fight Club, Kyokushin Karate prize-winning Russian champion and winner of the TATFIGHT tournament in Kyokushin Karate, Lenar Suleymanov.
Viewing fans of the event will watch more than a dozen spectacular battles featuring many of the best MMA fighters from Russia, USA, Brazil, Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Georgia.
M-1 Global invites true connoisseurs of this courageous and spectacular sport, as well as those who are joining the amazing world of one of the fastest growing sports to the planet, to watch M-1 Challenge 83: Tatfight 5 on September 23 via M-1 Global.tv or in Canada on Fight Network.
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Tag Archives: Mixed Martial Arts
WWE SIGNEE TO CHALLENGE GULLIVER FOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE IN PORTLAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (August 22, 2017) – New England Fights (NEF) will make its debut in Portland on Friday, November 3, 2017 at Aura with “NEF 31: The Old Port.” Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur mixed-martial-arts title bout to the card. Nick Gulliver (4-0) will defend the NEF MMA Amateur Heavyweight Title against Terrance Jean-Jacques (1-0).
“NEF is an amazing organization and I love fighting for them,” said Gulliver. “This will be my fifth fight for NEF and to me, this fight is different. During my fighting career I’ve always been fighting for someone, or something, and I’ve never really had time or the energy to really enjoy it. This fight I’m fighting to prove to myself that I’m good enough to be the heavyweight champion. People tell me every day after sparring or training that I’m good, but I don’t see it yet. I don’t see what others see and this is a time for me to see and believe. This camp I’m going to work and find myself in the process.”
Gulliver, a product of First Class MMA and the Foundry BJJ, has been nothing short of perfect over the course of his amateur career with NEF. “The Guardian,” as he is known amongst his fans and teammates, has finished all four of his previous opponents, including a third-round technical knockout of Yorgan DeCastro (2-4) last fall to claim the title belt. DeCastro is the first, and only, opponent to date to make it out of the first round with Gulliver.
“I have a lot to prove to myself and I’m going to look into the mirror on November 3rd and see the man I’ve wanted to be in the cage and out,” continued Gulliver. “I’m going to work as much as I can and never give up. Something I always repeat to myself is ‘cowards never start, the weak never finish, winners never quit,’ and I’m not quitting on November 3rd.”
Terrance Jean-Jacques brings a solid amateur wrestling background with him to the NEF cage. The Haverhill, Massachusetts native put together an impressive 22-6 record as the starting heavyweight for the NCAA Division I Iowa Hawkeyes as a freshman. He later transferred to Rhode Island College and was a runner-up at the 2015 Division III wrestling championships. Jean-Jacques signed a developmental deal with the WWE in the spring of 2016 to train at their performance center in Florida.
“Everybody fights for different things,” remarked Jean-Jacques. “My thing is, I’m not doing this for anyone else but my daughter and myself. It’s much bigger than this fight. I’m reinventing myself and it’s kill or be killed. This will be the best version of myself to date. I have goals that I’m charging at in an unstoppable manner and I’m coming to get it. This is my destiny.”
“I want to thank my training partners and my family,” said Gulliver in closing. “I want to thank FirstClass MMA and The Foundry BJJ for everything they have given me. I’ve been training with FirstClass MMA and John Raio for almost three years now and I’ve been training with The Foundry BJJ going on eight years now. I appreciate all they do for me. I can name over 100 people that I train with every week that help push me, day in and day out, and I can’t thank them enough for it.
“This fight will be a war. If you put me and my opponent, Terrance, side by side and took bets, I’d be the loser all day. Shit, even I would bet against me if it was about size and looks. But this fight will be won by one thing and one thing only and anyone that knows me knows what I’m about to say. This fight will be won with heart. I’m not great at anything I do. I fail at most things, but I have a lot of heart and I push. Sometimes in life heart is what people need most. I’m looking to see what I’ve got on November 3rd and I’m looking forward to November 4th when I can wake up and see that I had enough heart and that I am the still the champ. Thank you to everyone involved in my life and thanks again for this fight I greatly appreciate it. Thank you to Terrance Jean-Jacques for coming to Portland to fight. Also, just a quick thank you to my friend Josh Jones, who made me remember the fun in this game again. He got me motivated to fight in this one. I’m hoping this fight is just like watching fireworks at a baseball game. If you’ve never seen fireworks at a baseball game come to this fight and I’ll show you the feeling.”
NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 31: The Old Port,” will see the company make its long-awaited debut in Portland, Maine at the brand new, state-of-the-art venue Aura. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 3, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at www.auramaine.com.
NEF FLYWEIGHT TITLE WILL BE UP FOR GRABS IN PORTLAND
Portland, Maine (August 21, 2017) – New England Fights (NEF) will make its debut in Portland on Friday, November 3, 2017 at Aura with “NEF 31: The Old Port.” Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur mixed-martial-arts title bout to the card. Nate Boucher (2-0) will face Justin Witham (3-4) with the winner to be crowned the new NEF MMA Amateur Flyweight Champion. The 125-pound title currently sits vacant.
Nate Boucher brings a background in wrestling with him to the cage. He competed for Mountain Valley High School (MVHS) in Rumford, Maine prior to training in MMA. Boucher made his NEF debut in 2014, just months after his eighteenth birthday – the legal age limit for competing in MMA in Maine. Earlier this month in Bangor, Boucher made his return to the NEF cage. He was victorious by first-round submission over Jeremiah Barkac (0-1). Boucher is currently a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ).
“It’s an amazing feeling knowing that my childhood dream is coming true,” said Boucher when reached for comment. “This fight was only a matter of time. All my years of training is for this moment.”
Justin Witham got off to a slow start in his amateur career. He lost his first three in a row prior to his first victory over Brent Ouellette (0-1) by technical knockout in the first round. Witham is currently riding a two-fight win streak. Earlier this year, he submitted previous flyweight champion Ryan Burgess (2-2) in a non-title bout, avenging an earlier loss to Burgess. Witham represents the Shatterproof Combat Club.
“Much respect to my opponent and anyone who steps inside the cage,” said Witham. “Every fighter has a fight that makes or breaks him. I will not break. This is the culmination of three years of hard work. Blood, sweat and tears – time away from my loved ones. Capturing the 125-pound title means everything to me and I will not be leaving without it over my shoulder!”
NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 31: The Old Port,” will see the company make its long-awaited debut in Portland, Maine at the brand new, state-of-the-art venue Aura. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 3, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at www.auramaine.com.
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.
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY’S BRYCE JORDAN CENTER TO HOST BELLATOR 186 ON FRIDAY, NOV. 3
RYAN BADER MAKES FIRST LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST LINTON VASSELL IN MAIN EVENT
PLUS, FORMER STANDOUT NITTANY LIONS PHIL DAVIS AND ED RUTH SET TO COMPETE
LOS ANGELES – Bellator is set to make its debut at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in University Park, Pa. on Friday, November 3 for Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell.
In the main event of Bellator 186, newly crowned light heavyweight champion Ryan “Darth” Bader (23-5) will make his first title defense against British sensation Linton “The Swarm” Vassell (18-5, 1 NC).
In addition, two Bellator competitors who spent their college years as members of the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team, Phil Davis(17-4, 1 NC) and Ed Ruth (3-0), will return to their alma mater to compete in MMA for the first time in their careers. Their opponents are yet to be determined.
Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App. Tickets start at just $25 and will be available at the Bryce Jordan Center Box Office and Ticketmaster. A Bellator Nation presale takes place Wednesday, August 30 – Thursday, August 31, while public on-sale begins Friday, September 1 at 10 a.m. ET. Additional bouts will be announcing in the coming weeks.
Bader returns to the cage for the first time since dethroning former Penn State wrestling standout Phil Davis as light heavyweight champion in June at Bellator 180. Fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., Bader began his professional career on an impressive run, steamrolling the competition en route to a 12-fight winning streak and winning one of the most competitive seasons of The Ultimate Fighter in franchise history on Spike in 2008. “Darth” continued his path of dominance by collecting wins over some of the 205-pound division’s top talent, including victories over former world champions Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans, as well as a previous win over Phil Davis. Currently riding a three-fight winning streak with victories in eight of his past nine bouts, the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Arizona State University will look to protect his belt on November 3.
Currently training at Combat Club in South Florida alongside Matt Mitrione, Michael Chandler and Robbie Lawler, Vassell has once again put himself in position to fight for Bellator’s 205-pound title. After making his professional debut in 2008, the Milton Keynes, England native has tallied 18 victories, including 14 finishes and 10 coming inside the first round, as well as seven wins over nine bouts in just four years with Bellator. Following three consecutive victories over two former champs in Liam McGeary and Emanuel Newton, as well as Francis Carmont, the 34-year-old Vassell will attempt to become the second-ever Bellator light heavyweight champion who hails from the United Kingdom.
A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Phil “Mr. Wonderful” attended Harrisburg High School and would go on to an extremely successful wrestling career at Penn State University. After transitioning to the sport MMA, Davis made his pro debut in 2008 and went on to win his first nine bouts. He’s established himself as one of the best light heavyweights in all of MMA, winning the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix and Bellator 205-pound title. The San Diego-based fighter now boasts career wins over Liam McGeary,Alexander Gustafsson, Lyoto Machida,“King Mo” Lawal, Glover Teixeira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Francis Carmont.
One of the most celebrated wrestlers in Penn State University history, Ed Ruth has followed in the footsteps of Phil Davis by pursuing a career in MMA. The 3x NCAA D1 champion, who now trains out of Fresno, Calif., makes his fourth appearance inside the Bellator cage looking to keep his undefeated streak intact. With three consecutive KO finishes, Ruth has established himself as a new threat in the middleweight division. Born in Harrisburg, Pa., Ruth returns to familiar territory for this upcoming bout with plans to put on another exciting bout for his hometown fans.
Updated Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell Fight Card:
Light Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Ryan Bader (23-5) vs. Linton Vassell (18-5, 1 NC)
Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Phil Davis (17-4, 1 NC) vs. TBA
Middleweight Feature Bout: Ed Ruth (3-0) vs. TBA
One-on-One with M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein
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LFA LAUNCHING PAD: LFA SENDS 9 FIGHTERS TO UFC IN 30 DAYS
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HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy
LFA LAUNCHING PAD
The summer continued to heat up in July. The UFC hosted 5 events along with the first 3 episodes of UFC President Dana White’s new weekly web series titled “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series” throughout the month.
The number of LFA alum that participated in those events was staggering. 19 fighters that have fought for LFA or the two promotions that merged to create it (RFA and Legacy FC) competed in the UFC. UFC 213 headliner Valentina Shevchenko would have made that 20 fighters, but Amanda Nunes withdrew from their title fight on the day of the fight.
The presence of LFA alum on Dana White’s new show was just as impressive. In the first three episodes that aired in July, 17 of the 30 competitors (56.6%) had previously competed for LFA, RFA, or Legacy FC. Each of the three episodes also featured two “LFA vs. LFA” matches. The most impressive stat, however, is the fact that an LFA fighter was signed by Dana White off of each episode.
That trend carried over into August with a fourth LFA fighter being signed to the UFC off of the fourth episode of “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series”. The four LFA stars signed off of the show so far are Boston Salmon (Week 1), Sean O’Malley (Week 2), Geoff Neal (Week 3), and Julian Marquez (Week 4). There are currently 32 fighters from LFA scheduled to compete on theTuesday might summer series. LFA also currently has 19 alum ranked in the latest UFC fighter rankings.
LFA ALUM IMPRESS IN THE UFC
While former LFA fighters impressed in the UFC last month with the sheer number of participants, what they accomplished in those bouts is even more important. Perhaps the biggest shining star of the bunch was former RFA featherweight champion Brian Ortega. The man known as “T-City” improved his perfect record to 12-0 and saw his UFC fighter ranking move up to #6 in the world.
Ortega did this by breaking his own UFC record at UFC 214 on July 29th. Going into his bout with fellow unbeaten star Renato Moicano, Ortega held the UFC record for most consecutive third round finishes. He extended that streak by submitting Moicano in the final frame with a $50,000 UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus winning Guillotine Choke.
The following Saturday at UFC Fight Night 114, RFA great Dustin Ortiz broke another UFC record to secure his own $50,000 UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus. Ortiz accomplished this feat by knocking out Hector Sandoval in 15-seconds to record the fastest finish in UFC flyweight history. His teammate and former RFA flyweight champion Sergio Pettis happened to headline the same card. Pettis won his marquee bout against Brandon Moreno unanimously in a pivotal battle between two Top 10 ranked UFC flyweights.
The UFC will be off for the next few weeks, but September looks to be just as big for the LFA greats competing inside the famed UFC Octagon. UFC 215 on September 9th will feature two LFA alum challenging for UFC world titles. Legacy FC great Ray Borg will headline the card for a shot at the UFC flyweight title, while Shevchenko will finally get a crack at the UFC women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event. Seven other LFA alum have UFC bouts already announced for next month as well.
4 SHOWS IN 4 WEEKS
LFA started August with the first title defense in the promotion’s history. Two of the inaugural LFA champions that were just crowned in June (Eryk Anders and Roberto Sanchez) have already made their UFC debut, but LFA featherweight champion Kevin “Angel of Death” Aguilar was able to defend his title in the main event of LFA 18 this past Friday. He did so by sweeping the scorecards against a very game challenger in #1 contender and world-class BJJ black belt Justin Rader.
LFA is now set to end the summer with four shows in four weeks in four different states. The quadruple-header starts next week in South Dakota at LFA 19. The promotion then heads east to Minnesota the following week at LFA 20. LFA kicks off first day of September in Missouri at LFA 21. Then the final leg of the four week trip will go down in Colorado at LFA 22.
LFA 19 – Michaud vs. Rodrigues takes place Friday, August 18th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The event will serve as the second LFA event to take place in the state of South Dakota. RFA visited “The Mount Rushmore State” four times before the merger. LFA 19 is headlined with a welterweight war between three-time UFC vet David “Bulldawg” Michaud (11-3) and Brazilian powerhouse Ciro “Bad Boy” Rodrigues (20-7).
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO LFA 19 LFA 20 – Curry vs. Barnes takes place Friday, August 25th at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The event will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of Minnesota. RFA and Legacy FC hosted a combined nine events in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” before the merger. LFA 20 is headlined with a welterweight showdown between rising star Chad “Blitz” Curry and former RFA title challenger Nick “The Phoenix” Barnes.
LFA 21 – Noblitt vs. Branjão takes place Friday, September 1st at the Branson Convention Center in Branson, Missouri. The event will serve as the first LFA event to take place in the state of Missouri. RFA visited the “Show Me State” four times before the merger. LFA 21 is headlined with a light-heavyweight battle between undefeated American prospect Kyle James Noblitt (8-0) and undefe
LFA 22 – Heinisch vs. Perez takes place Friday, September 8th at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of Colorado. RFA visited “The Centennial State” eight times before the merger. LFA 22 is headlined with an LFA middleweight title fight between Colorado’s own Ian “The Hurricane” Heinisch (8-0) and Brazilian dynamo Markus “Maluko” Perez (8-0).
The entire main card of these four events will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. RFA and Legacy FC have launched the careers of over 100 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.
Please visit LFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.
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Zayats defeats Vanttinen by decision in M-1 Challenge 82 main event
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FNU Combat Sports Show: UFC 214 breakdown, Nobody Likes Dana White, Tom and Tony break down Broner vs. Garcia and Lomachenko vs. Marriaga
This week’s combat sports show is a split personality situation. We had technical difficulties getting all of us together for the show, so we recorded Tom and Tony chatting with each other on Thursday night. I’ve added my portion today. It all worked out to some incredible insight about Mayweather vs. McGregor, Dana White’s growing problem with disgruntled stars in the UFC, Broner vs. Garcia and Lomachenko vs. Marriaga. We also break down Jon Jones beating Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 and the implications for a Brock Lesnar showdown in the Octagon. It’s far from likely, but it’s intriguing. We also touch on the retirements of Juan Manuel Marquez and Wladimir Klitschko.
Tom and Tony Talk Shop:
Rich Wraps it Up:
559 FIGHTS JOINS FORCES WITH FLOCOMBAT
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M-1 Challenge 82 Weights & Pictures
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