TORONTO – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents an action-packed event from Gdansk, Poland this Saturday, Oct. 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET, as the main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Cerrone vs. Till emanates from Ergo Arena, headlined by a pivotal welterweight showdown pitting No. 6-ranked contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (32-9, 1NC) against highly touted undefeated British prospect Darren Till (15-0-1).

In addition to the main event clash between Cerrone and Till, Saturday’s live UFC FIGHT NIGHT® main card will feature a women’s strawweight tilt between No. 3-ranked former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2), a native of Poland, and American Jodie Esquibel (6-2), a light heavyweight bout between Poland’s Jan Blachowicz (19-7) and South Dakota native Devin Clark (8-1), and a middleweight matchup between undefeated Polish up-and-comer Oskar Piechota (9-0) and California’s Jonathan Wilson (7-2).

The main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Cerrone vs. Till will repeat in its entirety in primetime on Saturday night, Oct. 21, at 9:00 p.m. ET, and Sunday night, Oct. 22, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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.

WORCESTER, Mass. (October 19, 2017) – The next chapter of former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga starts October 28th when he makes his professional boxing debut fighting on the “New England Future 4” card, the fourth and final 2017 installment of the popular professional boxing series, “New England’s Future”, to be held at the DCU Center (Exhibition Hall) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

“New England’s Future 4″ is presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by retired three-time, two division world champion Jose Antonio Rivera and his son, Anthonee (A.J.) Rivera.

The 38-year-old Gonzaga teaches Brazilian Ju-Jitsu (BJJ) in Worcester and lives nearby in Ludlow (MA). An imposing physical fighter, the 6′ 2”, 260-pound Gonzaga (17-11-0, 7 KOs, 9 SUBs, 1 DEC), holds 4th degree black belt in BJJ. The highlight of his MMA career was at the 2007 UFC 70, held in Manchester, United Kingdom, in which he knocked out K-1, Pride and Rizen champion Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick in the opening round, positioning Gonzaga for his unsuccessful challenge of UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture in his next fight.

Gonzaga, who retired from MMA 1 ½ years ago, also defeated Ben Rothwell, Shawn Jordan and Chris Tuchscherer, among the more notable UFC fighters he faced in the Octagon.

(L-R) – Rocky Gonzalez & Gabriel Gonzaga

Gonzago has a new opponent for his four-round bout, Tampa’s pro-debuting Alejandro Esquilin Santiago, who also has a pro MMA background.

“I like challenges in my life,” Gonzaga explained why he’s making his pro debut. “I set new goals because I like to be competitive in sports. I have a good boxing coach who told me I should try. I was a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) world champion and UFC title contender. I have good boxing skills and plan to put on a good show. I do have one-punch power and hit hard.

“I started boxing in 2001 and worked at it every day for two years to learn, but then I was competing in MMA. Now, I’m focused on boxing. I think boxing is the hardest part of MMA. I know you can’t make mistakes in boxing and there’s no time to relax. In MMA, I could relax a little at times in clinches, but the referee won’t allow that in boxing. I’ll probably fight more than once but not too many because of my age and I’m not really at the high-level of boxing like I was in MMA.”

Gonzaga’s head boxing trainer, Rocky Gonzalez, has been working with several MMA fighters, including Gonzaga, for more than a decade to help them improve their striking skills. Gonzalez freely admits that Gonzaga knew how to box before he started working with him, crediting Gonzaga’s Muay Thai coach, and that boxing came naturally to the big Brazilian who has made an easy adjustment from the Octagon to the ring. Gonzalez also feels that leg positioning differences for MMA fighters switching to boxing, in terms of throwing proper punches, is somewhat overrated.

“In boxing,” Gonzalez said, “fighters need their hands like their legs and elbows in MMA. Distance and timing is more important than where their legs and feet are positioned. Gabriel doesn’t like sparring with headgear, so, his sparring is more like real fighting. He’s been hot with some real shots but he’s responded well. He’s always going to have a puncher’s chance and he’s deceptive because he doesn’t look as fast as he is.

“We didn’t really plan anything but he got this good opportunity. He’s always wanted to turn pro as a boxer and go from there. Gabriel is a good listener who keeps working hard to get better. When he first brought up boxing, he was contracted by the UFC, but we started talking about him boxing after the UFC released him. He knew Jose from him teaching boxing. Gabriel isn’t doing this for the money. He’s a competitive guy who wanted to try boxing.”

Former WBU Americans and IBU North American cruiserweight champion, Vinnie “American Nightmare” Carita (16-1-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Pembroke (MA), will take on Bolivian heavyweight champion Saul “El Fenjx Asesino” Faraff (64-23-3, 56 KOs) in the eight-round main event.

Hartford’s (CT) popular Richard “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera (3-0, 2 KOs) meets Hansen Castillo (0-2) in the four-round, co-featured event to be contested at a 180-pound catchweight.

Many of New England’s best and most popular N.E. fighters will be in action, including 2014 N.E. Golden Gloves champion Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (4-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of nearby Lawrence (MA), vs. veteran Norwalk (CT) welterweight Shakha Moore (12-23-3, 2 KOs) in a six-round match.

Also fighting on the undercard in four-round fights include 2016 N.E. Golden Gloves champio, Anthony Laureano (5-0, 3 KOs), of East Hartford (CT) vs. Bruno Dias (0-3), of Woburn (MA), New Haven (CT) Edwin Soto (10-2-2, 4 KOs) vs. Anthony Everett (1-6). of Lawrence, at a 150-pound catchweight, three-time USA Boxing Nationals champion Elvis Figueroa (2-0, 1 KO), of New Haven (CT), vs. pro-debuting Brazilian native Rene Nazare, Southbridge (MA) junior welterweight Wilfredo “El Sucaro” Pagan (2-0) vs. Patrick Leal (0-3), of Woburn (MA), at a 150-pound catchweight, Danbury (CT) junior welterweight Omar Bordoy, Jr. (2-0) vs. Schenectady (NY) veteran Bryan “The Brick” Abraham (6-30, 6 KOs), and Timmy Ramos (4-0-1, 4 KOs), of Framingham (MA) vs. Seth Basler (0-2), of Illinois.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at the DCU Center box office, www.dcu.centerworcester.com, by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera
(anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) or any of the fighters

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., first bout 7:00 p.m. ET.

Sponsors include Lundgren Honda, Championsofhealth.usna.com, and American Pyramids.

Part of the proceeds will go to Worcester Latino Dollars For Scholars.

INFORMATION:
Facebook.com/RiveraPromotionsEntertainment
Twitter: @RiveraPromoEnt @joseriverachamp @KingRivera_

NEW YORK – October 18 2017 –Combate Americas today announced the addition of a women’s strawweight (115 pounds) showdown between undefeated knockout artist Melissa “Super Melly” Martinez (2-0) and Gloria “Gloriosa” Bravo (4-2) that will serve as the co-main event on the highly-anticipated, live Telemundo broadcast (11:35 p.m. ET/10:35 p.m. CT, or following “Titulares y Mas”) of the “COPA COMBATE” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) extravaganza from Cancun, Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 11.

The battle between the 20-year-old Martinez of Mexico City, Mexico and the 31-year-old Bravo, of Santiago, Chile, will immediately precede the championship stage bout and finale of the one-night, eight-man bantamweight (135 pounds) “COPA COMBATE” tournament that will award its winner a grand prize of $100,000 and that, for the first time ever, will see top-ranked fighters from the U.S., Latin America and Spain represent their respective countries in a quest for glory.

“This is a phenomenal addition to an already stellar and historic fight card created for the Telemundo broadcast television platform,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.

“With the incredibly relentless and hard-hitting action we have seen from the women of Combate Americas,” continued McLaren, “it is only fitting that we showcase a matchup between two of the sport’s brightest and fastest rising female stars like Melissa Martinez and Gloria Bravo on the ‘COPA COMBATE’ platform.”

“COPA COMBATE” takes place on the 24th anniversary of McLaren’s now legendary UFC 1 event that he executive produced as the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The storied event set off a combat sports revolution, and changed the martial arts fight world forever.

The 5-foot-2 Martinez will return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, for the second time in her career after shelling out a stunning, highlight reel knockout of Yajaira “Shokolate” Romo in the second round (2:45) of battle at Combate 15 in Mexico City on June 30.

Following the promotional debut victory, Martinez, also a decorated Muay Thai competitor, earned a second-place finish at WAKO Kickboxing’s “The World Games 2017 – Wroclaw” tournament in Poland on July 30.

The 5-foot-5 Bravo will enter La Jaula for the first time ever and put a three-fight winning streak on the line. All three of her latest victories came by way of armlock submission.

Bravo recently ventured from Chile to Las Vegas, Nev. to train for the upcoming matchup with famed, retired, former UFC world champion Miesha Tate.

In addition to the “COPA COMBATE” tournament championship bout and the featured women’s fight between Martinez and Bravo, Telemundo’s live broadcast of “COPA COMBATE” will feature the tournament’s semifinal stage consisting of two bouts that pit the winners of the quarterfinal stage bouts in each tournament bracket against one another. The entire quarterfinal stage of the tournament will stream live on the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com.

Telemundo Deportes, one of the leading providers of sports content in Spanish in the United States, is home to two of the world’s most popular sporting events: the FIFA World Cup™ through 2026 and the Summer Olympic Games through 2032. In addition, Telemundo Deportes broadcasts the FIFA World Cup™ CONCACAF qualifying matches for most of the region, including the Mexico and USA national teams’ away matches and the Premier League. Telemundo Deportes is also home to “Boxeo Telemundo Ford,” the #1 boxing program in Spanish, and “Titulares y Más,” the #1 sports news, entertainment and commentary show in Spanish, among other recognized sports properties.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Oct. 18th, 2017) — When he used to rummage through his father’s boxing memorabilia as a child, or sit next to him on the couch years later watching mixed martial arts, John Gotti III had no idea he’d one day step through those cage doors himself, alone, face-to-face with every fighter’s biggest adversary.

The idea, at first, was to find a way to make up for lost time with his father after the elder Gotti returned home from prison in 2004, so the two would watch all the big fights together and even attend live shows in New Jersey, just a stone’s throw from their home in Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Only 11 years old at the time, Gotti III took an immediate liking to the raw, unfiltered drama of mixed martial arts — combat in its purest form, as he calls it.

Following a successful, three-year trial run on the New York amateur circuit, the 24-year-old Gotti III makes his long-awaited professional debut Friday, Oct. 27th, 2017 on the preliminary card of “CES MMA 46” at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., joining forces with the hottest promotion in the northeast.

Tickets for “CES MMA 46” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.cagetix.com/ces by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

His father, John A. Gotti — nicknamed “Junior” — never envisioned his own son fighting professionally, but has since cast aside any reservations knowing this is more than just a passing interest for Gotti III, who has changed his life both in and out of the gym in anticipation of what he hopes is a long, successful career in a sport often unforgiving for young, up-and-comers.

“I think now as I have chosen this as a profession, although my father is proud of me, I think he regrets fostering my interest,” Gotti III said. “I don’t think he ever thought this would be the end result.

“What father wants to watch his son in this type of environment?”

Gotti III takes his pride in his craft. He doesn’t drink or smoke. He’s not a partier. He briefly boxed as a child, but eventually segued into more traditional team sports before falling in love with MMA. He even tried a stint at bodybuilding, walking around at a heavily-muscled 250 pounds before settling into a more comfortable lifestyle in the welterweight division, where he’ll face Johnny Adams (0-1) of Rutland, Vt., on the 27th.

Naturally, Gotti III faces more than just the opponent standing across from him once the bell rings. He’s a naturally-gifted 24-year-old amateur standout about to enter his prime while looking to carve his own legacy under the shadow of the Gotti name.

There’s a certain pressure that comes with such a distinction — not to mention the fact Oct. 27th is the birthdate of his late grandfather, John Gotti, which is part of the reason he chose to fight on this date — but Gotti III is polished, wise beyond his years, and has cautiously climbed the ladder in anticipation of this day, from working more on his jiu-jitsu in recent months to hiring a strength coach. His last amateur fight was in February, so this will be the first time he steps back into the cage in six months with the hope that all the extra preparation and attention to detail will pay dividends on the 27th.

“I’m excited to be doing something I love,” Gotti III said. “For me to possibly move forward and see what I’m capable of achieving, I need to be tested by the likes of Adams.”

Choosing CES MMA as the destination for his first pro fight made perfect sense for Gotti III. The promotion is in its fourth year with AXS TV as its broadcast partner (the main card of “CES MMA 46” airs on the network beginning at 9 p.m. ET on the 27th) and has a reputation for paving a path to the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) for several prominent fighters, among them Rob Font, Andre Soukhamthath and Charles Rosa.

“I know several fighters who had fought for them and they said they were good guys to work with and they put on a great show,” Gotti III said. “It was a natural.”

The main event of “CES MMA 46” features the return of former CES MMA Middleweight World Champion “Doomsday” John Howard (24-13, 9 KOs) of Boston, who faces submission specialist Roger Carroll (16-14) of Claremont, N.C.

“CES MMA 46” also features the return of rising welterweight prospect Gary Balletto Jr. (4-1, 2 KOs) of Cranston, R.I., who battles Philadelphia’s Sharif Jones (3-2, 1 KO), plus the return of East Providence, R.I., bantamweight Dinis Paiva (9-6, 5 KOs), who faces Pennsylvania vet Brandon Seyler (7-5, 1 KO), both of whom will be fighting on the televised main card.

Also on the main card, lightweight Josh LaBerge (11-6, 5 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., returns to face Jonathan Lemke (6-8, 5 KOs) of Auburn, Maine, and bantamweight Rico DiSciullo (7-1, 3 KOs) of Peabody, Mass., faces Justin King (6-5) of Lawrence, Ind. Justin Sumter (3-1, 2 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., returns in a lightweight bout against Rahway, N.J., vet Shedrick Goodridge (6-9, 2 KOs).

Also returning Oct. 27th, Providence featherweight Marquis Brewster (3-0) battles Raymond Yanez (4-11, 1 KO) of Marion, Ohio, on the preliminary, where joining featherweight Pat McCrohan (2-1, 1 KO) of Berkley, Mass., who faces Buck Pineau (1-3) of Ashland, Maine. New Bedford bantamweight Jessie Pires makes his professional debut in the prelims against Syracuse, N.Y., newcomer Michael Taylor.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/cesmma for more information, or follow CES MMA on Instagram at @CESMMA.

17 October 2017 – Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced additional bouts for ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, set for 10 November at the state-of-the-art Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Fans will be treated to another exciting evening of authentic martial arts action as the best martial arts talent in the world take the ONE Championship cage. In the main event, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang will defend his title against ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen. In the co-main event, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes will take on rising star Danny Kingad of Team Lakay.

Ticket information for ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD is available at www.onefc.com.

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City, is one of the Philippines’ most experienced martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, the multiple-time SEA Games Wushu gold medallist has amassed an impressive 18-5 professional record. The 33-year-old veteran is currently riding a four-bout winning streak against high-profile opponents, including an emphatic technical knockout victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Championship in 2016. Showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal, Folayang then defeated top challenger Ev Ting in his first title defense last April. Now set to return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila, Folayang will face ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown.

28-year-old Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, is a highly-skilled finisher and one of the most talented featherweights in martial arts. In his most recent bout, Nguyen stepped into the ONE Championship cage last August, scoring the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former undefeated featherweight champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in Kuala Lumpur to capture the ONE Featherweight World Championship. Sporting a 9-1 professional record, Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to compete at the highest level of competition. In a much-anticipated battle between division champions, Nguyen is set to challenge the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship, and attempt to become the first double-division World Champion in ONE history.

28-year-old Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes of Brazil is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with well-rounded striking and grappling skills. He is the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion, and one of the most highly-skilled and dominant world champions in martial arts. Rarely opposed in the ONE Championship cage, Moraes thoroughly defeated former champion Kairat Akhmetov in an epic rematch last August, snapping the Kazakhstani’s perfect 23-bout win streak and reclaiming his belt. He is now set to defend his title against rising star Danny Kingad.

An unbeaten flyweight from Team Lakay, Danny “The King” Kingad is a regional wushu champion and martial artist with a perfect professional record of 5-0. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines and one of the top prospects to come out of Baguio City, Kingad is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills. In his most recent bout, Kingad turned in a complete performance, putting his wide range of techniques on full display in a unanimous decision victory over Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman. The impressive victory earned Kingad a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship, as he next meets defending champion Adriano Moraes.

Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the famed Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the country’s most talented martial artists. With a professional record of 16-5, the Filipino champion and former world title challenger is known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods. The 29-year old wushu stalwart owns seven huge knockouts on his resume, and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division. In his last bout, Belingon stopped a top contender in Reece McLaren of Australia with a volley of devastating strikes. He now takes on another tough task ahead in Kevin Chung.

Kevin “Old Boy” Chung is a 24-year-old South Korean martial artist who was born and raised in the United States. He began his amatuer career in his adoptive hometown of Centreville, Virginia, in 2010, and has since impressed with his spectacular performances inside the cage. Chung turned professional in 2015, and currently holds a perfect professional record of 4-0, with two of his four career wins having come by way of spectacular stoppage. Chung prides himself on being an exciting competitor, willing to please the crowd by constantly seeking the highlight-reel finish. He is set to face feared striker Kevin Belingon next.

34-year-old Alex “Little Rock” Silva of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a second-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and world champion with a professional record of 5-1. Silva is riding high on a four-bout winning streak, rapidly climbing ONE Championship’s stacked flyweight ranks. He is a technical grappling specialist with a penchant for securing highlight-reel submission finishes. With steadily increasing confidence, Silva’s last four victories have ended in spectacular fashion. In his next outing, Silva takes on Japanese warrior Hayato Suzuki.

31-year-old Hayato Suzuki of Saitama, Japan, is a veteran martial artist with an unblemished professional record of 17-0 with two draws. Spending the majority of his career competing in his native Japan, Suzuki is known as a highly-skilled competitor with the ability to finish his foes with heavy knockout power and technical grappling skills. Out of 17 wins, Suzuki has finished 12 of his opponents, including seven by submission and five by knockout. In his most recent bout, Suzuki submitted former world title challenger Joshua Pacio in the first round. He is now set to face fellow grappler, Alex Silva.

Top Filipino women’s martial arts contender Gina “Conviction” Iniong of Baguio City, Philippines, is a six-time national wushu champion and member of the renowned Team Lakay. She owns a professional martial arts record of 5-2, with three of her five victories coming by thrilling finish, including two highlight-reel submissions and one knockout. In her last bout, Iniong impressed in her ONE Championship debut, defeating tough competitor Natalie Gonzales Hills by unanimous decision.

Female martial artist Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol of Jakarta, Indonesia, is an Indonesian national wushu champion who has trained in various striking disciplines such as kickboxing and wushu. The 29-year-old made her ONE Championship debut against Singapore’s Tiffany Teo at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS last February, joining a growing list of elite female martial artists in Asia. Gaol will look to emerge triumphant in her next appearance inside the ONE Championship cage, when she takes on the Philippines’ Gina Iniong.

31-year-old Anatpong Bunrad of Thailand is one of the most talented strikers in the promotion’s deep flyweight division. He utilizes lightning quick and powerful strikes to subdue his opponents with sheer aggression, but also possesses the ability to finish on the ground with solid submission skills. In his most recent bout, Bunrad dropped a close split decision to Filipino rival Geje Eustaquio. Bunrad is looking for redemption inside the ONE Championship cage, as he takes on the highly-regarded Reece McLaren.

26-year-old Reece “Lightning” McLaren is a Filipino-Australian martial artist from Toowoomba, Australia, who sports a professional record of 9-5. He made his ONE Championship debut in 2015 with a spectacular submission victory over top bantamweight contender Mark Striegl, and then followed up that win with a unanimous decision victory over highly-regarded talent Muin Gafurov. In December of 2016, McLaren challenged Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship, falling just short of victory by way of split decision. Next for McLaren is a move to the flyweight division, as he faces top divisional talent Anatpong Bunrad.

21-year-old Joshua Pacio of Baguio City is a top martial arts talent with a professional record of 9-2. He is one of the Philippines’ most talented strawweights and a member of the famed Team Lakay. A rising star in Asian martial arts, Pacio is a wushu practitioner with a solid grappling repertoire. All but one of his career victories have come by spectacular finish, which includes five wins by submission and three by devastating knockout. A former ONE Strawweight World Championship Title Challenger, Pacio is looking to bring himself back to title contention with a victory. A tough task is ahead of Pacio, however, as he is slated to lock horns with countryman Roy Doliguez.

35-year-old Roy “The Dominator” Doliguez is considered one of the top strawweights in ONE Championship. Doliguez, a former professional boxing champion with more than 40 pro bouts, made his ONE Championship debut in 2015, vying for the inaugural ONE Strawweight World Championship against former champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke. In his most recent bout, Doliguez scored the biggest win of his career, stopping Brazilian stalwart Yago Bryan via third-round knockout. His next bout will be against fellow Filipino warrior Joshua Pacio.

Kicking off an exciting card at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, Chinese featherweight Xie Chao will take on Malaysia’s Kelvin Ong. Xie was victorious in his most recent contest, submitting Marc Marcellinus with a first-round kimura in his promotional debut at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI. Ong, who trains alongside Ann “Athena” Osman and AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor at Borneo Tribal Squad, will try his best to derail Xie’s winning ways in one of the evening’s preliminary bouts.

Also featured in the prelims is a classic clash of grappler versus striker, as China’s national wrestling champion Peng Xue Wen takes on three-time national Kun Khmer champion Phat Soda of Cambodia in a three-round strawweight bout.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Oct. 16th, 2017) — As one of the founding fathers of the CES MMA brand, bantamweight Dinis Paiva has arguably grown more, both personally and professionally, than anyone who’s stepped through those cage doors over the past seven years.

With a full-time job as a supervisor, a wife at home, and the desire to one day start a family of his own, Paiva is juggling more than just fight night strategy and sparring sessions. He doesn’t need to fight — he does it because he wants to — yet he continues to make the sacrifices all fighters must make in order to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

“You have to find a way in order to succeed,” said Paiva (9-6, 5 KOs), the East Providence, R.I., native who returns to the cage for the first time since January on the main card of “CES MMA 46” Friday, Oct. 27th, 2017from Twin River Casino.

“Between work, sparring, training, I put in close to 60 hours a week. My wife is the one who suffers the most, but it’s part of the sacrifice. It’s part of my story. It’s part of who I am.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 46” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.cagetix.com/ces by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The irony is Paiva, now 29, is a better fighter now than he was as a 23-year-old up-and-comer when he debuted with CES MMA on the promotion’s sixth show in June of 2011. Making his 16th appearance with the promotion later this month in a nationally-televised bout against Brandon Seyler (7-5, 1 KO) on AXS TV, Paiva has endured almost every peak and valley that comes with being a professional fighter.

He lost three of his first four fights, including an unfortunate disqualification when he inadvertently kneed a grounded opponent, then won his next two to even his record, only to drop two more in 2013.

The following year, Paiva switched coaches, opting to work with veteran Mike Gresh from Cape Cod Fighting Alliance, won both of his fights and earned the award for New England’s Most Improved Fighter, igniting a four-fight win streak that ultimately thrust him into the AXS TV in a win over Matt Doherty at “CES MMA 27.”

A loss to Kody Nordby in 2015 broke Paiva’s career-best win streak and, more importantly, brought him down a peg, teaching him to refrain from getting too ahead of himself either during unprecedented success or unexpected failure. Nordby actually helped Paiva prepare for Paiva’s return bout at “CES MMA 40,” a knockout win over Zane Behrend.

“It goes to show you that’s how this sport brings people together,” Paiva said.

“Every fighter in the world, we’re all a work in progress. There’s no such thing as a perfect fighter,” he continued. “The sport is constantly changing. Guys like [UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson] are now turning a suplex into an armbar. That’s just some of the mind-boggling stuff you see now, and now you’re going to see every guy in camp trying to suplex guys into an armbar.”

As much as Paiva has changed inside the cage, life outside the lines has been a whirlwind over the past few years. He got married in 2016, then returned to his old job at Morris Maintenance the day he and his wife got back from their honeymoon. Paiva started at the company years ago as a third-shift janitor and is now the Director of Warehousing and Maintenance, a position that requires him to travel throughout New England as a supervisor.

Much like his MMA career, the job has had its ups and downs through the years, but Paiva stuck with it, often sacrificing sleep and family time to continue chasing a greater goal.

“Work and MMA, they coexist,” Paiva said. “I’ve accomplished a lot through the years in both. I haven’t always been the top dog, but I know what I’m capable of and I know what I have to offer. I always want to be the best version of myself.”

Hitting the gym after work and unloading on the heavy bag helps Paiva relieve some of the stress associated with his job, but the sport, despite all its flaws, continues to lure back into the spotlight. He’s thought of retiring – he even contemplated it after losing to Nordby – but still can’t walk away, not because he needs to the money, but because he genuinely loves the thrill of competition and wants to chase a title at 135 pounds.

“That’s what sets me apart. I don’t have to fight,” said Paiva, who was supposed to fight in August, but suffered a fractured foot that postponed his appearance at “CES MMA 45.”

As for making a run at a title, Paiva said, “It’s time.” He’s fighting Seyler at 145, but has no problem committing to 135 in order to fight for a belt. Seyler is a tough opponent, coming off a big win over previously unbeaten Kris Moutinho at “CES MMA 45,” but Paiva has struck that delicate balance between MMA and his full-time job, managing to successfully juggle both while preparing for yet another televised bout on MMA’s biggest stage.

“Putting my foot on the gas pedal now is what will get me to where I eventually want to be,” Paiva said. “This is a great matchup. I’m going in there throwing bombs. He’s going to get the best version of me.”

The main event of “CES MMA 46” features the return of former CES MMA Middleweight World Champion “Doomsday” John Howard (24-13, 9 KOs) of Boston, who faces submission specialist Roger Carroll (16-14) of Claremont, N.C.

“CES MMA 46” also features the return of rising welterweight prospect Gary Balletto Jr. (4-1, 2 KOs) of Cranston, R.I., who battles Philadelphia’s Sharif Jones (3-2, 1 KO), plus the long-awaited professional debut of Oyster Bay, N.Y., welterweight John Gotti III in a three-round bout against Johnny Adams (0-1) of Rutland, Vt.

Lightweight Josh LaBerge (11-6, 5 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., returns to face Jonathan Lemke (6-8, 5 KOs) of Auburn, Maine, and bantamweight Rico DiSciullo (7-1, 3 KOs) of Peabody, Mass., faces Justin King (6-5) of Lawrence, Ind. Justin Sumter (3-1, 2 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., returns in a lightweight bout against Rahway, N.J., vet Shedrick Goodridge (6-9, 2 KOs).

Also returning Oct. 27th, Providence featherweight Marquis Brewster (3-0) battles Raymond Yanez (4-11, 1 KO) of Marion, Ohio, and featherweight Pat McCrohan (2-1, 1 KO) of Berkley, Mass., faces Buck Pineau (1-3) of Ashland, Maine.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/cesmma for more information, or follow CES MMA on Instagram at @CESMMA.

16 October 2017 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that American grappling superstar, Garry “Lion Killer” Tonon, is set to make his professional debut in ONE Championship, having signed an exclusive contract with the organization. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion is a fixture in global grappling tournaments, and is widely-considered one of the best submission grapplers in history. His first bout under the ONE Championship banner has yet to be announced.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is with great excitement that I announce the newest addition to ONE Championship’s elite list of global martial arts superstars, American submission grappling legend Garry Tonon. Garry is an amazing individual with a long list of accolades in submission grappling. I have no doubt that his transition to the ONE Championship cage will be a successful one. Fans have a lot to look forward to when Garry finally makes his debut with us.”

Garry Tonon, ONE Championship athlete, stated: “I am thrilled to be able to finally announce my arrival in ONE Championship. It is the natural evolution in my career as a grappler. I have achieved all that I have set out to do in the world of jiu-jitsu, and now I am ready to take on a new challenge. I am excited to begin my ONE Championship career, and proud to showcase my skills on the biggest global stage of competition.”

Garry Tonon is an American submission grappling superstar from New Jersey. He began wrestling in primary school, competing as an amateur before being introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 14. Under the tutelage of coach Tom deBlass and the legendary Ricardo Almeida, Tonon would go on to win multiple IBJJF No-Gi world championships in different belts. In September of 2013, deBlass and Almeida awarded Tonon a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Shortly after, his professional grappling career began, and Tonon would later win multiple titles at the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) and Metamoris professional grappling leagues.

Tonon made his first appearance inside the ONE Championship cage when he took on Japanese martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki earlier this year, in the promotion’s first-ever Grappling Super-Match. Tonon won the contest impressively via heel hook submission. Determined to make a name for himself in the next chapter of his martial arts career, the 26-year-old Tonon is set to make his highly-anticipated professional debut in ONE Championship.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

11 October 2017 – Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), in conjunction with Chevron Havoline™, recently held the official ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD City Skyline Face-Off on Tuesday, 10 October, at the City Garden GRAND Building in Makati City, Philippines. Present at the event were main event competitors, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and newly-crowned ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen.

Folayang and Nguyen are scheduled to do battle at the center of the ONE Championship cage in a main event bout at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, set for 10 November at the iconic Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Ticket information for ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD is available at www.onefc.com.

Official photos for the ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD City Skyline Face-Off available at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxHVlFU0lKiIZVNWd25TYmtWa1U?usp=sharing

Lennard Kwek, Asia Pacific Marketing Manager, Chevron, stated: “We are excited at the possibilities and the opportunities for growth in both companies. The values of ONE and the strength of the athletes, resonate deeply to the core of Havoline on genuine strength. Caltex Havoline believes that, just like the bouts in the ONE Championship cage, our vehicles often face difficult conditions on the road. But with a proven warrior against friction, wear and sludge deposits, you can be sure that you will have a smooth and worry-free ride.”

Eduard Folayang, ONE Lightweight World Champion, stated: “Martin [Nguyen] is a great martial artist and an amazing competitor. He has earned the highest degree of my respect. There is absolutely no chance that I am coming into this bout underestimating him. I am prepared for the best Martin Nguyen possible, one that has no weaknesses. This bout will be talked about long after it is finished, as two champions face-off inside the cage. I live for these challenges, and I am motivated for victory, for the pride and honor of the Philippines.”

Martin Nguyen, ONE Featherweight World Champion, stated: “I like Eduard [Folayang]. I said to myself I did not want to compete against someone I like and take away their glory, but opportunities like this do not come around too often. And, if I refused to do this, someone else was going to compete against him and take his glory. So it is strictly business. I am in a super bout for the first time ever in ONE Championship history to become a two-division champion. This match is not going to go the distance.”

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed an impressive 18-5 professional record. The 33-year-old veteran is currently riding a four-bout winning streak against high-profile opponents, including an emphatic technical knockout victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Championship in 2016. Showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal, Folayang thoroughly defeated top challenger Ev Ting in his first title defense last April. Now set to return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila, Folayang will face ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown.

28-year-old Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, is a highly-skilled finisher and one of the most talented featherweights in martial arts. In his most recent bout, Nguyen stepped into the ONE Championship cage last August, scoring the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former undefeated featherweight champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in Kuala Lumpur to capture the ONE Featherweight World Championship. Sporting a 9-1 professional record, Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to compete at the highest level of competition. In a much-anticipated battle between division champions, Nguyen is set to face the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang in Manila for the Filipino’s coveted ONE Lightweight World Championship.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

About Chevron
Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company’s operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About Havoline®
Since 1904, as a part of the Chevron Corporation family of products, Havoline® has continued to produce innovations, based on science and technology. In 1946, Havoline® launched the “New and improved Havoline” with additives as a feature. Year after year, Havoline® delivers new innovations; the latest achievement is Deposit ShieldTM, which can protect engines from harmful sediments improving vehicle performance and fuel economy.

09 October 2017 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete bout card for ONE: HERO’S DREAM, set for the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on 3 November. In the main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will take on Muay Thai heavyweight world champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Hong Kong in an Open Weight Super-Bout. The ONE Middleweight World Championship will not be on the line.

Ticket information for ONE: HERO’S DREAM is available at www.onefc.com.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “For the first-ever Open Weight Super-Bout in ONE Championship history, I am thrilled to announce that ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang will face Muay Thai heavyweight world champion Alain Ngalani in a five-round open weight contest. It’s going to be another memorable night of action for fans in Yangon and from all over the world. Get ready for some major fireworks!”

Aung La N Sang, ONE Middleweight World Champion, stated: “I am thrilled to be back in the cage this November. As world champion, I will always be proud to represent my home country, and I gladly accept the responsibility of inspiring my countrymen with my time inside the cage. I am truly blessed to be in the position that I am, and I promise to give my best performance yet. Alain Ngalani will be the biggest opponent I have ever competed against, and it is a challenge that I am really excited to take on.”

Alain Ngalani, ONE Superstar, stated: “As a martial artist, we continuously strive to reach the top. Everyone craves success in many forms, and for me, to be part of history is part of my goals. This is a historic matchup that will be talked about for years. I vow to do everything in my power to get the victory, give the fans an exciting show, and go down in the record books as winner of this historic bout. Together with Aung La N Sang, we will put on a thrilling contest.”

32-year-old Aung La N Sang is Myanmar’s most successful athlete in history, whose constricting style has earned him the moniker of ”The Burmese Python”. Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, he belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. In his most recent outing, Aung La N Sang stunned former champion Vitaly Bigdash of Russia in a highly-anticipated rematch to be crowned the new ONE Middleweight World Champion. Aung La N Sang is set to square off in his toughest challenge yet, against heavyweight behemoth Alain Ngalani.

Heavyweight knockout artist Alain “The Panther” Ngalani, who trains out of Impakt MMA in Hong Kong but is originally from Cameroon, is a terrifying combination of power and speed, and is always looking to end matches early. Owning a 25-7-1, 2 NC kickboxing record which includes 23 knockouts, Ngalani is a heavyweight world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. Fresh off his record-setting 11-second KO of former ONE Heavyweight World Title Challenger Hideki Sekine, “The Panther” is set to figure in ONE Championship’s first-ever ‘David vs Goliath’ super bout, as he takes on ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang in an open weight contest.

An unbeaten 32-year-old martial artist from Yangon, Phoe Thaw (4-0) is set to return to action following a tremendous accomplishment at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS where he won the ONE Myanmar Featherweight Tournament Championship. Prior to transitioning to the cage, Thaw was a successful Lethwei practitioner with a record of 3-0-2. So far in his career, Thaw has showcased a penchant for scoring highlight-reel stoppages, winning all four of his bouts by knockout. One of the fastest rising stars in Myanmar, Thaw is now set to face countryman Saw Ba Oo.

Saw Ba Oo is a martial artist hailing from Yangon, Myanmar, and is a promising young talent in ONE Championship’s featherweight division. He made a successful ONE debut in 2015, and has since gone 2-1 in his career. Prior to transitioning to the cage, Saw was a Lethwei star with a 16-4-18 record. In his most recent bout, Saw scored a second-round technical knockout victory over Kyal Sin Phyo. Next up, Saw will take on rising star Phoe Thaw.

23-year-old Chinese national freestyle wrestling champion “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin is unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage. Making his professional debut in 2016, Ma took home the ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA) Flyweight Tournament Championship, defeating Wu Ting Shen and Bu Huo You Ga in a single evening of action. Since then, Ma has strung together an impressive 7-1 professional record which includes three wins by submission and one by knockout. He will now take on Eugene Toquero.

Top flyweight contender Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity martial arts and fitness coach from Manila, Philippines. The 5’5” Filipino stalwart has a knack for executing highlight-reel striking techniques and is highly unpredictable, operating at a pace opponents find difficult to keep up with. In his most recent bout, Toquero fell to rising star Stefer Rahardian of Indonesia, losing by unanimous decision in a tough contest. Now Toquero seeks to get back in contention when he takes on Ma Hao Bin.

Unbeaten Tha Pyay Nyo of Myanmar owns an unblemished professional martial arts record of 4-0 and is the 2015 ONE Myanmar Featherweight Tournament Champion. A devastating Lethwei striker, Tha Pyay Nyo transitioned to martial arts in 2015 and has since impressed inside the cage. A proven finisher, all four of Tha Pyay Nyo’s victories have come by knockout. He will return to the ONE Championship cage to face Asraful Islam, who makes his promotional debut.

21-year-old bantamweight Asraful “Warrior” Islam of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a martial artist making his professional debut. With a an amateur career that saw him go a perfect 2-0, Islam is the former UFI Bantamweight Champion. Specializing in wushu, boxing, Muay Thai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Islam is incredibly well-rounded and is ready to put his skills on full display. He makes his ONE Championship debut against Tha Pyay Nyo.

21-year-old Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit is an undefeated martial artist from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was previously a North Thailand Muay Thai champion with a 72-17 record, which included 49 KOs. Since making his professional debut in the cage, the strawweight has amassed a stellar record of 8-0 with six knockout triumphs and one submission victory, and made an immediate impact in ONE Championship with first-round finishes over Ye Thway Ne and Rabin Catalan. In his next outing, Mitsatit will share the ONE Championship cage with Jeremy Miado of the Philippines in a three-round strawweight contest.

Filipino strawweight champion Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado of Manila is a martial artist with a 6-1 professional record. After six straight victories, including two highlight-reel finishes, Miado took on countryman Robin Catalan in his most recent bout, but fell just short of victory, losing by split decision. Miado is now ready to get back in the win column, and will face a rising star from Thailand in Pongsiri Mitsatit.

Winner of the 2017 ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION Flyweight Tournament, Saw Min Min is a Lethwei practitioner with a 10-0-5 record and is unbeaten at 2-0 in the ONE Championship cage. Both of his victories in ONE have come by way of stoppage, including one submission and one knockout that prove his well-roundedness. Saw now looks to record his third straight win, this time over Ye Thway Ne.

Veteran Lethwei star and professional martial artist Ye Thway Ne of Myanmar made his ONE Championship debut in 2016, and has since gone 1-1 in his professional cage career. He owns a stellar professional Lethwei record of 41-1-29. In his most recent contest, Ye battled Pat Kyaw Lin Naing to a unanimous decision victory after two rounds. Ye is set to return to action this November opposite countryman Saw Min Min.

Unbeaten Chinese martial artist “Rock Man” Chen Lei of Changsha is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and the Shanghai Open BJJ Champion. His submission prowess has led Chen to six straight victories as a professional. In his last bout, Chen continued his spectacular win streak with an armbar finish of Malaysia’s Saiful Merican. Chen now moves on to his next contest, a tough assignment against the Philippines’ Burn Soriano.

Burn “The Hitman” Soriano of Ilocos Sur, Philippines, is coming off a tough contest against Malaysian Saiful Merican last February. The Filipino featherweight features an aggressive style, with solid power and seasoned grappling technique leading to all of his wins to date coming by way of stoppage. His 15-second spinning back fist knockout of Indonesia’s Mario Sitya Wirawan in 2016 was one of the fastest finishes in ONE history, and he will be looking to replicate that accolade against Chen Lei in his next outing.

30-year-old “Supermom” Miao Jie of Shanghai, China, is a professional martial artist with a 4-1 record. A talented grappler, Miao recently won a bronze medal at the 2017 IBJJF World Championships in Long Beach, California, USA. In her most recent bout, Miao needed less than a minute to submit Egypt’s Mona Samir via armbar at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI. Looking to make a name for herself in Asia’s premier martial arts organization, Miao seeks to showcase her complete skills as she returns to the ONE Championship cage against Amira Hafizovic.

Female strawweight Amira “The Wandera” Hafizovic of Australia is a professional martial artist with a record of 1-0. Representing Australian Top Team, Hafizovic has well-rounded striking and grappling skills as she has proven capable of finishing on the feet or on the ground. After a successful amateur career, Hafizovic was victorious in her professional debut, defeating Meg Gallagher via first-round submission. She specializes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with a grappling record of 25-5. Hafizovic’s ground skills will be put to the test, as she makes her ONE Championship debut against China’s Miao Jie.

“The Ghost” Zhang Ze Hao of Shanghai is a professional martial artist from China with a record of 3-2. He made his promotional debut at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI in early September, finishing compatriot Li Cheng Chao via technical knockout in the third round. Zhang, a proponent at the AMA Shanghai Gym, is a sanda and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. He is set to do battle against Bala Shetty in a three-round lightweight contest.

An eight-time Muay Thai national champion in India, Bala Shetty is set to return to the ONE Championship cage following a brief appearance at ONE: WAR OF DRAGONS in July of 2014. In his first ever professional cage contest, Shetty succumbed to Taiwanese star Jeff “The Machine” Huang via first-round technical knockout. Shetty now looks for redemption as he steps back onto the biggest stage of competition against China’s Zhang Ze Hao.

Decorated Indonesian martial artist Nita Dea first took up wrestling in high school, quickly becoming a two-time national wrestling champion. She has since added wushu, Muay Thai, and kickboxing to her arsenal, with three national wushu championships proving her aptitude and well-rounded ability. Taking a 12-4-0 professional record in kickboxing and Muay Thai into her ONE Championship debut last May, she fell to Thai star Rika Ishige, but now returns to the cage seeking victory against the Philippines’ Jomary Torres.

Jomary Torres, a martial artist representing Catalan Fighting System, is an unbeaten female atomweight talent from the Philippines. Armed with a complete set of striking and grappling skills, Torres is incredibly talented and determined to make a name for herself in ONE Championship. In her last bout, Torres scored a shocking upset victory over rising star Rika Ishige, winning via second-round rear naked choke to bring her cage record to 2-0. She is now set to return to action against Indonesia’s Nita Dea.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

MIAMI – October 5, 2017 – Combate Americas and Telemundo Deportes announced, at a news conference in the Wynwood district of Miami, a landmark partnership to produce the first-ever Telemundo broadcast of a live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event with “COPA COMBATE,” the epic, one-night, eight-man tournament, the winner of which will have persevered through three bouts in one night to take home a $100,000 grand prize. The event will take place on November 11 at 11:30 p.m. ET/ 8:30 p.m. PT, live from Cancun, Mexico.

The historic, 90-minute live broadcast on Telemundo will coincide with the 24th anniversary of the now legendary UFC 1, which was executive produced by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder and Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren, and which was also headlined by a one-night, eight-man tournament.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Telemundo Deportes and to bring back to life, live on Telemundo, the leading U.S. broadcast television network, the most thrilling format for competitive fighting that was responsible for changing the combat sports world forever when I introduced the UFC in 1993,” said McLaren.

“Telemundo Deportes is committed to continue expanding its portfolio of sports events, and we are thrilled to partner with Combate Americas to bring this unique MMA tournament to millions of Hispanic viewers,” said Ray Warren, President of Telemundo Deportes. “Copa Combate is a tournament created for our core audience featuring an exciting format and a diverse group of Hispanic competitors, and we look forward to an historic broadcast.”

“COPA COMBATE” will assemble a collection of the most fearsome stars in MMA’s bantamweight (135 pounds) division, hailing from the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru, and will see them battle in La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, over the course of three tournament stages – quarterfinal, semifinal and championship – before the eventual winner is crowned.

The event marks the first time in history that fighters will represent their respective countries on a quest to win the inaugural ‘Copa.’

Joining the previously announced John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (14-2) of Mankato, Minn. in the tournament field, will be the highest ranked bantamweight fighters in their respective countries:

Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo (12-4) of Cordoba, Argentina
Carlos “Lobo” Rivera (10-2) of Mexico City, Mexico
Mikey “El Terrible” Erosa (12-5) of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Marc “Lufo” Gomez (20-10) of Barcelona, Spain
Andres “Doble A” Ayala (11-4) of Bogota, Colombia
Kevin “El Frio” Moreyra (4-1) of Lima, Peru

Filling the eighth spot in the tournament field will be wild card entry, Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (9-1) of Mission, Texas.

Palacios, a 30-year-old knockout artist, is riding a six-fight win streak, and is tied with Castaneda for the most wins – six – held under the Combate Americas promotional umbrella. In his last two starts, Palacios earned decisions over UFC veterans Roman Salazar and Chris Avila, respectively.

The eight competitors will be separated into four tournament brackets, with the top four fighters given seeded positions based on their worldwide rankings.

Quarterfinal stage opponents for the four fighters will be determined based on a lottery ball drawing that will take place on a date to be announced.

Telemundo’s live broadcast of “COPA COMBATE” will feature the tournament’s semifinal stage consisting of two bouts that pit the winners of the quarterfinal stage bouts in each tournament bracket against one another. The entire quarterfinal stage of the tournament will stream live on the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com.

Telemundo Deportes, one of the leading providers of sports content in Spanish in the United States, is home to two of the world’s most popular sporting events: the FIFA World Cup™ through 2026 and the Summer Olympic Games through 2032. In addition, Telemundo Deportes broadcasts the FIFA World Cup™ CONCACAF qualifying matches for most of the region, including the Mexico and USA national teams’ away matches and the Premier League. Telemundo Deportes is also home to “Boxeo Telemundo Ford,” the #1 boxing program in Spanish, and “Titulares y Más,” the #1 sports news, entertainment and commentary show in Spanish, among other recognized sports properties.

# # #

ABOUT COMBATE AMERICAS
Combate Americas, LLC. is the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, designed to build Latino fighting champions and serve Hispanic fans, one of the world’s most avid groups of prize fighting enthusiasts. The Combate Americas franchise includes reality TV programming, live events and mobile programming. The company’s CEO, Campbell McLaren, is universally recognized as the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). New York Magazine described McLaren as “the marketing genius behind the UFC” and Yahoo! Sports proclaimed that he “knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today.” With an unprecedented product and a blue-chip ownership and management team, Combate Americas is poised to break new ground and bring about a new era in world championship level MMA competition.

About NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises:
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is a world-class media company leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. This fast-growing multiplatform portfolio is comprised of the Telemundo Network and Station Group, Telemundo Deportes, Telemundo Studios, Telemundo Internacional, Telemundo International Studios, Universo, and a Digital Enterprises & Emerging Business unit. Telemundo Network features original Spanish-language entertainment, news and sports content reaching 94% of U.S. Hispanic TV households in 210 markets through 17 owned stations, 55 affiliates and its national feed. Telemundo also owns WKAQ, a television station that serves viewers in Puerto Rico. Telemundo Deportes is the designated Spanish-language home of two of the world’s most popular sporting events: FIFA World Cup™ through 2026 and the Summer Olympic Games through 2032. As the #1 media company reaching Hispanics and millennials online, the Digital Enterprises & Emerging Business unit distributes original content across multiple platforms, maximizing its exclusive partnerships with properties such as Buzzfeed, Vox, and Snapchat. Through Telemundo Internacional, the largest U.S.-based distributor of Spanish-language content in the world; Telemundo International Studios, a production unit focused on creating high-end short form, scripted formats for international markets; and Universo, the fastest growing Hispanic entertainment cable network, the company reflects the diverse lifestyle, cultural experience and language of its expanding audience. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is a division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (October 4, 2017) – Undefeated M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Alexey Kunchenko will make his third title defense in the M-1 Challenge 84 main event against once-beaten challenger Sergey Romanov on October 27 at Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 84 will be streamed live from Saint Petersburg in high definition on www.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.

In a battle of Russian welterweight fighters, Kunchenko (16-0-0, M-1: 8-0-0) is a Muay Thai specialist who captured his title on April 9, 2016, at M-1 Challenge 65, when Murad Abdulaev retired in the fourth round.

Kunchenko has made two successful title defenses, both won by way of unanimous decisions, against Abdulaev in a rematch and this past March in his last action versus Maksim Grabovich.

Kunchenko unloaded on Grabovich

Romanov (11-1-0, M-1: 5-0-0), who is also unbeaten in M-1 Global competition, defeating Arda Adas, Magomed Sultanakhmedov, Carlos Pereira, Andreas Birgels and Sergio de Fatima. Romanov is a strong striker with eight knockouts on his impressive resume.

Romanav was too much for de Fatima

Undefeated Russian middleweight prospect Artiom Frolov (9-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0) steps up in terms of quality opposition against dangerous Brazilian middleweight Caio “Hellboy” Magalhaes (10-3-0, M-1: 1-0-0) in a fight that has future title implications. Frolov is coming off back-to-back victories in M-1 main card fights against Talekh Nadzhafzade and veteran American fighter Luigi Fioravanti. Magalhaes has fought professionally in the UFC and in his M-1 Global debut at M-1 Challenge 78 last May, he choked Dmitry Voitov into an opening-round submission.

American middleweight Joe “Diesel” Riggs (45-17-1, M-1: 1-0-0) takes on Oleg Olenichev (9-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0) in an intriguing match-up. Another former UFC fighter, Riggs has also had success fighting in Bellator and Strikeforce. The battle-tested Riggs, who was born in Maine and fights out of Arizona, is riding a five-fight win streak. Olenichev made his M-1 Global debut in his last fight, this past June at M-1 Challenge 79, winning a three-round unanimous decision over Enoc Solves Torres (19-9-1), of Spain.

In other main card match-ups, Finnish bantamweight Janne “Jamba” Elonen-Kulmala (15-5-1, M-1: 1-0-1) throws-down with Bair Shtepin (4-2-0, M-1: 1-2-0), and Russian welterweight Temirlan Sharipov (3-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0) takes on fellow countryman Maksim Grabovich (5-3-0, M-1: 4-3-0).

Two preliminary bouts are set as American heavyweight Philip “F-11” De Fries (12-6-0, M-1: 0-0-0) and Russian Anton Vyazigin (7-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) square-off and Finnish lightweight Jani Salmi (9-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0) faces Russian Roman Bogatov (2-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0).

Additional bouts will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 84: October 27, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 200 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2017 has been another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers may enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

02 October 2017 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete bout card for ONE: HERO’S DREAM, set for the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on 3 November. In the main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will take on Muay Thai heavyweight world champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Hong Kong in an open weight contest. The ONE Middleweight World Championship will not be on the line.

Ticket information for ONE: HERO’S DREAM is available at www.onefc.com.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “For the first-ever ‘David vs Goliath’ super bout in ONE Championship history, I am thrilled to announce that ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang will face Muay Thai heavyweight world champion Alain Ngalani in a five-round open weight contest. It’s going to be another memorable night of action for fans in Yangon and from all over the world. Get ready for some major fireworks!”

Aung La N Sang, ONE Middleweight World Champion, stated: “I am thrilled to be back in the cage this November. As world champion, I will always be proud to represent my home country, and I gladly accept the responsibility of inspiring my countrymen with my time inside the cage. I am truly blessed to be in the position that I am, and I promise to give my best performance yet. Alain Ngalani will be the biggest opponent I have ever competed against, and it is a challenge that I am really excited to take on.”

Alain Ngalani, ONE Superstar, stated: “As a martial artist, we continuously strive to reach the top. Everyone craves success in many forms, and for me, to be part of history is part of my goals. This is a historic matchup that will be talked about for years. I vow to do everything in my power to get the victory, give the fans an exciting show, and go down in the record books as winner of this historic bout. Together with Aung La N Sang, we will put on a thrilling contest.”

32-year-old Aung La N Sang is Myanmar’s most successful athlete in history, whose constricting style has earned him the moniker of ”The Burmese Python”. Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, he belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. In his most recent outing, Aung La N Sang stunned former champion Vitaly Bigdash of Russia in a highly-anticipated rematch to be crowned the new ONE Middleweight World Champion. Aung La N Sang is set to square off in his toughest challenge yet, against heavyweight behemoth Alain Ngalani.

Heavyweight knockout artist Alain “The Panther” Ngalani, who trains out of Impakt MMA in Hong Kong but is originally from Cameroon, is a terrifying combination of power and speed, and is always looking to end matches early. Owning a 25-7-1, 2 NC kickboxing record which includes 23 knockouts, Ngalani is a heavyweight world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. Fresh off his record-setting 11-second KO of former ONE Heavyweight World Title Challenger Hideki Sekine, “The Panther” is set to figure in ONE Championship’s first-ever ‘David vs Goliath’ super bout, as he takes on ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang in an open weight contest.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

TORONTO – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a stacked GLORY kickboxing doubleheader this Saturday, Sept. 30, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET with GLORY 45 SuperFight Series followed by GLORY 45 Amsterdam at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The world’s premier kickboxing league brings featherweight fireworks in the GLORY 45 Amsterdam main event, as reigning featherweight and former lightweight world champion Robin “Pokerface” van Roosmalen (38-7, 21 KO) defends his title against Ukrainian-born No. 1 contender Serhiy Adamchuk (35-8). In the co-main event, top 10 heavyweights collide as No. 7-ranked Hesdy “Fighterheart” Gerges (50-18-1, 23 KO) meets Mladen “The Scorpion Sting” Brestovac (53-12-1, 34 KO). The event will also feature a one-night, single-elimination light heavyweight contender tournament, as 19-year-old Dutch-Moroccan Imad “The Problem Child” Hadar (19-1, 7 KO) takes on powerful American Manny Mancha (5-2, 4 KO), while veteran Michael “Dreamcrusher” Duut (40-8, 17 KO) welcomes Moldovan-born newcomer Dragos Zubco (11-4) to the GLORY ring.

In the featured bout at GLORY 45 SuperFight Series, former middleweight champion and now No. 1 contender Jason “Psycho” Wilnis (30-7-1, 8 KO) begins his climb back to the belt in a showdown with 25-year-old Dutch-Tunisian Yousri Belgaroui (22-3, 10 KO), while 22-year-old featherweights Zakaria Zouggary (29-3-1, 15 KO) and Massaro “The Project” Glunder (30-9-4) square off, 19-year-old Dutch-Moroccan lightweight Tyjani “The Wonderboy” Beztati (13-1, 5 KO) attempts to keep his winning streak alive against 22-year-old Yodkhunpon “Muu” Sitmonchai (89-28-1, 54 KO), Aruba’s Eyevan “Mister Cool” Danenberg (23-5, 11 KO) welcomes Brazilian newcomer Wellington Uega to GLORY in a welterweight tilt, plus local Muay Thai stylist Kevin Hesseling and Bulgaria’s Stoyan “The Sniper” Koprivlenski (7-0, 3 KO) kick off the night of fights.

The full fight card with weigh-in results is included below:

GLORY 45 Amsterdam (start time: 3:30 p.m. ET)

Featherweight Title Headline Bout:
Robin van Roosmalen (142.4 lb / 64.6 kg) vs. Serhiy Adamchuk (142 lb / 64.4 kg)

Heavyweight Co-Headline Bout:
Hesdy Gerges (228.2 lb / 103.5 kg) vs. Mladen Brestovac (260.4 lb / 118.1 kg)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Bout:
Imad Hadar (204.1 lb / 92.6 kg) vs. Manny Mancha (206.1 / 93.5 kg)

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Bout:
Michael Duut (208.1 lb / 94.4 kg) vs. Dragos Zubco (207.2 lb / 94 kg)

GLORY 45 SuperFight Series (start time: 1:00 p.m. ET)

Middleweight Headline Bout:
Jason Wilnis (184.5 lb / 83.7 kg) vs. Yousri Belgaroui (186.7 lb / 84.7 kg)

Featherweight Bout:
Zakaria Zouggary (143.3 lb / 65 kg) vs. Massaro Glunder (143.1 lb / 64.9 kg)

Lightweight Bout:
Tyjani Beztati (152.6 lb / 69.2 kg) vs. Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai (152.8 lb / 69.3 kg)

Welterweight Bout:
Eyevan Danenberg (168.4 lb / 76.4 kg) vs. Wellington Uega (168.9 lb / 76.6 kg)

Catchweight (73 kg) Bout:
Kevin Hessling (159.4 lb / 72.3 kg) vs. Stoyan Koprivlenski (159.4 lb / 72.3 kg)

Both cards will be broadcast live on Fight Network exclusively in Canada and Turkey.

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.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Sept. 28th, 2017) — Four years removed from his last appearance with CES MMA, Boston’s John “Doomsday” Howard returns to the scene of some of his greatest triumphs next month when he headlines “CES MMA 46” at Twin River Casino.

A 14-time Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veteran and former CES MMA world champion, the 33-year-old Howard (24-13, 9 KOs) faces submission specialist Roger Carroll (16-15), who’s forced 15 of his 16 victims to tap during his nine-year career. The bout headlines the Friday, Oct. 27th, 2017nationally-televised main card of “CES MMA 46” on AXS TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Tickets for “CES MMA 46” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.cagetix.com/ces by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Oct. 27th is a homecoming of sorts for Howard, who grew up in the Dorchester region of Boston and attained unparalleled success in Rhode Island, winning all five of his appearances with the promotion between 2012 and 2013 either by knockout or submission, which paved the way for his second stint with the UFC.

Four years and nine fights later, including a brief stint with the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Howard is finally home, hoping his return to CES MMA helps him achieve his ultimate goal of competing for, and winning, a major world title.

“Having fought 15 years in this sport, I want a big title,” Howard said. “If I can’t get the title, at least a title shot. My whole career, I’ve never had a serious title shot in the big leagues.”

Following a three-fight losing streak during his first stint with the UFC, Howard took his talents to CES MMA, where he captured the promotion’s middleweight world championship and won his next four bouts before a return to the UFC on its Fight Night 26 main card in Boston. Facing long odds, Howard defeated veteran middleweight Uriah Hall by split decision.

Having campaigned at 185 pounds with CES MMA following an earlier stint as a welterweight, Howard returned to 170 the second time around with the UFC, a decision he quickly regretted. At welterweight, Howard finished 2-4 in his next six bouts, including an eye-opening knockout loss to Tim Means — a former 155-pounder — in what ended up as his final fight with the UFC in 2015.

“They granted me a four-fight contract and then I got knocked out by Tim Means and they just canceled my whole contract,” Howard said. “I was really disappointed. That put me in a messed-up bind. It forced me to go take chances and sacrifices I didn’t want to make because I didn’t expect that.

“I wish I stayed at 185,” he continued. “Me going down to 170 as I got older played a role in my career. I wasn’t as healthy as I thought I should’ve been in fights because cutting weight sucked. With the science of cutting weight, you feel like you’ll be bigger, stronger, faster, but I think with a lot of the stuff we’ve learned today, that’s not necessarily the case.”

Though the cuts weren’t enjoyable, Howard’s biggest issue was rehydrating, not losing weight. From time to time, he’d have trouble getting back up to his walk-around weight on fight night, which left him sluggish and unable to perform to the best of his ability.

“It’s kind of a roll of the dice,” he said. “Means, he’s a 155er. He’s a 155 who went to 170 and I’m a big 170 and he still knocked me out. That was a reality check. I never thought I could get knocked out by a guy who can make 155. It was an eye opener. I started thinking maybe I don’t need to cut all this weight to be fighting.”

Having freed himself from the burden of making 170 and facing rehydration issues, Howard received some much-needed mental clarity last summer when, through a series of non-invasive neurological tests, the 13-year vet discovered he had clinical autism.

The diagnosis, according to Howard, explained a lot about his childhood, in which he endured bullying from older students for attending special needs classes. Howard struggled with speech and other social skills, never realizing he was autistic.

“It was a challenge I had to overcome,” said Howard, who also has an autistic daughter. “There are some kids in worse situations than mine. The reason I came out with the story is I felt like it was my responsibility once I found something out, especially when you have a kid with autism. I can say, ‘Listen, I have a case of what you have. Don’t be subject to this. You can overcome and do great things.’

“Look at all I’ve accomplished, and I didn’t even know I had it. I’m on the spectrum now and I’m still going for it.”

As is the case with most new diagnoses, Howard’s didn’t come until later in life. Likewise, his symptoms vary from those of other autistic adults, which is common on the wide-ranging autism spectrum. Howard is also adamant he shared his story to inspire others, not for sympathy.

“It doesn’t matter what disability I have. I’m still moving forward and I want to be treated like the same person you treated me as before you found out,” he said. “I’m the same. I’m not looking for special treatment.

“The story was for the kids suffering. I have a daughter who’s autistic. I want to especially show her and say, ‘Listen, daddy’s on the spectrum. It may not be as bad as you are, but if daddy can do X, Y, Z and have a successful career, don’t think you can’t either. Success is definitely in your path.’ I wanted to be a prime example.”

With newfound clarity on life, Howard is ready to make another run at championship glory in the 185-pound division. Having endured two separate stints with the UFC, he’s in no rush to get back and is open to whatever the sport has in store for him.

“I was a world champion for CES at 185 and when I went to the UFC I beat one of the best 185ers in the division, so that should’ve been proof enough for me to stay there,” Howard said. “That was a reality check. Now my mindset is different. I’m trying to stay at 185 no matter where I go.”

The politics at the UFC level, coupled with his unexpected release from the promotion in 2015, has changed Howard’s outlook. Training with Sityodtong founder Mark DellaGrotte and former UFC vet Tom Egan, among others, Howard split in two fights with WSOF, beating Michael Arrant in June of 2016 and losing a decision to Abubakar Nurmagomedov four months later in October.

Next month’s showdown with Carroll will be his first fight in more than a year, a fitting return for one of CES MMA’s most successful fighters and a founding father of sorts in the promotion earning its well-deserved reputation as a gateway to the UFC.

“I’m real appreciative of what the UFC has done for me. I earned my way there. Throughout my whole UFC career, I never had any easy fights. I had nothing but top tier contenders and that’s why I deserved to get back in when I got there because I belonged there, not because of anything else.

“But, I’ll say this: is the goal to get back there? No. I’ve been there, done that. If I can go somewhere else and make more money, I’ll do that. Right now, I’m going where the money is. That’s the plan.”

“CES MMA 46” also features the return of rising welterweight prospect Gary Balletto Jr. (4-1, 2 KOs) of Cranston, R.I., and the long-awaited professional debut of Oyster Bay, N.Y., welterweight John Gotti III, the grandson of reputed mob boss John Gotti and the son of John “Junior” Gotti.

Lightweight Josh LaBerge (11-6, 5 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., returns to face Jonathan Lemke (6-8, 5 KOs) of Auburn, Maine, and featherweight Dinis Paiva (9-6, 5 KOs) of East Providence, R.I., battles Erie, Pa., vet Brandon Seyler (7-5, 1 KO). Bantamweight Rico DiSciullo (7-1, 3 KOs) of Peabody, Mass., faces Justin King (6-5) of Lawrence, Ind., and Justin Sumter (3-1, 2 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., returns in a lightweight bout against Rahway, N.J., vet Shedrick Goodridge (6-9, 2 KOs).

Also returning Oct. 27th, Providence featherweight Marquis Brewster (3-0) battles Raymond Yanez (4-11, 1 KO) of Marion, Ohio; middleweight Jesse Botelho of Fall River, Mass., makes his professional debut against Brazilian Reginaldo Felix (1-3) and featherweight Pat McCrohan (2-1, 1 KO) of Berkley, Mass., faces Buck Pineau (1-3) of Ashland, Maine. Featherweight Hugh McKenna (1-1) of Syosset, N.Y., makes his professional debut in a separate three-round bout.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/cesmma for more information, or follow CES MMA on Instagram at @CESMMA.

28 September 2017 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held a kick-off press conference ahead of the highly-anticipated live event, ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD, which takes place 9 December at the Impact Arena in Bangkok and is held in collaboration with Havoline. Headlining the event is ONE Superstar, top lightweight contender Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai as well as the challenger, Rasul Yakhyaev of Russia. Also in attendance was Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, Chatri Sityodtong, and ONE President of Thailand, Kamol ‘Sukie’ Sukosol Clapp, as well as ONE Championship athletes Rika Ishige, Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, Kritsada Kongsrichai and Sagetdao Petpayathai.

The main event bout has been announced as a lightweight title eliminator, with the winner going on to challenge the ONE Lightweight World Champion.

Ticket information for ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD is available at www.onefc.com.

Official photos from the ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD Press Conference at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dQXq2Z3E5YHr9fPt1

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “Bangkok is one of the most amazing places in the world to hold a live sporting event because the fans are so passionate and energetic. The atmosphere we create at the Impact Arena is unique and you have to experience it firsthand to understand the kind of electricity that flows through the stadium. This main event we have lined up is sure to produce fireworks as Thailand’s biggest martial arts star, Shannon Wiratchai, showcases his skills inside the ONE Championship cage against Russia’s Rasul Yakhyaev.”

Kamol ‘Sukie’ Sukosol Clapp, ONE President of Thailand, stated: “It’s going to be another amazing evening of world-class martial arts action. There really is no place like home, and I am excited every time we have a ONE Championship event here in my city. ONE has been relentless in its pursuit to give fans adrenaline-pumping action from start to finish, and ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD will certainly aim to be the most exciting show in the history of Thailand.”

Lennard Kwek, Asia Pacific Marketing Manager, Chevron, stated: “We are thrilled to announce the renewal of this massive partnership with ONE Championship, the largest sports media property in Asian history. The values of ONE & the strength of the athletes, resonate deeply to the core of Havoline on genuine strength. Caltex Havoline believes that, just like the bouts in the ONE Championship cage, our vehicles often face difficult conditions on the road. But with a proven fighter against friction, wear and sludge deposits, you can be sure that you will have a smooth and worry-free ride. We are excited at the possibilities and the opportunities for growth in both companies.”

Shannon Wiratchai, ONE Superstar, stated: “I would like to thank all the Thai people, and all fans of martial arts for the support. If you’re a fan of non-stop action and excitement, come and see us at the Impact Arena on 9 December. It’s going to be an amazing show. I am preparing very hard so that I can make Thailand proud. I know my opponent is incredibly well-rounded and highly-skilled, so I will surely not be taking him lightly. It’s going to be an absolute battle from beginning to end.”

Rasul Yakhyaev, stated: “After some time, I have returned to ONE Championship, seeking victory. I have improved so much as a martial artist in my time away. Now, I am confident in all of my skills. I am coming to Thailand to take on its toughest warrior. Thank you to ONE for the opportunity of a lifetime, I will definitely bring my best inside the cage.”

Rika Ishige, stated: “We can never really lose. Either we win, or we learn, and in that sense, there is victory in every defeat. Defeat is part of the game, it’s part of life. The most important thing is that we get back up and keep fighting for our dreams. I am honored to be part of this event, to represent Thailand as its first professional martial arts star. Come see us on 9 December, it’s a show you won’t want to miss.”

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, former ONE Strawweight World Champion, stated: “I am ready to continue my quest in becoming the best martial artist I can be. I was once at the top, once the champion, and there is nothing I want more than to get back to that status. Whoever I have to face, whoever they put in front of me, better be ready for what I’m bringing into the cage. I am proud to represent Thailand on the biggest international stage of competition.”

Kritsada Kongsrichai, stated: “As a newcomer to this game, it’s definitely something that I have had to learn. The complete set of martial arts, from striking to grappling, is something that requires a great deal of discipline and determination to adapt to. I vow to showcase my improvements in this next bout and show what I plan for my future.”

Sagetdao Petpayathai, stated: “I am in this to prove my skills and my heart as a warrior. It doesn’t matter who I am matched up against. What matters is that I am prepared well and that I am in great physical condition. Everyday I put myself through the rigors of training to become the best martial artist I can be. I am excited for 9 December so that I can get back inside the cage and do what I love.”

Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai of Thailand is a staple in exciting and memorable battles inside the ONE Championship cage. A mainstay of Bangkok Fight Lab, he trains in various martial arts disciplines at home in Bangkok, including Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. An offensive innovator, Wiratchai likes to be creative with his striking, employing a myriad of unpredictable off-angle elbows and kicks. Wiratchai seeks to continue his winning ways as he headlines ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD in the main event bout against Rasul Yakhyaev.

26-year-old Rasul Yakhyaev of Grozny, Russia is a lightweight martial arts star who has racked up a solid following over his seven year professional career. He is adept in both striking and mat techniques, and is considered a solid contender with tremendous combat skills. A well-rounded warrior, four of Yakhyaev’s victories have come by submission while three have come by knockout. He made his ONE Championship debut in December of 2015, falling to Lowen Tynanes by submission. Yakhyaev now seeks redemption as he takes on Shannon Wiratchai.

Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige is a 28-year-old female atomweight from Bangkok, Thailand. She is of mixed Japanese and Thai heritage, beginning her martial arts training at age nine with aikido and taekwondo. Heavily influenced by her late father who trained in judo, Ishige went on to hone her skills as a martial artist, and turned pro earlier this year. All of Ishige’s victories have ended via impressive submission as she has been able to showcase her impressive grappling skills.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world champion who has a 8-2 record as a professional martial artist. He is known as a technical striker with quick hands and lightning feet, employing some of the most unique and creative combinations. As a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience, Dejdamrong is a seasoned veteran. In his last bout, Dejdamrong defeated the Philippines’ Robin Catalan with his patented knee strikes.

Kritsada “Dream Man” Kongsrichai is a Thai national wrestling champion, and has a 5-3 record as a professional martial artist. He has not gone the distance yet in his young career, having three knockouts and two submissions under his belt. He made his ONE Championship debut in the promotion’s first-ever Bangkok show in May 2016, where Kongsrichai delighted his hometown fans with a spectacular performance, stopping opponent Kev Hemmorlor via first-round technical knockout.

30-year-old Sagetdao Petpayathai is a Muay Thai specialist and a four-time Lumpinee Stadium champion who has won every major title in Muay Thai. He made his professional cage debut last March at home in Bangkok, defeating Malaysia’s Kelvin Ong via first-round technical knockout. Voted by Thai media as one of the greatest Muay Thai practitioners in history, Petpayathai is known for his highly technical knowledge in all of Muay Thai’s varied techniques. In his last bout, Petpayathai stopped Mahmoud Mohamed in the first round to improve his record to 2-0.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

About Thairath TV
A household name well familiar by all Thai news reader, Thairath is the most powerful daily newspaper in Thailand. With more than a million copies of consistent daily circulation since 1962, Thairath has been gaining a strong foothold as the leader in Thai society for more than 60 years and counting. Dedicated, experienced, and skilled in delivering human-centric news and relevant variety of content to daily lives of the Thais, Thairath reaches out to its massive reader base through both classic and cutting-edge channels including print, website, smartphone and tablet applications, SMS subscription, and social network. Today, adding to its array of platform, Thairath ventures into broadcasting business by officially joining the digital TV industry, creating and adding fresh perspectives to the Thai television industry through news and entertainment programs under the name “Thairath TV.” Since the launch in April 2014, Thairath TV has lifted up the industry standard with innovative news presentation technique including immersive graphic to help report compelling stories to the mass audience. Additionally, those cutting edge technologies are the main driving forces which puts Thairath TV on top in live sport broadcasting. With those establishments and the eagerness to continue to grow, Thairath aims towards eventually being a content provider in a global scale.

About Chevron
Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company’s operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About Havoline®
Since 1904, as a part of the Chevron Corporation family of products, Havoline® has continued to produce innovations, based on science and technology. In 1946, Havoline® launched the “New and improved Havoline” with additives as a feature. Year after year, Havoline® delivers new innovations; the latest achievement is Deposit ShieldTM, which can protect engines from harmful sediments improving vehicle performance and fuel economy.

KAZAN, Russia (September 23, 2017) – American MMA fighter Brandon “Bull” Halsey, fighting as a light heavyweight for the first time, won a hard-fought, three-round unanimous decision over his Russian opponent, Mikhail Ragozin, in yesterday’s (Saturday) M-1 Challenge 83: TATFIGHT 5 main event, marking the first international MMA event ever held in Kazan, Russia.

In the co-feature, Aleksander Doskalchuk became the first M-1 Challenge flyweight champion.

Eight different countries – Russia, USA, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, and Netherlands – were represented by fighters in this international event.

The 30-year-old Halsey (10-3-0, M-1: 1-1-0), fighting out of Huntington Beach, California, was a standout wrestler at the California State University in Bakersfield. He is a former two-time Bellator whose decision to move up to light heavyweight from middleweight, after him being stopped in the opening round of M-1 Challenge 79 this past June to Russian MMA star Alexander Shlemenko, proved correct as he won a three-round decision over Ragozin for his initi al M-1 Global victory, establishing himself as a leading contender for the coveted M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title.

Doskalchuk (8-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), of Ukraine, used a choke hold to force Russian flyweight Vadim “Bad Santa” Malygin (11-3-1, M-1: 2-2-1) to tap out in the second round. Doskalchuk became the first M-1 Challenge flyweight champion.

In other main event action, Georgian lightweight Raul Tutarauli (18-3-0, M-1: 6-1-0) took a three-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Vladimir Kanunnikov (8-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0, of Russia; American featherweight Nate “The Train” Landwehr (9-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0) stopped his Russian foe, Mikhail Korobkov (13-3-1, M-1: 1-3-1), on punches in the second round; Kazakh bantamweight Sergey Morozov (10-3-0, M-1: 5-2-0) punched out Luan Fernandes (8-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0) in the second fame.

Nate “The Train” Landwehr celebrated his first M-1 win

The judges were very busy working the undercard as only two fights ended before the full distance with Russian featherweight knocking out his countryman, pro-debuting Rinat Shakirov in the third round, and Russian lightweight Viktor Kolesnik (11-3-1, M-1: 2-0-1) doing the same to Netherlands kickboxing specialist Brian Hooi (14-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0), only in the opening round.

Ukrainian light heavyweight Vadim Shabadash (5-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0) and Russian bantamweight Alexander Osetrov won unanimous decisions over, respectively, Russian Kirill Kusmin (2-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0) and pro-debuting Lenar Suleymanov, of Russia.

Russian light weight Alik Albagachiev (4-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0) took a majority decision win from Russian Ruslan Khisamutdinov (4-4-0, M-1: 0-1-0) and Russian welterweight Vadim Sinitsyn (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0) had the exact same outcome versus Timur Gilimzyanov (4-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0). Brazilian lightweight Diego Davela (18-6-1, M-1: 1-1-1) and Busurmankul Abdibait Uulu (8-2-1, M-1: 0-0-1), of Kyrgyzstan, fought to a three-round split draw.

Complete results and photo gallery below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Brandon Halsey (10-3-0, M-1: 1-1-0), USA
WUDEC3
Mikhail Ragozin (8-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia

INAUGURAL M-1 CHALLENGE FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Aleksander Doskalchuk (8-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Ukraine
WSUB2 (CHOKE – 1:26)
Vadim Malygin (11-3-1, M-1: 2-2-1), Russia
(Doskalchuk Won M-1 Challenge flyweight title)

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Raul Tutarauli (18-3-0, M-1: 6-1-0), Georgia
WUDEC
Vladimir Kanunnikov (8-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia)

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Nate Landwehr (9-2-0 (M-1: 1-0-0), USA
WKO/TKO (punches – 1:31)
Mikhail Korobkov (13-3-1, M-1: 1-3-1), Russia

BANTAMWEIGHTS
Sergey Morozov (10-3-0, M-1: 5-2-0), Kazakhstan
WKO/TKO2 (punches – 4:48)
Luan Fernandes (8-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil

PRELIMINARY CARD

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Vadim Shabadash (5-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine
WUDEC
Kirill Kuzmin (2-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Vadim Sinitsyn (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WMDEC
Timur Gilimzyanov (4-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Diego Davella (18-6-1, M-1: 1-1-1), Brazil
SD
Busurmankul Abditbait Uulu (8-2-1, M-1: 0-0-1), Kyrgyzstan

Viktor Kolesnik (11-2-1, M-1: 2-0-1), Russia
WKO/TKO1 (punches – 3:36)
Brian Hooi (14-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Netherlands

Alik Albagachiev (4-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WMDEC
Ruslan Khisamutdinov (4-4-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Nidzhat Imanov (2-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0)
WKO/TKO3 (punches)
Rinat Shakirov (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

BANTAMWEIGHTS
Alexander Osetrov (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WUDEC
Lenar Suleymanov (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

INFORMATION:

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 84: October 27, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 200 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2017 has been another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

M-1 CHALLENGE 83 WEIGHTS

KAZAN, Russia (September 22, 2017) – The official weigh in was held today for tomorrow’s M-1 Challenge 83 in Kazan, Russia. See weights and pictures below.

M-1 Challenge 83 will be streamed live from Kazan in high definition on www.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.

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
(R) Mikhail Ragozin(8-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 205 lbs. (93 kg)
(L) Brandon “Bull” Halsey (9-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), USA 204 lbs. (92,8 kg)

INAUGURAL M-1 CHALLENGE FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP — 5 X 5
(L) Aleksander Doskalchuk (7-1-00, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine 125 lbs. (56,7 kg)
(R) Vadim “Bad Santa” Malygin (11-2-1, M-1: 2-1-1), Russia 125 lbs. (56,7 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
(R) Vladimir Kanunnikov (8-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 153 ½ lbs. (69,6 kg)
(L) Raul Tutarauli (17-3-0, M-1: 5-1-0), Georgia 153 ½ lbs. (69,8 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
(L) Nate “The Train” Landwehr (8-2-0 (M-1: 0-0-0), USA 144 lbs. (65,5 kg)
(R) Mikhail Korobkov (13-2-1, M-1: 1-2-1), Russia 143 OBS. (65,2 KG)

BANTAMWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
(R) Sergey Morozov (9-3-0, M-1: 4-2-0), Kazakhstan 135 LBS. (61,3 kg)
(L) Luan Fernandes (8-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 133 lbs. (60,5 kg)

PRELIMINARY CARD

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Kirill Kuzmin (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 200 lbs. (91 kg)
Vadim Shabadash (4-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Ukraine 202 lbs. (91,7 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Timur Gilimzyanov (4-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 168 ½ lbs. (76,6 kg)
Vadim Sinitsyn (1-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 168 lbs. (76,3 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Diego Davella (18-6-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Brazil 149 lbs. (67,8 kg)
Busurmankul Abditbait Uulu (8-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Kyrgyzstan 149 lbs. (67,8 kg)

Brian Hooi (14-6-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Netherlands 153 lbs. (69,6 kg)
Viktor Kolesnik (10-2-1, M-1: 1-0-1), Russia 154 ½ lbs. (70,3 kg)

Ruslan Khisamutdinov (4-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 154 lbs. (69,9 kg)
Alik Albagachiev (3-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 154 lbs. (70 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Rinat Shakirov (pro debut), Russia 138 lbs. (62,7 kg)
Nidzhat Imanov (1-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0) 138 ½ lbs. (63 kg)

BANTAMWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Lenar Suleymanov (pro debut), Russia 133 lbs. (60,6 kg)
Alexander Osetrov (1-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 134 lbs. (61,1 kg)

(all fights & fighters subject to change)

WHEN: Saturday, September 23, 2017

WHERE: Kazan, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

LIVE STREAM: www.m1global.tv (9.00 a.m. ET / 6:00 a.m. in USA)

INFORMATION:

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 83: Sept. 23, 2017 in Kazan, Russia
M-1 Challenge 84: October 27, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 200 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2017 has been another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!