Las Vegas, NV – FightMetric®, the official statistics provider of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), will continue to enhance fans experience by providing UFC Fighter Rankings. UFC Fighter Rankings by FightMetric will poll opinions from sports media worldwide and will be recognized by the UFC and integrated into its broadcast and featured on UFC.com. Voting will be open to media immediately after each live event with results made available to UFC.com within 24 hours.

“We are thrilled to have UFC recognize our fighter rankings and to have them hosted on UFC.com, as well as incorporated into event broadcasts. FightMetric has worked closely with the UFC for several years as an industry-leader in MMA statistics. Sports fans are accustomed to seeing performance data and rankings on their favorite baseball, football and soccer players, and now we can engage UFC fans on a similar level,” said FightMetric creator Rami Genauer.

“UFC Fighter Rankings are a great tool for new and existing fans alike to learn and better keep up with the fast pace of the UFC,” said UFC President Dana White. “We always look for opportunities to engage fans and media, allowing them to connect and voice their opinions, and this just one more way of doing that.”

Media members will vote for top fighters, currently active in the UFC, by weight class and pound-for-pound. A fighter can only appear in one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champions of each division are set in the first and second positions respectively and are not eligible for voting by media. However, champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings. Media voting is by invitation only and interested media members can apply at UFC.com/Rankings.

Since November 2007, FightMetric has furnished data that tracks the complete fight history of UFC athletes analyzing bouts across more than 125 statistical categories, encompassing all strikes, takedowns, submissions, and position changes. Currently, FightMetric data provides media and fans with an opportunity to track the history and performance of UFC competitors beyond simple wins and losses.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

About FightMetric®

Started in 2007, FightMetric® is the world’s only comprehensive mixed martial arts statistics and analysis provider, and is the official statistics provider of the UFC®. FightMetric counts among its clients some of the largest media companies in the world, including ESPN, FOX, and Microsoft. The company provides data and fantasy services, along with cutting edge research aimed at advancing the sport of MMA. FightMetric is based in Washington, DC.

Last week it was announced that the annual, highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament was set to begin on March 22, but today information was released by the tournament committee that the eligibility status of two of the fighters set to compete is in question.

“Information has surfaced regarding whether or not two of our esteemed combatants will be able to enter our country, as they have faced issues in the past regarding fighting competitions,” said .Sadahura Takinawa, Committee President. “While we cannot release the names until we are able to full utilize our resources and draw a conclusion to these claims, we are hopeful that this will not further the delay of the commencement of the tournament.”

Takinawa continued that in the event that the fighters are not granted eligibility and are not able to compete, then two replacement fighters will be called up to take their slots.

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world. Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, amongst several other top combatants.

“This is not an average MMA or boxing match; this is one of the most revered freestyle fighting tournaments in the world, and we will go above and beyond to ensure the success of it,” said Takinawa. “We owe it to the fighters who have qualified, and of course to the fans around the world.”

This unique tournament is one of a kind, as it encompasses all of the diversified martial arts and boxing disciplines across the world, and brings the most elite fighters in each discipline together to compete in a winner take all, single elimination tournament with the grand prize being the purse of $1 million and eligibility to fight in any tournament worldwide.

Las Vegas, Nevada –The Ultimate Fighter® returned Tuesday night on FX with the second episode of the season – “Ambush.” In the first preliminary bout, Luke Barnatt, from Cambridge, England, dominated Colorado Spring’s Gilbert Smith when they squared off in the Octagon®.

Using his significant height and reach advantage, Barnatt, 5-0 in mixed martial arts, dictated much of the fight before stopping the much smaller Smith (5-1) in the second round.

Before the bout, the fighters on Team Jones had voiced concerns about the match-up, but head coach Jon “Bones” Jones insisted on his selection and, ultimately, was proved wrong.

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

Results after second episode:

Team Sonnen – coached by UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen (1-0)

Luke Barnatt (1-0, defeated Gilbert Smith via TKO in episode 2)

Uriah Hall (0-0)

Zak Cummings (0-0)

Tor Troeng (0-0)

Jimmy Quinlan (0-0)

Kevin Casey (0-0)

Kelvin Gastelum (0-0)

Team Jones – coached by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (0-1)

Clint Hester (0-0)

Josh Samman (0-0)

Bubba McDaniel (0-0)

Gilbert Smith (0-1, lost to Luke Barnatt via TKO in episode 2)

Collin Hart (0-0)

Adam Cella (0-0)

Dylan Andrews (0-0)

Following their first win, Team Sonnen gained control of the next fight pick and chose Uriah Hall to take on Team Jones’ Adam Cella.

The series resumes next Tuesday, February 5, on FX at 9 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode – “Embrace the Suffering” – a fighter responds after being called out, coach Chael Sonnen gives advice to a fighter lacking confidence, coach Jones bonds with his team during a house visit and two fighters deliver explosive action in the Octagon.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

Demetrious Johnson retained the UFC Flyweight championship with a five round unanimous decision over former Ultimate Fighter Winner John Dodson in the main event at the United Center in Chicago.

Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 for Johnson, 125 lbs of Parkland, WA and is now 17-2-1. Dodson, 124 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 15-6

Glovier Tiexeira scored a three round unanimous decision over former Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Tiexiera for Tiexeira, 206 lbs of Rio De Janairo, Brazil and is now 20-2. Jackson, 204 lbs of Irvine, CA is now 32-11.

Anthony Pettis scored a 1st round stoppage over Donald Cerrone on a kick to the ribs in a Lightweight bout.

The bout was stopped at 2:35.

Petts, 155 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is now 14-2. Cerrone, 155 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 19-5-1

Ricardo Lamas scored a second round stoppage over Erik Koch in a Lightweight bout

Lamas landed a big elbow while Koch was down that opened up a nasty cut over the left eye of Koch and then Lamas set iff about ten elbows and punches and referee John McCarthy stopped the bout at 2:32 of round two.

Lamas, 145 lbs of Chicago is 13-2. Koch, 145 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is also 13-2.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Matt Hughes, the legendary Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) Hall of Famer and former two-time welterweight champion, officially announced his retirement from UFC competition today. He has eagerly accepted a new role as he joins the organization’s front office, taking the newly created position of Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations.

To coincide with this appointment, UFC has also created a clear set of athlete guidelines, or Conduct Policy, memorializing the values long held by the organization. As ambassadors of the sport and the organization, UFC athletes have always been held to a high standard. The UFC recognizes that athletes face both professional and personal pressures, and with health and safety paramount, the Conduct Policy coupled with the new resource Hughes will provide in his role, best positions UFC athletes for a successful career and post-UFC future.

“Hughes will be an invaluable resource for UFC athletes,” Lawrence Epstein, UFC COO, said. “Leveraging the background and expertise he gained over a Hall of Fame career, Hughes will be dedicated to providing guidance on a wide range of issues athletes face inside and outside of the Octagon®. This includes understanding the heightened social responsibility that comes with being in the public eye, to best practices when dealing with endorsements or managing finances, to the basic daily challenges of staying healthy during training, as well as the need to steer clear of illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs. In addition to his work with UFC athletes, Hughes will engage with state athletic commissions and international federations to provide regulatory insight from the perspective of a professional athlete.”

“This is something that the UFC is implementing because they really care about their athletes,” Hughes said. “I’ve experienced ups and downs in my career and found that the UFC has supported me every step of the way. I understand the pressures and responsibilities that go along with being a professional athlete. I look forward to using my knowledge and experience to provide insight and perspective on behalf of athletes and the organization.”

“Matt is one of those guys that was there from the early days and helped grow MMA to the modern, professional sport it is today,” UFC president Dana White said. “He has been in the sport since the late 1990s and really seen it all. Matt is a two-time world champion in the UFC, he’s coached The Ultimate Fighter® reality series twice, has fought all over the world and has been in every situation a fighter can be in. Matt’s expertise makes him highly qualified for this.”

As a two-time UFC welterweight champion (2001 to 2004, 2004 to 2006), Hughes brings a wealth of experience to the role. A graduate of Eastern Illinois University where he was a two-time All-American NCAA Division I wrestler, Hughes began his mixed martial arts career in 1998, and would go on to not only be the first man to regain the UFC’s welterweight championship, but also compete all over the United States as well as Japan, England, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait while cementing his reputation as one of the all-time greats. In recognition of his enormous contribution to the sport both inside and outside the Octagon, Hughes became the eighth man to be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame in May 2010.

Hughes is also a successful businessman outside of the Octagon, having run an agricultural company parallel to his fighting career. His charitable and community involvement includes mentoring and helping young people of his hometown Hillsboro, Ill. travel for mission trips.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

LOS ANGELES, January 23, 2013 – MMA fans and Tony Stark make a great combination, as both helped propel FX to the #1 most-watched television network (broadcast and cable) on Saturday night (1/19) in Adults 18-49 and all male demos. Additionally, the latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter® debuted on Tuesday night (1/22) in its new timeslot to FX series highs in Adults 18-49, Men 18-49 and Total Viewers.

UFC on FX 7 (9-11 PM E/P), which in the main event saw Vitor Belfort defeat Michael Bisping by TKO in the second round, was the most-watched UFC event on FX ever, setting highs in Total Viewers (1.86 million), and in all Adult and Men demos, including Adults 18-49 (1.32 million) and Men 18-49 (985,000). UFC on FX 7 ranked #1 on in all of television (broadcast and cable) in its time period in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and in all male demos.

UFC on FX 7 and Iron Man 2 made FX the #1 most-watched network in all of television on Saturday night in Adults 18-49 and all male demos.

The Ultimate Fighter on FX season three on its new night (Tuesdays) saw gains across the board. The special two-hour season premiere (1/22/13, 8-10 PM E/P) bowed to FX series highs in several key demos, including Adults 18-49 (1.03 million), Men 18-49 (677,000) and Total Viewers (1.51 million). Compared to the prior two season averages on FX, which aired Friday nights, TUF on FX season 3 opened +59% ahead of season 2 and +36% ahead of season 1 in Adults 18-49, and +66% ahead of season 2 and +46% ahead of season 1 in Total Viewers. Numbers based on Fast Nationals, subject to change.

Episode 2, “Ambush,” airs next Tuesday (1/29) at its regularly scheduled timeslot of 9:00 PM E/P. Fourteen victorious middleweights move into the house, and training begins. Gilbert Smith gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness. Then Smith faces Luke Barnatt in the first preliminary fight.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in nearly 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, Legit, BrandX with Russell Brand and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.(Jan. 23, 2013) – GLORY, the world’s new premiere kickboxing league, will bring it’s ROAD TO GLORY USA fight series, intent on discovering America’s next great fighting superstars, to Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles with a stacked, one-night, eight-man middleweight (187 pou! nds) tournament on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Tickets for the event, headlined by the ROAD TO GLORY USA single-elimination tournament, are priced from $40 and can be purchased by phone at 877-446-7962. The tournament is being held as part of a Dennis Warner-promoted WCK fight card also featuring five Muay Thai bouts.

“We are excited to showcase our new ROAD TO GLORY development series for prospective future superstars in the sports and entertainment mecca of Los Angeles,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer. “Our fight team headed by legendary trainer Cor Hemmers has hand-picked a group of eight hungry, aspiring world champions from various parts of the U.S., looking to make it to the global stage that GLORY’s championship level events take place on. To get there, though, they will have to show they have what it takes by persevering in this highly-competitive tournament.&rd! quo;

Enlisted for the eight-man tournament are red-hot prospect Eddie “Showtime” Walker (9-1-1, 7 KOs) of Atlanta, Ga., hard-hitting Andrew Kapel (11-3, 10 KOs) of Minneapolis, Minn., seven-time South African kickboxing champion Van “The General” Wyk Povey (32-3-1, 22 KOs) of Dublin, Calif. via Pretoria, South Africa.; California State Champion Edgar Del Fierro (18-4, 14 KOs) of Fresno, Calif.; former Karate and Sambo champion Evgeny Zotov (5-2, 3 KOs) of Knoxville, Tenn.; undefeated upstart Mike Lemaire (6-0) of San Diego, Calif.; Casey Green (5-5) of Santa Monica, Calif.; and Jonarth Junio (8-4, 1 KO) of Bellflower, Calif.

The winner of the ROAD TO GLORY USA middleweight tournament will be awarded a grand prize of $20,000 and a one-year contract with GLORY where he will have the opportunity to compete in the world’s most prestigious one-nigh! t GLORY kickboxing tournaments that award up to $600,000 in prize money.

A tournament “alternate” bout on the card will pit Afram Egbochuku (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Diego against Jacob “King Cobra” Poss (9-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles. Should any of the tournament’s quarterfinal round fight winners be unable to return to the ring for semifinal round action due to injury sustained en route to victory, the winner of the matchup between Egbochuku and Poss will take the injured fighter’s place in the tournament.

A draw to determine the ROAD TO GLORY USA middleweight tournament’s quarterfinal round matchups will take place on a date and at a location to be announced soon.

Doors at the first floor showroom at Hollywood Park Casino will open for the event at 5 p.m. PST and the first preliminary bout begins at 6 p.m.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, telev! ision and martial arts fighting.

In 2013, GLORY launched the ROAD TO GLORY tournament fight series to identify and develop new kickboxing talent in The United States and elsewhere around the globe into future champions and superstars of the sport.

About Hollywood Park Casino:

Located just three miles east of the world renowned Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood Park Casino – the first casino in the U.S. to be based at a racetrack – has served as one of the nation’s premier gaming facilities since opening its doors in July 1994. The Casino’s six-story, 220,000 square-foot Las Vegas-style gaming facility plays host to more than 3,000 visitors daily, seven days a week. Open 24 hours, the Casino’s beautiful art deco facility provides 65 tables of the most popular poker games, such as Hold’em, 7-Card Stud, Omaha, and Mexican Poker. In addition to poker, the Casino displays 35 tables of California card games! that include Blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Pai Gow Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, Baccarat, and Super Pan 9. What’s more, the horse racing-themed Casino allows patrons to place both live and simulcast racetrack wagers – for such world famous domestic and international tracks as Santa Anita and Del Mar – from the convenience of their seats. The Casino also offers nightly bingo in the 1,000-seat bingo facility – the largest charitable bingo operation west of the Mississippi. The Casino’s luxurious amenities include spectacular banquet facilities and meeting rooms as well as 24-hour concierge service, health club, massage center, an exclusive VIP lounge, and valet parking service. For more information about Hollywood Park Casino, please call (800) 888-4972 or visit our website at www.playhpc.com.

The 17th season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®’s famed reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter®, began on Tuesday with a special two-hour premiere on FX. Twenty-eight middleweight (185 pounds) fighters squared-off in 14 elimination fights, vying for a coveted spot on the series and their chance to win a six-figure contract with the UFC®.

Visit ufc.com for a full recap of the episode.

Premiere episode fight match-ups and results:

· Adam Cella, Fenton, Mo., submitted Jake Heun, Salt Lake City, in 1st round

· Zak Cummings, Kansas City, Mo., def. Nik Fehete, Las Vegas by TKO in 1st round

· Kevin Casey, Hawthorne, Calif., submitted Eldon Sproat, Kaunakakai, Hawaii, in the 1st

· Tor Troeng, Umea, Sweden, submitted Scott Rosa, Sparks, Nev., in the 1st

· Clint Hester, Atlanta, Ga., by unanimous decision over Frasier Opie, Milten Keynes, England

· Bubba McDaniel, Albuquerque, N.M. def. Ryan Bigler, Barrigada, Guam by TKO in the 2nd

· Josh Samman, Tallahassee, Fla., def. Leo Bercier, Great Falls, Mon. by TKO in the 1st

· Kelvin Gastelum, Yuma, Arz., by unanimous decision over Kito Andrews, Sacramento, Calif.

· Jimmy Quinlan, Metheun, Mass., def. Mike Persons, Stockton, Calif. by TKO in the 2nd

· Uriah Hall, New York City, by unanimous decision over Andy Enz, Anchorage, Alaska

· Gilbert Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo., submitted Eric Wahlin, Taylorsville, Utah, in the 1st

· Luke Barnatt, Cambridge, Eng., by unanimous decision over Nicholas Kohring, Valley Springs, Calif.

· Dylan Andrews, Gold Coast, Aus., by majority decision over Tim Williams, Millville, N.J.

· Collin Hart, Santa Rosa, Calif., submitted Mike Jaspar, Camarillo, Calif., in the 1st

Team Selections

Team Sonnen won the coin toss, electing to pick first. Below are the final rosters, in order each was selected, are:

Team Sonnen

Luke Barnatt

Uriah Hall

Zak Cummings

Tor Troeng

Jimmy Quinlan

Kevin Casey

Kelvin Gastelum

Team Jones

Clint Hester

Josh Samman

Bubba McDaniel

Gilbert Smith

Collin Hart

Adam Cella

Dylan Andrews

Team Jones, therefore had the option of the first fight pick and chose Gilbert Smith versus Team Sonnen’s Luke Barnatt.

The series resumes next Tuesday, January 29, on FX at 9 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time) In that episode – “Ambush” – 14 victorious middleweights move into the house, and training begins. A fighter gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness. Then Barnatt and Smith face off in the first preliminary fight.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

Tacoma, WA (January 22nd, 2012) – Halquist Productions and CageSport are hitting the ground running to start off 2013. Scheduled for February 16th, CageSport XXIII will feature Drew “The Eternal Fire” Brokenshire (5-1) defending his featherweight title for the 1st time against MMA veteran Enoch “The Animal” Wilson (16-8-2) in the semi-main event. In the Main Event, Brent Knopp (3-0) and Darrio Mobley (2-2) will battle it out for the 2nd time, but with the vacant CageSport middleweight title up for grabs this time around.

Tickets for CageSport XXIII are still available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA.

Brent “Mankill” Knopp is quickly gaining a fan base ever since turning pro in early 2012. He has accumulated a record of 3-0 (all 3 fights coming at CageSport) and has finished every fight via the 2nd round KO or TKO. Training out of one of the most respected MMA gyms on the west coast, AMC Pankration, Knopp is surrounded by UFC and StrikeForce stars along with being coached by one of the world’s best, Matt Hume. Knopp last fought on September 29th at CageSport XXI against Team Quest’s Brandon Pitts. The event was televised in 5 states on regional sports network ROOT SPORTS. In July, Knopp entered the cage for the 1st time with his upcoming opponent, Dario Mobley. After being cut badly in the 1st round, Knopp rebounded and TKO’d Mobley in the 2nd to earn the 2nd victory of his career.

Mobley will be coming into the fight with the mindset of getting a 2nd chance after the disappointing loss the 1st time around. It was clear that Mobley had won the 1st round, but he wasn’t able to sustain the momentum and got caught. This will be his chance to prove himself to the fans that he’s a legitimate contender in the state.

Drew Brokenshire, fighting out of Tacoma, WA, may be the most captivating fighter that has ever fought at CageSport. He made his CageSport debut back in December at CageSport XXII when he took on the then featherweight champ, Julian Erosa. The two duked it out for all 5 rounds in what turned out to be one of the most thrilling MMA fights ever presented to the Emerald Queen Casino showroom. Both fighters brought huge fan bases to the event and each fighter had moments of brilliance that had their fans on their feet the entire time showing enthusiasm that fighters live for. Brokenshire also stops by and trains at AMC Pankration from time to time along with the Academy of Brian Johnson in Lacey. He will have another big test at CageSport XXIII when he takes on Enoch Wilson.

Team Quest’s Enoch Wilson brings lots of experience to the table as his 16-8-2 record would suggest. Most recently, Wilson participated on Halquist Productions’ Battle at the Boat boxing show on January 5th and came out with a dominant victory, knocking down his opponent 4 times with kidney shots before the referee stopped the fight. This will be Wilson’s 1st appearance on a CageSport card and has the potential to bring another exciting night to the Emerald Queen Casino as he also has a large fan base in the area.

Eight other action packed bouts are scheduled at CageSport XXIII including two female fighters making their debuts, Thea Wolfe vs. Sarah Lagerstrom. Up and comers scheduled to fight include: Aaron Martin and Freddie Bauman. With CageSport, Halquist Productions has created the most premier MMA promotion in the Northwest. Many fighters that have fought on a CageSport Card have moved on to fight in national organizations such as StrikeForce, Bellator, and the UFC. More information about CageSport XXIII and all other Halquist Productions can be found at www.halquistproductions.com

Las Vegas, Nevada – The world’s longest running sports reality TV series is back as The Ultimate Fighter® returns for its exciting 17th season TONIGHT at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FX with a special two-hour premier show.

Featuring UFC® light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones and Chael ‘the American Gangster’ Sonnen as coaches, the premier sees several breathtaking fight finishes – including one of the fastest KOs in the history of the series – as 28 of the world’s best unsigned mixed martial artists collide in 14 fight-in eliminators.

And, for the first time in the eight-year history of TUF™, the fighters’ families and friends will be in attendance for the fight-ins as the middleweights throwdown, desperate to earn a spot in the famed TUF House and pursue their dream of a six-figure UFC contract.

Who will be on Team Jones, and who will suit up for Team Sonnen – decisions are made tonight.

Also launching for the premiere is a fantasy bracket style tournament, a competition that challenges players’ skills and strategies. The TUF™ Tournament, the first of multiple fantasy games on UFC.com/Fantasy, will encourage interactivity between fans, rewarding those earning the most points with their picks, and introducing fans to upcoming fighters.

Click links below to view preview videos:

Who’s Next?: http://youtu.be/byaAVv9_MWI

Raise The Stakes: http://youtu.be/g4LpCfA9jfE

Jones vs. Sonnen: http://youtu.be/S7RvB8kERRE

The competitors are:

Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, AUS
Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City, Utah

Kito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento, Calif.
Nicholas Kohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.

Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, ENG
Mike Jaspar (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.

Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Montana
Bubba McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.

Ryan Lee Q. Bigler (9-3), 28, Guam
Frasier Opie (10-5), 25, Milton Keynes, ENG

Kevin Casey (5-2), 31, Hawthorne, Calif.
Frederick Persons (3-0), 28, Stockton, Calif.

Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.

Zak Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
Scott Rosa (4-1), 27, Sparks, Nev.

Andy Enz, (6-1), 21, Anchorage, Alaska
Josh Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.

Nik Fehete (5-1), 32, Las Vegas, Nev.
Gilbert Smith (5-1), 30, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molohai, Hawaii

Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City, N.Y.
Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, SWE

Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah

Clint Hester (7-3), 24, Atlanta, Ga.
Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.

Many of today’s most recognizable names in the UFC have emerged from the TUF™ series, including, among many others, Forrest Griffin, Kenny Florian, Rashad Evans, and Michael Bisping.

Tune-in and watch who will become the next THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER on FX!

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

Toronto, Canada – UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has posted an impressive 10-fight win streak during his reign atop the 170-pound division. On Saturday, March 16, he will look to extend that streak by one more as he steps back into the Octagon® in his hometown to face former STRIKEFORCE® champion Nick Diaz at Montreal’s Bell Centre. On the heels of unifying the welterweight title in November 2012 after an 18-month absence due to injury, St-Pierre (23-2) requested the fight against his fiery rival Diaz (27-8-1, fighting out of Stockton, California), telling UFC President Dana White it was “unfinished business.” Diaz agreed.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® will host a press conference on January 23 in Montreal with the main event stars, as tickets for UFC® 158: ST-PIERRE vs. DIAZ go on sale to the general public on Saturday, January 26 at 12 p.m. ET at evenko.ca and the Bell Centre box office.

In a compelling welterweight co-main event, Rory MacDonald (14-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) will get his shot at redemption as he aims to avenge his only career loss against former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit (28-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.). The duo met at UFC 115 in a Fight of the Night bout that saw Condit come from behind and register a TKO win with seconds remaining in the third round. MacDonald comes into the fight after a dominant decision win over UFC legend BJ Penn at UFC on FOX 5 in December. Meanwhile, Condit looks to re-establish his prominence at 170 pounds after an incredible battle with St-Pierre in November.

Completing the welterweight triple-header on the main card, power-punching wrestler Johny Hendricks (14-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) meets former US Marine Jake Ellenberger (28-6, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif. by way of Omaha, Neb.) in a bout with title implications. The hard-hitting Hendricks is confident of his standing in the 170-pound division and looks to add a sixth consecutive win on March 16 to solidify his place as number one contender.

In addition to Montreal’s St-Pierre and MacDonald, six other Canadians will step into the Octagon® at UFC 158 including Calgary’s Nick Ring (13-1) who faces middleweight Chris Camozzi (18-5, fighting out of Lakewood, Colo.) on the main card. Ring was originally scheduled to face Costa Philippou at UFC 154 but had to withdraw at the last minute due to an illness. Camozzi has won three straight, earning his last win via unanimous decision over Luiz Cane.

Making his debut at welterweight, hometown favorite Patrick Côté (19-8) will square off against former STRIKEFORCE fighter Bobby Voelker (24-8, fighting out of Kansas City, Kan.) who will be making his UFC debut. Côté is coming off a disqualification win against middleweight Alessio Sakara at UFC 154, while Voelker comes in on a three-fight win streak.

Other Canadians in action are Jordan Mein (26-8, fighting out of Lethbridge, Alberta) who will make his UFC debut against veteran Dan Miller (16-6, 1 NC, fighting out of Whippany, N.J.), while Toronto’s Sean Pierson (13-6) battles welterweight Rick Story (14-6, fighting out of Vancouver, Wash.), Montreal’s John Makdessi (9-2) returns against Daron Cruickshank (12-2, fighting out of Detroit, Mich.) and Montreal’s Yves Jabouin (18-8) challenges bantamweight Johnny Eduardo (26-9, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

Additional bouts for UFC 158 will be announced in the days to come at www.ufc.com.

Tickets for UFC® 158: ST-PIERRE vs. DIAZ go on sale Saturday, January 26 at 12 p.m. ET and are priced at $600, $350, $250, $200, $165, $115 and $85. Tickets will be available at the Bell Centre box office, by phone at (514) 790-2525 / 1-877-668-8269 or at www.evenko.ca.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Thursday, January 24 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, January 25, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC® 158: ST-PIERRE vs. DIAZ will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Media looking for accreditation for UFC® 158 in Montreal on March 16 must fill out the online form at https://cervello.ufc.com/signup/UFC158. The application deadline is Thursday, February 14.

UFC® 158: ST-PIERRE vs. DIAZ PRESS CONFERENCE – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

WHEN: Wednesday, January 23 – 10 a.m. (media check starts at 9 a.m.)

WHERE: Bell Centre, 1909 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal, Montréal

WHO: Georges St-Pierre, UFC® Welterweight Champion

Nick Diaz, UFC® Welterweight contender

Tom Wright, Director of UFC® Operations: Canada, Australia and New Zealand

NOTE: *This press conference will also be streamed live on UFC.com. Fans are to use the Bell Centre main entrance (doors at 9:30 a.m.) while media are to use the press entrance off of Sainte Antoine Street West.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

TULSA, Okla.(Jan. 16, 2013) – GLORY, the world’s new premiere kickboxing league, will kick off it’s highly-anticipated ROAD TO GLORY USA fight series to discover America’s next great fighting superstars, with an eight-man, single-elimination light heavyweight (209 pounds) tournament at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Okla. on Saturday,! Feb. 1.

Tickets for the event, headlined by the ROAD TO GLORY USA tournament, are priced from $42 and can be purchased at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com. The one-night tournament is being promoted in conjunction with retired world kickboxing champion Dale “Apollo” Cook’s Xtreme Fight Night 11 card.

Reigning ISKA Kickboxing Champion Randy “Boom Boom” Blake (25-1, 17 KOs) of Owasso, Okla. has been tabbed for action in the eight-man tournament affair and will be joined by dangerous, undefeated rising stars Brian “The Lion” Collette (17-0, 14 KOs) of Norfolk, Va. and Kyle “The Ragin’ Cajun” Martin (7-0, 4 KOs) of New Orleans, La. as well as by KO artist Roy “Wreckin’ Ball” Boughton (8-3, 8 KOs) of Concord, Calif., Muay Tha! i standout Myron “The Future” Dennis (10-2, 4 KOs) of Oklahoma City, Okla., Urijah Faber-protégé Jeremy “The Freak” Freitag (8-3, 1 KO) of Sacramento, Calif., tournament savvy Daniel “Sandman” Brison (9-2, 6 KOs) of Greenville, W. Va. and WBC world-ranked professional boxer and kickboxer Manuel “El Toro” Quezada (10-2, 8 KOs) of Wasco, Calif.

“This event marks the beginning of an intensive mission to identify and develop young up and coming fighters into future GLORY superstars and world champions,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer.

“ROAD TO GLORY is our development series. This is where you have to first show us that you have what it takes to be a GLORY fighter. Only the winner is guaranteed a chance to fight in our main GLORY shows which are held all over the world.

“We realiz! e that there is a significant pool of aspiring kickboxing champions in The United States but, to date, a lack of opportunity has been a major barrier, prohibiting Stand up fighters here from fulfilling their dreams of becoming the best in the world in what they do. GLORY is committed to changing this with our ROAD TO GLORY USA fight series.”

The winner of the ROAD TO GLORY USA light heavyweight tournament will be awarded a grand prize of $20,000 and a one-year contract with GLORY where he will have the opportunity to compete in the world’s most prestigious one-night GLORY kickboxing tournaments that award up to $600,000 in prize money.

A tournament “alternate” bout on the card will pit Jason “The Scorpion” Broom (2-0, 2 KOs) of Sapulpa, Okla. against John King (3-1, 2 KOs) of Amarillo, Tex. Should any of the tournament’s quarterfinal round fight winn! ers be unable to return to the ring for semifinal round action due to injury sustained en route to victory, the winner of the matchup between Broom and King will take the injured fighter’s place in the tournament.

A draw to determine the tournament’s quarterfinal round matchups will take place on a date and at a location to be announced soon.

Doors at The Joint open for the event at 7 p.m. CST and the first preliminary bout begins at 7:15 p.m. The main card headlined by the tournament begins at 8 p.m.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events w! ith traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

In 2013, GLORY launched the ROAD TO GLORY tournament fight series to identify and develop new kickboxing talent in The United States and elsewhere around the globe into future champions and superstars of the sport.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa:

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa offers nearly 2,600 electronic games, multiple dining options and nightspots, a theater-style event center, convention space, an art gallery, a jewelry store, a clothing store and a championship 18-hole golf course.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is located off of Interstate 44 at exit 240. Ticket prices and information on upcoming shows are available online in The Joint section of www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com or by calling (918) 384-ROCK. The Joint box office is open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday ! and Saturday. All guests must be 21 years of age or older.

16 January 2013 – Singapore: Three Indonesian Mixed Martial Artists are set to battle in ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) on 2 February 2013 when ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS takes place live from the world-renowned Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These three Indonesian warriors will be carrying the weight of an emerging super power, with a population of 247 million people, on their shoulders as they step into the famed ONE FC cage on fight night.

Tickets for ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS, powered by Tune Talk are on sale now at www.AirAsiaRedTix.com. Tickets are priced at RM345 for the complete VIP experience that includes exclusive red carpet entrance, access to the VIP lounge and premium cage-side seating. The categories that follow are priced at RM145, RM95 and RM45 respectively. Booking fees and service charges apply.

Fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The first two undercard fights are available for viewing free-of-charge and the main card fights will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “Indonesia is quickly emerging as a global super power on the world stage and also in MMA. Krishna, Silawanto and Romulo are just three of the many top Indonesian fighters that we signed to exclusivity. I expect that all three fighters will bring their “A” game come 2 February.”

Leo Krishna is considered to be one of the most exciting prospects in all of MMA. Indonesian fans from around the archipelago have placed their faith in Krishna’s ability to be a future ONE FC world champion. With an outstanding ground game, the submission specialist feels at home on the canvas and will ultimately try to finish his opponent via submission. The “Pride of Java” will pose a tough challenge for the always impressive Malaysian Peter Davis when they clash for national pride and glory on 2 February.

Indonesian MMA veteran Zuli Silawanto has a background in kickboxing, Pencak Silat and Submission Wrestling. Silawanto is a warrior who has never backed down from a tough fight and stepping into the ONE FC cage for the second time will be the biggest test of his career and will be his first major test outside of Indonesia against an international opponent. He faces Malaysian hometown hero Adam Kayoom in front of a passionately pro Malaysian crowd and fans can expect nothing but high octane action when these two brawlers meet at ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS.

Antoni Romulo is an Indonesian wrestling champion who made his MMA debut in Bali, Indonesia in 2007. After tasting victory with a TKO in his debut he has had to wait almost six years for his second fight and aims to take all that frustration out on his opponent come 2 February. He has been training extensively in BJJ and has also cross-trained in Chinese Sanda. Romulo is determined and eager to put on a display which will linger long in the minds of fight fans for years to come.

“Indonesia and Malaysia have always had a great sports rivalry and now it will extend into the fastest growing sport in the world – MMA. Krishna vs. Davis and Silawanto vs. Kayoom will be battles that Indonesian and Malaysian fight fans don’t want to miss as their national champions pit their skills in the largest MMA organization in Asia for the pride and glory of their country. I’m also excited to see how homegrown Indonesian wrestling champion Antoni Romulo does against an NCAA Division 1 Champion from the USA. This is a big test for these three great Indonesian warriors and I know everyone is looking forward to the excitement”, added Cui.

ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS also features a ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title fight between Eric “The Natural” Kelly and Honorio “The Rock” Banario.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Twitter @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

About ONE Fighting Championship™

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting Championship™ hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 28 countries in Asia.

Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC light heavyweight champion and New Yorker Jon “Bones” Jones returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, April 27 to defend his title against controversial and unpredictable star, Chael Sonnen. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that it will be returning to the Garden State this spring for this long awaited grudge match between two of the sport’s most recognizable names.

Jones and Sonnen serve as coaches on this season’s The Ultimate Fighter®, the longest running sports reality show on television. Tension between the two has never been higher and it will come to a boil during a two-hour season premiere Tuesday, Jan. 22 on FX at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

“Jon Jones has destroyed all the top guys in the light heavyweight division,” UFC President Dana White said. “He has defended the title four times and is one of the pound-for-pound best in the world. This fight with Chael is personal! Chael called Jones out and said a lot of things about him. Chael always comes to fight and I’m very interested in this matchup.”

“There’s a rumor going around that says Jon Jones is the best,” Sonnen said. “We’re going to find out who wins – the best or the baddest?”

“The rumors are true, I am the best,” Jones, who won the title at Prudential Center in March 2011 by defeating then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, said. “On April 27th, Chael will be put through the test. When it’s all said and done, he’ll be just like the rest.”

Tickets for UFC®159: JONES vs. SONNEN, presented by MetroPCS, go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $550, $350, $225, $185, $150, $100 and $60. Fans can purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.com, charge by Phone (800-745-3000), and any Ticketmaster outlet. Prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Monday, Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Tuesday, Jan. 22, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this pre-sale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC®159: JONES vs. SONNEN will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

About Prudential Center
Prudential Center is home to the three-time Stanley Cup Champion and 2011-2012 Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball, the WNBA’s New York Liberty, over 200 events a year including major concerts, the 2011 NCAA East Regional, the 2011 & 2012 NBA Draft and the 2013 NHL Draft. Opened in October 2007, the arena now welcomes over 2 million guests through its doors annually, ranking tenth overall in 2011, according to leading industry publication Venues Today. The Rock provides the ultimate live sports and entertainment experience for fans, featuring unique dining options and superior customer service in seven premium lounges. The Acela Club showcases a custom-made mahogany wine cabinet and unique seating overlooking the ice and court. Ice Lounge is furnished with an ice bar and features center bowl views. The exciting sports bar atmosphere is the centerpiece of Bud Light Goal Bar, also with center bowl views.

What’s more, the fan experience begins outside Prudential Center in Championship Plaza, a brick paved fan message-driven courtyard that features a 22-foot tall, three-ton metal “Ironman” hockey player statue. The Plaza plays host to live entertainment with a block party atmosphere during FanFest celebrations before events. AmeriHealth Pavilion is Prudential Center Center’s second ice rink and is the official practice facility of the New Jersey Devils and home to Brick City Boxing, youth, high school and adult hockey programming and Hockey In Newark.

A pro sports first, the Devils created Mission Control which features a Digital Command Center located inside the Prudential Center designed to more effectively manage, monitor, and measure the franchise’s online brand engagements. Mission Control is fueled in part by the Devils Generals, a team of two-dozen socially-savvy fans who utilize Twitter, Facebook and other online channels hosted by the team/arena to extend the organization’s reach.

Prudential Center is located in downtown Newark just two blocks from Newark Penn Station, accessible via NJ Transit, PATH and Amtrak, while at the heart of cross-roads for five major highway access routes and 12 miles from midtown Manhattan. Prudential Center’s charitable arm, DevilsCare, in partnership with the New Jersey Devils, was awarded the 2011 EPA’s Environmental Quality Award for its Rock and Wrap It Up! Program.

Follow us on Twitter at @PruCenter or Like Prudential Center on Facebook!

Daniel Cormier remained undefeated and pounded out Dion Staring in round two of their Heavyweight bout.

Cormier dominated from the beginning and in round two, Cormier had Staring on the ground and pounded him until referee John McCarthy stopped the bout at 4:02 of round two

Cormier, 230 lbs of Lafayette, LA is now 11-0 with five knockouts. Staring, 240 lbs of Netherlands is 28-8.

Cormier called out former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir for a possible April 20th showdown

Josh submitted Nando Guelamino in the first round of their Heavyweight bout.

Barnett took Guelamino down that set up Barnett for the choke and he tapped at 2:11 of round one.

Barnett, 249 lbs of Fullerton, CA is 32-6 with 20 submissions. Guelamino is now 11-4-1.

Gegard Mousasi scored a first round choke out over Mike Kyle in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Mousasi got Kyle on the ground and started pounding on Kyle and made Kyle tap out from the choke at 4:09.

Mousasi, 205 lbs of the Netherlands is now 34-3-2 with 11 submissions. Kyle, 205 1/2 lbs of San Jose, CA is now 19-9-1-2.

Jacarie Souza scored a first round armbar submission over Ed Herman in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Souza, 193 1/4 lbs of Rio De Janeiro, BRA is now 17-3-1 with 13 submissions. Herman, 193 lbs of Denver, CO is now 20-8-1.

Ryan Couture won a disputed split decision over KJ Noons in an action filled Middleweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on two cards for Couture, 155 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas and he is now 6-1. Noons, 156 lbs of San Diego is now 10-5.

Tim Kennedy scored a third round chokeout over Trevor Smith in a scheduled three round Middleweight bout.

The bout was stopped at 1:36 of round three from a guillotine choke.

Kennedy, 186 lbs of Austin, TX is now 15-4 with eight submissions. Smith, 186 lbs of Tukwila, WAS is now 10-3

Pat Healey scored a three round unanimous decision over Kurt Holobaugh in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Healey of Portland, ORE and is now 31-16. Holobaugh of Hammond, LA loses for the first time and is now 9-1.

Roger Gracie scored a second round tap out over Anthony Smith in a Middleweight bout.

Bot guys were cut but Gracie was able to force Smith to tap out from a triangle choke at 3:16 of round two.

Grace of London, UK is now 6-1 with five submissions. Smith of Omaha, NEB is now 17-8

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 11, 2013) – All fighters participating in Saturday’s STRIKEFORCE World Championship telecast made weight on Friday, just one day before they step into the cage at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) as part of a Free Preview Weekend on SHOWTIME® that begins this Friday, Jan. 11, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 13 and is available in over 80 million households.

In the main event STRIKEFORCE Welterweight Champion and former UFC title contender Nate Marquardt, of Aurora, Colo., will defend his belt against the streaking Tarec Saffiedine, of Brussels, Belgium.

In a co-featured fight, undefeated top heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier, of San Jose, Calif., will square off with Dion Staring, of North Brabant, Netherlands, in a three-round heavyweight bout.

In other fights on SHOWTIME, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, of Seattle, Wash., will face Nandor Guelmino, of Vienna, Austria, former STRIKEFORCE and Dream Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, of South Holland, Netherlands, will take on Mike Kyle, of San Jose, Calif., and former STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Champion Jacare Souza, of Manaus, Brazil, will face Ed Herman, of Portland, Ore. Additional preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

FINAL WEIGHTS:

STRIKEFORCE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 Rounds

Nate Marquardt – 170 Pounds

Tarec Saffiedine – 170 Pounds

Heavyweight Special Attraction – 3 Rounds

Daniel Cormier – 230 Pounds

Dion Staring – 240 Pounds

Heavyweight Special Attraction – 3 Rounds

Josh Barnett – 249 Pounds

Nandor Guelmino – 229

Light Heavyweight Special Attraction – 3 Rounds

Gegard Mousasi – 205.5

Mike Kyle – 205

194-Pound Catchweight Special Attraction – 3 Rounds

Jacare Souza – 193.25

Ed Herman – 193

PRELIMINARY CARD ON SHOWTIME EXTREME – 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast)

Lightweight Undercard Bout – 3 Rounds

KJ Noons – 156 Pounds

Ryan Couture – 155.25

Middleweight Undercard Bout – 3 Rounds

Tim Kennedy – 186 Pounds

Trevor Smith – 186 Pounds

Lightweight Undercard Bout – 3 Rounds

Pat Healy – 156 Pounds

Kurt Holobaugh – 156 Pounds

Middleweight Undercard Bout – 3 Rounds

Roger Gracie – 186 Pounds

Anthony Smith – 186 Pounds

LONDON, England (Jan. 11, 2013) – Tickets, priced from £45, for the highly-anticipated GLORY 5 London: Spong vs. Bonjasky star-studded kickboxing event, taking place at Excel Arena on Saturday, March 23, are on sale and can be purchased online atwww.ticketmaster.co.uk or by telephone at 0844 847 2543.

Headlined by a heavyweight showdown between superstars Remy Bonjasky (77-15, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s), the first-ever GLORY show in the UK brings together a host of additional icons for the most stacked kickboxing card ever to grace a British venue.

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“When GLORY decided to stage a show in London, we knew we would have to put together a special card for the British capital. Fans have wanted to see a fight between Remy Bonjasky and Tyrone Spong for some time, but the two have never met in the ring – until now,” says Marcus Luer, GLORY CEO.

“Bonjasky is an idol to fight fans around the world and Spong has been on a steady rise to the top – he’s a fighter that everybody is talking about right now. They are both incredible athletes with explosive power. Bonjasky’s flying knees and Spong’s hands are capable of stopping a fight in an instant. Don’t blink.”

Known as ‘The Flying Gentleman’, the 1.93 meter/6-foot-3, 108 kilogram/238 pound Bonjasky is a household name among kickboxing fans. His illustrious career has seen him win numerous top honors, including three K-1 Grand Prix championships, but thi! s will be the first time that British fans have the opportunity to see him fight live.

One of the most athletic fighters ever to step into the ring, Bonjasky has provided some of the most enduring images of the sport with his flying knee attacks and wide range of dynamic kicks. Among his career achievements are wins over superstar rivals Badr Hari, Peter Aerts, Alistair Overeem and Jerome LeBanner.

Like Bonjasky, Spong, a native of Amsterdam who recently relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. to train with the famed ‘Blackzilians’ fight squad, is a stellar athlete. The 1.88 meter/6-foot-2, 103.5 kilogram/228 pound Spong started his career as a middleweight and has retained his speed and fluidity while gradually moving up to heavyweight.

With explosive power in his hands, nearly two-thirds of Spong’s wins have been by stoppage, including his June KO of the legendary Aerts, also a three-time winner of the old K-1 ! Grand Prix tournament series. Prior to moving up to heavyweight, Spong held the light-heavyweight (95 kilograms/210 pounds) title in top European organization It’s Showtime, which GLORY purchased in October 2012.

Jordan Watson (29-5-1, 14 KO’s) and Liam Harrison (67-13-2, 38 KO’s), two of the best kickboxers the UK has ever produced, will both see action on the card. Hailing from the Bad Company gym in Leeds, England, they have fought all over the world and have been among the few foreigners to find success in the fighting rings of Thailand.

Harrisonfaces Mosab ‘Jaguar’ Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KO’s), a Dutch-Moroccan fighter who combines ferocity with exceptional technicality, in a featherweight bout (65 kilograms/143 pounds). Amrani’s skills will provide the toughest test of Harrison’s career to date. Watson f! aces an equally tough test in the shape of Australia’s ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon (29-4-1, 16 KO’s), a KO machine with a sky-high finishing ratio, in a lightweight contest

In other action on the star-studded, 11-bout GLORY 5 London kickboxing card, all-time great

Albert Kraus (66-16-3, 39 KO’s), winner of the first ever K-1 MAX tournament, will face the sensational Andy Ristie (43-2, 16 KO’s) in a bout that will help determine a top lightweight (70 kilograms/154 pounds) contender.

Light-heavyweight (95 kilograms/209 pounds) Bonjasky protégé Danyo Ilunga (41-4, 34 KOs) will make his UK debut against top French talent and fellow power striker Stephane Susperregui (32-4-1, 27 KOs) in a fight that is very unlikely to go the distance.

All GLORY 5 London bouts are comprised of three, three-minute rounds. The complete fight card is as follows:

Heavyweight

Tyrone Spong (Suriname) vs. Remy Bonjasky (Netherlands)

Lightweight

Andy Ristie (Suriname) vs. Albert Kraus (Netherlands)

Light-Heavyweight

Stephane Susperregui (France) vs. Danyo Ilunga (Congo)

Featherweight

Liam Harrison (UK) vs. Mosab Armani (Morocco)

Lightweight

Jordan Watson (UK) vs. Steve Moxon (Australia)

Light-Heavyweight

Raymond Daniels (USA) vs. TBC

Heavyweight

Singh Jaideep (UK/India) vs. Yong Soo Park (South Korea)

Middleweight

Steve Wakeling (UK) vs. Simon Marcus (Canada)

Welterweight

Maxim Vyrovski (Russia) vs. Duoli Chen (China)

Lightweight

Johann Fauveau (France) vs. Warren Stevelmans (South Africa)

Catchweight

Reece McAllister (UK) vs. Tim Thomas (UK)

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the ! best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

LINCOLN, R.I. (Jan. 10, 2013) – Mike Campbell has heard this story before.

“Everyone says they’re going to come in here and beat me up. That’s fine,” Campbell said. “Saying it and doing it are two different things.”

Needless to say, Campbell barely flinched when Brazilian lightweight Abner Lloveras predicted a second-round knockout win in their upcoming title fight scheduled for Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 at the Twin River Event Center.

“Hopefully, he puts his money where his mouth is,” Campbell said.

Next month’s five-round showdown between Campbell and Lloveras is for the Classic Entertainment & Sports Mixed Martial Arts lightweight title, only the second title bout in CES’ history, and will be the main event of “Undisputed II,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield. For Campbell (12-4, 7 KOs), it will be his toughest to date, but certainly nothing new for the Providence, R.I., native who is accustomed to fighting top-tier competition; since November of 2011, Campbell has won three consecutive bouts against opponents with a combined record of 28-18.

“I haven’t had any easy fights in the past few years,” Campbell said. “I’m just trying to win fights and fight the best fighters in the country. If not, what am I fighting for?”

Lloveras (15-6-1, 5 KOs) certainly fits that mold. A former Spanish Olympic Boxing gold medalist, Lloveras has won three consecutive fights, including an impressive victory over Ryan Quinn at Twin River in June in which he repeatedly stuffed Quinn’s takedown attempts and utilized his superior stand-up game to win the fight on all three scorecards.

“I have seen some of Mike’s fight and he has an explosive style,” Lloveras said. “He has 16 pro fights and is very respected in the northeast MMA circle. That’s a strong background to consider.

“This fight with Mike Campbell is a late Christmas gift for fans in this region,” added Lloveras’ trainer, Marco Alvan. “I’ve witnessed how serious Abner is taking this fight and I’m very confident he will have a great performance and bring home the win.”

Putting a title on the line adds even more allure to what is already one of the most highly-anticipated fights of 2013.

“This is what I’ve always wanted,” Campbell said, “and what better belt to fight for than the CES title? I made history fighting the main event on their first show in Rhode Island [in September of 2010] and now I’m ready to make more history.”

Lloveras, who now trains out of Ludlow, Mass., has more experience in title bouts having fought for both M-1 and Shooto championships, so he’s used to preparing for and fighting five rounds rather than three, but anyone who’s followed Campbell knows his conditioning is never a problem.

“I don’t think anyone would question that,” Campbell said. “Five five-minute rounds? Most guys lose their pace while I maintain my pace. I’m not really concerned about it because I tend to over-train anyway. I’m just doing what I do. The way I see it, it’s only another 10 minutes out of my life.

“I’m just working on my skill sets,” he continued. “I’m watching a lot of film on him, which is the first time in a long time for me. I want to develop a game plan and implement it. I know I can adapt within the first round if I know what he’s going to do. If I can do it faster, that’s even better for me.”

Campbell has paid particular attention to Lloveras’ win over Quinn in which he neutralized Quinn’s strength – his wrestling ability – and fought on his own terms.

“He looked good,” Campbell said of Lloveras, “but the other thing he did was put Quinn on his heels and kept him from coming forward. He kept jabbing. Quinn didn’t set it up properly. I’m not saying Abner isn’t a good wrestler, but people always ask me who does better in a fight between a wrestler or boxer. It’s about who’s more efficient. I was impressed with his ability to stuff takedowns, but I think he’s one dimensional – definitely not the most well-rounded, but clearly a threat.”

“I don’t think people overlook my ground skills, but they usually respect me more for my boxing,” countered Lloveras. “I won three national gold medals in Spain as a boxer and I was close to qualifying for the London Olympics, but I’ve also competed in and won many [Brazilian jiu-jitsu] tournaments. This is MMA, so I try to be a complete and well-rounded fighter.

“The priority [against Quinn] was to hit him and then defend his powerful wrestling. As we were getting ready for the fight my coach told me, ‘This guy is coming for you! He’s coming off a loss [to Ultimate Fighting Championships veteran] Ricardo Funch, so he’s hungry. You need to keep calm and work to get up.’ That’s just what happened. It was a great win.”

Whoever comes out on top in February will continue to climb the rankings in the lightweight division while adding a new piece of hardware to their collection. This one is for all the marbles, and both sides have a lot at stake.

“I’m coming to win the belt,” Campbell said. “I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out, but I’m coming to win the belt. I want to make it look like he doesn’t belong in there with me.

“It’s a title fight, so there’s a lot of anxiety that comes with that, and some guys can’t control their emotions, but I don’t get tired and I don’t get nervous. Fighting is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical. I’ll fight whether it’s in the cage or in the schoolyard.”

“Undisputed II” also features Woonsocket, R.I., bantamweight Andre Soukhamthath (3-1, 2 KOs) battling Kurt Chase Patrick (4-2, 1 KO) of Seymour, Conn., and a welterweight showdown between Wilfredo Santiago (3-1, 3 KOs) of Lawrence, Mass., and Darius Heyliger (4-1, 2 KOs) of Courtland, N.Y. Featherweight Joe Pingitore (2-0, 1 KO) of Johnston, R.I., will face Boston’s Sergio Moran Cabrera (2-0) and both Eric Spicely of Providence, R.I., and Kemran Lachinov of Springfield, Mass., will make their professional debuts against one another in a three-round welterweight.

Dedham, Mass., welterweight Brett Oteri (11-3, 1 KO) and heavyweight Pat Walsh (2-0, 1 KO) of West Bridgewater, Mass., will be on the undercard in separate three-round bouts while welterweight Toby Oden of Milford, Mass., and Worcester, Mass., lightweight Terell Clark will make their professional debuts in separate bouts.

Tickets for “Undisputed II” are $36.00, $56.00, $101.00 and $126.00 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.cesmma.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Undisputed II.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance).

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 9, 2013) – Tuesdays just got TUF™. On January 22, some of the world’s most talented and determined mixed martial artists will face-off in the most grueling sports tournament on television. Watch as 28 mixed martial arts prospects battle for a coveted spot on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter®, which begins with a special two-hour premiere airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FX.

The Ultimate Fighter, the Ultimate Fighting Championship®’s long-running reality television series, will run for 13 weeks and will culminate in a three-hour finale, live from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Unlike previous seasons on FX, the one-hour broadcast will now be shown on Tuesday nights at its new regularly scheduled timeslot of 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The 14 successful combatants will be divided into two teams, which will be coached by two of the fiercest rivals in all of sport. UFC® light heavyweight champion and MMA superstar, Jon “Bones” Jones will captain one team, while the controversial and charismatic challenger Chael Sonnen will lead the second team into battle in this, the 17th installment of the series.

The coaches will then collide for the light heavyweight title on Saturday, April 27, at UFC® 159: JONES vs. SONNEN at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Not surprisingly, both Jones and Sonnen will be bringing their trademark self-confidence into their stints as coaches this season on The Ultimate Fighter.

“I thought it would be a good way to share myself with the sport of MMA,” Jones said. “I embrace the role.”

Said Sonnen: “The hottest show on FX is being graced with the greatest talent God ever made: Chael P. Sonnen.’’

The list of finalists in the middleweight (185 pounds) division was trimmed from more than 250 applicant athletes. The fighters – all seeking the opportunity of a lifetime and a six-figure contract from the Ultimate Fighting Championship – hail from the United States, Australia, England and Sweden.

“The quality of guys we have this season in unbelievable,” said UFC President Dana White. “From the fights to get into the house, to every single fight this season, I think the talent is some of the best I’ve ever seen on this show. We’re going to end up with some really good guys in the 185-pound division.”

“The production value has increased, the talent level is at an all-time high, and we have two of the most dynamic personalities in all of the UFC as our coaches,” said Chuck Saftler, EVP of FX Networks. “I’m extremely excited about this season of The Ultimate Fighter and truly believe this could be the show’s best season yet.”

On Jan. 22, the season will launch with 14 gripping elimination scraps. Those victorious in the opening round, or “Fight In”, become official cast members and earn their place in The Ultimate Fighter house in Las Vegas. The winners will be drafted into opposing teams of seven by Jones and Sonnen. Thereafter, cameras will document their activity before and after their training and fights during the season.

Each episode’s winners will advance in the single-elimination tournament until one is crowned The Ultimate Fighter.

The competitors are:

Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, AUS
Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City, Utah

Hito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento, Calif.
Nicholas Hohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.

Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, ENG
Mike Jaspar (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.

Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Montana
Bubba McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.

Ryan Lee Q. Bigler (9-3), 28, Guam
Frasier Opie (10-5), 25, Milton Keynes, ENG

Kevin Casey (5-2), 31, Hawthorne, Calif.
Frederick Persons (3-0), 28, Stockton, Calif.

Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.

Zach Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
Scott Rosa (4-1), 27, Sparks, Nev.

Andy Enz, (6-1), 21, Anchorage, Alaska
Josh Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.

Nik Fehete (5-1), 32, Las Vegas, Nev.
Gilbert Smith (5-1), 30, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molohai, Hawaii

Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City, N.Y.
Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, SWE

Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah

Clint Hester (7-3), 24, Atlanta, Ga.
Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.

Many of today’s most recognizable names in the UFC have emerged from the TUF™ series, including, among many others, Forrest Griffin, Kenny Florian, Rashad Evans, and Michael Bisping.

Tune-in and watch who will become the next THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER on FX!

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

08 January 2013 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) announced the launch of the Malaysian National Featherweight Championship Tournament. Four of the top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) prospects in Malaysia will battle it out in the first round of the tournament at ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS which takes place live on 2 February from the state-of-the-art Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The two fights signed for this historic tournament are Raymond “The Rocket” Tiew taking on Melvin “Overkill” Yeoh and AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor squaring off against Jian Kai “The Headhunter”Chee. By the end of the evening, Malaysians will know who the top two contenders for the National Featherweight Championship title will be.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC is stacked with the largest roster of Asian champions and the Featherweight division is probably the most exciting division. It is time for us to crown National champions in Asia and Tiew, Yeoh, Mansor and Chee have proven that they are the most exciting prospects in Malaysia. We are giving these home-grown champions the chance to earn themselves the right to be called the Malaysian National Champion and rise to the top of the division as the number one contender.”

Raymond Tiew is a Sanshou Champion who has also represented Malaysia at Wushu. He is a stand up specialist with explosive striking which never disappoints the avid MMA fan. Tiew knows that this is his chance to show that he is the top Malaysian Featherweight but first he must get passed the brawler from Johor Bahru, Melvin Yeoh.

Melvin Yeoh has been called the top MMA prospect in Malaysia by international MMA media. A full-time school teacher, Yeoh has received much media attention both outside and inside the cage. He has always kept his gym doors open for kids on the streets looking to better themselves by learning the discipline associated with MMA and the valuable life skills that go along with the sport. This ferocious warrior will carry the weight of the community, gym and country come 2 February.

The second fight of the tournament will be between AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor and Jian Kai Chee. Mansor is the first thoroughbred Silat fighter to ever compete in MMA. His athletic ability earned him the National Silat Champion crown in the past and he will now turn his razor sharp striking toward his opponent, the Muay Thai champion Jian Kai Chee.

Chee has competed against some of the top MMA fighters in the region including Ole Laursen, Arnaud Lepont and Eddie Ng. Chee’s strength is his ability to finish a fight in an instant with punches, kicks, knees or elbows and will be looking to showcase his arsenal of skills at the Malaysian National Featherweight Championship tournament on 2 February in Stadium Putra, KL.

Cui further commented, “This tournament is part of ONE FC’s initiative to continually grow and support the local MMA community. ONE FC already has the very best Malaysian MMA fighters signed to us exclusively and this tournament, which is spread over two events, is a way for us to identify a true Malaysian National Champion.”

Tickets for ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS, powered by Tune Talk are on sale now at www.AirAsiaRedTix.com. Tickets are priced at RM345 for the complete VIP experience that includes exclusive red carpet entrance, access to the VIP lounge and premium cage-side seating. The categories that follow are priced at RM145, RM95 and RM45 respectively. Booking fees and service charges apply.

Fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The first two undercard fights are available for viewing free-of-charge and the main card fights will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Twitter @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

About ONE Fighting Championship™

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting Championship™ hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 28 countries in Asia.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. (Jan. 6, 2013) – Twenty-five year old sensation Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (9-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. earned a five-round unanimous decision over a game “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (4-! 2) of Brisbane, Australia to become the first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight (115 pounds) champion, in the main event of a star-studded 13-bout women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 5, live on InvictaFC.com.

Esparza effectively weathered the storm brought on by the 23-year-old Hyatt, who took the title fight on just over a week’s notice after Esparza’s original opponent, Claudia Gadelha, was forced to withdraw from the matchup due to a broken nose sustained in training. Hyatt was originally slated to face Joanne Calderwood on the main card.

Esparza repeatedly took Hyatt down whenever the Australian attempted to explode on her feet. Esparza controlled the action on the ground, but was unable to finish Hyatt at any point.

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event and a much-anticipat! ed rematch, Alexis Davis (13-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada avenged a 2010 loss to fellow top contender Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-8) of Sioux Falls, S.D., putting Baszler to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the third round (:58) of their matchup.

Davis and Baszler engaged in a competitive battle on the mat for much of the first two rounds before finishing the second stanza on their feet, exchanging blows.

In the outset of the third frame, the two traded shots on their feet again before Baszler slipped and gave Davis the opportunity to take Baszler’s back and secure the finishing hold. Baszler refused to tap out and, instead, went to sleep, prompting the referee to stop the action at the 58 second mark of the round.

In other Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt main card action,Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (5-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. engaged Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (3-3) of Colorado Springs, Colo. in a three-round firefight, outslugging Pennington to earn a unanimous decision victory in bantamweight action.

Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio(7-3) of San Jose, Calif. effectively neutralized the dangerous punching power of Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-3) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil, taking the bantamweight fight to the mat repeatedly before earning a unanimous decision. An illegal upkick to the face by Nunes in the second round cost her a point on each of the judges’ scorecards.

Ediane Gomes(9-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. notched her second consecutive Invicta FC victory and her third straight win overall, by taking a unanimous decision from Hiroko Yamanaka (12-3) of Kisarazu, Japan in a featherweight (145 pounds) tilt.

Joanne! Calderwood(5-0) of Glasgow, Scottland used her long reach to keep Muay Thai champion and Matt-Lindland protégé Livia Von Plettenberg (1-1) at bay and punish Von Plettenberg with a mix of front kicks to the face and knee and elbow strikes for the majority of three rounds before being awarded a unanimous decision.

In preliminary card action, Veronica Rothenhausler (1-0) of Reno, Nev. made an explosive professional debut, crumbling Katalina Malungahu of Las Vegas, Nev. to the canvas with a right hand to the chin in the first round (1:12) of their featherweight matchup.

CompleteInvicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt Results:

Main Card:

Carla Esparza def. Bec Hyatt via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

Alexis Davis def. Shayna Baszler via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, :58

Leslie Smith def. Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Sarah D’Alelio def. Amanda Nunes via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Ediane Gomes def. Hiroko Yamanaka via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Joanne Calderwood def. Livia Von Plettenberg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Preliminary Card:

Cassie Rodish def. Stephanie Frausto via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:04

Tamikka Brents def. Amanda Bell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Jodie Esquibel def. Liz McCarthy via majority decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Rose Namajunas def. Emily Kagan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:44

Tecia Torres def. Paige Van Zant via una! nimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Veronica Rothenhausler def. Katalina Malungahu via KO (punch) – Round 1, 1:12

Laura Marcusse-Sanko def. Cassie Robb via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:07

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.InvictaFC.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

KANSAS CITY, Kan.(Jan. 4, 2013) – All 13 bouts, including the main event and first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships world strawweight (115 pounds) title fight between Carla Esparza (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. and “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (4-1) of Brisbane, Australia, were made official today for the promotion’s fourth women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 5 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, live on Invicta FC.com..

Esparza weighed in at 114.75 pounds while Hyatt weighed in at exactly 115 pounds.

Bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event opponents Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. and Alexis Davis (12-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada tipped the scales at 134.75 pounds and 135.75 pounds, respectively.

Of the 26 fighters on the card, only Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) of Reno, Nev. weighed in one-half pound over the 146 pound limit for her featherweight (145 pounds) preliminary card bout with Katalina Malungahu (2-1) of Las Vegas, Nev. Rothenhausler will make her professional debut after reeling off two consecutive, five-second KO victories as an amateur.

Tickets for Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt, priced from $25, are on sale at Memorial Hall box office (913-549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

The live stream of the event, which will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST, is available for purchase, in its entirety, on InvictaFC.com for a credit card charge of! $7.95. MMA legend Bas Rutten, superstar “King Mo” Lawal and women’s sensation Julie Kedzie will call the action cageside.

In other main card, power puncher Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (4-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will square off with submission specialist Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (3-2-1) of Colorado Springs, Colo. at bantamweight.

Hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-2) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil will take on submission specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-3) of San Jose, Calif. at bantamweight.

JEWELS star Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) of Kisarazu, Japan will battle Invicta FC 3 winner Ediane Gomes (8-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in a featherweight (145 po! unds) contest.

Unbeaten Matt Lindland-protégé and European Muay Thai Champion Livia von Plettenberg (1-0) of Vienna, Austria will meet undefeated Joanne Calderwood (4-0) of Glasgow, Scotland at strawweight.

The seven-bout preliminary card will be capped off with an atomweight (105 pounds) matchup between Stephanie Frausto (4-4) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Cassie Rodish (3-3) of Des Moines, Iowa.

Unbeaten Tamikka Brents (1-0) of Springfield, Illin. will take on Amanda Bell (0-0) of Medford, Ore. at featherweight.

Jodie Esquibel(2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. and Liz McCarthy (1-0) of Tigard, Ore. will square off at atomweight.

Emily Kagan(2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. will put her undefeated record on the line against Rose Namajunas (0-0) of Milwauk! ee, Wis. In a strawweight matchup.

Paige Van Zant(2-0) of Sparks, Nev. will face off with Tecia Torres (1-0) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at strawweight.

Laura MarcusseSanko (0-0) of Kansas City will make her professional debut in the cage in an atomweight matchup with Cassie Robb (0-0) Casper, Wyo.

Doors at Memorial Hall open for Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt open at 5 p.m. CST and the first preliminary bout begins at 6 p.m.

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone! their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 31, 2012) – After four fights in one night, two of which he ended by KO, Karate black belt Semmy Schilt (43-6, 20 KOs) of the Netherlands, emerged as the winner of the highly-anticipated GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam. Schilt, a fan favorite of this star-studded, 16-man, one-night kickboxing tournament, claimed the $400,000 grand prize and! secured his position as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer.

In addition to Schilt, the single-elimination tournament field consisted of numerous other superstars and rising stars, including the likes of legend Peter Aerts (104-31-1, 78 KOs), Remy Bonjasky (78-15, 40 KOs), Gokhan Saki (79-16, 55 KOs), Daniel Ghita (47-8, 36 KOs) and Jamal Ben Saddik (24-1, 19 KOs). Playing out over 15 fights, the tournament saw 8 bouts end by KO or TKO, resulting in a KO ratio of just under 55 percent.

“I’ve won many tournaments, but this is the best ever,” the towering (6-foot-11/2.12 meters)Schilt said afterwards. “It was a hard tournament with some very good fighters and some very hard fights for me and for everyone else. But, all the struggle is worth it to win a competition like this. GLORY is home to the best fighters in the worl! d and I am very proud to be the winner of (the league’s) first-ever Grand Slam tournament.

“This was not just a great New Year’s Eve event, it was a great martial arts event,” said GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand. “I think that the skill and the courage that we saw in the ring tonight is really what the martial arts are all about. Perhaps it’s a bit of cliché seeing as we are in Tokyo, but I really do think we can say that the fighters tonight embodied the samurai spirit which all martial artists aspire to.”

The tournament’s ‘Best of Three’ rule, designed to eliminate needless injuries, mandated that any fighter who won the first two rounds of a bout would advance to the next stage without having to fight the third and final scheduled round of the bout.

Schilt’s run saw him stop Brice Guidon (28-8, 4 KOs) of France in the first round of the tournament’s first fight! via a pair of heavy right hands. He then outclassed hot prospect Rico Verhoeven (37-7-1, 8 KOs) of the Netherlands to take a decision win under the ‘Best of Three’ rule before meeting Gokhan Saki (79-16, 55 KOs) of the Netherlands in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

Saki, who had KO’d his opponents in the first round of both his Final 16 and quarterfinal stage matches, respectively, tried to do the same to Schilt but couldn’t overcome Schilt’s significant reach advantage.

Saki landed some good shots, but couldn’t get the clean connection he needed in order to seal the deal. The judges declared Schilt the winner under the Best of Three rule and, although Saki bitterly disputed the decision, Schilt advanced to the championship round of the tournament.

In the championship matchup, Schilt met Ghita, who had finished his semifinal fight in j! ust 10 seconds by stopping the giant Ben Saddik with a left kick to the solar plexus. As a result, Ghita was well-rested and less hurt that Schilt, who had persevered through a war with Saki. But near the end of a close first round, Schilt threw a perfectly-timed head kick and connected his shin cleanly across the side of Ghita’s head.

Ghita went down and struggled to beat the referee’s 10-count. He made it to his feet just in time, but the referee determined that he was unsteady on his feet and that the fight should be stopped for Ghita’s own safety, thereby sending Schilt to the winner’s circle.

In the evening’s Superfights, speed and technique reigned supreme. Robin van Roosmalen (38-14-3, 12 KOs), the runner-up in the GLORY 3 Rome ‘Final 8’ lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) eight-man tournament on Nov. 3, was matched with the colorful Japanese character Yuichiro Nagashima (17-6, 12 KOs) and completely dominated him fr! om start to finish.

Nagashima had no answer for Van Roosmalen’s forward pressure and awesome power. He showed a lot of heart in refusing to stay down after being knocked down several times and in some instances literally knocked off his feet with low kicks. Nagashima went the distance, but Van Roosmalen walked away the winner by unanimous decision.

Toshio Matsumoto (38-10-6, 30 KOs) gave Jason ‘Tyson’ Wilnis (19-1-2) a stiff test in their middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) match. The experienced Matsumoto is known as ‘The Knockout Artist’ and he did his moniker proud, demonstrating slick boxing skills and fluid combinations. The younger and more powerful Wilnis took a while to get into the fight but, once he did, his superior conditioning put him in front— and by the final bell he was dominating on his way to a unanimous decision win.

Flyweights Sang Jae Kim of Korea and Mutsuki Ebata (17-1-1) of Japan stole the show with a three-round battle that was non-stop from start to finish. The Japanese fighter was by far the better man but his Korean opponent could not be stopped and refused to lie down. Kim lost a one-sided decision but impressed onlookers with his heart and got a big round of applause from the Japanese arena.

The CBS Sports Network telecast of the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event will begin at 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST tonight, Monday, Dec. 31, with an immediate replay at 2a.m.EST/11p.m.PST.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information, go to www.gloryworldseries.com.

! ;

Complete ‘GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam’ Results:

Tournament Championship Bout:

Semmy Schilt def. Daniel Ghita, TKO, R1 (Head Kick)

Tournament Semifinal Bouts:

Semmy Schilt def. Gokhan Saki, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule

Daniel Ghita def. Jamal Ben Saddik, KO, R1 (Body Kick)

Tournament Quarterfinal Bouts:

Semmy Schilt def. Rico Verhoeven, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule

Gokhan Saki vs. Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva, KO, R1

Jamal Ben Saddik def. Remy Bonjasky, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule

Daniel Ghita def. Mourad Bouzidi by TKO, R2 (Bouzidi dislocated right elbow)

Tournament Final 16 Bouts:

Semmy Schilt def. Brice Gu! idon by KO, R1

Rico Verhoeven def. Sergei Kharitonov, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule

Gokhan Saki def. Roaumaru by KO, R1 1:00

Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva vs. Igor Jurkovic by KO, R1

Remy Bonjasky def. Filip Verlinden by unanimous decision after three rounds

Jamal Ben Saddik def. Errol Zimmerman, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule

Mourad Bouzidi def. Peter Aerts by TKO, R1 (Aerts retired before R2 with broken right hand)

Daniel Ghita def. Jhonata Diniz by unanimous decision after three rounds

Superfights

Lightweight bout (154 pounds/70 kilograms)

Robin van Roosmalen def. Yuichiro Nagashima by unanimous decision.

Flyweight bout

Mutsuki Ebata def. Sang Jae Kim by unanimous decision.

Middleweight bout (185 pounds/84 kilograms)

Jason Wilnis def. Toshio Matsumoto by unanimous decision.

About! GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of ! finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 30, 2012) – Over 200 countries across five different continents around the globe will showcase the highly-anticipated ‘GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam,’ one-night, 16-man tournam! ent at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve, featuring an unprecedented assembly of world-class kickboxing superstars that collectively boast over 400 professional career KO victories.

CBS Sports Network (U.S), The Fight Network (Canada), SkyPerfect (Japan), NicoNico (Japan), Premier Sports (U.K.) Sony Six (India), Setanta Africa (Africa), Canal+ (France), BandSports (Brazil), SkyMEX (Mexico and Central America) and EuroSport (Europe) are amongst the television networks that have signed on to showcase the historic event that will award a total of $600,000 in prize money to its tournament competitors.

“We are thrilled to be able to deliver this monumental night of GLORY championship kickboxing to millions of fight fans all over the world, so that they can be a part o! f the single biggest event in the history of our great sport,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer. “Any of the 16 tournament fighters could headline an event anywhere in the world and, to be able to have them all battling it out in one tournament is truly an amazing thing that every fight fan should have the opportunity to witness.”

Additional TV partners for the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event include Russia 2 (Russia), Marca TV (Spain), Sport TV (Portugal), Combat Channel (Russia and CIS territories), Ma Chaine Sport (Israel, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sub Saharan Africa), PCCW (Hong Kong), Veronica SBS (Netherlands), Orange Sport (Poland), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Fight Channel (Croatia), ProTV Sport (Romania), Sport1 (Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia), Hang Meas TV (! Cambodia), SportCast (Taiwan), Astro (Malaysia and Brunei) and SkyNet (Myanmar).

In the First 16, or opening round of the tournament, world No. 1 ranked heavyweight and No. 1 tournament seed Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KOs), an enormous, 2.12 meters/6-foot-11 Karate black belt who won the GLORY heavyweight title earlier this year, will face world Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-7, 4 KOs) of France. .

No. 2 seed, hard-hitting Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KOs) of the Netherlands will square off with power puncher Raomoru of Japan.

No. 3 seed Daniel ‘The Savage Samurai’ Ghita (44-7, 34 KOs) of Romania will battle Jhonata Diniz (7-2) of Brazil.

No. 4 seed, the dynamic, high-flying Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KOs) of the Netherlands will collide with Muay Thai technicianFilip Verlinden (38-6, 17 KOs) of Belgium.

No.. 5 seed, decorated, all-time sensation Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KOs) of the Netherlands will be tasked with fighting his friend and training partner Mourad Bouzidi (73-19, 33 KOs).

No. 6 seed Errol ‘The Bonecrusher’ Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KOs) of Suriname will take on 22-year-old phenom Jamal Ben Saddik (22-0, 19 KOs) of Morocco.

No. 7 seed Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KOs), the top heavyweight kickboxer out of Brazil, will meet surging force Igor Jurkovic (44-5, 29 KOs) of Croatia.

No. 8 seed and former paratrooper Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KOs) of Russia will lock up with 23-year-old rising star Rico Verhoeven (37-6-1, 8 KOs) of the Netherlands.

The draw to determine the First 16 matchups was held on Nov. 20. GLORY tournaments use a seeding system similar to tha! t used in tennis and other tournament format sports.

To ensure that tournament fighters are not exposed to unnecessary risk of injury, a ‘Best of Three’ rule mandates that any fighter who wins the first two rounds of a First 16, Quarterfinal or Semifinal bout is declared the winner of the bout and advances to the next stage of the tournament.

For more information go to www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man &lsq! uo;Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 30, 2012) – Shinya Aoki (31-6) and Antonio McKee (28-4-2) both made weight on the first attempt at today’s official weigh-ins at the Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Tokyo, Japan for the DREAM 18 portion of the New Year’s Eve historic double-header mega-fight card at Saitama Super Arena, live on GloryWorldSeries.com (tape delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network in The U.S.).

Aoki was exactly on the 154 pound/70 kilogram weight limit for his fight with UFC veteran McKee, who then hit the scales at 153 pounds/69.5 kilograms. Their fight, which headlines the New Year’s Eve event, has been nearly two years in the making.

Of the other 14 fighters on the DREAM 18 card, all except Denis Kang (35-15-2, 2! NC) and Will Brooks (7-0) made weight on the first attempt.

Kang was 1.32 pounds/600 grams overweight when he first stood on the scales. He hit the sauna for an hour and made weight on his second attempt, touching down at 185 pounds/84 kilograms for his middleweight fight with Melvin Manhoef (26-9-1, 1 NC).

Brooks was 1.2 kilos overweight for his 154/pound/70 kilogram meeting with Japan’s Satoru Kitoaka (30-11-9). He was given two hours to lose the excess, but returned to the scales after one hour to make a second attempt. He was still .5 overweight and was given another hour to hit 70 kilograms, which he managed on the third and final try.

Complete DREAM 18 Weigh-In Results:

Featherweight match:

Tatsuya Kawajiri (65 kilos/143lbs) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (64.8/143lbs)

Featherweight match:

Hiroyuki! Takaya (65 kilos/143 lbs) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (65 kilos/143 lbs)

Lightweight match:

Shinya Aoki (70 kilos/154.3 lbs) vs. Antonio McKee (69.5kg/154.3 lbs)

Bantamweight match:

Bibiano Fernandes (62.8 kilos/ 138.4 lbs) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (62.1 kilos / 136. 9lbs)

Middleweight match:

Melvin Manhoef (83.6 kilos/184.3 lbs) vs. Denis Kang (84 kilos /185.1 lbs kilos on second attempt)

Welterweight fight:

Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai (76.5 kilos/168.6 lbs) vs. Phil Baroni (76.1 kilos/167.7 lbs)

Catchweight Female Fight:

Marloes Coenen (66 kilos/145 lbs) vs. Fiona Muxlow (65.7 kilos/144.8 kilos)

Lightweight match:

Satoru Kitaoka (70 kilos/154.3 lbs) vs. Will Brooks (70 kilos/154.3 lbs on third attempt)

The CBS Sports Network telecast of the DREAM 18 event will begin at 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 1.

CBS Sports Network is available across! the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About DREAM:

Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offeri! ng up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

KANSAS CITY, Kan.(Dec. 30, 2012) – “Rowdy” B! ec Hyatt (4-1) of Brisbane, Australia has eagerly stepped up to face surging star Carla Esparza (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. in the Invicta Fighting Championships main event and first-ever strawweight (115 pounds) championship bout at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 5, after Esparza’s original opponent, Claudia Gadelha withdrew from the commitment yesterday due to a broken nose she sustained in training.

Unbeaten Matt Lindland-protégé and European Muay Thai Champion Livia von Plettenberg (1-0) of Vienna, Austria has been brought on board to square off with undefeated Joanne Calderwood (4-0) of Glasgow, Scotland at strawweight. Calderwood was Hyatt’s original Invicta FC 4 opponent.

“Both Bec Hyatt’s and Carla Esparza’s willingness to take on a new opponent in such a high-stakes c! hampionship fight is extremely admirable and shows what true warriors are made of – they will fight anyone, anytime anywhere,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “By the same token, Joanne Calderwood and Liva von Plettenberg should be commended for accepting the bout against each other on such short notice. They have a tremendous warrior’s spirit and it will show on fight night.”

The 23-year-old Hyatt, Invicta FC’s first Australian fighter, has been on fire since Feb. 18 of this year when she submitted Sarah Morrison with an armbar in the second round (1:30) of their matchup. She has since defeated three additional, consecutive opponents in a seven month span, including her last adversary, Christina Nicole Tatnell, whom Hyatt needed just 37 seconds to dismantle with an onslaught of punches.

Likewise, the 25-year-old Esparza is coming into the fight with significant momentum, after winning her last! three fights. Her last two victories – a second round (4:28) TKO (punches) of Sarah Schneider and a first round (2:53) TKO (punches) of Lynn Alvarez – came inside the Invicta FC cage on July 28 and Oct. 6, respectively. To date, three of Esparza’s professional wins have come by way of (T)KO and three by way of submission.

Tickets for Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt, priced from $25, are on sale at Memorial Hall box office (913-549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

In the bantamweight co-main event, crowd-pleasing submission ace Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will battle fellow top-ranked star Alexis Davis (12-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.

Power puncher Leslie &! ldquo;The Peacemaker” Smith (4-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will square off with submission specialist Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (3-2-1) of Colorado Springs, Colo. at bantamweight.

Hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-2) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil will take on submission specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-3) of San Jose, Calif. at bantamweight.

JEWELS star Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) of Kisarazu, Japan will battle Invicta FC 3 winner Ediane Gomes (8-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in a featherweight (145 pounds) contest.

After scoring her second consecutive, five-second KO on July 8, Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) of Reno, Nev. will make her much-anticipated professional debut on the Invicta FC 4 preliminary card against fellow heavy-handed featherweight competitor Katalina Malungahu (2-1) of Las Vegas, Nev.

The seven-bout preliminary card will be capped off with an atomweight (105 pounds) matchup between Stephanie Frausto (4-4) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Cassie Rodish (3-3) of Des Moines, Iowa.

Unbeaten Tamikka Brents (1-0) of Springfield, Illin. will take on Amanda Bell (0-0) of Medford, Ore. at featherweight.

Jodie Esquibel(2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. and Liz McCarthy (1-0) of Tigard, Ore. will square off at atomweight.

Emily Kagan(2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. will put her undefeated record on the line against Rose Namajunas (0-0) of Milwaukee, Wis. In a strawweight matchup.

Paige Van Zant(2-0) of Sparks, Nev. will face off with Tecia Torres (1-0) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at stra! wweight.

Laura MarcusseSanko (0-0) of Kansas City will make her professional debut in the cage in a strawweight (105 pounds) matchup with Cassie Robb (0-0) Casper, Wyo

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 30, 2012) – All 16 of the superstar heavyweights taking part in the highly-anticipated GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam, one-night, single-elimination kickboxing tournament hit the scales today, one day before the event at Saitama Super Arena, live on GloryWorldSeries.com (tape delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network in The U.S.)

The weigh-ins took place at the Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. The tournament fighters were joined by the fighters slated for action in the three Superfights that will unfold between each stage of the tournament.

The event represents one-half of a double-header mega-event that will begin with the DREAM 18 Mixed Martia! l Arts (MMA) fight card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event. Both shows are being presented by Glory Sports International, parent company of GLORY, which is committed to continuing the tradition of huge, end-of-year shows in Japan.

“It’s going to be a memorable night with a tremendous amount of world-class action,” said GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand as he presented the tournament fighters to a packed press conference. “We want to revive large-scale shows in Japan and this is the first step towards achieving that goal.”

Heaviest of the tournament fighters was the GLORY Heavyweight Champion and No. 1 tournament seed Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KOs) of the Netherlands. The tremendous, 2.12 meters/6-foot-11 Karate black belt hit the scales at 287 pounds/130.2 kilograms and will outweigh his opening-round opponent Brice Guidon (2! 8-7, 4 KOs) of France considerably. Guidon, who already has one loss to Schilt from a fight in Moscow earlier this year, weighed in at 225 pounds/102 kilograms.

The second heaviest fighter was Jamal Ben Saddik (22-0, 19 KOs), the young Moroccan heavyweight who has already been likened to Schilt, thanks to being almost as tall as him. Ben Saddik, the second-youngest fighter in the tournament at 22 years old, weighed in at 284 pounds/128.8 kilograms.

He faces the hard-hitting No. 6 tournament seed Errol ‘The Bonecrusher’ Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KOs) of Suriname, who hit the scales at 253 pounds/114.8 kilograms. Zimmerman will be the lighter and shorter man in the fight, but he has unbelievable power in his right hand and can KO anybody with a single shot.

Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KOs), the tournament’s No. 2 seed, hit the scales at 228 pounds/103.4 kilos. Possibly the most explosive fighter in the tournament, he faces Japane! se brawler Raomoru, who weighed in at a slightly heavier 230 pounds /104.2 kilograms.

No. 3 seed Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (44-7, 34 KOs) of Romania tipped the scales at 238 pounds/108 kilograms for his opening round match with Brazilian opponent Jhonata Diniz (7-2). At 21 years old, Diniz is the youngest and least experienced fighter in the tournament but has impressed his coaches at Golden Glory. He hit the scales at 237.5 pounds/107.8 kilograms.

Aerial attack artist and No. 4 seed Remy “The Flying Gentleman” Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KOs) of the Netherlands returned to the ring in Oct. after an absence of nearly three years and took a win over the very tough Anderson ’Braddock’ Silva to prove that he still has all his old magic. Bonjasky weighed in at 243 pounds /110.2 kilograms.

Facing Bonjask! y is Filip Verlinden (38-6, 17 KOs), a Belgian Muay Thai technician who has generated a lot of excitement among seasoned observers. Verlinden, who hit the scales at 205 pounds/93.1 kilograms, is extremely fast and has very strong boxing skills, making for an interesting clash of styles with the high-kicking Bonjasky.

All-time great and No. 5 seed Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KOs) of the Netherlands weighed in at 231 pounds/105 kilograms for his First 16 tournament round fight with Mourad Bouzidi (73-19, 33 KOs), who touched down at 215 pounds/97.5 kilograms. An added twist to this fight is that Aerts and Bouzidi are not only good friends, but also long-time training partners who know each other’s styles intimately.

No. 8 and final seed Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KOs) of Russia wandered onto the scales with his customary expressionless calm and produced a readout of 264.5 pounds/120 kilograms. He faces 23-year-old fast-risin! g star Rico Verhoeven (37-6-1, 8 KOs) of the Netherlands, who weighed in at 255 pounds/115.8 kilograms.

Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KOs), Brazil’s top heavyweight kickboxer, weighed in at 243 pounds/110.2 kilograms and looks to build on the respect he earned for performances against Badr Hari and Bonjasky earlier this year. He faces Igor Jurkovic, who weighed in at 220 pounds/99.8 kilograms. Jurkovic is a sparring partner of fellow Croatian Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic.

Robin van Roosmalen (37-14-3, 12 KO’s), the runner-up in last month’s GLORY 3 Rome ‘Final 8’ lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) tournament, weighed in at 154 pounds/69.9 kilograms today as did his Superfight opponent, the infamous cos-play aficionado Guacharo ‘Jienotsu’ Nagashima (17-5, 12 KO’s). True to form, Nagashima, was dressed outrageously in one of his manga-inspired costumes, complete with a bright blue wig.

Jason ‘Tyson’ Wilnis (18-1-2) weighed in at 185 pounds/84 kilograms for his Superfight with the very difficult and very experienced Toshio Matsumoto (38-9-6, 30 KO). Known as ‘The Knockout Artist,’ Matsumoto weighed in at 187 pounds/84.9 kilograms.

Finally, two very accomplished young fighters in the shape of Japan’s Mutsuki Ebata (16-1-1) and South Korea’s Sang Jae Kim weighed in at 116.5 pounds/52.9 kilograms and 116 pounds/52.5 kilograms, respectively, then faced off ahead of what promises to be a thrillingly fast and technical Superfight.

The winner of the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam tournament, who will have defeated four opponents at the end of the night, will walk away with a Grand Prize of $400,000. A total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded.

The CBS Sports Network telecast of the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event will begin at 10:00 p.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 31.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information! , and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information, go to www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (G! SI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 26, 2011) – Women’s superstar Marloes Coenen (20-5) of the Netherlands has been added to the stacked DREAM 18 MMA card at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan on New Year’s Eve.

The featherweight (145 pounds/66 kilograms) submission specialist faces ‘Ferocious’ Fiona Muxlow (6-1) of Queensland, Australia. Like Coenen, the majority of Muxlow’s wins have been by way of submission and she is riding a three-fight winning streak.

“I’m so excited to fight at the most anticipated event of the year in Japan. GSI is producing DREAM on New Year’s Eve and it’s great that they have a female fight so prominently on the card. On the other side of the world there’s also a highly-anticipated female fight coming up, so I’m really happy that women are getting the attention that they deserve,” says Coenen.

“Knowing that I already submitted one half of the UFC’s first-ever female fight, I’m keen on testing myself here in the Far East where martial arts started. I’m still one of the world’s top females and have been ever since winning my first world title in Japan in 2000. I’m strong in my mission to dominate the women’s MMA world.”

Coenen fought for the highly successful all-female US promotion Invicta FC in her last outing, taking a unanimous decision win over Romy Ruyssen. In her three fights before that she won, defended and then lost the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship that was most recently held by Ronda Rousey until her move to the UFC several weeks ago.

Rousey’s first defense of the UFC title will be against Liz Carmouche in February. Coincidentally that was also the first opponent that Coenen faced after winning the Strikeforce title. Coenen submitted Carmouche with a triangle choke in the fourth round of their fight in March last year.

New Year’s Eve will be Coenen’s 15th fight in Japan, having spent the first half of her career fighting in front of audiences in Tokyo and Shizuoka. By contrast Muxlow has spent her entire career fighting in her native Australia apart from one trip to neighboring New Zealand for a fight in June last year. Muxlow fought in October this year and took a unanimous decision win.

In the main event of DREAM 18, which represents one-half of the ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ double-header fight card, former DREAM lightweight (155 pounds/70 kilograms) champion Shinya Aoki (31-6) will face battle-tested wrestling specialist Antonio McKee (28-4-2). Heavy hitters Melvin Manhoef (26-9-1, 1 NC) and Denis Kang (35-15-2, 2 NC) will face off at middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) and former DREAM bantamweight (135 pounds/61 kilograms) champion Bibiano Fernandes (12-3) will square off with Yoshiro Maeda (30-11-2) in a 139-pound/61-kilogram catchweight contest. Former world No. 1 lightweight Tatsuya ‘Crusher’ Kawajiri (31-7-2) will face Judo specialist Michihiro Omigawa (13-12-1) at featherweight (145 pounds/66 kilograms).

All-time great Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai (38-12-2) will meet hard-hitting brawler ‘New York Bad Ass’ Phil Baroni (15-15) in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) affair. DREAM Featherweight Champion Hiroyuki Takaya (17-9-1) will collide with standout Georgi Karakhanyan (19-3-1) and Satoru Kitaoka (30-11-9) will battle undefeated rising star Will ‘Ill Will’ Brooks (7-0) at lightweight.

GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special will commence at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam, one-night 16-man single-elimination tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including world No. 1 ranked Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier martial arts stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

NEW YORK, NY (Dec. 26, 2012) — GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam, a one night single-elimination kickboxing competition featuring 16 of the world’s hardest hitting KO artists, will be televised on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 at 10:00 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.

Unprecedented and historic in the sport of kickboxing, GLORY 4 is the first-ever 16-man tournament where the winner has to defeat four opponents in one night to be crowned GLORY World Champion and walk away with $400,000.

“We are very excited to provide fight fans in the U.S. with the first real look at GLORY KICKBOXING with the broadcast of our GLORY 4 Tokyo Heavyweight Grand Slam on CBS Sports Network on New Year’s Eve,” said Marcus Luer, CEO Glory Sports International. “We have lined up the best heavyweight stand-up fighters from every corner of the globe who come with professional KO records that will astound and excite American fight fans! A world first—there will be no denying that the ’last man standing’ in this tournament will be hailed as the top stand-up fighter on the planet.”

The line-up consists of heavyweight KO superstars such as Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s) and Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s) plus dangerous rising stars such as the explosive Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s) and the clinical leg-kick specialist Daniel Ghita (44-7-0, 34 KO’s), known to his Japanese fans as ‘The Savage Samurai.’

Luer added “We have improved the GLORY rules further to allow for amazingly fast, furious and explosive fights. The action will be presented in the tradition of the best Japanese fight shows, with new video mapping technology as seen at the recent Olympics, heart-pounding music, pyro and special effects. It will be a feast for all the senses!”

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information go to www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:
GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premier kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.
With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.
Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.