LAS VEGAS (June 29, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has re-signed three of its decorated, reigning world champions – middleweight (185 pounds) kingpin David Branch, undefeated lightweight (155 pounds) champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje and bantamweight (135 pounds) titleholder Marlon Moraes – to new, exclusive, multi-year agreements.

“We are thrilled to have these three incredible champions on board with WSOF for the long haul again,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo. “Justin and Marlon are both homegrown superstars that we have been building since we opened the doors at WSOF, while David, who came to us as an established star, has grown into an even more dynamic and dominant mixed martial artist since joining the WSOF roster.

“All three fighters, continued Sefo, “are a testimony to our product and the world-class brand we have been building, and we look forward to ushering WSOF into its next phase of growth with them on board.”

The 33-year-old Branch (16-3) of Brooklyn, N.Y. is in the midst of a spectacular, six-fight win streak that he has put together with wins over the likes of Dustin Jacoby, Paulo Filho, Jesse Taylor and Yushin Okami.

A student of MMA legend Renzo Gracie, Branch, who has finished over 60 percent of his opponents during his 8 year professional career, notched his latest win, a second round (1:28) technical submission (shoulder choke) win over Jesse McElligott, on April 10 at WSOF 20.

Gaethje (14-0), a 26-year-old phenom who hails from Safford, Ariz., is coming off a March 28 conquest of seasoned battler Luis Palomino that served as the main event at WSOF 19.

Before a hometown crowd, Gaethje, who has earned 11 of his 14 career wins by way of (T)KO, engaged in an all-out slugfest, for nearly three full rounds before finally scoring a TKO victory with an onslaught of leg kicks and punches that downed Palomino at the 3:57 mark of the third stanza.

Moraes (14-4-1) of Howell, N.J. via Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will put his 9-fight win streak on the line, in his second WSOF title defense, when the 27-year-old faces undefeated star Sheymon Moraes at the star-studded “WSOF 22: Palhares vs. Shields” event, live on NBCSN from Planet Hollywood Resort Casino on Sat., Aug. 1.

Branch, Gaethje and Moraes will all be featured on “WSOF Unstoppable: The Road Ahead” on NBC on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The special, two-hour program, co-hosted by retired MMA icon Bas Rutten, NBCSN veteran announcer Todd Harris and Gracie, will include interviews with all three WSOF world champions as well as their respective, recent championship bouts.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter (@MMAWorldSeries) and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo).

Mulvane, Kan. (June 26, 2015) – Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) utilized a vast array of elbow strikes to defeat Alexander Volkov (24-6) via unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator MMA: “Kongo vs. Volkov” from Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., on Friday.

The Frenchman was relentless with his takedown attempts and “Drago” was unable to use his length to ward them off, spending a good duration of the heavyweight encounter on his back.

With the victory, Kongo improves to 4-2 under the Bellator MMA umbrella, while Volkov has now dropped two consecutive decisions.

In the co-main event, Dave Rickels (16-3, 1 NC) was seemingly en route to a spectacular stoppage of John Alessio (35-17, 1 NC) but an ill-advised knee to the head of a downed Alessio resulted in a no contest.

The 26-year-old Derby, Kan. native had the former World Extreme Cagefighting competitor wobbled against the cage, but the roar of the hometown fans may have clouded his decision making, as Rickels threw the knee and as a result referee Rob Hinds waved off the fight.

“Kansas, I’m so sorry,” Rickels said. “The fight was going exactly as I expected. You will see me do this again, except next time, I’m going to legally finish my opponent. I kneed him in the head, I screwed up, I could’ve stopped at any second but I just wanted to finish it.”

In what will undoubtedly end up as a “knockout of the year” candidate, Hisaki Kato (5-1) finished Joe Schilling (2-5) with a second-round Superman punch to impress in his Bellator MMA debut.

“I believed in myself. I know I have really heavy hands and it took just one big shot to knock him out,” Kato said after the fight. “I feel I did a great job of representing Japanese MMA. It’s not only about grappling, we are also strikers as well.”

Kato showcased his grappling the first round, nullifying the world-class muay Thai of Schilling on the ground. But after a few even exchanges to open the second slate, Kato struck with a perfectly placed punch that sent those in attendance into a frenzy. It’s worth noting that the Japanese international has won all five of his fights by KO or TKO.

In the opening main card bout of the evening, Pat Curran (21-7) got back on the winning track with a unanimous (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) decision over a game Emmanuel Sanchez (10-2).

Curran was originally slated to face Goiti Yamauchi, but an injury created the opportunity for Sanchez to fill-in on short notice. The two featherweights maintained a torrid pace over the course of 15 minutes, but the three judges appointed by the Kansas commission all ruled in favor of the former 145-pound champion.

After the fight, “Paddy Mike” promised to continue improving on his craft.

“I really needed this win,” Curran said. “I want to thank him for stepping up on three weeks notice and taking the fight. I’m going to keep coming, I have a lot to improve and keep working on. I’m going to head back to the gym and keep getting better.”

Josh Koscheck Signing:

Bellator MMA also announced the signing of Josh “Kos” Koscheck (17-10) to a multi-fight deal. The welterweight comes to the Scott Coker-led promotion from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he amassed his record fighting some of the most notable names in the welterweight division, including Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes.

Koscheck, is a former Division I wrestling champion who now joins an ultra-competitive welterweight division, where a rematch against Paul Daley could possibly come to fruition.

Preliminary Results:

Frederick Brown (3-1) stopped Derek Bohi (6-4) with punches in the Bellator 139 dark main event. The technical knockout came :29 seconds into the first round.

Aaron Ely (5-2) utilized his slick grappling skills to submit Jeimeson Saudino (8-5) with a standing guillotine choke at 1:05 of round two. “The Cyborg” has earned all of his five victories by way of submission.

The lone women’s fight on the Bellator 139 card did not disappoint, as Bryanna Fissori (2-0) earned a unanimous 29-28 decision win against Iony Razafiarison (2-1). The difference was the third and final frame, where “The Pink Ranger” secured a full mount and rained down punches, seeking the finish and receiving the benefit of the doubt from the judges.

Alex Huddleston (6-1) is making a habit of finishing scraps early, finishing his opponent Javy Ayala (8-4) via rear-naked choke a mere 72-seconds after the opening bell sounded. With the win, “The Shaved Gorilla” has two first-round finishes in his two fights under the Bellator MMA banner.

Before Augusto Sakai (10-0) and Daniel Gallemore (4-3) could get off their stools for a third round, Gallemore’s corner stopped the fight. Somewhere along the way, “Big Kansas” began having trouble seeing, giving Sakai the win via TKO and keeping the Brazilian fighter’s record unblemished to begin his professional career.

Bubba Jenkins (9-2) got back to his winning way against Joe Wilk (19-10) on Friday night, finishing the Kansas-native with punches at 1:00 of round one. “The Highlight Kid” improved to 6-2 inside the Bellator MMA cage.

It took 15 tightly contested minutes to find a winner between lightweights Pablo Villaseca (9-1) and Bobby Cooper (12-5). In the end, two judges scored the fight in favor of the man they call “Super Duper,” giving him the split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory.

In the opening bout of the evening, Gaston Reyno (4-0, 2 NC) made quick work of Greg Scott (3-4), picking up the submission win after only 1:17 of featherweight action.

TORONTO (June 26, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents another live installment of Golden Boy Promotions’ popular Golden Boy Live! series tonight, Friday, June 26 at 10 p.m. ET, as top local prospects are set to hit the Salinas Storm House in Salinas Calif., with Fairfield standout Alan Sanchez battling Canadian welterweight titlist Steve Claggett for the vacant IBA Americas welterweight title. Fight Network’s live broadcast of Golden Boy Live! will air exclusively in Canada.

Immediately following the boxing telecast, Fight Network presents a global broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 44 via one-hour tape delay from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Century Casino. Fight Network’s broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 44 will air on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In the co-main event of Golden Boy Live! topped by Sanchez vs. Claggett, Salinas native Paul “El Gallo Negro” Mendez (18-2, 9 KOs) will take on Mexican David “The Destroyer” Lopez (41-15-1, 25 KOs) in a 10-round super middleweight bout, plus Andy “The Shark” Vences (11-0, 7 KOs) of San Jose, Calif., will face Santiago “El Lobito” Guevara (8-1, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif.

Meanwhile, Hard Knocks Fighting 44 features a stacked line-up of Canadian mixed martial arts talent, headlined by UFC veteran Nick Ring (14-3) taking on former Strikeforce standout Cory Devela (14-6). In other featured bouts, one-time UFC “Fight of the Night” winner Rodney Wallace (22-10-1) looks to return to the win column opposite fellow big show veteran Kalib Starnes (16-9-1), Gabriel Solorio (11-10) battles Rolando Cespedes (5-2) in featherweight action, plus undefeated Miles Anstead (6-0) takes on Brandt Dewsbery (13-3-1) and Joel Powell (8-5) meets Derek Boyle (13-7) in a pair of welterweight clashes.

The exciting doubleheader kicks off on Friday, June 26 at 10 p.m. ET.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

TORONTO (June 26, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents the third live installment of Big Knockout Boxing this Saturday, June 27 at 10 p.m. ET immediately following a live Canadian broadcast of the UFC Fight Night™: Machida vs. Romero prelims at 8 p.m. ET from Hollywood, Florida.

Fight Network’s live broadcast of BKB 3 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas will air nationwide in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The BKB heavyweight title is up for grabs in the main event as unbeaten Julian Pollard (6-0) faces Rodney Hernandez (7-2-1), a late replacement for combat sports superstar Tyrone Spong.

The exciting card also features a junior middleweight bout pitting hardened veteran Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-3) against Adrian Granados (13-4-2), a middleweight clash between Shane Mosley Jr. (4-1) and Jason Kelly (3-0), a junior middleweight tilt between Janks Trotter (9-1-1) and Ed Paredes (35-5-1), plus Kyrgyzstan native Urmat Ryskeldiev (10-3-1) throws down with Florida native Marcus Willis (14-4-2) at junior middleweight.

BKB is a revolutionary concept in the sweet science with fighters competing inside a pit with a 17-foot diameter. With no ropes and no corners, there’s no choice but to engage, and with a fighting surface half the size of a traditional boxing ring, there’s nowhere to hide. Strap in for two-minute rounds of pure intensity, plus HitChip sensors in the fighters’ gloves measure the speed and force of every punch they throw, so you can see the impact of every hook, jab and haymaker.

BKB 3 kicks off at 10 p.m. ET this Saturday, June 27.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

For More Information Contact:

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (June 25, 2015) – MMA star Alistair Overeem will be a special guest of M-1 Global and main event fighter Sergei “The Paratrooper” Kharitonov on July 3 at M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of Nomads 5 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Kharitonov (22-5-0, 12 KO/TKO, 9 SUB), who faces Kenny “Deuce” Garner (16-8-0, 9 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) in their highly anticipated rematch, and Overeem are longtime training partners. In fact, the two have fought twice. In 2006, Kharitonov dislocated his shoulder and tapped out against Overeem at PRIDE 31 in Japan. At the K-1 Hero’s Tournament 1 ½ years later, Kharitonov stopped Overeem on punches in the opening round.

Overeem (39-14-0, 1 NC), who was born in England and fights out of The Netherlands, fought in M-1 Global back in 2002. He forced Sergey Kaznovsky into a first-round submission via an arm-lock at M-1 MFC: Russia vs. World 3 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 59 will be streamed live from Kazakhstan in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 59 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Information:

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

Oxnard, California – June 24, 2015 – SAN Nutrition, with a strong history of supporting elite athletes and sporting events, announced today that it has teamed up on a promising new venture as title sponsor of Las Vegas-based World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com).

WSOF is an internationally growing company promoting world championship professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) live events for distribution on NBCSN in the U.S. as well as television in over 100 countries internationally. In the same way that SAN is committed to providing customers and athletes with the greatest products, WSOF is dedicated to providing fans and fighters with the ultimate sports entertainment experience.

“We’ve had growing relationships with MMA athletes as individuals, including our sponsorship of MMA Welterweight champion and number one contender Johny Hendricks as well as number one ranked Lightweight phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov,“ says Matt Boldt, SAN’s president, “and we’re truly looking forward to our new endeavors supporting such a world-class organization as WSOF.

We are excited to partner with a first-rate nutrition company like SAN that has taken such a proactive approach to marketing its top-of-the-line products to MMA’s ever-growing audience,” said WSOF President, six-time world champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo.

“This is, without a doubt,” continued Sefo, “a great opportunity for WSOF to align itself with another sponsor partner that is committed to excellence in its space, and we are confident that this partnership will help SAN significantly expand its footprint in MMA and reach a greater number of target consumers than ever before.”

MMA popularity is continually growing and WSOF’s coverage on NBCSN, NBC and worldwide is pushing growth even further. SAN has fielded an ever-increasing interest level from fighters with regard to maximizing strength and endurance, so the relationship is the perfect match.

SAN’s name will appear on new floor logo mats, center posts, tale of the tape television graphics, and the WSOF round card girls will be outfitted with new uniforms bearing the SAN logo.

SAN Nutrition has become the most trusted company in the industry because of the positive results achieved by people who use SAN products. Backed by extensive scientific research, SAN Nutrition continually develops the most powerful and safest supplements available.

About “World Series of Fighting” (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a world wide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

LAS VEGAS (June 23, 2015) – World championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has inked two fast-rising stars – undefeated lightweight (155 pounds) LaRue “The Cannibal” Burley (6-0) and red-hot, middleweight (185 pounds) finisher Louis “Handgunz” Taylor (11-3) – to exclusive, multi-fight agreements.

Both fighters’ WSOF debut dates and opponents will be announced in the near future.

“As we continue our incredible growth at WSOF, we also continue to seek out the best athletes in MMA for our ever-growing roster,” WSOF President Ray Sefo said. “LaRue and Louis are two of the sport’s top prospects, and will no doubt make an immediate impact in the WSOF decagon cage.”

Burley, fighting out of Arizona’s Power MMA Team, has been competing professionally since 2012. The 31-year-old has rattled off six consecutive victories to start his professional career, including two by submission – both via guillotine choke – and two by KO.

While competing almost exclusively in Arizona, Burley has notched victories under numerous regional banners, earning brief national exposure with a 2013 victory over Bubba Jenkins, but he now will be thrust into the national spotlight under the promotion of WSOF.

Taylor comes to WSOF on the strength of a four-fight winning steak that has seen the 36-year-old earn all four victories by first-round stoppage. A Chicago native who still fights out of the Windy City’s Chicago Fight Team, Taylor has been competing professionally since 2007.

In 14 career contests, Taylor has fought to a judges’ decision just once, using a strong mix of striking skills and grappling prowess to consistently seek out a finish.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter (@MMAWorldSeries) and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo).

The Heavyweight SuperFight rematch between Russian Sergei “The Paratrooper” Kharitonov (22-5-0) and American Kenny “Deuce” Garner (16-8-0) will headline the July 3rd M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of Nomads 5 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Garner was a replacement for injured Satoshi Ishii this past November 25 against Kharitonov in Beijing. The game Garner dominated the opening round and Kharitonov took the second round. The fight was stopped in the third round an Kharitonov declared the winner due to safety concerns for the badly cut Garner.

M-1 Challenge 59 will be streamed live from Kazakhstan in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Information:

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 22, 2015) – Four fresh preliminary bouts will support the welterweight main card showcase of “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov.” Veteran striker Josh “The Dentist” Neer (36-14) faces submission artist Matt Secor (6-2) at welterweight, Blair “The Bull Shark” Tugman (7-5) battles Rodrigo “The Young Lion” Almeida (12-2) at 135 lbs., Ilya Kotau makes his professional debut opposite Nicolas Sergiacom (1-0) at 170 lbs., and Parker Porter (5-4) faces Eric “Lucky Strikes” Bedard (6-5) in the heavyweight division.

Bellator 140 features five world-class welterweight bouts including World Champion Douglas Lima (26-5) and Andrey Koreshkov (17-1), Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6), Michael “Venom” Page (7-0) taking on Rudy Bears (16-13), Brennan “The Irish Bad Boy” Ward (10-3) scrapping with Gavin “War Horse” Sterritt (6-1), and knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley (36-13-2) challenging Dennis Olson (14-8).

The main card airs live and free on July 17th on Spike at 9 P.M. EST while the announced preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com at 7 P.M. EST.

Tickets for “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov,” which start at just $25, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster.com.

Veteran striker Josh Neer returns to Bellator MMA after going 3-1 in his last four fights. Neer has over 50 fights of experience to his credit and a combined 32 wins by knockout and submission. Neer dropped a unanimous decision loss to Paul Bradley at Bellator 129 and seeks to come back from the loss with a commanding victory over Secor.

Matt Secor challenges Neer riding a two-fight winning streak. Secor is a talented grappler who has earned six wins by submission ahead of Bellator 140. He will need to display his best ground game tactics to submit the established MMA veteran and to impress in his Bellator debut.

Blair Tugman will be competing in his home state of Connecticut and will aim to string together his third consecutive Bellator victory. The bantamweight fighter last competed in February’s “British Invasion” event and earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Marvin Maldonado. Tugman’s bantamweight competitor, Rodrigo Almeida makes his promotional debut on the heels of seven straight victories. Almeida demonstrated dominating striking power in his most recent fight and earned a 15-second technical knockout win.

Ilya Kotau makes his professional debut at 170 lbs. opposite Nicolas Sergiacomi in a showcase of prospective East Coast talent.

Hartford’s Parker Porter takes his second heavyweight fight in Bellator MMA and will be looking to redeem himself from a Bellator 98 debut loss. Standing opposite Porter is Eric Bedard, who has finished all six of his professional victories and seeks to continue the streak in his promotional debut.

Main Card (9 P.M. EST)

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Douglas Lima (26-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (17-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Michael Page (7-0) vs. Rudy Bears (16-13)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Brennan Ward (10-3) vs. Gavin Sterritt (6-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (36-13-2) vs. Dennis Olson (14-8)

Preliminary Card (7 P.M. EST)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Josh Neer (36-14) vs. Matt Secor (6-2)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Blair Tugman (7-5) vs. Rodrigo Almeida (12-2)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Ilya Kotau (debut) vs. Nicolas Sergiacomi (1-0)
Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Parker Porter (5-4) vs. Eric Bedard (6-5)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Las Vegas – Due to an issue affecting the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs visa system and a technical problem with the Consular Consolidated Database, UFC® is unable to secure entry into the country for 12 of its athletes slated to compete at UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO on Saturday, June 27, at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. After reviewing every available option, UFC has committed to moving forward with the fight card in Florida, adding several new bouts to round out the nine-fight card.

The previously announced main event, featuring former UFC light heavyweight champion and current fourth-ranked middleweight contender Lyoto Machida versus No. 6 Yoel Romero, will remain atop the fight card in Florida, broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The new co-main event will feature Lorenz Larkin (15-4, 1 NC; Riverside, Calif.) taking on Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2; La Plata, Argentina) in a welterweight contest.

The bantamweight and lightweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil will now be featured at UFC 190: ROUSEY vs. CORREIA on Saturday, August 1 in Rio de Janeiro. The original co-main event for the Hollywood, Fla. card, Erick Silva vs. Rick Story, will no longer take place on June 27. UFC officials are discussing options for those fighters at this time.

Additionally, the bantamweight fight between Rani Yahya and Masanori Kanehara, originally slated for Hollywood, Fla., will now take place on July 15 in San Diego.

Bouts scheduled for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO:
· A middleweight bout that features TUF Brazil 3 champion Antonio Carlos Junior (5-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) versus fellow TUF winner Eddie “Truck” Gordon (8-3; Uniondale, N.Y.)

· Middleweight Steve Bosse (10-1; St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) vs. Thiago Santos (10-3; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

· Featherweights Hacran Dias (22-3-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) vs. Levan Makashvili (10-1; Oceanside, NY)

· Hard-hitting welterweight Alex Oliveira (11-2-1, 1 NC; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who most recently defeated KJ Noons, vs. UFC newcomer Joe Merritt (6-0; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).

· Welterweights Leandro “Buscape” Silva (17-2-1, 1 NC; Sao Paulo, Brazil) vs. Lewis Gonzalez (10-1; Turlock, Calif.), also making his UFC debut

· A battle between hungry UFC newcomers and welterweights Steve Montgomery (8-2; Boca Raton, Fla.) vs. Tony Sims (11-2; Denver, Colo.)

· *An additional fight will be added in the days to come

Fans seeking ticket refunds for the Hollywood, Fla. card can do so at the point of sale.

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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About UFC®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 158 countries and territories to over 1 billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service that is available throughout the world with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas – As announced in early June, as part of UFC®’s Athlete Marketing and Development Program, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will serve as the independent third-party administrator of UFC’s year-round Anti-Doping Policy beginning on July 1, 2015.

USADA is universally recognized as the premier anti-doping agency, whose sole mission is to protect the rights of clean athletes and to preserve the integrity of competition. USADA will independently administer all areas of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, including comprehensive education, testing, science and research, and results management. All of the UFC Anti-Doping Policies have been modeled after the World Anti-Doping Code, and are designed to protect athlete health and safety by maximizing the deterrence and detection of dangerous performance-enhancing drugs in sport.

In its commitment to provide a transparent and accessible Anti-Doping Policy, earlier today UFC distributed all policy documents directly to UFC athletes and, with USADA, has made them publicly available online. USADA and UFC will continue to help educate athletes on the new policy and ensure that all athletes have a clear understanding of the requirements and guidelines.

To view all of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy documents, please visit USADA’s website at: www.usada.org/UFC-anti-doping-program.

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About UFC®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 158 countries and territories to over 1 billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service that is available throughout the world with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live programming for UFC Fight Night™: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne this Saturday, June 20 from 02 World in Berlin, Germany, marking the organization’s fourth trip to Germany and the first-ever championship fight televised live on Fight Network.

Fight Network will air the live main card exclusively in Canada from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

In the main event, the UFC women’s strawweight title is on the line when unbeaten Polish champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9-0) defends against former Invicta Fighting Championships beltholder Jessica Penne (12-3). Meanwhile, Russian-born German kickboxing stylist Dennis Siver (22-10, 1NC) looks to return to the win column against gritty Japanese veteran Tatsuya “The Crusher” Kawajiri (33-8-2) in the featherweight co-feature. Rounding out the main card, Polish-German welterweight Peter Sobotta (14-4-1) battles debuting Englishman Steven “The Steamrolla” Kennedy (22-6), while Germany’s Nick “Sergeant” Hein (11-2, 1NC) looks to keep his momentum rolling against undefeated Polish lightweight Lukasz “Wookiee” Sajewski (13-0).

Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the prelims on Saturday afternoon with Fight Network’s UFC Pre-Show Live at 2 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.

Catch encore presentations of UFC Fight Night™: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne on Saturday night, June 20 at 9 p.m. ET, and Sunday, June 21 at 6 p.m. ET.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

Catch Fight Network’s premiere of UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche on Sunday night, June 21 at 9 p.m. ET, featuring the first-ever women’s bout in UFC history from February 2013 in Anaheim, Calif., as Ronda Rousey and Liz Camouche collide for the women’s bantamweight title, plus Lyoto Machida battles Dan Henderson in a clash of light heavyweight legends.

Post-fight coverage of UFC Fight Night™: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne airs on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of Saturday’s event.

The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne includes:

Main Card (Live on Fight Network, 3 p.m. ET):
-Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9-0) vs. Jessica Penne (12-3) – UFC women’s strawweight title
-Dennis Siver (22-10, 1NC) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (33-8-2)
-Peter Sobotta (14-4-1) vs. Steven Kennedy (22-6)
-Nick Hein (11-2, 1NC) vs. Lukasz Sajewski (13-0)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass Network, 12 p.m. ET):
-Makwan Amirkhani (11-2) vs. Masio Fullen (10-4)
-Mairbek Taisumov (23-5) vs. Alan Patrick (12-0)
-Alan Omer (18-4) vs. Arnold Allen (9-1)
-Niklas Backstrom (8-1, 1NC) vs. Noad Lahat (8-1)
-Scott Askham (12-1) vs. Antonio dos Santos (6-2)
-Piotr Hallmann (15-3) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (11-1)
-Taylor Lapilus (9-1) vs. Ulka Sasaki (18-2-2)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

19 June 2015 – Yangon, Myanmar: Asia’s largest and the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced that on 18 July 2015, ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS will take place at the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Fight fans will be treated to a night of world-class mixed martial arts action as ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS will be headlined by a battle between current ONE Bantamweight World Champion, Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and a Finland’s Toni “Dynamite” Tauru. The card will also feature the best local and international mixed martial arts heroes.

Tickets for ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS on 18 July 2015 in Yangon are on sale now via a Yangon hotline 1876. Ticket categories begin with the full Red Carpet and cageside experience for VIPs at 200,000 kyats, followed by Gold 50,000 kyats, Silver 25,000 kyats and Bronze 10,000 kyats. Prices exclude ticketing fee.

Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who grew up on the hardened streets of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. He has multiple world Jiu-Jitsu tournament wins and is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, being so far unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage since debuting for the promotion in 2012. Fernandes became the ONE Bantamweight World Champion after he impressively dominated the tough Korean fighter, Soo Chul Kim, winning by unanimous decision. He then defended his title against two other contenders, Japan’s Masakatsu Ueda and Korea’s Dae Hwan Kim. This time, Fernandes faces his toughest challenger yet, ONE Championship’s new signing, Toni Tauru.

Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is also on a roll with a ten-fight win streak and is a Cage Warrior Fighting Championship (CWFC) Bantamweight Champion. He is the first Finnish national to win the title in CWFC. Tauru is set to prove himself worthy of the ONE World champion title. Known as a world class grappler who won seven out of his ten wins via submission, Tauru will test his grappling skills against a contender who has established himself as one of the world’s best. This match will likely see two grapplers proving their dominance on the ground.

ONE Championship will stage the largest sporting event to come to Myanmar, which is a testament to the unprecedented growth of mixed martial arts in the country. This will also be the first time the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium hosts a world-class mixed martial arts event.

CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Championship is the first major world class event in Myanmar with the invitation and support from the Ministry of Sports and we are delighted to finally get the chance to bring our unique brand of adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action, live to fight fans in Myanmar.”

Cui further added, “It is part of our growth plan to bring opportunities to countries with a rich history in martial arts and combat sports such as Myanmar. Hence, we’re building an absolutely explosive fight card and it is our goal to leave a lasting impression with fans across the country.”

The Minister of Sports of Myanmar, His Excellency U Tint Hsan said, “Myanmar is now considered a hub for international sports events. With ONE Championship, Asia’s largest and the world’s most exciting martial arts event being hosted here in Myanmar, it will definitely bring a lot of excitement to our people and will help promote the country and encourage more people to visit our beautiful nation.”

Zay Thiha, Vice-Chairman of Zaykabar Corporation also said, “We are thrilled to partner with ONE Championship for their upcoming Myanmar event in July. We have hosted hundreds of international events but this is our first time to work on such a large scale. We look forward to bringing world-class entertainment and excitement to the millions of fans here in Myanmar.”

Full fight card and ticketing information will be announced at a later date.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship™ is Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

SAINT LOUIS (June 18, 2015) – After weigh-ins at Scottrade Center on Thursday, Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock will finally settle their “Unfinished Business.”

“Bellator MMA: Kimbo vs. Shamrock,” which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, features a main event between the aforementioned Slice and “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.” The fight is nearly seven years in the making, after a fluke accident caused the cancellation of their first planned meeting.
In the co-main event, a battle for the featherweight championship will go on as planned when Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (23-2) looks to defend his title against a streaking Daniel Weichel (35-8). On his second attempt, “Pitbull” hit the required mark of 145-pounds.
In a critical heavyweight scrap between two larger than life fighters, Bobby Lashley (12-2) looks to continue his undefeated ways in Bellator MMA against a very game Dan “The Man” Charles (9-2). Lashley was originally slated to face James Thompson, but an injury derailed the tilt.
One of MMA’s most promising prospects Henry Corrales (12-0), looks to keep his record unblemished against former featherweight champion Daniel Straus (22-6), who has only suffered three defeats in his last 22 bouts.
In the opening televised bout of the evening, Mike Chandler (12-3) will attempt to return to lightweight glory when he faces Derek Campos (15-4). The Missouri native has been involved in plenty of legendary wars inside the Bellator cage and if his comments at the weigh-ins were any indication, he plans on making his homecoming nothing short of special.

LAS VEGAS (June 17, 2014) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) will return to NBC with an all-new installment of its action-packed ‘Unstoppable’ program showcasing the best, recent world championship action from the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

MMA legends Bas Rutten and Renzo Gracie, and veteran NBCSN announcer Todd Harris will host the two-hour program, “WSOF Unstoppable: The Road Ahead,” and be joined in studio by guests and reigning WSOF world champions David Branch (middleweight – 185 pounds) and Marlon Moraes (bantamweight – 135 pounds), whose most recent, respective bouts in the WSOF decagon cage will be on display.

Additionally, the show will feature an in-depth look at undefeated, reigning WSOF World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, and ferocious action from reigning WSOF World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares, reigning WSOF World Featherweight (145 pounds) Champion Lance Palmer and newly crowned WSOF World Heavyweight Champion Blagoy Ivanov.

“We are excited to deliver another hard-hitting compilation of the most memorable, recent bouts featuring WSOF’s collection of dynamic world champions and other superstars,” said WSOF President, six-time world champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo. “NBC has been an incredible partner and highly instrumental in building the WSOF brand over the course of the last two and a half years, and the ‘Unstoppable’ series is a testimony to their commitment to our company and the sport of MMA.”

Along with Branch and Moraes, the hosts will preview the highly-anticipated, WSOF world championship showdown between defending kingpin Palhares and challenger and two-time world champion Jake Shields, whose latest conquests in the WSOF cage will be on display for NBC viewers during “WSOF Unstoppable: The Road Ahead.”

Palhares and Shields will face off in the main event of WSOF 22, live on NBCSN from Las Vegas.

Since launching in Nov. 2012, WSOF has catapulted to the forefront of the MMA world with its star-studded, world championship live event series on NBCSN as well as additional programming on NBC.

The promotion has successfully expanded its footprint to over 100 different countries with its fight programming as part of a multi-year agreement with IMG, the world’s leader in sports content distribution.

About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter (@MMAWorldSeries) and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo).

Las Vegas –UFC FIGHT PASS® continues to acquire great mixed martial arts content from around the world. Today, UFC Chief Content Officer Marshall Zelaznik announced the UFC’s digital streaming service has reached an exclusive agreement to live stream all of Titan FC’s events.

Zelaznik said: “Titan FC puts on great events and we’re happy to make Titan fights available live and on-demand to our UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers. In the nine years since its first show, Titan has earned a reputation for putting on quality events featuring a mixture of up-and-coming talent and experienced veterans. I’m excited to offer these events live and exclusively on FIGHT PASS.”

The live first Titan FC event will hit UFCFIGHTPASS on July 18. Titan FC 34 will be a quality 12 fight card featuring three Titian title fights and headlined by The Ultimate Fighter alum Mike Ricci vs UFC veteran Pat “Bam Bam” Healy in the main event with a co-main event of Kurt Holobaugh vs Andre Harrison, plus the much anticipated return of Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, and the debut of middleweight prospect Phil Hawes.

Titan FC CEO Jeff Aronson said: “We at Titan FC are extremely proud to ink a groundbreaking deal with the leader in combat sports, the UFC to showcase the amazing talent of the fighters on the Titan FC roster on the UFC FIGHT PASS platform.”

In the coming months, Titan FC’s archive of 33 events – which feature appearances from fighters like Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Sara McMann and Alan Belcher – will also be uploaded to FIGHT PASS.

Zelaznik added: “The addition of Titan to the UFC FIGHT PASS fight library brings the total number of promotions available to our subscribers to 20.

“We’re offering a truly unprecedented amount of world-class content on the platform – everything from every UFC fight, to the libraries of PRIDE FC, WEC, Pancrase, King of the Cage, Titan FC – the libraries of 20 organizations in total and live fights from the UFC, Invicta, Shooto Brazil and now Titan FC.

“We said it when we launched FIGHT PASS, and we will continue to live up to it: FIGHT PASS will just keep getting better and better.”

Zelaznik added the next Shooto Brazil event will be streamed live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com on Friday, June 26. Shooto Brazil 55 will be a 13-fight card headlined by the featherweight clash between Leonardo Limberger and Jamil Silveira

UFC FIGHT PASS is available now at UFCFIGHTPASS.com on personal computers, Xbox One, Xbox 360 Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Chromecast, Android, Samsung, LG Smart TV and Roku. Subscriptions are $9.99 month to month, $8.99 per month for six months or $7.99 per month for a one-year subscription.

About the UFC
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 158 countries and territories to over 1 billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service that is available throughout the world with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About Titan FC
Purchased by former Alchemist Management Chairman Jeff Aronson in 2014, Titan FC is dedicated to establishing itself as a marquee promotion for both up-and-coming and veteran fighters. Aronson immediately developed a #FansFightersFirst creed geared towards providing fans with great, action-packed fights and fighters with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a competitive platform. Aronson offers each fighter an out clause in the event the UFC offers them an opportunity to compete for their promotion. He also developed a creative way to incentivize each fighter in the form of a finishing bonus for those who win by Submission or (T)KO. Titan FC alumni include Alan Belcher, Tim Sylvia, Mike Ricci, Bobby Voelker, Jorge Gurgel, Gerald Harris, Jens Pulver, Bobby Lashley, Dennis Hallman, Jay Hieron, and Matt Riddle.

Las Vegas – The Octagon® will touch down in Tennessee for the fourth time on Saturday, August 8 with a battle of top-10 light heavyweights when fifth-ranked Glover Teixeira collides with former University of Tennessee football player, No. 6 Ovince Saint Preux. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: TEIXEIRA vs. SAINT PREUX marks the promotion’s third trip to Nashville and first since January 2012.

With new champion Daniel Cormier sitting atop the UFC® light heavyweight division, the stakes are high and both Teixeira (22-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Saint Preux (18-6, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) are within striking distance of a shot at Cormier’s world title. Having trained under Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, Teixeira is a double threat with striking and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The dynamic style and punching power of the ever improving Saint Preux makes him a threat wherever the fight goes.

In addition, two of the lightweight division’s brightest young stars will clash in their effort to make a name for themselves in one of the most talent-rich weight classes. Fifth-ranked Michael Johnson (17-8, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) looks for his fifth-straight win when he meets submission ace Beneil Dariush (11-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.). The No. 14 lightweight is a world champion jiu-jitsu player and will look to counter Johnson’s devastating striking with his feared ground game.

The event will also feature a showdown between two of the top female fighters in the world when No. 4 Sara McMann (8-2, fighting out of Gaffney, S.C.) and No. 8 Amanda Nunes (10-4, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) meet. McMann is an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, while Nunes is a highly decorated jiu-jitsu black belt who has finished all 10 of her professional victories, eight in the first round.

Additional bouts include:
· Knoxville native and undefeated lightweight Scott Holtzman (7-0, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) makes his UFC debut against Greece’s Anthony Christodoulou (12-5, fighting out of Athens, Greece).

· Bantamweight submission specialist Marlon Vera (6-2-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) meets Roman Salazar (9-3, fighting out of Scottsdale, Ariz.), who will be making his fourth appearance under the UFC banner.

· Knockout artist Jared Cannonier (7-1, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.), who has finished six of his seven victories, will meet UFC light heavyweight newcomer Jonathan Wilson (6-0, fighting out of San Bernardino, Calif.).

· Former Oklahoma State University NCAA Div. 1 wrestler Jared Rosholt (12-2, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) vs. hard hitting heavyweight Timothy Johnson (9-1, fighting out of Fargo, N.D.) who is two months removed from a first-round KO victory in his UFC debut.

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: TEIXEIRA vs. SAINT PREUX go on sale Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $175, $125, $90, $75 and $50. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at Bridgestone Arena box office. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m. CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, June 18 starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: TEIXEIRA vs. SAINT PREUX will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, August 8, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX Sports 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

About UFC®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 158 countries and territories to over 1 billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service that is available throughout the world with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

LINCOLN, R.I. (June 12th, 2015) – Cincinnati’s Dominique Steele captured the CES MMA welterweight title Friday, defeating incumbent champion Chuck O’Neil by unanimous decision in the five-round main event of “CES MMA XXIX” on AXS TV live from Twin River Casino.

Steele (13-5) overwhelmed the East Bridgewater, Mass., native, clinching, grabbing and scoring key takedowns en route to a 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 win on the scorecards. O’Neil (15-7), the promotion’s first welterweight title-holder, tried to engage Steele and trade blows with the 27-year-old challenger, but Steele’s ability to shoot for takedowns, press O’Neil against the cage and drag his opponent to the canvas prevented O’Neil from letting his hands go.

The fight paled in comparison to O’Neil’s last bout, an 11-second knockout win over Emmanuel Walo in January in O’Neil’s first title defense. This time, O’Neil never got going and Steele effectively stool the title, joining lightweight title-holder Julian Lane as the second CES MMA champion from Ohio.

The co-feature ended in stunning fashion with Hartford, Conn., featherweight Matt Bessette (15-6, 4 KOs) knocking Pittsburgh’s Khama Worthy (7-4) cold with a vicious right cross at the 2:42 mark of the second round.

Bessette struggled to close the gap on the tall, rangy Worthy in the opening round, but eventually found his distance and landed the knockout blow midway through the second on a counterpunch after Worthy missed with a right hand of his own.

“We knew his length would be a big deal,” Bessette said. “Not many people have a reach like that. We had to figure out his distance a bit. It took me some time, but we got it right.

“In watching his fights, I knew he loves to counter. He lives and dies by the sword. It worked out for me tonight.”

In one of the most intriguing matchups on the main card, Providence heavyweight Greg Rebello (19-6, 10 KOs) bloodied and battered North Attleboro, Mass., vet Tyler King (9-3) for nearly 15 minutes before finally earning the knockout victory at the 3:10 mark of the third round.

Rebello busted up King early, bloodying his nose with a series of looping left hands in the opening round. King wanted to get his opponent to the canvas, but Rebello’s takedown defense kept the fight in standup mode for the majority of the three rounds. After the pace slowed in Round 2, Rebello let his hands go again in the third, ending the bout with a lethal right, left, left combination that sent King to his knees, putting the finishing touches on a brilliant performance by Rebello.

The 32-year-old Providence native is now 3-1 since coming out of retirement with Friday’s win arguably his most impressive. For King, it was just his third career loss and first since February of 2014. King entered Friday’s bout on the heels of an impressive win over Mike Mucitelli in March, a fight he agreed to take on short notice when Rebello was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Also on the main card, East Providence, R.I., bantamweight Dinis Paiva (7-5) continued his remarkable run, winning his fourth consecutive fight by submitting Brazilian Bruno Marques (7-6) with a rear-naked choke at 4:07 of the opening round.

Paiva has now finished each of his last four opponents in the opening round. After stopping the last two in a combined 59 seconds, he almost scored another early knockout Friday, clipping Marques in the opening seconds and sending the bloodied Brazilian crashing to the canvas.

Paiva emptied the tank in effort to end the fight, but Marques hung in there and eventually got back to his feet. The red-hot Paiva scored two electrifying takedowns and ultimately forced Marques to tap in the final minute of the round.

Unbeaten submission specialist Eric Spicely (7-0) of Olneyville, R.I., kept his perfect record intact in his toughest test to date, forcing New York native and CES MMA vet Harley Beekman (7-3) to submit via armbar at the 4:30 mark of the opening round, Spicely’s fourth submission in seven bouts.

Beekman, making his fifth appearance in the CES cage, found himself on his back early, nearly victimized by the rear-naked choke. Spicely maintained his dominance on the ground and made the entire round uncomfortable for Beekman before locking in the armbar and forcing his opponent to tap before the bell.

Johnston, R.I., featherweight Joe Pingitore (5-1-1) kicked off the main card with a unanimous-decision win over South Boston vet James Grant Murrin (3-3), 30-27 on all three scorecards. Pingitore used his footwork and jab to keep Murrin at bay, controlling the pace by effectively circling the cage and striking Murrin with the cleaner, harder blows, particularly in the third round where he finished with a flurry to close out a hard-fought win.

Lightweight Nate Andrews (7-1, 4 KOs) of East Providence, R.I., bounced back from his loss in August and ended his 10-month layoff with an impressive knockout win over Northborough, Mass., vet Jay Bakanowski (3-2), stopping his opponent at 2:50 of the opening round.

Bakanowski entered fresh off a critical knockout win over Lewis Corapi in March, but got caught with an overhead right while in the clinch with Andrews on Friday and Lewis followed with a series of unanswered strikes against the cage to force referee Kevin MacDonald to stop the bout.

Milford, Mass., welterweight Toby Oden scored the knockout of the night on the preliminary card, pummeling Meriden, N.H., vet Wayne Ahlquist with a flurry of hammer fists in the opening round of their scheduled three-round bout.

Oden (2-1, 2 KOs) clipped Alhquist (1-2) with a head kick midway through the round, momentarily dazing his opponent. Oden followed with a pair of solid right hands, sending Alhquist to the canvas, and earned the stoppage with a series of unanswered strikes, prompting MacDonald to stop the bout at the 2-minute, 35-second mark.

In the opening bout, Ludlow, Mass., featherweight Ricardo Scalissi (2-1) earned the first win of his pro career, submitting Devin Pilkington (0-3) of North Providence, R.I., at the 2:43 mark of the second round via arm triangle. The two traded takedowns in the opening round, but Scalissi gained the upper hand early in the second, sinking in the arm triangle and eventually forcing Pilkington to tap out despite a valiant effort.

After winning his CES MMA and professional debut in March, Norwood, Mass., bantamweight Jesse Gutierrez (1-1) seemed poised for his second win when he sunk in a guillotine choke in the opening round of his scheduled three-round bout against Kody Nordby (4-3), but the Cumberland, R.I., vet broke free, reversed the hold and submitted Gutierrez with a rear-naked choke at the 4:03 mark. It was Nordby’s first win since February 2013, snapping a three-fight losing streak, and first in three tries with CES MMA.

The fourth and final bout ended in a bloody mess with Worcester, Mass., featherweight Evan Parker (5-3) submitting Pete Rogers Jr. (2-2) of Norwich, Conn., via arm triangle at 1:55 of the opening round. The two came out swinging, each landing early blows and each sustaining cuts. With blood from his cutting dripping onto Rogers, Parker locked in the arm triangle and eventually forced his opponent to tap out.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 11, 2015) – While Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock are prepared to take care their “Unfinished Business” on June 19, Bobby Lashley and James Thompson’s score will need to be settled somewhere down the line.

Thompson has been forced off the main card due to an undisclosed injury suffered during training and as a result, Dan Charles (9-2) has agreed to fill-in on short notice against “The Dominator.” The fight will still take place on the main portion of the Spike-televised card.

Charles, will be making his fourth appearance for the Scott Coker-led promotion, last competing in the main event of 2014’s “Monster Energy Cup.” After dropping two fights, “The Man” has bounced back to with two straight wins to earn a shot against a heavyweight title contender the likes of Lashley. The 29-year-old Phoenix, Ariz. Native has ended seven of his nine victories before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

A 6-foot-3 wrestling standout, Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (12-2) started training in the grappling arts at age 12 and would go on to win several titles including three National Championships at Missouri Valley College, an NAIA National Championship, a CISM World Championship Silver Medal and two Armed Forces Wrestling Championships during his time in the U.S. Army. In addition to a professional wrestling career with stints in the WWE, ECW and TNA, Lashley began his MMA career in 2008, and he’s built an impressive career mark that includes Bellator MMA submission wins over Karl Etherington and Josh Burns.

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” – Friday, June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15-2)
Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Champ Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Daniel Weichel (35-8)
Bellator Featured Heavyweight Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. Dan Charles (9-2)
Bellator Featured Featherweight Fight: Daniel Straus (22-6) vs. Henry Corrales (12-0)
Bellator Featured Lightweight Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

Preliminary Card (6:45 p.m. ET)

Bellator Strawweight Prelim Fight: Dan O’Connor (5-4) vs. Miles McDonald (0-1)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Justin Lawrence (7-2) vs. Sean Wilson (34-25)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Eric Irvin (9-3) vs. Hugh Pulley (4-2)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Rashard Lovelace (debut) vs. Demagio Smith (1-1)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Kain Royer (1-1) vs. Enrique Watson (1-0)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: A.J. Siscoe (0-1) vs. Garrett Mueller (1-0)
Bellator Welterweight Dark Prelim: Adam Cella (6-3) vs. Kyle Kurtz (3-0)
Bellator Welterweight Dark Prelim: Steve Mann (10-1) vs. Justin Guthrie (17-8)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Garrett Gross (6-3) vs. Chris Heatherly (8-3)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Scottrade Center:
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this season, Scottrade Center is a contemporary, 12-story glass and concrete structure located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The home of the St. Louis Blues Hockey Club, Scottrade Center also features a full range of arena programming, including concerts, ice shows, family shows and other sporting events. Scottrade Center is consistently ranked by Pollstar Magazine as one of the top grossing arenas in the country.

Rio de Janeiro – Named the most dominant athlete on the planet, undefeated UFC® women’s bantamweight champion and former U.S. Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey goes head-to-head with surging contender No. 7 Bethe Correia on Saturday, August 1 when the Octagon® returns to the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Fresh off of a 14 second highlight reel finish over top contender Cat Zingano at UFC® 184 in February, Rousey (11-0, fighting out of Venice, Calif.) looks to cement her legacy as one of the most revered champions in mixed martial arts, as she goes for a sixth straight title defense against rival Correia on the challenger’s home turf in Brazil.

Bad blood ensued after Correia (9-0, fighting out of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil) defeated two members of ‘The Four Horsewomen’, Rousey’s closest friends and training partners, as part of her campaign for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. “The Pitbull” intends to shock the world and cross another name off her list by dethroning the champion and bringing another world title back to Brazil.

After their legendary PRIDE bout in 2005, The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil coaches “Shogun” Rua (22-10, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) and Rogerio Nogueira (21-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) co-headline UFC® 190 in a rematch over a decade in the making.

Plus, fan favorite Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (34-9, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), a 4th-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, returns in front of a hometown crowd to face 14th-ranked Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve (29-7, fighting out of Beverwijk, Netherlands) in a pivotal heavyweight showdown.

Additional bouts include:

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (12-5-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) collides with former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler Patrick Cummins (7-2, fighting out of Dana Point, Calif.) in a light heavyweight battle.
Brazilian-born Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (18-7-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) welcomes heavy-hitting Soa Palelei (22-4, fighting out of Perth, Australia), who has 19 knockout victories to his credit.
Sixth-ranked welterweight Demian Maia (20-6, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) hopes to make it three victories in a row when he meets12th-ranked Neil Magny (15-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo.), a winner of seven straight.
Plus, The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 3 winner Warlley Alves (9-0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) puts his spotless record on the line against The Ultimate Fighter: Nations alumnus Nordine Taleb (11-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a 170-pound bout.

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

Tickets for UFC® 190: ROUSEY vs. CORREIA on sale now.

UFC® 190: ROUSEY vs. CORREIA 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, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, Rogers and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High-Definition.

About UFC

UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 134 countries and territories to over 700 million TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

LINCOLN, R.I. (June 11th, 2015) – Listed below are the final weights for all of the participants from “CES MMA XXIX,” scheduled for Friday, June 12th, 2015, live from Twin River Casino on AXS TV.

Doors open at 6 p.m. EST. The first preliminary bout begins at 7 and the televised main card begins at 9.

CHUCK O’NEIL
East Bridgewater, Mass.
15-6, 5 KOs
170

DOMINIQUE STEELE
Cincinnati, Ohio
12-5, 3 KOs
169 ½

MATT BESSETTE
Hartford, Conn.
14-6, 3 KOs
145 ½

KHAMA WORTHY
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7-3, 5 KOs
145

ERIC SPICELY
Olneyville, R.I.
6-0, 2 KOs
185

HARLEY BEEKMAN
Amsterdam, N.Y.
7-2, 4 KOs
183

DINIS PAIVA JR.
East Providence, R.I.
6-5, 4 KOs
136 ½

BRUNO MARQUES
Ludlow, Mass. (San Paulo, Brazil)
7-5, 5 KOs
136 ½

GREG REBELLO
Providence, R.I.
18-6, 9 KOs
224

TYLER KING
North Attleboro, Mass.
9-2, 3 KOs
224

NATE ANDREWS
East Providence, R.I.
6-1, 3 KOs
156

JAY BAKANOWSKI
Northborough, Mass.
3-1, 2 KOs
156

JOE PINGITORE
Johnston, R.I.
4-1-1, 1 KO
141

JAMES GRANT MURRIN
South Boston, Mass.
3-2, 2 KOs
140

PETE ROGERS JR.
Norwich, Conn.
2-1, 1 KO
145

EVAN PARKER
Worcester, Mass.
4-3, 1 KO
146

WAYNE AHLQUIST
Meriden, N.H.
1-1, 1 KO
170

TOBY ODEN
Milford, Mass.
1-1, 1 KO
170

KODY NORDBY
Cumberland, R.I.
3-3
130 ½

JESSE GUTIERREZ
Norwood, Mass.
1-0
128

DEVIN PILKINGTON
North Providence, R.I.
0-2
141

RICARDO SCALISSI
Ludlow, Mass. (San Paulo, Brazil)
0-1
141

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 10, 2015) – Less than 10 days ahead of Bellator MMA: “Unfinished Business,” Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock and Bellator President Scott Coker took part in a media conference call to discuss the June 19th event.

“Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business” takes place Friday, June 19 at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center and airs live on Spike. Tickets for “Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business,” which start at just $30, are currently on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

On October 4, 2008, a freak accident robbed the MMA world of one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport. On Friday, June 19, Bellator MMA will right that wrong. Street fighting legend and YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice and “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” Ken Shamrock, have agreed to renew their rivalry and will now meet in the main event of “Bellator: Unfinished Business.”

Below are quotes from today’s call:

Bellator President Scott Coker:

“This is a fight that should have happened many years ago. I know that it’s a fight that’s been under everybody’s skin for several years. At the news that Kimbo had signed on, I called and asked [Ken] if he was interested and he said ‘hell yeah.’ Both sides jumped in to fight each other without hesitation.”

“At the direction of Mr. Tim Lueckenhoff, our main event fighters were subject to pre-fight drug testing and we were informed that both fighters passed their tests. We’re less than ten days away from finally watching Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock settling the score at ‘Unfinished Business,’ which goes down at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.”

Ken Shamrock:

“Mentally I’m strong, I always push myself to the highest level. I’ve been at this for six months now and it’s been the hardest and the most humbling thing I’ve ever had to do. I am a different human being. I am more appreciative of the opportunities I have and for the people that train with me.”

“Now that I’m back where I want to be and where I can hold my own at 51, I’m able to push people to where they can’t go with me. This all comes through hard work and humbling myself and bringing myself back to my grass roots. Come June 19th, people are going to get to see the results of that and I promise you that everything that I am, my career on the line, you will not be disappointed.”

“I really understand what it’s like to be the underdog, it’s been a humbling experience but at the same time it’s really built me as a human being and it’s really put me in a different place when it comes to conditioning and when it comes to my motivation and my strength in this fight.”

“I enjoy preparing, I enjoy game planning, setting strategies, and working with a group of people to accomplish a goal. In the end when you accomplish that goal, there’s no better feeling in the world than to have a group of people who set out on a journey and they accomplish the goal they set out on together with all the plans working out the way you wanted to. You’re standing there at the end getting your hand raised and everyone is in the zone, endorphins are running, it’s a great feeling. I don’t know what to compare it to but it’s a feeling you never want to lose but you know it’s going to have to go away. I’m going to live this thing as long as I can live it. I’m going to enjoy this thing as long as I’m allowed to enjoy it and I wish that people would enjoy it with me.

I don’t think it’s a secret that Kimbo Slice brings the fight. Everything I know about him and respect about him, is that when he gets in the ring, he brings it. I don’t think there’s any question about what kind of fight this is going to be. There’s a strategy on the mind of both men in a fight and they come in to see which one will work best. Right now there is no tomorrow, I’m focused on Kimbo and that’s it.”

Kimbo Slice:

“I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to fight this guy again if the opportunity ever presented itself.”

“I tip my hat to Ken Shamrock who’s still fighting at 51 — even though I’m a stud and I’m going to knock his punk ass out. I tip my hat off to Bernard Hopkins who’s still fighting in his fifties. That’s really not even that old and I’m right around the corner from there.”

“I relate to my fans and they relate to me. I just say it’s the beard and the gold the teeth and me being genuine with people. I don’t walk around with a chip on my shoulder.”

“This is not a one time deal with me. We’re going to see how long we can go with it. I’m in it for the long haul.”

“I’ve always had love for MMA. I was tempted to throw a few kicks and takedowns in boxing. Now that this opportunity came, I have the love for the training and the passion to fight. I’m a well rounded martial artist now in the cage, I’m no longer one dimensional.”

“Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business” – Friday, June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15-2)
Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Champ Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Daniel Weichel (35-8)
Bellator Featured Heavyweight Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. Dan Charles (9-2)
Bellator Featured Featherweight Fight: Daniel Straus (22-6) vs. Henry Corrales (12-0)
Bellator Featured Lightweight Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

Preliminary Card (7 p.m. ET)

Bellator Strawweight Prelim Fight: Dan O’Connor (5-4) vs. Miles McDonald (0-1)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Justin Lawrence (7-2) vs. Sean Wilson (34-25)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Eric Irvin (9-3) vs. Hugh Pulley (4-2)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Rashard Lovelace (debut) vs. Demagio Smith (1-1)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Kain Royer (1-1) vs. Enrique Watson (1-0)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: A.J. Siscoe (0-1) vs. Garrett Mueller (1-0)
Bellator Welterweight Dark Prelim: Adam Cella (6-3) vs. Kyle Kurtz (3-0)
Bellator Welterweight Dark Prelim: Steve Mann (10-1) vs. Justin Guthrie (17-8)
Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Garrett Gross (6-3) vs. Chris Heatherly (8-3)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Scottrade Center:
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this season, Scottrade Center is a contemporary, 12-story glass and concrete structure located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The home of the St. Louis Blues Hockey Club, Scottrade Center also features a full range of arena programming, including concerts, ice shows, family shows and other sporting events. Scottrade Center is consistently ranked by Pollstar Magazine as one of the top grossing arenas in the country.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 9th, 2015) — Every so often, Chuck O’Neil wishes he could go back in time and teach his former self a thing or two.

“When I look at some of the old videos, I looked like a friggin’ bum,” said O’Neil, who returns to the cage Friday, June 12th, 2015 in the five-round main event of “CES MMA XXIX” at Twin River Casino.

“I would go back and kill the old me.”

Since his well-publicized stint on The Ultimate Fighter series four years ago, O’Neil has done what most TUF alumni have failed to do — carve a niche beyond reality TV.

“I think they get caught up in the hype train,” he said. “They’re just happy with the fact they got there.

“You can’t be satisfied or you’ll be stagnant. The celebrity status, the glitz and glamour, that’s not why I do this. I do it because it’s fun and I’m truly passionate about it. I work hard every day to be the best, not just be a part of it.”

Under the promotional guidance of CES MMA, O’Neil has taken full advantage of the opportunity to showcase his abilities — along with his affable, off-camera personality — in front of a new audience, the AXS TV fan base.

The Bridgewater, Mass., native has won six of seven fights in the CES cage, including his AXS TV debut in January when he knocked out Emmanuel Walo in just 11 seconds to defend the promotion’s welterweight title.

With a relentless, fan-friendly fight style and his deep-rooted passion for childhood wrestling nostalgia, O’Neil is loving life in the spotlight, hamming it up for the cameras outside of the cage while making sure to flip the switch to business mode once the bell rings.

On Friday, he faces another tough test against Cincinnati’s Dominique Steele (12-5, 3 KOs), a former Strikeforce and Bellator vet who promises to “whoop ass” and leave Rhode Island’s with O’Neil’s title.

“I’m going to put him on his back and punish the hell out of him,” Steele said.

“He’s a tough, gritty guy,” O’Neil countered, “but I know exactly what’s going to happen. He will try to grind me against the cage and get me to the ground. We’ll see what happens. Best wishes. Love, Chuck.”

Tickets for “CES MMA XXIX” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 and available for purchase online at www.cesmma.com or www.twinriver.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The trash talk from the other side of the cage might’ve unnerved the old O’Neil, a self-proclaimed “former punk” who admits his logic entering fights never really extended beyond trying to punch the other guy in the face. While the 2015 O’Neil couldn’t care less about engaging in a war of words, the defending champ promises “hard times” for Steele, an ode to pro wrestling legend “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

“I don’t need someone talking shit to get me hyped up,” O’Neil said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and finish the fight.”

Though the dream of getting another crack at competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) is still on O’Neil’s “to-do” list, he admits his experience on Season 13 of the popular reality series is part of his past. The current task at hand is defending the CES MMA crown while continuing to improve with each fight.

“It’ll always be a part of me,” he said, “but I want to grow past it. It’s very rare to see guys from that show get their shit together and get better.

“I just went right to the drawing board, surrounded myself with good teammates and recreated myself. Between my jiu-jitsu work and the addition of [boxing coach] Dave [Keefe] and getting in there with college wrestlers, everything’s coming together.

“I’m a lot more mature as a fighter and a person. I’m working to get better every day.”

Also on the main card of “CES MMA XXIX,” East Providence, R.I., middleweight Nate Andrews (6-1, 3 KOs) returns to face Jay Bakanowski (3-1, 2 KOs) of Northborough, Mass.; Hartford, Conn., featherweight Matt Bessette (14-6, 3 KOs) battles Pittsburgh’s Khama Worthy (7-3, 5 KOs); bantamweight Dinis Paiva Jr. (6-5, 4 KOs) of East Providence battles Brazilian Bruno Marques (7-5-1, 5KOs); Providence heavyweight Greg Rebello (17-6, 9 KOs) battles Tyler King (9-2, 3 KOs) of Norwood, Mass.; and unbeaten Providence welterweight Eric Spicely (6-0, 2 KOs) faces New York’s Harley Beekman (7-2, 4 KOs).

The preliminary card includes a three-round welterweight bout Abe Pitrowski (6-2, 1 KO) of Pawtucket, R.I., and Mike Rodriguez (2-0) of Boston and a hard-hitting featherweight battle between Joe Pingitore (4-2, 1 KO) of Johnston, R.I., and James Murrin (3-2, 2 KOs) of Dorchester, Mass. Featherweight Evan Parker (4-3, 1 KO) of Worcester, Mass., faces Pete Rogers Jr. (2-1, 2 KOs) of Norwich, Conn.; welterweight Toby Oden (1-1) of Milford, Mass.; battles Wayne Alhquist (1-1, 1 KO) of Meredith, N.H.; Woonsocket, R.I., bantamweight Kody Nordby (3-3) faces Jesse Gutierrez (1-0) of Norwood; and Ludlow, Mass., featherweight Ricardo Scalissi (0-1)battles Devin Pilkington (0-2) of Smithfield, R.I.

For more information on “CES MMA XXIX” visit www.cesmma.com, follow @CESMMA on Twitter and Instagram and “like” the official CES MMA Facebook fan page.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 8th, 2015) — Greg Rebello knows better than to drown in all the pre-fight hype.

“It’s 15 minutes of your life. That’s it,” he said, casually dismissing the buzzwords typically reserved for fights of this magnitude.

“It’s a 15-minute fistfight. After that, we’ll be drinking beers at the bar.”

The second stint of Rebello’s comeback, which began only six months after the 32-year-old Providence native retired in June of 2013, has finally come to this, another national TV showcase and a heavyweight showdown with Massachusetts vet Tyler King on the main card of “CES MMA XXIX” Friday, June 12th, 2015 at Twin River Casino.

Few heavyweights in this region have been this good for this long. A former college and pro football player, the 35-year-old King is 9-2 after beating Mike Mucitelli on short notice in March, also on AXS TV, while Rebello ran his record to 17-6 following a win over J.A. Dudley in October. With both fighters having trained with one another through the years, developing a friendship while each climbing the ladder at their own pace, they figured this day would come.

“It was only a matter of time,” Rebello said. “Someone will go to the top and someone will go back into the mix. I want to go higher up that ladder, and in order to do so I have to fight guys like this. I’m cool with that.”

“I have tremendous respect for Greg,” added King, “but this is business. It’s a job. It’s what we get paid to do. I’m trying to take his head off and he’s trying to take my head off. It is what it is. We both love to do this.

“If I didn’t come in and try to take his head off, it’d be disrespectful to him.”

Rebello (17-6, 9 KOs) has experience and a killer Muay Thai repertoire on his side. The brutality of the head kick he administered on Cody Lightfoot in 2011 remains entrenched in the memories of New England fans. Some would swear the bloodstains on the canvas haven’t faded either, perhaps a warning for anyone who dares to get within striking distance.

“He’s a junkyard dog, a real tough prick,” King said. “It won’t be easy to put away a guy like that.”

King is more of a wrestler than a striker, a hulking, 6-foot-5, 223-pound former lineman who would stand to benefit from keeping his opponent on the canvas, thereby neutralizing Rebello’s ability to end the fight with one blow.

As he contemplates his strategy, remaining focused on the task at hand rather than what lies ahead, Rebello admits his chief concern Friday is “not getting laid on.” Though not aesthetically pleasing, the “lay and pray” approach worked swimmingly for Mike Stewart and Lewis Rumsey, each of whom mauled Rebello when faced with the task of defending a prestigious Muay Thai striker.

Those fights left Rebello at a crossroads, physically and emotionally drained from raising his infant daughter and not being able to put all his efforts into training. With his daughter approaching her third birthday, Rebello can finally balance fighting and fatherhood. This, he says, is the best he’s felt in years.

“I’ve trained more for this fight than I have for any other camp over the past three years,” he said. “Life’s gotten a lot easier. Now my daughter comes to the gym with me and jumps in the ring. She loves it.

“I’m in unbelievable shape,” he continued. “I don’t get injured. My body doesn’t have the wear and tear of someone in their mid-20s. I’ve never been hurt. I’ve never torn an ACL. I train smart. I’ve cut my sparring days in half. I do a lot more technique work and working on my standup. One day a week, we go at it, then the rest is all technical stuff. I recover a lot faster. I train hard, but I train smart, too.”

This may be “just another fight,” as King put it, but the muddled chain of command in New England’s heavyweight division rests on the outcome of Friday’s long-awaited showdown. Two friends sharing the spotlight, and perhaps a post-fight beverage when all is said and done, makes for must-see TV.

“I’ve never had an easy fight, and this goes along with that theme,” King said. “I feel awesome. I’m coming into this fight feeling amazing.

“Greg has set a standard in New England for a long time. I’m aware of that. But everyone I face is just an opponent in my way. I need to be aware of what he does and what he’s capable of.”

Tickets for “CES MMA XXIX” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 and available for purchase online at www.cesmma.com or www.twinriver.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

“CES MMA XXIX” features 11 bouts, including the return of reigning CES MMA welterweight champion Chuck O’Neil (15-6, 5 KOs) of Bourne, Mass., who defends his title in the main event against Dominique Steele (12-5, 3 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Also on the main card, East Providence, R.I., middleweight Nate Andrews (6-1, 3 KOs) returns to face Jay Bakanowski (3-1, 2 KOs) of Northborough, Mass.; bantamweight Dinis Paiva Jr. (6-5, 4 KOs) of East Providence battles Brazilian Bruno Marques (7-5-1, 5KOs); and unbeaten Providence welterweight Eric Spicely (6-0, 2 KOs) faces New York’s Harley Beekman (7-2, 4 KOs).

The preliminary card includes a three-round welterweight bout Abe Pitrowski (6-2, 1 KO) of Pawtucket, R.I., and Mike Rodriguez (2-0) of Boston and a hard-hitting featherweight battle between Joe Pingitore (4-2, 1 KO) of Johnston, R.I., and James Murrin (3-2, 2 KOs) of Dorchester, Mass. Featherweight Evan Parker (4-3, 1 KO) of Worcester, Mass., faces Pete Rogers Jr. (2-1, 2 KOs) of Norwich, Conn.; welterweight Toby Oden (1-1) of Milford, Mass.; battles Wayne Alhquist (1-1, 1 KO) of Meredith, N.H.; Woonsocket, R.I., bantamweight Kody Nordby (3-3) faces Jesse Gutierrez (1-0) of Norwood; and Andy Aiello (5-1, 3 KOs) of Bridgewater, Mass., battles Devin Pilkington (0-2) of Smithfield, R.I.

For more information on “CES MMA XXIX” visit www.cesmma.com, follow @CESMMA on Twitter and Instagram and “like” the official CES MMA Facebook fan page.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 8, 2015) – With an unfortunate injury forcing the withdrawal of Goiti Yamauchi, Emmanuel “El Matador” Sanchez (10-1) receives the call to step in against former featherweight champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (20-7). With this change of opponent, and four newly announced matchups, “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” on June 26 is now complete with 13 total scraps to sink your teeth into.

The additional fights include heavyweight bouts between Alex Huddleston (5-1) vs. Javy Ayala (8-3) and Derek Bohi (5-4) vs. Frederick Brown (2-1) as well as featherweights Greg Scott (3-3) vs. Gaston Reyno (3-0) and lightweights Marcio Navarro (13-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (8-11).

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” is headlined by a heavyweight clash between French striking specialist Cheick “The Darkness” Kongo (22-10-2) and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-5). The event takes place June 26 at Kansas Star Event Center Arena in Mulvane, Kan.

The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT. Tickets for “Bellator: Kongo vs. Volkov” start at just $17 and are currently available at Ticketmaster.com.

Additional announced pairings on the SPIKE-televised card include lightweights Dave “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3) vs. John “The Natural” Alessio (35-17) and a contest between middleweight sluggers with Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1).

The 24-year-old Sanchez is an explosive featherweight, fighting with Duke Roufus out of the famed Roufusport gym in Milwaukee. The two-time Bellator veteran has shined throughout his current six-fight winning streak, most recently scoring a first-round rear naked choke over Stephen Banaszak at Bellator 128 followed by a dominant unanimous decision over Costa Rican standout Alejandro Villalobos at Bellator 135 this past March. Sanchez faces stiff competition in former featherweight kingpin Curran, who has been involved in some of the most memorable Bellator fights of all time.

Huddleston, 28, is a key training has won four consecutive tilts since dropping the first fight of his professional career in 2011. Most recently, “The Shaved Gorilla” stopped Derek Bohl at Bellator 130. Standing opposite Huddleston inside the cage will be the 26-year-old Ayala, who is on a three-fight promotional winning streak of his own. The California native has stopped his last three foes before reaching the judges’ discretion.

In the second added heavyweight feature, Bohl will seek his first win for the Southern California-based promotion. “Marshmallow” has won his first two bouts in 2015 on the regional circuit. Brown will have his second opportunity at success for Bellator against Bohl. The hometown fighter was finished by Daniel Gallemore at Bellator 113, which was his last time in action.

Undefeated at 3-0, Reyno will bring the tenacity he has shown on the independent MMA scene to the Bellator cage. “Tonga” has finished every fight he has been involved in and will look to make a mark on the featherweight division with his debut. Scott, a Whichita native, made his Bellator MMA debut in 2011 and has had a mixed bag of success.

Lastly, a pair of experienced lightweights will round out the preliminary portion of the card when Navarro and Carrillo tangle inside the steel mesh. With 43 professional bouts between them, both veterans will attempt to string together some wins under the Bellator banner.

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” – Friday, June 26, Kanas Star Event Center Arena, Mulvane, Kansas

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (24-5)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Rickels (16-3) vs. John Alessio (35-17)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-7) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (10-1)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Joe Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1)

Preliminary Card

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Bubba Jenkins (8-2) vs. Joe Wilk (18-10)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Jeimeson Saudino (8-4) vs. Aaron Ely (4-2)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Bobby Cooper (12-5) vs. Pablo Villaseca (9-0)
Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Daniel Gallemore (4-2) vs. Augusto Sakai (7-0)
Bellator Female Featherweight Prelim Fight: Iony Razafiarison (2-0) vs. Bryanna Fissori (1-0)
Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Alex Huddleston (5-1) vs. Javy Ayala (8-3)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Greg Scott (3-3) vs. Gaston Reyno (3-0)
Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Derek Bohi (5-4) vs. Frederick Brown (2-1)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Marcio Navarro (13-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (8-11)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Kansas Star Arena
The Kansas Star Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility, is located just off Exit 33 on the Kansas Turnpike and is adjacent to the Kansas Star Casino. The 42,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Kansas Star Arena is south-central Kansas’ home for big-name national acts such as Journey, Pat Benatar, Championship Rodeo, mixed martial arts events and more. The Arena accommodates up to 6,500 guests for headliner events. In 2014, Midwest Gaming and Travel awarded the Kansas Star more than 25 honors in its annual Reader’s Choice Awards, including “Best Concert Venue” in the state of Kansas. For more information, visit kansasstarcasino.com. Connect with Kansas Star Arena at facebook.com/kansasstararena and www.kansasstarcasino.com/entertain/arena. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Boyd Gaming is a leading diversified owner and operator of 22 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey. Boyd Gaming and Kansas Star Casino press releases are available at boydgaming.mediaroom.com.

INGUSHETIA, Russia (June 7, 2015) – Last night at M-1 Challenge 58: Battle in the Mountains 4, Mural “Hunter” Abdulaev won a unanimous 5-round decision over Marcelo Brito to capture the vacant M-1 Challenge welterweight title, outdoors in Ingushetia, Russia.

Abdulaev (13-10, 6 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), fighting out of Russia, remained unbeaten in M-1 Global competition with his third victory. Brito (13-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 5 SUB), who replaced his injured Brazilian countryman Igor Fernandes, made his M-1 Global debut.

In main card action, Russian by way of Azerbaijan featherweight Tural Ragimov (10-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) defeated Antun “Killer” Racic (17-6-0, 0 KO/TKO, 13 SUB), of Croatia, by way of a late third-round submission via an arm-bar.

Heavyweight Alexi “Brick” Kudin (20-8-0, 16 KO/TKO, 1 SUB), of Belarus, kicked his way to a second-round knockout of Russian Baga Agaev (27-17-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB).

American featherweight Lee “American Bulldog” Morrison (13-5-0, 4 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) won a three-round majority decision from Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), a native of Ukraine who fights out of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Brazilian veteran Charles “Gracie” Andrade (28-23-1, 6 KO/TKO, 22 SUB) needed only 34 seconds to force previously undefeated Russian middleweight Abukar Yandiev (4-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) into submission with a heel hook.

Russian middleweight Magomed Mutaev (6-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 SUB) won by technical knockout when Spaniard Enoc Solves Torres’ (16-9-0, 5 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) corner-men halted the fight after the first round.

Fighting on the preliminary card, hometown favorite Adam Tsurov (2-1-0) stopped pro-debuting Tajikistan lightweight Bakhitoyor Ibragimov (0-1-0) on punches in the opening round, Russian lightweight Khamzat Dalziev (3-1-0) won a second round split decision from Russian Akhied Nazarov (0-1-0), Russian featherweight Movsar Evloev (2-0-0) took a two-round decision from Lu Zhenhong (6-3-0), of China, Russian light heavyweight Adam “Beast” Yandiev (8-0-0) remained undefeated with an early first-round submission of Lithuanian Valdas Pocevicius (33-32-0), and Russian lightweight Djambulat Kurbanov (7-1-`) won as previously undefeated Ukrainian Alexander Panasyuk (5-1-0) submitted due to an arm-bar in the first round.

Russian featherweight Kurbanali Abdusalamov (5-2-0) upset previously unbeaten Pierre Sauvage (6-1-0), punching out the Frenchman late in the final round, Ingushetia favorite Khamzat Aushev (6-3-0) needed only 26-seconds to submit Spanish lightweight Javier Fuentas (6-2-0) with a heel lock, Arkamat Evkurov (3-1-0) punched his way to a first-round stoppage of Vladimir Bury (1-2-0) in a battle of Russian heavyweights, and featherweight Ruslan Esmurziev (2-1-0) ruined the pro debut of fellow Russian Marat Kishaev (0-1-0), who was a KO victim of punches.

In M- Medieval knight fights heavyweight Evgeniy Gladkov (3-0-0) remained unbeaten with victory over Maxim Plaksin (0-2-0), while welterweight Rustam Kuhurkhev (1-0-0) won hi pro debut against Boris Dzhelilov (0-2-0).

Complete results and picture gallery below:

M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Mural Abdulaev (13-1-0)
WDEC5
Marcelo Brito (13-7-0), Brazil
(Abdulaev won vacant M-1 Challenge welterweight title)

MAIN CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Alexi Kudin (20-8-0), Belarus
WKO/TKO2 (Leg Kicks – 1:40)
Baga Agaev (27-17-0), Russia

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Charles Andrade (28-23-1), Brazil
WSUB1 (Heel Hook – 0:34)
Abukar Yandiev (4-1-0), Russia

Magomed Mutaev (6-2-0), Russia
WTKO1 (Corner Stoppage – 5:00)
Enoc Solves Torres (16-9-0), Spain

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Tural Ragimov (10-2-0), Russia
WSUB3 (Armbar – 4:27)
Antun Racic (17-6-0), Croatia

Lee Morrison (14-5-0), USA
WDEC3
Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0), Russia

PRELIMINARY CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Akramat Evkurov (4-1-0), Russia
WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 1:43)
Vladimir Bury (1-2-0), Russia

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Adam Yandiev (8-0-0), Russia
WSUB1 (RNC — 0:34)
Valdas Pocevisius (33-32-0), Lithuania

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Adam Tsurov (3-1-0), Russia
WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 4:16)
Bakhitier Ibragimov (0-1-0), Tajikistan

Khamzat Dalgiev (3-1-0), Russia
WDEC2
Akhred Nazarov (0-1-0), Russia

Dzambulat Kurbanov (7-1-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Armbar – 3:18)
Alexander Panasyuk (5-1-1), Ukraine

Khamzat Aushev (6-3-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Heel Hook – 0:26)
Javier Fuentas (6-3-0), Spain

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Movsar Evloev (2-0-0), Russia
WDEC2
Lu Zhenhong (6-3-0), China

Kurbanali Abdisalamov (4-2-0), Russia
WKO3 (Punches – 4:25)
Pierre Sauvage (6-0-0), France

Ruslan Esmurziev (2-1-0), Russia
WKO1 (Punches — 4:35)
Marat Kishaev (0-0-0) Russia

MEDIEVAL KNIGHT FIGHTS

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Evgeniy Gladov (3-0-0), Russia
Won
Maxim Plaksin (0-2-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Rustam Kuhurkhoev (1-0-0), Russia
Won
Boris Dzhelilov (0-2-0), Russia

Mural Abdulaev has position on Marcelo Brito

New M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Mural Abdulaev

Tural Ragimov strikes Antun Racic

Charles Andrade shows his respect for Abukar Yandiev

Pavel Vitruk & Lee Morrison mix it up in the mountains

Alexi Kudin toses Baga Agaev

Magomd Mutaev & Enoc Solves Torres

Khamzat Dagev& Akhred Nazarov

Rustam Kuhukhoev & Boris Dzhelilov

Djammbulat Kurbanov finishes off Alexander Panasyuk

Khmzat Aushev forces Javier Fuentas into submission

Movsar Eloev nails Lu Zhenhong right on the chin

Evgeniy Glakov attacks Maxim Plaksin

Ruslan Esmurziv & Marat Kishaev

Adam Yandiev defeated Valdas Pocevicius

Pierre Sauvage & Kurbanali Abdusalamov

Vladimir Bury & Akromat Evkurov

Upcoming Event: M-1 Challenge 59: Kharitonov-Garner II in Astana, Kazakhstan

Information

www.M1Global.tv

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews

@VFinkelchtein

@M1Global

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/M1GlobalNews
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

Tacoma, Washington (June 5, 2015) Brian Halquist Productions and Super Fight League are proud to announce Super Fight League 41, live from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma on Saturday, July 11th at 7:00PM. Since their arrival in the U.S. in October of 2014, Super Fight League has been putting on some of the most talked about shows on the West Coast. July 11th will be no different, as two title fights will headline a stacked card featuring the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the country.

In the main event of the evening, two hometown favorites look to bring home the gold as Harrison Bevens (7-3) faces Justin “Ruckus” Harrington (6-2) for the recently vacated Super Fight League America Lightweight Championship. As two of the most well-known and exciting fighters in the Pacific Northwest today, Bevens and Harrington are known for always bringing their A-game. When asked for his thoughts on his newest opponent, Justin Harrington had this to say:

“It’s going to be a dog fight. Harrison is hungry to get that belt and I’m super hungry to get it back. He’s probably the toughest fighter I’ve faced and that’s what gets me motivated. I have tons of respect for him and his camp, but I need my belt back and I’m training my a** off to make sure that happens. I WILL get my belt back.”

With both men as hungry as ever to capture gold, this Lightweight Championship contest will be nothing short of incredible.

In the evening’s co-main event, Enumclaw’s Tyson Cunningham (3-0-1) will get another shot at the SFLA Welterweight Championship against talented Georgia native Mike “Zombie” Dubois (3-1). Cunningham was last in the cage in December of 2014, fighting the World Series of Fighting’s Ben “Flattop” Fodor a.k.a. Phoenix Jones to a draw in one of the most exciting and controversial fights the I-5 showroom has ever seen. With Fodor moving to the WSOF and vacating his welterweight championship, Cunningham has a second chance to make good on his promise to bring the belt home.

“Obviously, this fight will be tough. Any title fight should be” said Cunningham. “Mike seems like a durable and well-rounded fighter, but so am I. It’s a good matchup and we both have heavy hands. The last one to go to sleep wins!”

Fans packed inside the EQC are in for a treat with so much on the line come July 11th. The evening will be rounded out with many stellar undercard bouts, which will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for Super Fight League 41 are on sale now through the Emerald Queen Casino box office as well as all Ticketmaster locations. Fans are encouraged to reserve their seats early, as this event will sell out. Doors open at 6:00PM with the first bout scheduled for 7:00PM. Super Fight League 41 is brought to you by Brian Halquist Productions and Cagesport MMA. For more information, please visit www.halquistproductions.com as well as the Cagesport MMA Facebook page.