LAS VEGAS (August 30, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) today announced the completion of a stacked, six-fight main card for the unprecedented, three-hour, live NBCSN (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT) telecast of the WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov world championship doubleheader extravaganza at Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. on Friday, Oct. 7.

Priced from $20, tickets for WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov go on sale on Friday, Sept 2 at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

Joining the previously announced lightweight (155 pounds) championship main event between reigning, undefeated kingpin Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) and number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2); the light heavyweight (205 pounds) championship co-main event between defending champion David Branch (16-3) and challenger Vinny Magalhaes (14-7); and the lightweight tilt between WSOF25 eight-man tournament winner Brian Foster (25-9) and Luiz “Buscape” Firmino (19-6), are three other, star-studded bouts, led by a featured lightweight contest between Jason ‘The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino (20-8).

“This is, without a doubt, the most stacked fight card from top to bottom that we have put together, thanks in large part to NBCSN, which has given us a three-hour window for the first time since we launched on the network four years ago, to showcase our best fighters in action,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

In other action on the six-bout telecast, John “Doomsday” Howard (24-12) will collide with Abubakar Nurmagomedov (12-1-1) in a welterweight (170 pounds) matchup.

Kicking off the main card will be a heavyweight showdown between two World Series of Fighting newcomers and knockout artists – Shawn “The Savage” Jordan (18-7) and Ashley “Gio” Gooch (10-4).

The WSOF33 preliminary bout card will be announced soon.

Jason High vs. Joao Zeferino

Entering the World Series of Fighting decagon cage for the third time, the 5-foot-9, 34-year-old High of Kansas City, Mo. has been nothing short of spectacular in his first two starts.

In his promotional debut at WSOF25 on November 20, 2015, the UFC and Strikeforce veteran and 2009 DREAM Grand Prix tournament runner-up scored a highlight reel KO on Estevan Payan with a head kick-punches combination in the second round (:47) of their matchup.

High followed up the victory with an inspiring comeback against fellow star Mike Ricci. After taking punishment for the majority of each of the first two rounds, High went on the offensive and scored a devastating TKO on Ricci with an onslaught of punches in the second round (4:08) of their WSOF31 meeting on June 17.

The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old Zeferino of Middletown, N.Y. via Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil has earned a remarkable 15 of 20 career wins by way of submission.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt finished as runner-up in the first-ever World Series of Fighting one-night, eight-man tournament on November 20, 2015, suffering a second round (4:51) KO (punches) loss in the event’s championship round at the hands of Brian Foster, whom Zeferino had handily defeated earlier that night in the first stage of the tournament, by way of first round (1:46) submission (heel hook).

Following the win over Foster, Zeferino notched another first round (1:24) heel hook submission, this time on Jorge “Macaco” Patino, in the semifinal stage of the tournament. The result marked Zeferino’s seventh consecutive victory.

John Howard vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov

The 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mass. is coming off a successful World Series of Fighting debut on June 17 when he earned a unanimous decision over Michael Arrant.

A 14-fight veteran of the UFC, Howard triumphed over the likes of Dennis “Superman” Hallman, Uriah Hall and Siyar Bahadurzada over the course of two different stints with the promotion, and earned “Knockout of the Night” honors for his first round (2:01) KO (punches) of Daniel Roberts at the ‘UFC Live’ event on March 21, 2010, as well as a “Fight of the Night” award following his split decision win over Chris Wilson at UFC 94 on January 31, 2009.

Nurmagomedov of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia is a 6-foot, 26-year-old protégé of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and trainer of UFC superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a 2014 Combat Sambo World Championships bronze medalist.

When he faces Howard, Nurmagomedov will look for his fourth consecutive win in the World Series of Fighting decagon cage, and his fifth straight win overall, following his crushing, second round (3:05) TKO (punches) of Matthew Frincu at WSOF30 on April 2.

To date, 10 of Nurmagomedov’s 12 career wins have come by way of either (T)KO or submission.

Shawn Jordan vs. Ashley Gooch

The stocky, 6-foot, 31-year-old Jordan of Baton Rouge, La. will make his much-anticipated debut for World Series of Fighting following a 10-fight stretch with the UFC, during which the heavy-handed fighter posted a strong, 6-4 overall record, with all of his wins coming by way of (T)KO.

A veteran of Strikeforce and Bellator action as well, Jordan is an accomplished athlete who earned a football scholarship to Louisiana State University (LSU) where he was a member of both the 2003 and 2007 national championship teams.

Gooch of Glendale, Ariz. earned his shot with World Series of Fighting as a result of his recent surge that has seen the 6-foot-3, 41-year-old emerge victorious in each of his last eight bouts, with all eight of the wins having come by way of (T)KO or submission.

Gooch’s success of late has earned him the number one ranking in the heavyweight division in the New England region, as well as the number two ranking in the state of Arizona, according to Tapology.com.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion partnered with NBC, NBCSN and international media distribution giant, IMG. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas with satellite offices in New York City and Boston, the company is dedicated to delivering an incredible experience for sports fans by producing action-packed, live fights between elite athletes from around the world. With 32 events under its belt, the company will have produced 10 live events in 8 different U.S. markets in 2016, including 4 live dates between October 7 and December 31, when it heads to The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in history. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

oronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live coverage for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT from Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, including the live main card, extensive pre-show and a three-hour original production entitled Arlovski vs. Barnett – 15 Years in the Making, which chronicles the similar career journeys of former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett leading up to their explosive heavyweight main event on Saturday afternoon.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT main card across Canada on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. ET. The main card will repeat in its entirety in primetime at 9 p.m. ET and again on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 11 p.m. ET.

In the main event, well-travelled top 10 heavyweights will finally cross paths as No. 6-ranked Belarusian sambo specialist Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1NC) throws down with No. 9-ranked submission wrestling ace Josh Barnett (34-8). In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked Swedish sensation Alexander Gustafsson (16-4) looks to reassert his foothold in the light heavyweight division against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz (19-5). In another pivotal 205-pound showcase, Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (13-4, 1NC) faces a big step up in competition against perennial contender Ryan Bader (21-5). Meanwhile, Germany’s own Nick Hein (13-2) will kick off the main card in a lightweight contest against South Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang (18-9).

Check listings for additional fight week coverage, including Arlovski vs. Barnett – 15 Years in the Making. The three-hour special airs on:

Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. ET
Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. ET

On Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network premieres a 60-minute UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT Pre-Show, featuring previews, predictions and analysis leading into the UFC’s first event in Hamburg.

Also this week, Fight Network presents the third episode of The Evolution of Punk, a four-part series documenting former pro wrestler CM Punk’s quest to become an MMA fighter. His wife reluctantly attends a sparring session to see his progress. The couple decides to move closer to Milwaukee to be closer to the gym, but just as everything is starting to come together for the fighter, he experiences a devastating setback. The 30-minute special airs on:

Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Sept. 1 at 2:30 a.m. ET
Friday, Sept. 2 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. ET

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV, WEC and PRIDE events.

New programming this weekend includes:

Best of PRIDE – Sat, Sept. 3 at Midnight ET / Sun, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET
WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis – Sun, Sept. 4 at 1 a.m. ET / Sun, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao – Sun, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. ET

Fight Network’s extensive slate of UFC programming this week is bolstered by a pair of live events on Friday, Sept. 2, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET as ONE Championship invades Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a live broadcast of ONE: Unbreakable Warriors. In featured bouts, featherweight hometown heroes Ev Ting (11-3) and Peter Davis (10-4) square off with Australian Robert Lisita (15-8) and Thailand’s Shannon Wiratchai (5-1, 1NC), respectively, plus Malaysia’s own Ann Osman (4-2) looks to extend her winning streak against Filipino prospect April Osenio (1-1), Brazilian Gilberto Galvao (29-5-1) battles Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno (15-11-1) in a middleweight matchup and Yago Bryan (3-1) meets Gianni Subba (7-2) in a flyweight tilt.

Later that day, on Friday, Sept. 2 at 9 p.m. ET, North America’s largest Muay Thai organization finally debuts on Fight Network, as LION FIGHT 31 invades Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. with a pair of massive title fights topping the card. Reigning Lion Fight women’s welterweight champion Jorina Baars, who is best known for her stunning victory over the phenomenal Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in March 2014, will put her title on the line against Angela “Riptide” Whitley. The vacant Lion Fight super lightweight crown is at stake when rising stars Gaston “The Dreamkiller” Bolanos takes on Tum “Hollywood” Sityodtong. Also at the top of the marquee is another burgeoning female fighter as European sensation Iman “Pretty Killer” Barlow makes her promotional debut.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT and ONE: Unbreakable Warriors will be televised on Fight Network across Canada, while LION FIGHT 31 will be televised in Canada and over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

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

For More Information Contact:

Fight Network
Ariel Shnerer
Director, Programming & Communications
ashnerer@anthemse.com
www.fightnetwork.com

About Fight Network

Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., all major carriers in Canada, Roku and Apple TV devices across North America, over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East and on TSN Radio in Canada via its program “Live Audio Wrestling.” Fight Network is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. (www.anthemse.com), which also launched FNTSY Sports Network across North America in March 2014 and holds a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel.

30 August 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to Singapore on 11 November for another exciting evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. The Singapore Indoor Stadium will play host to ONE: DEFENDING HONOR which will showcase the absolute best in local and international MMA talent. Headlining the card will be ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki as he is set to defend his title against the Philippines’ Eduard “Landslide” Folayang.

Tickets for ONE: DEFENDING HONOR will go on sale next Monday, 5 September, 2016.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “Filipino fight fans have been waiting a long time for this one. Eduard Folayang has been with ONE Championship since the beginning and has performed at an extremely high level in his last couple of bouts. He is deserving of a title shot which he earned with victories over Tetsuya Yamada and Adrian Pang. The Singapore Indoor Stadium is going to erupt when fans finally get to see Folayang stand opposite Shinya Aoki inside the ONE Championship cage.”

Lightweight veteran Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Shizuoka, Japan, is one of the world’s most decorated mixed martial artists. He is the DREAM Lightweight Champion, former Shooto Welterweight Champion, and the reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion. The 33-year-old Aoki is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Yuki Nakai and has won multiple grappling tournaments across the globe. He also holds a black belt in judo. A veteran of over 40 professional bouts which includes an impressive 25 victories by submission, Aoki’s reputation as a grappling specialist is unrivaled. Aoki is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, and is set to step back inside the ONE Championship cage to defend his lightweight title against Eduard Folayang.

ONE Lightweight World Champion, Shinya Aoki stated: “I have been in the sport for many years and have fought the toughest challengers across the world, but this is the first time I will be fighting a strong Filipino warrior. I am excited to test my skills against a fighter representing the Philippines. Eduard Folayang is a great competitor with solid all-around skills. It should be an exciting match-up.”

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the famed Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced mixed martial artists. After over eight years as a professional competing in various promotions, the wushu specialist has amassed a stellar 16-5 mixed martial arts record. Folayang figured in impressive victories in his last two bouts, overcoming both Tetsuya Yamada and Adrian Pang to win by decision, showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling offensive arsenal. Currently at the peak of his abilities as a combat sports athlete, Folayang will get the opportunity of a lifetime when he steps inside the cage across ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki.

The challenger, Eduard Folayang stated: “I am at the peak of my abilities as a fighter. All the hard work I have put into training has finally started to pay off and I am challenging the great champion Aoki. It will be an honor to share the cage with him, but I feel I have the skills to pull off an upset. I will fight for the honor of my country and the people of the Philippines who will be in my corner on fight night.”

Additional bouts for ONE: DEFENDING HONOR will be announced at a later date.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

LAS VEGAS (August 29, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has bolstered its roster of world-class athletes yet again with the signing of lightweight (155 pounds) star and former The Ultimate Fighter competition reality television series runner-up Ramsey Nijem (9-6), to an exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement with the world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league.

Fighting out of Orem, Utah, the 5-foot-11, 28-year-old Nijem, a member of superstar Gilbert Melendez’s Skrap Pack fight team, will make his debut under the World Series of Fighting banner on a date to be announced soon.

“We have been aggressively pursuing some of the best available fight talent on the market and as a phenomenal and established competitor, Ramsey Nijem should make an exciting addition to our stacked, 155-pound division,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Nijem defeated three straight adversaries – two by way of submission and one via TKO – to finish as runner-up on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos in 2011, while competing at welterweight (170 pounds) as a member of UFC superstar Junior Dos Santos’ seven-man fight team that opposed a squad captained by WWE icon and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Nijem began his successful run on the reality television show with a second round (3:31) submission (rear-naked choke) of Charlie Rader, and followed up the victory with a quick, 56-second submission (rear-naked choke) of Clay Harvison and a second round (1:49) TKO (punches) of Chris Cope, respectively, to reach the show’s final round of competition where he was stopped with an onslaught of punches by Tony Ferguson in the first round (3:54) of battle.

During his 10-fight stint with the UFC, Nijem earned both a “Performance of the Night” honor for his first round (4:20) TKO (punches) conquest of Beneil Dariush on April 11, 2014, as well a “Fight of the Night” award for his gritty effort in a second round (1:53) TKO (punches) defeat at the hands of Carlos Diego Ferreira on August 30, 2014.

A lifelong athlete, Nijem was a three-sport (wrestling, cross country and soccer) competitor in high school before going on to wrestle for NCAA Division I Utah Valley University.

Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Saturday, Oct. 7, with an unprecedented, three-hour telecast and world championship doubleheader, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m., from Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

In the main event of WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov, reigning, undefeated world lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) of Safford, Ariz. will risk his title against number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2) of Ridgewood, N.J.

In the light heavyweight (205 pounds) co-main event, reigning world champion David Branch (16-3) of New York, N.Y. will defend his title against fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and battle-tested veteran Vinny Magalhaes (14-7) of Las Vegas, Nev. via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion partnered with NBC, NBCSN and international media distribution giant, IMG. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas with satellite offices in New York City and Boston, the company is dedicated to delivering an incredible experience for sports fans by producing action-packed, live fights between elite athletes from around the world. With 32 events under its belt, the company will have produced 10 live events in 8 different U.S. markets in 2016, including 4 live dates between October 7 and December 31, when it heads to The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in history. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a pair of live events this Friday, Sept. 2, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET as ONE Championship invades Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for ONE: Unbreakable Warriors, which is followed later at 10 p.m. ET by Fight Network’s debut of North America’s largest Muay Thai organization when LION FIGHT 31 emanates from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

Both events air just one day ahead of the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT main card in Canada on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. ET. The main card will repeat in its entirety in primetime at 9 p.m. ET and again on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 11 p.m. ET.

Airing live exclusively across Canada at 8:30 a.m. ET, ONE: Unbreakable Warriors features featherweight hometown heroes Ev Ting (11-3) and Peter Davis (10-4) squaring off with Australian Robert Lisita (15-8) and Thailand’s Shannon Wiratchai (5-1, 1NC), respectively, plus Malaysia’s own Ann Osman (4-2) looks to extend her winning streak against Filipino prospect April Osenio (1-1), Brazilian Gilberto Galvao (29-5-1) battles Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno (15-11-1) in a middleweight matchup and Yago Bryan (3-1) meets Gianni Subba (7-2) in a flyweight tilt.

Later that day, on Friday, Sept. 2 at 10 p.m. ET, LION FIGHT 31 airs live in Canada and over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, topped a by a pair of massive title fights. Reigning Lion Fight women’s welterweight champion Jorina Baars, who is best known for her stunning victory over the phenomenal Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in March 2014, will put her title on the line against Angela “Riptide” Whitley. The vacant Lion Fight super lightweight crown is at stake when rising stars Gaston “The Dreamkiller” Bolanos takes on Tum “Hollywood” Sityodtong. Also at the top of the marquee is another burgeoning female fighter as European sensation Iman “Pretty Killer” Barlow makes her promotional debut.

In the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT main event, well-travelled top 10 heavyweights will finally cross paths as No. 6-ranked Belarusian sambo specialist Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1NC) throws down with No. 9-ranked submission wrestling ace Josh Barnett (34-8). In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked Swedish sensation Alexander Gustafsson (16-4) looks to reassert his foothold in the light heavyweight division against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz (19-5). In another pivotal 205-pound showcase, Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (13-4, 1NC) faces a big step up in competition against perennial contender Ryan Bader (21-5). Meanwhile, Germany’s own Nick Hein (13-2) will kick off the main card in a lightweight contest against South Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang (18-9).

Check listings for additional fight week coverage, including a three-hour original production chronicling the similar career journeys of Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett leading up to their explosive heavyweight main event. The special entitled Arlovski vs. Barnett – 15 Years in the Making airs on:

Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. ET
Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. ET

On Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network premieres a 60-minute UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT Pre-Show, featuring previews, predictions and analysis leading into the UFC’s first event in Hamburg.

Also this week, Fight Network presents the third episode of the four-part UFC docu-series THE EVOLUTON OF PUNK, documenting former pro wrestler CM Punk’s quest to become an MMA fighter. His wife reluctantly attends a sparring session to see his progress. The couple decides to move closer to Milwaukee to be closer to the gym, but just as everything is starting to come together for the fighter, he experiences a devastating setback. The 30-minute special airs on:

Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Sept. 1 at 2:30 a.m. ET
Friday, Sept. 2 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. ET

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV, WEC and PRIDE events.

New programming this weekend includes:

Best of PRIDE – Sat, Sept. 3 at Midnight ET / Sun, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET
WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis Replay – Sun, Sept. 4 at 1 a.m. ET / Sun, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Barao Replay – Sun, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. ET

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT and ONE: Unbreakable Warriors will be televised on Fight Network across Canada, while LION FIGHT 31 will be televised in Canada and over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

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

Demian Maia choked out former world title challenger Carlos Condit in the 1st round of their welterweight bout in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada.

Maia got Condit to tap from a rear naked choke at 1:52.

Maia, 171 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 24-6. Condit, 170.5 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 30-10.

Anthony Pettis submitted Charles Oliveria in the 3rd round of their lightweight bout.

Pettis made Oliveira tap with a front guillotine at 1:49 of round three.

Pettis, 146 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 19-5. Oliveira, 143 lbs of Houston, TX is 20-6-1.

Paige Van Zant stopped Bec Rawlings in the 2nd round of their strawweight bout.

Van Zant landed a flying left kick that crumpled Rawlings to the canvas and Van Zant jumped on her and the fight was stopped at 17 seconds of round two.

Van Zant, 115.5 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 7-2. Rawlings, 115.5 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is also 7-2.

Jim Miller gained his 2nd victory over Joe Lauzon with a split decision in a lightweight bout.

Miller won two cards 29-28, while Lauzon took a card 29-28.

Miller, 154.5 lbs of Sparta, NJ is 27-8-1. Lauzon, 156 lbs of Bridgewater, MA is 26-13.

Sam Alvey stopped Kevin Casey in the 2nd round of their middleweight bout.

Alvey got Casey on the ground with a hard 3 punch combination and then jumped on Casey and landed 5 punches and the bout was stopped at 4:56 of round two.

Alvey, 186 lbs of Temecula, CA is 28-8-1. Casey, 185 lbs of Hawthorne, CA is 9-5-1-2.

Kyle Bochniav won a split decision over Enrique Barzola in a featherweight bout.

Bochniav, 145.5 lbs of Boston, MA won by scores of 29-28 twice and is now 7-1. Barzola, 145.5 lbs of Lima, Peru took a card 30-27 but falls to 11-3-1.

Alessio Di Chirico won a unanimous decision over Garreth McClellan in a middleweight bout.

McClellan began to bleed from his ear in round two.

Di Chirico, 185 lbs of Rome, IT won two cards 29-28 and is now 10-1. while McLellan, 184 lbs of Johannesburg, SA took a card and is now 13-5.

Felipe Silva remained undefeated by stopping Shane Campbell in the 1st round of their lightweight bout.

Silva dropped Campbell with a left hook and then jumped on Campbell with shots on the ground and referee John McCarthy at 1:13.

Silva, 154.5 lbs of Juiz De Forga, BRA is 8-0. Campbell, 156 lbs of Kelowana, BC, CAN is 12-6.

27 August 2016 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), sent the packed Jakarta Convention Center crowd into a frenzy with heart-thumping world-class mixed martial arts action moving to the beat of a live musical performance by DJ duo, GLOWINTHEDARK. ONE: TITLES & TITANS electrified the crowd with exciting bouts, showcasing the beauty of Asian mixed martial arts. In the main event, Luis Santos of Brazil defeated Igor Svirid of Kazakhstan by unanimous decision.

Visit the official ONE: TITLES & TITANS photo gallery by clicking:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h8ehqrhlhdad0aq/AADe8r0Ua-dWv4FmAHM8mAo4a?dl=0

In the main event of the evening, Luis “Sapo” Santos of Brazil overcame a furious rally at the end of the fight by former ONE Middleweight World Champion Igor “Lionheart” Svirid of Kazakhstan to win by unanimous decision in a three round welterweight contest. Both fighters started off the bout cautiously in the first two rounds, carefully gauging each other’s range and occasionally unleashing well-placed strikes. Action picked up in the third round when Santos was able to take Svirid to the mat and work on ground-and-pound. Towards the end of the bout Svirid had his moments in top control, nearly finishing Santos with a series of powerful blows, but it proved insufficient to earn the judges’ nod.

In an exciting performance by the Philippines’ Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly, the Baguio City native outworked a strong and experienced opponent in Dutch-Indonesian mixed martial arts veteran Vincent “MagniVincent” Latoel. Kelly needed less than two rounds of a scheduled three to win by devastating knockout in the co-main event of ONE: TITLES & TITANS. At the center of the cage, Latoel and Kelly traded wild strikes with Kelly scoring from his world-class wushu stance while Latoel owned the edge in the clinch. Within a minute into round two, Latoel missed a combination against the fence and Kelly countered with vicious right hook that dropped him to the canvas.

In an RCTI exclusive bout, Indonesia’s Djatmiko Waluyo by way of Mexico City, Mexico defeated the hard-punching Islam Sayed of Egypt to win by submission just minutes into round two. After the two fighters exchanged combinations at the center of the cage in the first round, the action quickly turned to the ground with each combatant putting in solid work from top control. In round two, both men found themselves on the canvas once again, this time in simultaneous heel hooks but it was Waluyo who coerced Sayed to submit.

Polish buzzsaw Marcin Prachnio scored a highly-impressive victory over American Jake Butler in a clash of top middleweight contenders. Although Prachnio tried his best to avoid going to the ground, Butler, who moved down one weight division from light heavyweight, used his wrestling to score a takedown on Prachnio. Butler dominated the grappling exchange with his world-class wrestling but Prachnio never relinquished complete control and by the middle of the round, the Polish fighter delivered a knee that effectively ended the bout.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev made quick work of opponent Haolan Jietebusibai of China, to win by scintillating submission moments into the very first round. Haolan avoided trading strikes with Saygid who is known as a powerful puncher, instead opting to rush into the clinch. In close distance however, Saygid grabbed a hold of Haolan’s head and squeezed tightly on a standing guillotine to force the tap.

In a display of high-level technical grappling, Dutch-Indonesian fighter Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen returned to the ONE Championship cage with a resounding victory over Egypt’s Sami Amin. The first round saw Engelen play immediately to his strengths, working in the clinch to take Amin down to the ground and operate in his element. In the second round, Engelen went straight back into the clinch, this time angling to take Amin’s back which he did successfully. Engelen then snaked his forearm around Amin’s neck to latch onto a rear naked choke, forcing Amin to tap shortly after.

In a bantamweight contest, Casey Suire of Lafayette, Louisiana won a close split decision against Chinese fighter Xie Bin to the roar of the crowd. Suire found a home for his left jab on Xie’s chin in the first round and kept Xie intelligently at the center of the cage, unable to land his combinations. In the second, Xie switched tactics and found success as he opted to play a counterpuncher role but Suire tagged him with a punch that dropped him towards the end of the round. In the third, a leg kick hurt Suire but the American was able to hang on to the end to clinch the victory.

Local Indonesian talents Sunoto and Yohan Mulia Legowo put in a tremendous performance to the cheer of their hometown fans in Jakarta. After a brief feeling out period, Sunoto and Legowo went to work on the ground. With Sunoto in top control, Legowo made the mistake of giving up his back and Sunoto capitalized on a rear naked choke opportunity. With the hold in deep, Legowo had no choice but to tap out.

Featherweight prospects Mario Satya Wirawan of Indonesia and Burn Soriano of the Philippines kicked off ONE: TITLES & TITANS with a quick battle of two highly-motivated fighters. The two wasted absolutely no no time as they immediately engaged by the cage fence. After Wirawan missed with a combination, Soriano spun around and landed a spinning back fist on Wirawan’s chin. With Wirawan out on the mat, Soriano landed a couple of hammer fists to seal the deal.

Official results for ONE: TITLES & TITANS
Welterweight bout: Luis Santos defeats Igor Svirid by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Featherweight bout: Edward Kelly defeats Vincent Latoel by Knockout at 0:57 minutes of round 2
Welterweight bout: Djatmiko Waluyo defeats Islam Sayed by Submission (Heel Hook) at 2:25 of round 2
Middleweight bout: Marcin Prachnio defeats Jake Butler by TKO (Strikes) at 2:30 minutes of round 1
Catchweight bout: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev defeats Haolan Jietebusibai by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:26 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Anthony Engelen defeats Sami Amin by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:52 minutes of round 2
Bantamweight bout: Casey Suire defeats Xie Bin by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
Featherweight bout: Sunoto defeats Yohan Mulia Legowo by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:14 minutes of round 1
Bantamweight bout: Burn Soriano defeats Mario Satya Wirawan by Knockout at 0:15 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

NEW YORK, NY (August 26, 2016) — FITE TV, in conjunction with the World MMA Association (WMMAA), announced today that it will be broadcasting the inaugural WMMAA Pan-American Division Championships live on FITE TV starting with the preliminary matches Saturday, October 8, and the final Sunday October 9, 2016.

FITE is a television network, via a downloadable app, that specializes in all things fighting, including boxing, wrestling, MMA and Martial Arts. FITE is a free app that is available for download at the Google Play or iTunes app stores.

On Oct. 8-9, the WMMAA is bringing the top amateur MMA competitors from around the world to Santiago, Chile for a two-day competition. More than 12 countries will be represented in eight different weight classes (6 men, 2 women classes). Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile, is slated to participate in the opening ceremonies and preside over the closing of the event. In addition to the in-ring MMA competition, the weekend will feature a fitness expo and Ring Girl Latina 2016 pageant. As of today, 12 countries have committed to participating in the event, including the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Aruba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer free viewing of one of the most anticipated MMA events in the Pan-American region each year on the innovative FITE TV app,” WMMAA Pan-American Division President Tomas Yu commented. “Now, if you are not able to be at the event to watch the action live, you can now see it anywhere in the world.”

“With the addition of such a prestigious event to FITE TV, we continue to increase the diversity of the combat fighting programming, now offered live and on a VOD basis on the app,” said Michael Weber, Senior Vice President of Marketing for FITE. “It is a honor to work with MMA professionals such as Tomas Yu and his team who continue to increase the visibility of their organization worldwide.”

The television programming schedule and additional participating countries will be announced in the immediate future.
About FITE TV: FITE TV is a product of Flipps Media and is a free mobile app that is a one-stop shop for viewing all sports within the fighting discipline globally including MMA, professional wrestling, boxing, and traditional martial arts. With only access to a smartphone and a connected TV, with the FITE app, viewers can watch live events, on-demand programming, interviews and fighting sports related movies and documentaries on the big TV screen. More information can be found at www.fite.tv.

About Flipps Media: Flipps delivers on-demand entertainment to any nearby connected TV from your mobile device without any additional hardware. The company has offices in San Mateo, New York and Sofia, Bulgaria and is backed by Tim Draper, Earlybird Venture Capital, Aslanoba Capital and LAUNCHub. Flipps’ patented technology immediately works with over 350+ million connected TVs and is compatible with over 7,000 manufacturer models requiring no set up, no pairing devices, no cables, no dongles and no set top box. The Flipps mobile application is free and available on iTunes and Google Play. More information can be found at www.flipps.com.

About WMMAA: The goal of the World MMA Association is to provide unbiased structure and guardrail the growth of MMA as the official world governing body for Mixed Martial Arts. A non-profit organization founded in 2012, WMMAA is on a mission to develop a standardized and regulated organization, including competition, training, officiating, testing and growth when necessary. More than 50 countries have been granted WMMAA membership.

LAS VEGAS (August 24, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has signed seasoned, heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star and former NCAA Division I wrestling sensation Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt (14-3) to an exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement.

The world championship MMA league also announced that it has inked streaking heavyweight standout Ashley “Gio” Gooch (10-4) to an exclusive, multi-fight deal. Each athlete’s promotional debut will be announced soon.

“We are excited to welcome one of the sport’s top, free-agent heavyweight stars in Jared Rosholt, as well as veteran Ashley Gooch, who has been on fire of late, to the World Series of Fighting roster and look forward to seeing how each is able to contend in the decagon cage where we have a growing number of exciting and fast-rising stars vying for our coveted championship that is held by Blagoy Ivanov,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

A 2010 NCAA Division I national wrestling championship runner-up and three-time All-American for Oklahoma State University, the 30-year-old, 6-foot-2, 245-pound Rosholt of Arlington, Texas arrives at World Series of Fighting following an eight-fight stint with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he posted a strong, overall record of 6-2.

During his stretch with the UFC, Rosholt, the younger brother of fellow MMA standout Jake Rosholt, notched a unanimous decision over the league’s tallest fighter, seven-foot giant Stefan Struve, on November 15, 2015.

The hard-hitting, 6-foot-3, 265-pound Gooch of Glendale, Ariz. will enter the decagon cage riding an eight-fight win streak that dates back to September 28, 2013 when the 41-year-old decimated Allan Sullivan with a one-punch KO in the first round (1:30) of battle.

To date, Gooch has earned 7 of his 10 career victories by way of (T)KO and 2 wins via submission. Five of his eight consecutive victories have come inside of one round.

Gooch is coming off a third round (1:10) TKO (punches) of Greg Rebello in Lincoln, R.I. on August 12.

Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Saturday, Oct. 7, with an unprecedented, three-hour telecast, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m., from Kansas City Memorial Auditorium in Kansas City, Kan.

In the main event of WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov, reigning, undefeated world lightweight (155 pounds) champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) of Safford, Ariz. will risk his title against number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2) of Ridgewood, N.J.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion partnered with NBC, NBCSN and international media distribution giant, IMG. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas with satellite offices in New York City and Boston, the company is dedicated to delivering an incredible experience for sports fans by producing action-packed, live fights between elite athletes from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

LAS VEGAS (August 23, 2016) – Following its highest-viewed live event of the year on July 30, World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has pegged new dates to its four remaining 2016 events, beginning with an unprecedented, three-hour, live NBCSN telecast (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT) of WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubov from Kansas City, Kan. on Friday, Oct. 7, and concluding with the recently announced WSOF36 mega-event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, Dec. 31, live on NBC.

WSOF34 and WSOF35, both of which will air live on NBCSN, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Budweiser Event Center from Loveland, Colo. outside of Denver, and on Saturday, Dec. 3 at XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash. The main event and co-main event for each of these two fight cards will also be revealed soon.

“We are excited to head into the fall season of our busiest year to date, with a full schedule of live television events that will see us bring the World Series of Fighting brand of MMA action to new, major media markets; produce a three-hour, live show for the first time ever; and return to broadcast television on NBC from Madison Square Garden’s Theater venue on New Year’s Eve,” said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva.

World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo stated, “We have in store for MMA fans, some phenomenal, world championship bouts as well as other star-studded matchups, and I think these last four events of 2016 will firmly put an exclamation point on what has been a banner year for the league.”

In addition, the world championship fight series will air a two-hour replay of WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill II on Saturday, Sept. 24. The WSOF32 world championship doubleheader event that took place at XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash. garnered over 250,000 live viewers on NBCSN on July 30, and an immediate replay of the show drew an additional 107,000 viewers.

WSOF33 will take place at Kansas City Memorial Auditorium and will be headlined by a world lightweight (155 pounds) championship showdown between undefeated, reigning kingpin Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) of Safford, Ariz. and hard-hitting, number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2) of Ridgewood, N.J.

In the co-main event of WSOF33, Blackzilians star Luiz “Buscape” Firmino (19-6) of Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil will put a six-fight win streak on the line against former world championship challenger and the first-ever World Series of Fighting eight-man tournament winner, Brian Foster (25-9) of Sallisaw, Okla.

Additional WSOF33 bouts will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion partnered with NBC, NBCSN and international media distribution giant, IMG. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas with satellite offices in New York City and Boston, the company is dedicated to delivering an incredible experience for sports fans by producing action-packed, live fights between elite athletes from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (August 19, 2016) – M-1 Challenge welterweight Alexey Kunchenko will put his title belt and undefeated record on the line September 10 versus upset-minded challenger Maxim Grabovich, headlining M-1 Challenge 70 in Syktyvkar, Russia, M-1 Global has announced.

M-1 Challenge 70 will be streamed live from Russia 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 Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

The 32-year-old Kunchenko (13-0-0, M-1: 6-0-0), fighting out of Tyumen, Russia, captured the title in his last fight, when defending M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Murad Abdulaev retired during the fourth round this past April at M-1 Challenge 65. Kunchenko (pictured below) is a Muay Thai specialist originally slated to defend his title in a rematch with Abdulaev, who was unable to accept the challenge at this point do to an injury.

Kunchenko is a feared, powerful striker

Grabovich (4-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), a fellow Russian, earned his title shot by going undefeated in thre M-1 Challenge fights to date. Known for his Greco-Roman wrestling skills, Grabovich’s last action was in June at M-1 Challenge 68, in which he took a decision against Danill Prikaza in the Fight of the Night.

Talented wrestler Grabovich hopes to pull off a major upset

Other fighters expected to be in action Sept. 10 on the M-1 Challenge 70 card include former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divnich (12-1-0, M-1: 6-0-0) and former M-1 Challenge lightweight title challenger Artem Damkovsky (20-10-0, M-1: 10-7-0), along with Russian fighters such as light heavyweight Andrey Seledtsov (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), featherweight Timur Nagibin (7-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) and middleweight Artem Frolov (6-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0).

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews
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. 2016 has been another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

Conor McGregor 168 – Nate Diaz 170.5
Anthony Johnson 205.5 – Glover Teixeira 205.5
Donald Cerrone 170 vs. Rick Story 171
Hyun Gyu Lim 171 -Mike Perry 169
Sabah Homasi 170.5 – Tim Means 171
Cody Garbrandt 135 – Takeya Mizugaki 136
Raquel Pennington 135.5 – Elizabeth Phillips 134
Chris Avila 146) – Artem Lobov 144.5
Cortney Casey 116 – Randa Markos 116
Lorenz Larkin 170.75 – Neil Magny 171
Colby Covington 171 – Max Griffin 170.5
Alberto Uda 185.5 – Marvin Vettori 185.5

TOKYO – August 18, 2016 – RIZIN FF, the combat sports federation headed by former PRIDE Fighting Championships boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced today the addition of a featherweight (145 pounds) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) matchup between former PRIDE FC and EliteXC star Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2) and K-1 kickboxing KO artist Minoru Kimura (MMA: 0-0, Kickboxing: 21-6-1, 15 KO’s) to the federation’s already stacked Grand Prix event in Tokyo on Sunday, Sept. 25.

A 17-year veteran of the sport with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing style of fighting, the 5-foot-8, 36-year-old Bennett of Ocala, Fla. put himself on the map 16 years ago with a first round (1:55) KO (punch) of Yoshiro Maeda at PRIDE Bushido 7 in Tokyo on May 22, 2005.

Bennett’s biggest mark in the sport to date was arguably his one-punch, first round (3:43), upset KO of former UFC and Strikeforce star K.J. Noons, who went into the matchup a heavy favorite over Bennett. The high-profile bout took place at EliteXC: Destiny, the first-ever, live SHOWTIME televised event in MMA history.

Bennett is coming off a spectacular, 43 second submission (heel hook) of Paul Rodriguez in Kissimmee, Fla. on May 14.

Above: Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett will make his return to Japan and debut for RIZIN FF on September 25

Ranked as high as number two in the world in kickboxing’s featherweight division as of the close of 2015, the 5-foot-8, 22-year-old Kimura, who permanently relocated to Japan at the age of three, after being born in Curitiba, Brazil to a fourth generation, Brazilian-Japanese mother and a Brazilian-Italian father, will make his debut under MMA rules.

The feisty Fighting Kairos Gym competitor who has captivated fight fans with his raucous behavior, has defeated a number of noteworthy adversaries in the kickboxing ring, including Kaew Fairtex as well as Japanese stars Hideaki Yamazaki and Masaaki Noiri, to reach elite status in the sport.

In his last start, Kimura picked up a unanimous decision victory over “Noman” in a K-1 World Grand Prix tournament reserve bout on June 24.

The RIZIN FF event will be headlined by the kick-off of the much-anticipated, 16-man open weight tournament.

MMA legends Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (MMA: 31-11-1, 1 NC; Kickboxing: 23-8, 12 KO’s) and Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC) are amongst the nine competitors that have been announced as tournament participants. The tournament’s first stage matchups will be announced soon.

RIZIN FF World Grand Prix 2016: Opening Round

Updated Fight Card

Open Weight Tournament Bout: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Baruto Kaito vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Jiri Prochazka vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Teodorasu Aukstuolis vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Karl Albrektsson vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Valentine Moldavski vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Amir Aliakbari vs. TBA
Lightweight: Daron Cruickshank vs. Andy Souwer
Heavyweight: Gabi Garcia vs. Destanie Yarbrough
Strawweight: Kanako Murata vs. Kyra Batara
Weight TBD: Rena Kubota vs. Miyuu Yamamoto
Weight TBD: Asen Yamamoto vs. Kizaemon Saiga
Featherweight: Charles Bennett vs. Minoru Kimura

Follow RIZIN FF:

Website – http://www.rizinff.com/en/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rizin_PR

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (August 18, 2016)- History will be made October 7-9 when Chile hosts the inaugural World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Championship – CHILE 2016 — in Santiago.

Initiative on MMA as a sport will build on the well-earned reputation of previous martial arts history in terms of addressing, sharing and discussing significant developments and social advancements that will impact the future of MMA.

CHILE 2006 attendees will have an opportunity to receive unique and powerful insights into the new era of MMA.

The WMMAA Pan-American Division is known for its broad, multi-disciplinary approach and stellar lineup “The primary goal of CHILE 2016 is to make a social impact, creating awareness around the powerful influence of martial arts among youths,,” said Tomas Yu, President of the WMMAA Pan-American Division, “as well as to provide a healthy platform for sport, tourism and economic development as a united front. Its collegiate environment promises to foster debate, discussion and collaboration.”

Chile 2016 will be a lifetime experience for all with special guests as Chile President Michelle Bachelete and WMMAA honorary president Fedor Emilianenko, arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time.

Local Organizing Committee Chairman Alberto Maturana and his committee members look forward to welcoming everyone to Santiago to experience history in the making for the sport of MMA. Together with the WMMAA Pan-American Executive Board, they are working tirelessly to bring this important event to Santiago for the continental athletes, promoters, coaches, businesses, and tourism. The honorary panel of individuals who are making the inaugural WMMAA Pan-American Championship – CHILE 2016 a reality include the following:

WMMAA Pan-American President – Tomas Yu

WMMAA Chile President – Alberto Maturana

Collaboration and Advocacy – Eric Castaños

National Press – Yenifer Marquez

International Press – Edgar Campos

EXPO MMA – Jose Antonio Urrutia

International Multi-Media – Carlos Fourzan

National Executive Production – Felipe Concha

Publicist – Bob Trieger

Organization Membership – Christian Parra

Officials Certification & Accreditation – Hector Molina

Medical – Dr. Justo Pavia

Health Training and Education – Curt Chavez

Special Interest Group – Susan Murphy

Ring Girl Latina – Pablo Cortes

Combat Sports Administration Masters Degree – Ivan Hinojosa

Diseño – Pedro Cabrera

INFORMATION:

www.WMMAA.org
https://www.facebook.com/WMMAA-665064310170463/
www.youtube.com/user/TheWMMAA
www.wmmaa-chile.com
Twitter: @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

17 August 2016 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its collaboration with Tune Talk and UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP (UMG) for the event ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS which is set to take place at the Stadium Negara on 2 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. UMG will be bringing artists Faizal Tahir and Ella to perform live at the event. The card will be headlined by a massive bout between Malaysia’s own Ev “E.T.” Ting and Australia’s “Ruthless” Rob Lisita.

Photos of the press conference can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9cw1hyyk3pwkghw/AADevcbpqbIPTOU3IHuNqMy0a?dl=0

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “The fans in Malaysia, particularly in Kuala Lumpur are some of the most passionate people in the world. The atmosphere of live ONE Championship events in this city is hard to match anywhere in the world. Earlier this year, ONE had great success with matching together live MMA with elements of a rock concert in Bangkok. It was such an amazing show. Together with our partners UMG and Tune Talk, we are going to do the same for the people of Kuala Lumpur. Fans can expect an awesome evening of incredible fights, action, excitement and world-class musical performances.”

Mr Kenny Ong, Managing Director of UMG, Malaysia and Singapore, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with ONE Championship on an evening of live sporting action and music. We are excited with the concept of a live MMA sport event combined with the energy and adrenaline of a rock concert, and making this a historic occasion. Kuala Lumpur will witness an atmosphere like no other at ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS. We are ecstatic for everyone to be part of all the excitement of fight night.”

Jason Lo, Tune Talk CEO stated, “When Tune Talk started this partnership with ONE Championship five years ago, you just knew great things were in store. The dream was to build an MMA community here in Malaysia because we foresaw the potential that the sport has. We ended up uniting Malaysians for the love of MMA. Through hard work and dedication from both companies, the Malaysian MMA scene has grown healthily with locally bred MMA fighters through the Malaysian Invasion Mixed Martial Arts (MIMMA). Mohd Aiman, Keanu Subba and Agilan Thani, are among great talents discovered by MIMMA. These MIMMA Champions are now fighting for ONE Championship alongside the existing big names of MMA in Malaysia, proving that our country can produce top-notch talented fighters. ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS will be one for the record books due to the massive fights which will draw attention globally. Malaysia will again bear witness to the rise of Malaysian MMA and nothing shall halt our dreams of taking the sport into unprecedented levels.”

Malaysian MMA star Ev “E.T.” Ting returns to Kuala Lumpur to showcase his world-class mixed martial arts skills in front of his hometown crowd opposite fierce challenger “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia. The two featherweight standouts will do battle in a three-round main event showdown.

Ev “E.T.” Ting is a mixed martial artist of Malaysian descent. He lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand, and has amassed a stellar 11-3 record so far in his professional career. A winner of his last two bouts by impressive submission over top caliber opponents, Ting is one of the most talented fighters to come out of Malaysia.

33-year-old “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is known as a relentless offensive force, armed with powerful striking combinations intended to score highlight-reel finishes. He is 14-8 as a professional mixed martial artist, and has proven to be a fixture in big fights owing to his fan-friendly style. A veteran fighter who has faced the best in his division and beyond, Lisita looks to continue fulfilling his goal of competing against the promotion’s top contenders.

The card will also feature Malaysian MMA stars Peter Davis, Ann “Athena” Osman, Agilan “Alligator” Thani, as well as Gianni and Keanu Subba. Three preliminary bouts will also be available live via Facebook Livestream.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

About Tune Talk
Tune Talk is the fastest-growing Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in Asia, officially launching commercial services in Malaysia in 2009. Our target is to provide super low rates and exciting incentives to the market. Our prepaid service offers voice, SMS, data and BlackBerry packages that meet the demands for a simple, value-for-money product with easy accessibility and a wide distribution reach. As a member of the Tune Group of companies, we have the advantage of providing a completely unique lifestyle service with offers by Tune Money, Tune Hotels, Tune Insurance, BIG Loyalty Programme and AirAsia. For more information, please visit www.tunetalk.com.

About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

TOKYO – August 16, 2016 – RIZIN FF, the combat sports federation headed by former PRIDE Fighting Championships boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, today revealed at a press conference the matchups for the three women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts slated for the highly-anticipated Grand Prix event in Tokyo on Sunday, Sept. 25.

Facing off with previously announced, undefeated MMA rising star and ninth degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gabi Garcia (2-0) will be fellow unbeaten prospect and professional football standout Destanie Yarbrough (1-0).

Three-time junior Olympic wrestling medalist and undefeated MMA upstart Kanako Murata (3-0) will square off with Combate Americas MMA star Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (5-3) in a strawweight (115 pounds) contest.

Renowned shoot boxing champion Rena Kubota (1-0) will make her second start under MMA rules against famed women’s freestyle wrestling pioneer Miyuu Yamamoto (0-0), who will make her long-awaited MMA debut on the same card as her son, Asen Yamamoto (0-1). The weight limit of the Kubota-Yamamoto matchup will be announced soon.

In addition, it was announced that five new fighters – heavyweights Jiri “Denisa” Prochazka (17-3-1) of the Czech Republic and Amir Aliakbari (2-0) of Iran, and light heavyweights Teodorasu Aukstuolis (9-3) of Lithuania, “King” Karl Albrektsson (5-0) of Sweden and Valentine Moldavski (3-0) of Russia – have all been added to the much-anticipated, 16-man open weight tournament that will kick off and headline the September 25 event.

The five fighters join previously announced MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (MMA: 31-11-1, 1 NC; Kickboxing: 23-8, 12 KO’s), fellow PRIDE FC veteran and combat sports fan favorite Kazuyuki Fujita (15-11) and former sumo wrestling champion Baruto Kaito (1-0) in the multi-event, single-elimination affair.

The tournament’s first stage matchups will be announced soon.

Gabi Garcia vs. Destanie Yarbrough

The 6-foot-2, 30-year-old Garcia of Porto Alege, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil will look for her third consecutive MMA victory following her second round (2:04) submission (armbar) of Anna Malyukova at the RIZIN FF extravaganza on April 17.

Yarbrough of Fresno, Calif. is a 5-foot-7, 28-year-old running back for the Women’s Football Alliance squad, the Central Cal War Angels, which finished its 2016 season with a perfect, 7-0 record. The stocky powerhouse led the league last season in both touchdowns and rushing yards.

A lifelong athlete, Yarbrough made an explosive, professional MMA debut on April 1, scoring a 33-second TKO (doctor stoppage) on Crystal Parson.

Caption: Combate Americas MMA star Kyra Batara (above) will make her RIZIN FF debut against Kanako Murata

Kanako Murata vs. Kyra Batara

The 5-foot-1, 23-year-old Murata of Ehime, Japan will make her debut at strawweight following three consecutive wins, the last two of which came by way of TKO (punches), in flyweight (125 pounds) contests.

Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., the 4-foot-11, 21-year-old Batara, who typically fights in the atomweight (105 pounds) division, is riding a three-fight win streak under the promotion of U.S. Hispanic MMA franchise, Combate Americas.

In her last start, Batara finished Jenny “The Phoenix” Silverio in unprecedented fashion – a ground and pound version of Eddie Bravo’s patented “twister” – that earned Batara, a protégé of Bravo, a TKO in the second round (4:13) of battle.

Rena Kubota vs. Miyuu Yamamoto

The 5-foot-3, 25-year-old Kubota of Osaka, Japan is a three-time shoot boxing tournament champion who boasts a stellar, career kickboxing record of 25-5-1 (6 KO’s).

Kubota made her much-anticipated MMA rules debut at the inaugural RIZIN FF event on December 31, submitting Jleana Valentino with a brilliantly executed flying armbar in the second round (3:31) of action.

The daughter of Olympic wrestler Ikuei Yamamoto and elder sister of MMA superstar and 2005 K-1 HERO’s Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, the 5-foot-1, 42-year-old Miyuu of Kanagawa, Japan will enter a new chapter in her career and family legacy when she steps in the RIZIN FF squared circle for the first time.

Miyuu earned her first national wrestling championship when she was 13 years old, and subsequently defended it four straight years. At age 17, she became the youngest world champion in history.

Miyuu’s son, Asen, will collide with Kizaemon Saiga (2-1) of Sakai, Japan at a weight to be determined.

RIZIN FF World Grand Prix 2016: Opening Round

Updated Fight Card

Open Weight Tournament Bout: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. TBA
Open Weight Tournament Bout: Baruto Kaito vs. TBA
Lightweight: Daron Cruickshank vs. Andy Souwer
Heavyweight: Gabi Garcia vs. Destanie Yarbrough
Strawweight: Kanako Murata vs. Kyra Batara
Weight TBD: Rena Kubota vs. Miyuu Yamamoto
Weight TBD: Asen Yamamoto vs. Kizaemon Saiga

Follow RIZIN FF:

Website – http://www.rizinff.com/en/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rizin_PR

13 August 2016 – Macao, China: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), treated fans in Macao to a thrilling evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. The Venetian Macao’s glitzy Cotai Arena played host to ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD, which featured the absolute best in local and international MMA talent. In the main event, Adriano Moraes was crowned the interim ONE Flyweight World Champion with a submission victory over Tilek Batyrov.

Visit the official ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD photo gallery by clicking:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h8ehqrhlhdad0aq/AADe8r0Ua-dWv4FmAHM8mAo4a?dl=0

In the main event of the evening, Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes of Brazil defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Tilek Batyrov by submission to capture the interim ONE Flyweight World Championship. Batyrov owned a slight advantage in the striking battle for the majority of the bout, but on the ground it was all Moraes as the Brazilian spun a web of crafty grappling to dominate Batyrov. In the second round, Moraes was finally able to lock in a deep rear naked choke to force the tap.

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, Philippines braved through an extremely durable Adrian “The Hunter” Pang, putting together one of his best performances to date. Folayang attacked his opponent with a variety of spinning back fists, wushu side kicks and sharp elbows to stop Pang in his tracks on multiple occasions. As Pang continued to stalk forward, Folayang willingly poured on various combinations. In the end, all three judges saw the bout in favor of the Filipino MMA stalwart.

Filipino mixed martial arts veteran Honorio “The Rock” Banario gave the performance of a lifetime with a thorough decision victory over Evolve MMA lightweight standout Eddie “The Magician” Ng. For three rounds Banario fought intelligently, tagging Ng with lightning quick strikes from his world-class wushu stance. Banario also once again put his improved grappling on display in a tight ground war with Ng. Ng started the bout off fast in his usual aggressiveness, but Banario kept his composure and was able to come away with the comprehensive win.

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia shocked the Asian MMA world with an impeccable submission victory over 18-year old Christian “The Warrior” Lee. Nguyen owned the advantage in the striking department, landing a handful of well-time overhand punches. A left hand counter dropped Lee before Nguyen grabbed a hold of his neck in a guillotine choke. Nguyen dragged Lee to the canvas where he put his younger foe to sleep with Lee refusing to tap out.

Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Hong Kong brought the crowd up to their feet with an action-packed clash of colossal heavyweights. Machado was rocked by a Ngalani combination in round one, but was able to recover when the fight went to the ground. In the second round, an exhausted Ngalani struggled to find the strength to continue, tapping to a volley of strikes from top position by Machado.

In a tremendous battle of will, undefeated female atomweight Istela Nunes of Brazil impressed in a successful ONE Championship debut with a victory over former world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi. Nunes overcame Yamaguchi’s power and aggression by smothering the Japanese fighter in close range. The fight was close for three whole rounds as Nunes earned a razor-thin split decision.

Ma Jia Wen proved to be a complete offensive force, showcasing his wrestling and striking skills in a comprehensive technical knockout victory over the Philippines’ Jimmy Yabo. Yabo was a live challenger for the first two rounds but faded late in the bout, succumbing to Ma’s constant pressure. After taking Yabo down in the third, Ma finished off the Filipino with ground-and-pound.

Chinese bantamweight Ma Hao Bin overcame a spirited effort from Cambodia’s Chan Rothana, winning by three-round unanimous decision. Rothana owned a striking edge throughout the contest, but Ma was able to earn the judges’ nod in a very close fight by utilizing his world-class wrestling. All three judges saw the bout in favor of Ma Hao Bin.

Team Lakay’s strawweight prospect Joshua Pacio opened up ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD with an impressive display of grappling skill by defeating Thai fighter Kritsada Kongsrichai in the first round by rear naked choke. Kongsrichai dominated the striking exchanges in the early going but as soon as Pacio got the takedown, he worked straight into a submission and forced the tap.

Official results for ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD
Interim ONE Flyweight World Championship bout: Adriano Moraes defeats Tilek Batyrov by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:49 minutes of round 2
Lightweight bout: Eduard Folayang defeats Adrian Pang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after three rounds
Lightweight bout: Honorio Banario defeats Eddie Ng by Unanimous Decision (UD) after three rounds
Featherweight bout: Martin Nguyen defeats Christian Lee by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:30 minutes of round 1
Heavyweight bout: Alexandre Machado defeats Alain Ngalani by TKO (Tapout) at 0:21 minutes of round 2
Female Atomweight bout: Istela Nunes defeats Mei Yamaguchi by Split Decision (SD) after three rounds
Featherweight bout: Ma Jia Wen defeats Jimmy Yabo by TKO (Strikes) at 2:31 minutes of round 3
Bantamweight bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Chan Rothana by Unanimous Decision (UD) after three rounds
Strawweight bout: Joshua Pacio defeats Kritsada Kongsrichai by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:37 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

Media Contact:

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (August 12, 2016)- Kazakhstan dominated the recent second annual World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Asian Championships, capturing top honors in five of seven weight classes, at the Hwasoon Culture and Sports Center in the Republic of South Korea.

Individual Kazak winners were bantamweight Azama Markabayev, featherweight Ismail Geroyev, welterweight Goyti Dazaev, light heavyweight Eerkinbek Injel and heavyweight Mohmad Sulimanov. The other 2016 individual champions are Kyrgyzstan lightweight Ilias Chyngyzbek Uulu and Uzbekistan middleweight Nursulton Ruziboev.

Individual team competition was held in accordance with the “Official Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Competition, subject to WMMAA approval. Including revisions, additions and clarifications of certain clauses. Matches were held in accordance with the Olympic system including two third-places in each of the seven weight divisions.

Following Kazakhstan in the final team standings were, in order, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan. See below:

Final Team Standings

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Total
Kazakhstan 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 66
South Korea 0 1 7 0 2 0 0 0 58
Kyrgyzstan 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 49
Uzbekistan 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 32
Tajikistan 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 21
China 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 19

Team scoring was awarded by the maximum amount of points scored by individual team members on the following basis: 1st – 10, 2nd – 8, 3rd – 6, 4th – 5, 5th – 4, 6th – 3, 7th – 2, 8th – 1

2016 WMMAA ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RESULTS

Click here to view the action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAYR04B4Dvc

BANTAMWEIGHTS (134 ½ LBS. / -61.2 KG):
1. Azama Markabayev (Kazakhstan)
2. Alimarden Abdykaarov (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Lee Jongkwan (South Korea)
3. Rustam Magdiev (Uzbekistan)

FEATHERWEIGHTS (145 LBS. / -65.8 KG):
1. Ismail Geroyev (Kazakhstan)
2. Alisher Garibshoev (Tajikistan)
3. Kim Jongkwan (South Korea)
3. Yang Jihwan (South Korea)

LIGHTWEIGHTS (154 ½ LBS. / -70.3 KG):
1. Ilisas Chyngyzbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
2. Neimat Asadov (Kazakhstan)
3. Alihon Khasanov (Uzbekistan)
3. Jang Ikhwan (South Korea)

WELTERWEIGHTS (169 ½ LBS. / -77.1 KG):
1. Goyti Dazaev (Kazakhstan)
2. Mavlonzhon Balataev (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Im Jin Yong (South Korea)
3. Jiang Tao (China)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (185 LBS. / -84.0 KG):
1. Nursulton Ruziboev (Uzbekistan)
2. Baurzhan Kuanyshbayev (Kazakhstan)
3. Tologon Rakhmanberdi Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Kim Yi Sak (South Korea)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (205 LBS. / -93.0 KG):
1. Erkinbek Injel (Kazakhstan)
2. Kwak Yun Sub (South Korea)
3. Dilovar Nasyrov (Tajikistan)
3. Daniiar Zarylbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

HEAVYWEIGHTS (+205 LBS. / +93.0 KG):
1. Mohmad Sulimanov (Kazakhstan)
2. Maksat Musabaev (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Amin Ergashev (Uzbekistan)
4. Kim Changhee (South Korea)

All individual first-place winners were awarded special championship belts and medals, second and third-place finishers received a medal and certificate. Teams that finished among the top three in the final standings were awarded cups and certificates.

Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
http://wmmaa.org/events/

Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia
http://wmmaa.org/events/31/

Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
http://wmmaa.org/news/design-chosen-for-the-2016-pan-american-championship-950/

Oct. 20-21 – MMM Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia

INFORMATION:

www.WMMAA.org
www.facebook.com/WMMAA-665064310170463/
www.youtube.com/user/TheWMMAA
Twitter: @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa
ABOUT WMMAA: The goal of the World MMA Association is to provide unbiased structure and guardrail the growth of MMA as the official world governing body for Mixed Martial Arts. A non-profit organization founded in 2012, WMMAA is on a mission to develop a standardized and regulated organization, including competition, training, officiating, testing and growth when necessary. More than 50 countries have been granted WMMAA membership.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (August 11, 2016) – In nearly 20 years since its founding, M-1 Global has promoted 215 events, including more than 2,000 matches, in 17 different countries on three continents.

M-1 Global’s homeland of Russia has hosted, of course, the most events with 128. Followed by Yuri Fuuta-led Belarus, which in only five years (2010 to 2014) has presented 29 competitions, and Ukraine, led by Dmitry Khristyuk, with 20.

While the three leading hosts of M-1 events are former Soviet Union-bloc nations, the fourth leading host in the MMA World is the United States with 10: 8 independent, M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Breakthrough, which showcased a rising star at that time, “King” Mo Lawal, versus Mark Kerr in the main event, as well as two super shows in partnership with Affliction, in which Fedor Emelianenko crushed former UFC champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.

In the 2009-2010 era of team World Cup and M-1 Challenge, the most widely traveled around the world, included events held in the Netherlands (5 Teams), Japan (4 Teams), Finland (2 events), along with one-time events in Brazil, England, Spain, Bulgaria and Germany. Representing their country’s national teams in these competitions were the likes of UFC and Bellator fighters such as Gegard Mousasi, Stefan Struve, Jake Ellenberger, Karl Amossou, Gu Hyun Lim, Christian M`Pumbu, Mikhail Zayats, Dave Jansen, Hakran Diaz, Daniel Weichel and Niko Puhakka, the future winner of Grand Prix KSW.

M-1 Global’s recent history in Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan added to its collection of diverse location events, plus an unprecedented event in China for any MMA organization, the inaugural show, “Battle in Heaven,” was held in Beijing, followed by the Chhendu stage of the tournament, “Road to M-1”. Also, the “Road to M-1” project was a trial for M-1 Global’s move into Germany.

Seventeen countries have hosted M-1 Global events as the Russia-based organization continues to expand its borders. Future M-1 Global plans include hosting events in the UAE, Indonesia and Monaco.

INFORMATION:

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

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. 2016 has been another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 10th, 2016) — As he puts the finishing touches on his fight week weight cut, Chuck O’Neil can’t even remember what it was like to fight at welterweight, nearly 15 pounds lighter than his current middleweight limit of 185.

“It’s insane,” said O’Neil, who returns to the cage Friday, Aug. 12th, 2016 on the main card of “CES MMA 37” at Twin River Casino.

“I’m like 197 ½ [Wednesday] with abs showing. I don’t know how the hell I used to make 170 a year ago. It’s crazy.”

The Bourne, Mass., native always found a way to get to 170, but not without sacrificing his long-term effectiveness in the cage. His inability to fully recover the following morning showed in his last fight at welterweight, a loss to Dominique Steele in June of 2015 in which O’Neil (16-8, 5 KOs) looked sluggish from the opening bell.

“A minute and a half in, my arms just felt like shit,” O’Neil said. “I knew I was in for a long haul in that one. I never want to feel like that again. That was terrible. It’s just not worth it to feel like that and fight.

“The biggest thing is I’m obviously very heavy into lifting. In between fight camps at 170, I’d work so hard to get myself strong again and then during camp I’d lose so much muscle mass trying to get myself down to cut that water weight. It was this back-and-forth yo-yo effect and I would just feel like crap at the end of camp where now I feel good the whole camp. I’ve put a lot of substantial muscle on. I’ve never felt this strong before. It’s awesome.”

The move to 185 didn’t come without its own setbacks; O’Neil actually lost his first fight in the middleweight division to Daniel Vizcaya via rear-naked choke, but fought old friend and rival Dennis Olson five months ago in an exhausting, 15-minute war that put his conditioning and cardio to the test, a sign that 185 was the right place to be. O’Neil won by unanimous decision.

“Dennis was in great shape then, too, and we both kind of got up and were joking around that we really weren’t breathing too heavy,” O’Neil said. “That was a really grinding kind of fight, too, where there was a lot of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu going on and grinding back and forth. For both of us to stand up afterward and be OK and show we were both in great shape, I felt great.”

In preparing for Olson, O’Neil had plenty of background to work with since he and Olson were former training partners. Friday’s fight features more of an element of the unknown; O’Neil faces Roy Jones (7-4, 3 KOs), a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who moved to southern Florida three and a half years ago to train with American Top Team.

Jones last fought in October and 2012 and later broke his leg training with former professional football player and Bellator vet Matt Mitrione, a freak accident in which Mitrione rolled over onto his leg.

“He easily had me by 100 pounds,” Jones recalled. “You could hear the snap. It was nasty.”

A full-time security guard, Jones couldn’t always balance work and mixed martial arts, so the post-recovery layoff grew longer and longer, but he’s always had the desire to step back into the cage.

“You know how it is when you miss something so bad you get depressed,” Jones said. “There are always those one or two good fights on TV you see that make you think, ‘I can do better than that guy.'”

Now Jones will get his own shot at television stardom against the experienced O’Neil, who is no stranger to fighting on the big stage. Facing The Ultimate Fighter alum is a strong test for a fighter making his way back into the cage for the first time in nearly four years.

“For me, it’s not even about testing myself,” Jones said. “Personally, I don’t feel like he’s that much of a threat to me. I take everyone seriously at the end of the day. Anyone can have that one lucky punch, but, at the end of the day, you can’t be afraid of people. I don’t fear anybody. I don’t care how big he is, how tall he is, how old, young. I’m coming to rumble. That’s the way it is. We can shake hands afterward.”

“This guy is obviously a real wild card,” O’Neil said. “You never know what you’re going to get coming into this fight. At the end of the day, I feel I can beat a lot of the top-level 185-pounders in the [Ultimate Fighting Championships] or Bellator, so if I can’t get past this guy, what the hell’s the point of talking about any of that other stuff?

“Whatever this guy brings to the table, I’m not going to overthink it or overplay it. I’m just going to go out there and play my game and he’s going to have to deal with me. That’s what’s going to happen at the end of the day.”

With a few more fights at 185, O’Neil’s comfort level in his new weight class will continue to grow. Whether or not he makes it to the next level depends on a lot of factors, luck included, but without having to think about drastic weight cuts, losing muscle mass or running out of steam in the cage, the veteran middleweight can instead focus on training for each challenge one fight at a time.

“Realistically, I just have to keep my nose to the grind and keep doing what I’m doing,” O’Neil said. “It’s time to move forward and keep that winning streak going now and just be smart. I had a lot of wins at 170. They know I’m not some bum.

“Now I have to carve my stone at 185 and show I’m capable of fighting in the bigger organizations at 185, which I honestly feel I can do. I train with heavyweights now and I toss them around in training, so it’s fine.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 37” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The main card features three, five-round title fights. Woonsocket, R.I., native Andre Soukhamthath (10-3, 6 KOs), now fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., defends his CES MMA Bantamweight Title for the first time against Cambridge, Mass., vet Kin Moy (8-2, 2 KOs) in the main event, a rematch of their back-and-forth war in January of 2014 in which Moy won by unanimous decision. Providence’s Greg Rebello (20-6, 12 KOs) faces Oklahoma’s Ashley Gooch (9-4, 6 KOs) for the vacant CES MMA Heavyweight Title and Johnston, R.I., featherweight Joe Pingitore (6-2-1, 2 KOs) faces Matt Bessette (19-7, 5 KOs) of Stafford Springs, Conn., for the vacant CES MMA Featherweight Title.

The preliminary card features four exciting bouts, highlighted by a middleweight showdown between Berkeley, Mass., vet Pat McCrohan (2-0, 1 KO) and Russian Ruslan Melikov (3-1), fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. Providence bantamweight Marquis Brewster (1-0) faces Turtle Creek, Pa., native Roosevelt Archie (0-1); and Dylan Lockard of Derry, N.H., makes his professional debut against Seldon, N.Y., featherweight Mak Kelleher (1-2). Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (3-1, 1 KO) battles Stephfond Ewins (3-3-1, 3 KOs) of Pennsylvania.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES37 to join the conversation.

10 August 2016 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), will return to the iconic Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur for another stacked fight card. ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS is set to electrify fight fans in Malaysia’s capital city with a world-class event headlined by the nation’s own Ev “E.T.” Ting as he takes on Rob Lisita in the main event.

Ticket information for ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS will be available at www.onefc.com

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement in Kuala Lumpur each time ONE Championship comes to visit. This time, Malaysian MMA stars the likes of Ev Ting, Peter Davis, Ann Osman, Agilan Thani, Gianni and Keanu Subba will all grace the ONE Championship cage in one night, ready to set the Stadium Negara ablaze with excitement and world-class mixed martial arts action. ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS will be a historic evening for Kuala Lumpur, and we can’t wait to be there.”

Ev “E.T.” Ting is a mixed martial artist of Malaysian descent. He lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand, and has amassed a stellar 11-3 record so far in his professional career. A winner of his last two bouts by impressive submission over top caliber opponents, Ting is one of the most talented fighters to come out of Malaysia. As Ting’s popularity in his hometown soars, he gets the chance to once again grace the ONE Championship cage in the headliner against Rob Lisita.

33-year-old Rob “Warrior of God” Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is known as a relentless offensive force, armed with powerful striking combinations intended to score highlight-reel finishes. He is 14-8 as a professional mixed martial artist, and has proven to be a fixture in big fights owing to his fan-friendly style. A veteran fighter who has faced the best in his division and beyond, Lisita looks to continue fulfilling his goal of competing against the promotion’s top contenders. His next assignment is Ev Ting, who will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd.

Kuala Lumpur’s Peter Davis is a local MMA star, actor, and model. The 35-year old Malaysian star owns a respectable 10-4 professional record, winning four of his last five bouts in impressive fashion. He likes to use his reach and athleticism to stifle opponents from range while picking them apart with pinpoint strikes. Davis is set to take on offensive dynamo Shannon Wiratchai of Thailand.

Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai of Thailand, is a veteran of exciting and memorable battles inside the ONE Championship cage. A mainstay of Bangkok Fight Lab, he trains in various martial arts disciplines at home in Bangkok, including Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and jiujitsu. An innovator with a wide range of offensive manoeuvres at his disposal, Wiratchai likes to be creative with his striking, employing a myriad of unpredictable off-angle elbows and kicks. He’s set to lock horns with Peter Davis next.

Ann “Athena” Osman of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, makes a swift return to the ONE Championship cage following her exciting come-from-behind victory over Egypt’s Haiat Farag in her last bout. Known as Malaysia’s fighting belle, the female warrior hones her craft at Borneo Tribal Squad, advancing her skills in various disciplines such as wrestling, jiujitsu and Muay Thai. A well-rounded fighter, Osman likes to overpower opponents, and is always extremely aggressive in pursuit of a finish. Osman will take on April Osenio in what should be an interesting clash of styles.

April Osenio of the Philippines is known as Team Lakay’s fierce female warrior. The 22-year-old prospect trains out of the high-altitudes of Baguio City along with her more experienced Lakay teammates. In her last bout, Osenio upset Filipino-English fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills impressively by first-round armbar, despite being adept in the striking art of Wushu. She now aims to continue in the win column by taking on a monstrous challenge in Ann Osman.

Tatsuya Mizuno of Tokyo, Japan, is a 35-year-old mixed martial arts veteran with a professional MMA record of 15-11-1. Mizuno’s knowledge and wisdom is a cut above the level of any of his opponents due to his vast experience inside the cage. Mizuno is a highly-resilient and determined competitor, with great all-around striking and grappling skills. He gets another shot at victory inside the ONE Championship cage against Gilberto Galvão.

Gilberto “Giba” Galvão is a 34-year-old mixed martial arts veteran from Balneario Camboriu, Brazil, with extensive experience in the sport of MMA. A solid middleweight contender, Galvao has competed largely in Brazil and has compiled 28 total victories, more than half of which have ended in a submission. The exceptional grappler will make his ONE Championship promotional debut against Japanese veteran Tatsuya Mizuno.

Malaysia’s Gianni Subba is a 23-year-old flyweight prospect from Kuala Lumpur. He spends his time carefully honing his craft with talented teammates, including brother Keanu, at Bali Muay Thai & MMA in Indonesia. A winner of four of his last five bouts, Subba is a seasoned athlete with a stellar 7-2 clip in his young career. Five of his seven wins have come either by submission or by crowd-pleasing technical knockout. In his next assignment, the crafty Yago Bryan poses a stern challenge.

Yago Bryan of Rio de Janeiro is a Brazilian strawweight prospect who took on former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his promotional debut. The 24-year old more than held his own against the Muay Thai veteran, going back-and-forth with Dejdamrong for five gruelling rounds. Skilled in both the striking and grappling arts, Bryan is making his way back to the ONE Championship cage, this time against Gianni Subba.

The undefeated Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be making a quick return to the ONE Championship cage following his spectacular technical knockout victory over American Brad Robinson this past May. The 20-year-old prospect is a perfect 5-0 as a professional, with four of his five victories ending in the first round. Thani has shown steady improvement in each outing, and will look to put his skills further to the test against the hard-hitting Trestle Tan.

Trestle Tan is a welterweight contender from Manila, Philippines, and is known as one of the hardest punchers in the promotion regardless of weight class. In his last bout, Tan made quick work of Djatmiko Waluyo at ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS in Jakarta this past February, winning via rear-naked choke submission in an exciting matchup. He will need to be at full strength as he squares off against Agilan Thani in an incredible showdown of powerful competitors.

22-year-old Keanu Subba of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a former amateur MMA champion and is one of the most promising young talents in ONE Championship’s featherweight ranks. He is 3-2 as a professional mixed martial artist after making a name for himself as Malaysia’s former MIMMA featherweight champion. Subba’s experience inside the ONE Championship cage as a young fighter has taught him great lessons that he says has helped him improve his overall game. He’ll get the chance to test those skills against Waqar Umar next.

Waqar Umar of Pakistan is a featherweight with a 4-3 professional mixed martial arts record. All four of his victories have come by submission, made possible by his well-established grappling skills. Inside the ONE Championship cage, he’s faced the likes of Peter Davis, Amir Khan, and Benedict Ang. His next task is to take on rising Malaysian star Keanu Subba.

In the evening’s Facebook Livestream preliminary bouts, Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion Bruno Pucci will take on Nuerdebieke Bahetihan, while Indian female atomweight Jeet Toshi makes her return to the ONE Championship cage against undefeated Taiwanese female fighter Jenny Huang. They will be accompanied by former WBF Asia-Pacific Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion Hisyam Samsudin and current MIMMA Featherweight Champion Muhammad Aiman, who will face off in a battle of Malaysian prospects to kick off ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 9th, 2016) — Less than a week ago, Johnston, R.I., featherweight Joe Pingitore spoke about his desire to one day climb to the top of the rankings in the northeast and perhaps headline a future CES MMA fight card.

He’ll get his chance much sooner than anticipated.

Originally scheduled to fight Bill Jones Friday night on the main card of “CES MMA 37” at Twin River Casino, Pingitore (6-2-1, 2 KOs) will now face the region’s top 145-pounder, Matt Bessette (19-7, 5 KOs) of Stafford Springs, Conn., in a five-round bout for the vacant CES MMA Featherweight Title, one of three title fights airing live on AXS TV.

Pingitore stepped to the table with Bessette’s scheduled opponent forced to withdraw from the fight. Jones (12-10, 3 KOs), fighting out of Somersworth, N.H., will remain on the card in a separate three-round bout.

“When I have nothing to lose in a fight like this, that’s when I’m most dangerous,” Pingitore said Tuesday. “I’ve really got nothing to lose here.”

For Bessette, it’s more than just business as usual as he prepares for his third opponent in the past six weeks; it’s now become personal.

While talking about his originally scheduled bout with Jones, Pingitore mentioned he was interested in seeing how Bessette’s fight turned out that same night, hinting at a possible matchup down the road. When CES MMA announced the planned Bessette-Cervantes bout three weeks ago, Pingitore threw his hat into the ring via social media.

“He wrote, ‘I would’ve taken that fight.’ I laughed. I thought it was a joke,” Bessette said. “I thought he was kidding for a while because that’s Ping. Ping jokes a lot.

“But he started being fucking serious and then he started going on my Twitter talking more shit. I told him, ‘You need to stop.’ For one, I thought we were cool. We’ve trained together 30 times. We’ve gone to places together. We’ve traveled to train places together. Then this dude just up and calls me out like that? It’s a fucking slap in the face.

“It’s just not who I am. If he never did that three weeks ago, there’s a zero percent chance I’d say yes to taking the fight with him. I just wouldn’t do it. It’s not me. I’m not a guy who goes behind your back and fights good friends. If he didn’t do that and put himself in that position, he would not be in this fight. Ping talked his way into a fist-fight and he’s going to get a fucking fist-fight.”

Challenging Bessette, a nine-time Bellator and four-time CES MMA veteran, is a major step up in opposition for Pingitore, who carries a two-fight win streak into what is now the biggest test of his career and his first shot at a major mixed martial arts title.

“These opportunities come along and I just go out there and grab them. It presented itself to me and I saw no reason not to go out and try to get that upset,” Pingitore said.

“All of the preparation, everything has been the same. I still train for a five-round fight even though it was only a three, but now it’s actually five rounds. Everything worked out. I had a great camp either way. It’s not like I showed up to camp just because I was fighting Bill Jones.”

Friday will be Pingitore’s fourth consecutive nationally televised fight. He last fought in March when he knocked out Taylor Trahan in the third and final round of their rematch at “CES MMA 33.”

Since suffering a stunning loss to Lenny Wheeler in August of 2015, Bessette has caught fire, winning his last four bouts, including an impressive submission win over Taurean Bogguess at “CES MMA 33” and a victory over veteran Ran Weathers two months ago at “CES MMA 36.”

“He’s the pound-for-pound [No. 1] in the rankings for a reason,” Pingitore said of Bessette. “He’ll come out and he’ll come straight forward and I think that’s where I’ll have my opportunity to catch him. He’s got tricky standup. His wrestling is decent. His ground game is pretty legit. He’s been around. He’s probably one of the next kids to go to the UFC, unless I upset him.”

For Bessette, the last-minute change has become an all-too-familiar dilemma in recent months. Pingitore is the third opponent scheduled to face Bessette for the title. The original opponent, Pedro Gonzalez, suffered a back injury midway through training camp. Weathers was also a last-minute fill-in five months ago for Jairo Soares, who was forced to withdraw during the week of his scheduled fight against Bessette.

“It’s insane,” Bessette said. “In my own mind, I was positive no one was going to take this fight because it’s a 25-minute fight on five days’ notice against me on national television for a world title. An opportunity, yes, but people have got to be in shape for this. It was just good timing that Ping was on the card already and was already prepared to fight.

“They gave me several names and I said yes to them, but, in my mind, I said, ‘I’m going to smash these guys because none of them have been training.’ Ping was in shape, so this will be cool.

“Ping likes to bang, that’s for sure. He’s going to get what he wants, but it’s not going to be the way he wants it.”

As for the theory that Bessette has everything to lose while Pingitore has nothing to lose, Bessette laughed and said, “I’ve had 27 fights. I’ve always had something to lose. It doesn’t matter. I always have something to lose. It doesn’t matter who’s in there with me. I’m going to run fucking through them. I was going to run through this guy, I was going to run through Pedro and now I’m going to run through Ping. He just stepped up to get ran over.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 37” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The Pingitore-Bessette fight is one of three, five-round title fights on the main card. Woonsocket, R.I., native Andre Soukhamthath (10-3, 6 KOs), now fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., defends his CES MMA Bantamweight Title for the first time against Cambridge, Mass., vet Kin Moy (8-2, 2 KOs) in the main event, a rematch of their back-and-forth war in January of 2014 in which Moy won by unanimous decision, while Providence’s Greg Rebello (20-6, 12 KOs) faces Oklahoma’s Ashley Gooch (9-4, 6 KOs) for the vacant CES MMA Heavyweight Title.

Also on the AXS TV main card, middleweight Chuck O’Neil (16-8, 5 KOs) of Bourne, Mass., faces Roy Jones (7-4, 3 KOs) of Waterloo, Iowa.

The preliminary card features four exciting bouts, highlighted by a middleweight showdown between Berkeley, Mass., vet Pat McCrohan (2-0, 1 KO) and Russian Ruslan Melikov (3-1), fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. Providence bantamweight Marquis Brewster (1-0) faces Turtle Creek, Pa., native Roosevelt Archie (0-1); and Dylan Lockard of Derry, N.H., makes his professional debut against Seldon, N.Y., featherweight Mak Kelleher (1-2). Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (3-1, 1 KO) battles Stephfond Ewins (3-3-1, 3 KOs) of Pennsylvania.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES37 to join the conversation.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 8th, 2016) — Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and where there’s bad blood between two fighters, there’s usually a different account of past events.

The anticipated showdown between featherweights Joe Pingitore and Bill Jones, who face off Friday, Aug. 12th, 2016 on the main card of “CES MMA 37” live on AXS TV from Twin River Casino, features the classic story of one fighter allegedly ducking the other; Jones (12-10, 3 KOs) says he’s clamored for this fight for quite some time, but Pingitore (6-2-1, 2 KOs) never agreed to come to the table until now.

In a rare twist, Pingitore, the Johnston, R.I., vet who makes his sixth appearance with CES MMA Friday, backed up his opponent’s claim — sort of.

“I ducked him and his terrible record because I didn’t want to fight a dude who’s 1-4 since 2012,” Pingitore said. “But enough is enough. He’ll be 1-5 now.”

There’s no doubt Jones has struggled in recent years, both in and out of the sport. The 38-year-old Somersworth, N.H., native, a full-time roofer during the day, hasn’t fought since last July and hasn’t won since December of 2014, but he enters the cage Friday with a clear conscious and a new outlook following a major lifestyle change.

Eleven months ago, after watching his father pass away due to what he called “poor decisions and poor habits,” Jones decided to quit smoking cold turkey. His ultimate goal, aside from improving his quality of life for the sake of his four children, is to fulfill his father’s last request to get back in the cage and “go win another” fight.

“I smoked for as long as Joe’s been alive,” Jones said. “Not smoking, this is the best camp I’ve ever had. This is the best I’ve felt, the best I’ve ever looked, the best I’ve ever trained. I feel like an animal.

“I’m going to kill this kid. He thinks he’s got an easy fight because I went in a slump. He’s got no idea.”

The outspoken Jones didn’t take his first pro fight until 2007 when he was 30 years old. He won nine of his first 13, including a split decision win over Matt Bessette in just his second pro fight, and was ranked high as No. 3 in the northeast in 2014 despite “smoking butts every day,” a lifestyle that eventually caught up to him in the cage.

“I didn’t do anything right,” Jones said. “I worked six days a week, I trained when I could, but when I trained, I worked hard training. At my job, I worked hard. We’d strip for three or four hours in the morning. We worked hard to get the job done.

“That atmosphere followed me to the gym. I’d get there and everybody would ask, ‘How do you feel?’ ‘Horrible, but let’s get to it!'”

With “family problems” affecting his training and work habits, Jones admittedly took some ill-advised fights in recent years and wound up losing four out of five during a three-year stretch between 2012 and 2015. He hit rock bottom last July when he ran out of gas in a fight against John Santos and got knocked out in the second round.

“I should’ve murdered that kid. Hands down,” Jones said. “I was so mad at myself because I had lost that fight by not training and smoking. I destroyed him for the first round and a half and as soon as I hit my wall, I was puffing for air. I couldn’t do anything. I was like, ‘That’s it. I’m done. I’m going to give it up.'”

At his father’s request, which came three days before he died, Jones has decided to give it one last shot. He’ll face a tough test in the 25-year-old Pingitore, who has won back-to-back fights and is looking to carve his path toward a potential headliner fight on a future CES MMA card. Pingitore says he never considered fighting Jones until Jones began tracking him down on social media.

“After I beat [James] Murrin [in June of 2015], he just commented on my Facebook statuses and stuff, talking shit, saying, ‘Let’s fight!’ and I ignored it at first because the guy isn’t in Top 10,” Pingitore said. “He said I’m the weakest one in the Top 10. We’ll see on the 12th. He’s going to find out different.

“This is the type of shit I live for. The last guy who called me out [William Chan] was back in my amateur days. I put him away in 40 seconds. I’m going to try to top that.”

Smoke-free for the first time since he was a teenager, Jones promises fatigue won’t be an issue Friday. The back-and-forth between he and Pingitore has escalated in recent weeks with Pingitore taking shots at Jones’ record in addition to his age, the latter of which admittedly “got under” Jones’ skin.

“My main goal is to go in there and put a hurting on Joe because he’s a cocky, mouthy little fuck,” Jones said. “Thirty eight years old is old? I’m 38 and I’m in better shape than 80 percent of the guys in the cage — smoking cigarettes!

“It’s one thing to say, ‘I’m going to tear this guy up … he’s nothing compared to me!’ but to say I’m old? I roof six days a week. This guy couldn’t carry three bundles up the ladder in a row. No way am I old. He’s 25 and fat and I’m 38 and shredded and he’s saying I’m old. I work crazy hard in everything I do. This kid doesn’t know what hard work is.

“I’m super excited. I haven’t been this excited since my first fight.”

While Pingitore isn’t looking past Friday’s fight, he’s still hopeful of one day being the main event on a CES MMA card and perhaps even dropping down to challenge contenders in a new weight class while maintaining his power and cardio. A win over Jones, who has more experience than any of his previous opponents, would be a step in the right direction.

“To fight a main event for CES, you’ve got to not only have the reputation, you have to be way up there,” Pingitore said. “This is going to be my ninth professional fight, No. 5 under the CES banner. I think it’s coming to the point now where it’s getting there. The hype is kind of setting in. It’s becoming real.

“If everything goes my way on the 12th, I’ll be [7-2-1]. That’s a legit record and that’s a legitimate contender. I’m interested in seeing what happens with the Bessette fight. I don’t know. I’m walking light these days, so, I might be going to 135. I’m kind of taking it one fight at a time, but at the same time I’m looking out for my future.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 37” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

In addition to Pingitore-Jones, the main card features three, five-round title fights. Woonsocket, R.I., native Andre Soukhamthath (10-3, 6 KOs), now fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., defends his CES MMA Bantamweight Title for the first time against Cambridge, Mass., vet Kin Moy (8-2, 2 KOs) in the main event, a rematch of their back-and-forth war in January of 2014 in which Moy won by unanimous decision. Providence’s Greg Rebello (20-6, 12 KOs) faces Oklahoma’s Ashley Gooch (9-4, 6 KOs) for the vacant CES MMA Heavyweight Title while Bessette (19-7, 5 KOs), a Stafford Springs, Conn., native, fights for the CES MMA Featherweight Title vacated by current Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) contender Rob Font in 2014.

Also on the AXS TV main card, middleweight Chuck O’Neil (16-8, 5 KOs) of Bourne, Mass., faces Roy Jones (7-4, 3 KOs) of Waterloo, Iowa.

The preliminary card features four exciting bouts, highlighted by a middleweight showdown between Berkeley, Mass., vet Pat McCrohan (2-0, 1 KO) and Russian Ruslan Melikov (3-1), fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. Providence bantamweight Marquis Brewster (1-0) faces Turtle Creek, Pa., native Roosevelt Archie (0-1); and Dylan Lockard of Derry, N.H., makes his professional debut against Seldon, N.Y., featherweight Mak Kelleher (1-2). Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (3-1, 1 KO) will be featured in a separate three-round bout against an opponent to be determined.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES37 to join the conversation.

08 August 2016 – Macau, China: ONE Championship™ (ONE) athlete and flyweight contender Andrew Leone has suffered an injury in training and will no longer be competing in the main event of ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD which takes place next Saturday, 13 August at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena.
Flyweight prospect Tilek Batyrov of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan will replace Leone in the main event battle against Adriano Moraes with the Interim ONE Flyweight World Championship still on the line.

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

Tilek Batyrov is a 24-year old flyweight prospect with a stellar 10-1 professional mixed martial arts record and is a former two-time Combat Sambo world champion. Fighting out of Fight Club Jash-Kuch gym, he is the former Alash Pride Grand Prix Champion and is one of the most promising young fighters to come out of the country. With six submissions and three thrilling stoppage victories on his fight resume, Batyrov is known as a bonafide finisher and will look to give former ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes a stiff challenge.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, Physique TV, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

Yair Rodriguez won a five-round split decision over Alex Cacares in a featherweight bout in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Rodriguez, 146 lbs of Chicago, IL won two cards by 48-47 counts while Cacares took a card 49-46.

Rodriguez is 9-1. Cacares, 145 lbs of Miami, FL is 12-9-1.

Dennis Bermudez won a unanimous decision over Rony Jason in a featherweight bout.

Jason’s face was a mess as it was covered in blood from round one.

Bermudez, 146 lbs of Lyndonhurst, NY won by scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26 and is now 17-5. Jason, 146 lbs of Quixada, BRA is 15-6-1.

Thhales Leites scored a third round submission over Chris Camozzi in their middleweight bout.

Leites made Camozzi tap out with a rear naked choke at 2:58

Leites, 186 lbs of Rio di Jenairo, BRA is 26-6. Camozzi, 186 lbs of Lakewood, CO is 24-11.

Santiago Pozinbbio son a unanimous decision over Zaxk Cummings in a welterweight bout.

In round three, Cummings started to bleed from his nose.

Pozinbbio, 171 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 24-3. Cummings, 171 lbs of Kansas City. MO is 19-5.

Trevor Smith defeated Joe Gigloiotti via unanimous decision in a middleweight bout.

Gigliotti started bleeding from the nose in round two when he was hit with a knee.

Smith, 185.5 lbs of Tokwila, WA won by scores of 30-26 on all cards ans is now 14-6. Gigliotti, 185.5 lbs of Gilbert, AZ is 7-1..

Maryna Moroz won a split decision over Danielle Taylor in a strawweight bout.

Moroz, 115 lbs of Ukraine won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28, while Taylor took card 29-28.

Moroz is 7-1. Taylor, 11.5 lbs of Van Nuys, CA is 7-2.

Court Mcgee won a unanimous decision over Dominique Steel in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Steele was cut over his right eye.

McGee, 169.5 lbs of Orem, UT won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 19-5. Steele, 171 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 14-8.

Marcin Tybura scored an explosive second round stoppage over Viktor Pesta in a heavyweight bout.

In round two, Tybura countered a right hand with a devastating left kick to the head and Pesta was knocked out cold at 53 seconds.

Tybura, 249 lbs of Warszwa, POL is 14-2. Pesta, 239.5 of Prague, Czech Republic is 10-3.

David Teymur stopped Jason Novelli in the second round of their lightweight bout.

In round two, Teymur landed a straight left that sent Novelli to the ground. Teymur got t his feet only to eat six punches and the bout was stopped at 1:28.

Teymur, 155 lbs of Stockholm, SWE is 5-1. Novelli, 155.5 lbs of Portland, OR is 11-2-1.

Teymur was cut under his left eye in the first round.

Teruro Ishihara knocked out Horacio Gutierrez in the first round of their featherweight bout.

Ishihar landed a hard left that knocked Gutierrez down. Ishihara pounced on Gutierrez and landed one more clipping left and the fight was stopped at 2:32.

Ishihara, 146 lbs of Osaka, JAP is 10-2-2. Gutierrez, 146 lbs of Chicago is 3-3.