NFC #85 is set for Friday, July 22 at Electric Cowboy in Kennesaw with a HUGE main event as undefeated Chazz Walton takes on Warren Smith for the NFC Georgia Lightweight Championship.

Walton comes into the fight with a perfect 6-0 pro record. Warren steps in with a 5-4 record, but has never lost at 155 lbs; the weight that this title fight will take place.

There’s a total of 15 fights on the card with a record-setting 5 pro fights for Electric Cowboy.

Tickets are available online at www.cagetix.com/NFC.

To view the NFC Engage preview of the fight, click HERE

Toronto – 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 International Fight Week™ in Las Vegas, the biggest week in UFC history, highlighted by a live broadcast of the main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday, July 7 at 10 p.m. ET, plus the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia on Friday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ main card across Canada on July 7 at 10 p.m. ET, preceded by a live Pre-Show at 9 p.m. ET.

In the main event, dominant UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (24-7) puts his championship on the line in a five-round barnburner against top contender Eddie Alvarez (27-4). In other featured bouts, Roy “Big Country” Nelson (22-12) throws down with Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (15-4, 1NC) in an explosive heavyweight collision, Alan Jouban (13-4) takes on undefeated Belal Muhammad (9-0) in a welterweight affair, plus “Irish” Joe Duffy (14-2) welcomes Canada’s Mitch “Danger Zone” Clarke (11-3) back to action in a lightweight matchup.

Live fight week coverage begins on Wednesday, July 6 at 2 p.m. ET with a live presentation of the final UFC 200 pre-fight press conference, featuring UFC president Dana White and main card superstars Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

On Thursday, July 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live broadcast of the official on-sale press conference for UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2, featuring Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor on the same stage for the first time since their heated encounter this past March.

Later, on July 7 at 6 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the live weigh-ins for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia, as headliners Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha weigh in ahead of their heated women’s strawweight championship rematch.

Following Thursday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ post-fight press conference in its entirety.

On Friday, July 8 at 6 p.m. ET, UFC 200 fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 weigh-ins, as all the stars from the biggest UFC event in history will tip the scale ahead of their highly anticipated clashes on Saturday night.

Fight Network will air the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia across Canada on July 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 10 p.m. ET.

In featured preliminary bouts, Joaquim Silva (8-0) faces Andrew Holbrook (11-0) in a clash of unbeaten lightweights, former title challenger Gray Maynard (12-6-1, 1NC) makes his first appearance at featherweight against Brazilian Fernando Bruno (16-3), fiery flyweight contenders face off when John Moraga (16-4) takes on Matheus Nicolau (11-2-1), inaugural TUF Brazil winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira (10-5) meets fellow middleweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (25-11), highly touted Australian prospect Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews (11-1) faces dangerous lightweight Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (12-2) and China’s Li Jingliang (10-4) takes on Australia’s Anton Zafir (7-2) in a welterweight bout.

Following Friday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia live post-fight press conference in its entirety.

Leading into Saturday’s blockbuster pay-per-view, Fight Network presents an encore of the first meeting between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, as UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier from January 2015 airs at 2 p.m. ET.

Later, on July 9 at 6 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 Pre-Show, featuring previews, predictions, analysis, exclusive interviews conducted on-site in Las Vegas and much more. Following Saturday’s event, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 post-fight press conference in its entirety.

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 events.

This Sunday, July 10 at 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents UFC 87: Seek and Destroy from August 2009 in Minneapolis, Minn., featuring Georges St-Pierre vs. Jon Fitch for the UFC welterweight title, plus Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring and Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta.

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.

LAS VEGAS (July 5, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has inked world-ranked bantamweight (135 pounds) star Jesse Brock (22-8) to an exclusive, multi-fight agreement.

The promotional debut of the 34-year-old Brock of Boise, Idaho will be announced soon.

“We are very excited to welcome Jesse Brock to our stable of world-class athletes,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo. “Jesse is a true performer who has taken on some of the best fighters in his weight class, and he has clearly earned the opportunity to contend in our bantamweight division.”

Ranked as high as 38 in the world in the bantamweight division, Brock will enter the World Series of Fighting decagon cage riding a six-fight win streak that he recently extended with a third round (3:57) submission (rear-naked choke) of Olly Bradstreet at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016.

The victory marked Brock’s second under the Bellator banner. On October 25, 2013, he bested Adrian Cruz by way of unanimous decision.

To date, Brock’s experience with top caliber opposition includes Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Caol Uno and Tyson Nam, whom Brock defeated via five-round, unanimous decision on January 28, 2011.

A former high school state wrestling champion in his native Alaska, Brock went on to compete four years for NCAA Division I Boise State University where he emerged a two-time Pac 10 conference winner.

Brock’s signing comes just three weeks before World Series of Fighting’s bantamweight title is put on the line in a main event rematch between reigning kingpin Marlon Moraes (16-4-1) and contender Josh “Gentleman” Hill (14-1) at WSOF32, live on NBCSN at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT from XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash. on Saturday, July 30.

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.

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (July 4, 2016) — The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) has received an appeal from Stefano Sartori, manager of Brazilian fighter Fabio Maldonado, to reassess the result of his June 17th fight with Fedor Emelianenko, which headlined Fight Nights Global 50 in Saint Petersburgh, Russia.

Emelianenko was awarded a win by majority decision, which Team Malondado has appealed, claiming a conflict of interest because all of the judges are employed by the Russian MMA Union, of which Emelianenko serves as president.

Team Maldonado believes Maldonando should have won the decision, or the fight declared a draw at the very least, in their opinion, as the Brazilian clearly won the first round, 10-8, Emelianenko came back to take the second round, 10-9, and the third round was a toss-up.

Because Russian MMA Union vice president Radmir Gabdullin was the head judge for the aforementioned bout, Team Maldonando feels that a fair judgement regarding its appeal can be rendered only by independent, international judges reviewing the fight.

Team Maldonando has appealed the decision on grounds that there was an obvious conflict of interest in terms of the Russian MMA Union judges and their close association with Fedor, as well as the quality of decisions they rendered. Rather than appeal the decision to the Russian MMA Union, which they claimed would place Russian judges under intense pressure, Team Maldonando made the appeal directly to the WMMAA because the Russian MMA Union is a sanctioned member of the worldwide sanctioning body WMMAA.

WMMAA president Vadim Finkelchtein has announced the following sequence of actions:

WMMAA Secretary General Alexander Engelhardt has been appointed to handle the appeal procedure
A group of objective international judges, under the guidance of experienced referee/judge Marco Broersen (Netherlands), to be appointed to assess the Emelianenko-Maldonado fight based on the tape and render an unbiased verdict regarding the fight and work of the judges
Temporarily suspend WMMAA head judge Radmir Gabdullin from his position
Discuss judges’ work at the next WMMAA Congress, taking into account the pending verdict of the independent commission

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

Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
http://wmmaa.org/events/2016_asia_hwasoon/

Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship 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/

Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
http://wmmaa.org/events/38/

Information

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

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (June 29, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced heavyweights Denis Smoldarev and American MMA veteran Kenny “Deuce” Garner will square off in the M-1 Challenge 69 main event, Saturday night, July 16, in Ingushetia, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 69 will be streamed live from Ingushetia 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.

Known as the “Brock Lesnar of Estonia,” Smoldarev (11-2-0, M-1: 7-2-0) is a combat sambo specialist and two-time M-1 Challenge heavyweight title challenger. In his last fight this past February at M-1 Challenge 64, Smoldarev lost by third-round submission via a choke to Alexander Volkov for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.

Smoldarev (black trunks) drives a knee into his opponent

Garner (16-9-0, M-1: 9-7-0), fighting out of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was the M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion four years ago. In 2011 at M-1 Challenge 27, Garner submitted Maxin Grishin in the fifth round by strikes to become Interim M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion. After successfully defending his Interim title versus Magomed Malikov (KO3 – strikes) at M-1 Challenge 32, the stage was set for Garner to challenge “regular” M-1 Challenge heavyweight title-holder Guran Gugenishvilli in a rematch to avenge an earlier loss.

Garner graduated from Interim to “regular” M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion June 21, 2012 with a victory over Gugenishvilli via doctor’s stoppage in the third round. Six months later in their “rubber match,”, Garner stopped Gugenishvilli on punches in the fourth round to retain his title belt.

At M-1 Challenge 44 in November 2013, Garner lost his crown to Polish challenger Damian Grabowski by third-round submission (choke). In his last fight at M-1 Challenge 59, Garner was punched out in the opening round by Russian great Sergei Kharitonov one year ago in Kazakhstan.

One other fight has been announced for M-1 Challenge 69 as Croatian featherweight Antun “Killer” Racic (18-7-0, M-1: 3-4-0) takes on undefeated Russian prospect Movsar Evloev (5-0-0, M-1: 5-0-0).

Racic, who is coming off a split decision loss to Vitali Branchuk last February at M-1 Challenge 64, is a submission master, while Evloev is a strong striker who stopped Alexander Krupenkin in the opening round at M-1 Challenge 66 in his most recent action.

(Antun Racic (L), Movsar Evloev (R)

Information

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

LAS VEGAS (June 29, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that undefeated, top prospect Phil Hawes (4-0) will make a quick turnaround and step back in the decagon cage just six weeks after his promotional debut, and will square off with Louis “Put The Guns Down” Taylor (12-3) in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest at WSOF32, live on NBCSN at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT from XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash. on Saturday, July 30.

Hawes of Little Ferry, N.J. will replace Shamil Gamzatov, another undefeated, rising star in the World Series of Fighting stable, after Gamzatov was forced to withdraw from the commitment due to a personal issue.

“We hope to see Shamil back in action soon, and we salute Phil Hawes for having the courage and willpower to return to action less than two months after his first fight with us,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

In his first start for World Series of Fighting on June 17, the 6-foot, 27-year-old Hawes made quick work of Joshua Key, scoring a first round (2:52) TKO on Key with a series of elbow strikes.

A product of the Jackson-Winklejohn camp in Albuquerque, N.M., Hawes was a 2009 junior college national wrestling champion for Iowa Central Community College, also the alma mater of Jackson-Winklejohn teammate and UFC champion Jon “Bones” Jones.

Taylor of Chicago, Ill. is a 5-foot-11, 37-year-old, battle-tested veteran of World Series of Fighting, Strikeforce and Bellator, and a devastating finisher who has earned 11 of his 12 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission.

In his last start and debut for World Series of Fighting on March 12, Taylor extended his win streak to five consecutive bouts by submitting Cory Devela in just 29 seconds with a guillotine choke.

Priced from $29, tickets for WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill II are on sale at XFINITYArenaEverett.com and WSOF.com.

In the world bantamweight (135 pounds) championship main event, Marlon Moraes 16-4-1) will defend his coveted title for the second time against Josh “Gentleman” Hill (14-1) while, in the co-main event and a second world championship rematch, Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (18-5) will put his featherweight (145 pounds) belt on the line against the fighter he took it from – Lance Palmer (10-2).

In other action on the live NBCSN telecast, costumed crime fighter Phoenix Jones (6-1-1) aka Ben Fodor of Seattle, Wash. will look to settle his rivalry with adopted brother Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-5) of Seattle in a 162-pound catchweight affair.

Unbeaten featherweights Hakeem “Mean” Dawodu (5-0-1) and Marat Magomedov (7-0-1) will square off in a preliminary card bout.

Additional preliminary card bouts for WSOF32 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.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

About XFINITY Arena at Everett
The XFINITY Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows and is home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise. The venue is managed by Spectra by Comcast Spectacor and embodies all three of its divisions: Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality and Ticketing & Fan Engagement.

LAS VEGAS (June 23, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has inked a one-year partnership agreement with Ticket Galaxy (www.TicketGalaxy.com), the premier online marketplace for buying and selling tickets for live events.

The partnership will begin with the highly-anticipated WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill 2 world championship doubleheader at XFINITY Arena in Everett, Wash. on Saturday, July 30, live on NBCSN at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

“We are thrilled to be in business with Ticket Galaxy, a company that has developed a stellar track record with consumers of many of the world’s elite sports and entertainment properties, and are confident that this partnership will further our goal of continually enhancing the fan experience for our live event series,” said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva.

“One of the world’s premier live event experiences, World Series of Fighting showcases elite MMA talent inside the decagon cage at top venues across the country,” stated Steve Kobelski, President of Ticket Galaxy. “Like millions of others, we are huge fans of the league, so aligning ourselves with them was a natural fit for us and our customers who are looking for the ultimate event experiences.”

As part of the partnership, Ticket Galaxy will periodically provide fans with exclusive, special ticket offerings and ticket packages for World Series of Fighting’s live events.

WSOF32: Moraes vs. Hill 2 will feature two world championship rematches. In the main event, reigning, undisputed bantamweight (135 pounds) kingpin Marlon Moraes (16-4-1) will put his title on the line for the second time against top contender Josh “Gentleman” Hill (14-1).

In the featherweight (145 pounds) championship co-main event, Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (18-5) will risk his belt against the man he took it from – Lance Palmer (10-2).

In other action on the four fight live telecast that will be preceded by a nine-bout preliminary card, famed, costumed crime fighter Phoenix Jones (6-1-1) aka Ben Fodor will square off with adopted brother and established MMA star Caros “The Future” Fodor (10-5) in a 162-pound catchweight affair.

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.

ABOUT TICKET GALAXY
Ticket Galaxy is the sports and entertainment industry’s leading marketplace to buy and sell tickets to sport, concert, theater, and family events. Providing consumers with hard-to-get, sold-out, and discount tickets to live entertainment in the United States and abroad, Ticket Galaxy partners with some of the world’s most identifiable brands. Its retail website, www.TicketGalaxy.com, grants fans access to unmatched inventory, premiere customer service and secure ticket transactions in an easy-to-navigate environment, all with a 200% money-back guarantee.

For more information on Ticket Galaxy, visit TicketGalaxy.com, Facebook.com/TicketGalaxyUSA, or Twitter.com/TicketGalaxy.

Fans unable to attend this Saturday’s California Xtreme Fighting (CXF) Professional MMA show at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City will nevertheless be able to tune in and watch all of the action live on FITE TV.

The live stream will cost $9.99 and can be ordered by going to the following link:

FITE TV is the home for all things fighting and will now be the home for CXF: PROVING GROUNDS this Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7:00pm Pacific. Just go to your Google Play or iTunes app store and download FITE TV and experience CXF: PROVING GROUNDS from the comfort of your own home or wherever you may be. Or for more information, go to the FITE TV website at www.FITE.tv

CXF: PROVING GROUNDS will feature the CXF Lightweight Title between Dominick Clark (8-6 MMA) and Emilio Chavez (11-7 MMA) and a tantalizing CXF Welterweight Title Bout between two of the most dynamic strikers on the west coast when recent Glory contender Casey Greene (4-1 MMA) and Bellator veteran Curtis Millender (8-3 MMA) meet in the cage. Bantamweight Champion Alfred Kashakyan (6-2 MMA) and Middleweight Champion Moses Murrietta (3-0 MMA) are also scheduled to appear.

CXF: PROVING GROUNDS presented by In Sync Productions, Lights Out Promotions, and Bash Entertainment, takes place on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center located at 4234 Coldwater Canyon Ave. (cross street Ventura Blvd.) in Studio City, California.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.valleyfightnight.com or at the Sportsmen’s Lodge Box Office the night of the show.

Tickets start at $50 for General Admission. A limited number of VIP bottle service tables are also available.

Doors Open at 6:30pm; First Bout at 7:00pm. All bouts are subject to change.

20 June 2016 – Hefei, China: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to mainland China with another stacked fight card featuring the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent. ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS is set to electrify the Hefei Olympic Sports Center this 2 July in the great city of Hefei. In the main event, former featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa will take on top contender Eric “The Natural” Kelly of the Philippines.

Tickets for ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS are available at www.onefc.com.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “It feels so good to return to China where we know a lot of MMA fans are hungry for more world-class mixed martial arts action. We have some great matchups to look forward to along with an exciting flyweight tournament featuring local homegrown talent. Our main event between Narantungalag Jadambaa and Eric Kelly also promises another memorable battle that fans will not want to miss.”

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia is coming off an impressive Von Flue choke submission victory over highly-regarded Japanese veteran and former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu Boku last May, proving that he is not just a fearsome striker but also a world-class grappler. Jadambaa is one of the top talents at featherweight, and will look to make his way back into title contention if he can get past the Philippines’ top contender, Eric Kelly.

Featherweight standout Eric “The Natural” Kelly of Baguio City is highly-regarded as perhaps the best homegrown mixed martial artist to come out of the Philippines. The Filipino combines solid striking techniques with high-level grappling skills, which has resulted in 9 impressive submissions out of 12 victories. Although Kelly is considered among the premier talents in his weight class, he will most certainly be tested against former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa in his next bout.

Li Kai Wen of Tianjin is ONE Featherweight Beijing Tournament 2014 Champion and is one of the most fearsome young competitors from China. Li utilizes his vicious striking and aggression to overwhelm his foes which has resulted in a series of impressive highlight reel stoppages in his young career. On his way to becoming a complete mixed martial artist, Li will be faced with a tough challenge in fellow rising star Keanu Subba.

At just 21-years of age, Keanu Subba is a former amateur MMA champion and is one of the most promising young talents in ONE Championship’s featherweight ranks. Subba is on a three-fight win streak that saw him stop countryman Rayner Kinsiong by technical knockout in his last bout. With momentum in his favor, the promising young fighter will look to continue his success by taking on the electrifying Li Kai Wen next.

With 26 professional fights on his resume, Aung La N Sang is arguably one of the world’s most renowned Burmese fighters whose constricting style of fighting has earned him the moniker of the “Burmese Python”. Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, Aung belonged to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. His complete MMA skillset has earned him two straight victories inside the ONE Championship cage and now, he takes on capable Russian foe Aleksei Butorin.

St. Petersburg, Russia middleweight contender Aleksei Butorin debuted successfully at ONE Championship with a thrilling knockout over highly-regarded Leandro Ataides last September. Butorin made waves with his frightening knockout power and relentless attack, showing fans why he remains undefeated in his seven-year mixed martial arts career. Now, Butorin receives the opportunity to compete against Myanmar’s top talent in Aung La N Sang.

21-year old Wu Ze of Shenyang is one of China’s most talented young fighters. He has three victories inside the ONE Championship cage since making his promotional debut in June of 2015, with an impressive rear naked choke submission victory over Hui Qiang Wu. Known for his aggressive striking style and capable ground game, Wu Ze will now take on fellow Chinese fighter Zheng Xiao Liang.

Zheng Xiao Liang of Beijing, China made his professional mixed martial arts debut just last April, and is making a quick turnaround to compete once more, this time in Asia’s largest and most prolific MMA promotion. The 27-year old combatant will get a chance to make a great first impression when he steps inside the ONE Championship cage against the flashy Wu Ze.

American Roger “El Matador” Huerta of Austin, Texas has been in the mixed martial arts game for more than a decade and has a wealth of fight experience under various promotions on his resume. He has competed against some of the best fighters the world over, and has amassed a stellar 22-8 overall record. With a solid background in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Huerta will return to the ONE Championship cage to take on grappling ace Ariel Sexton.

Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton of Vancouver, Canada is widely-considered one of the most skilled grapplers in the world. With a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu earned under the watchful eye of the legendary Renzo Gracie, Sexton boasts of 8 submissions out of 10 total victories. He is coming off two straight wins by submission and will look to impress the crowd with a similar performance in his next outing. After carefully honing his skills in preparation for his next bout, Sexton is now ready to take on the extremely versatile MMA veteran, Roger Huerta.

Ann “Athena” Osman of Kota Kinabalu is Malaysia’s fighting belle. Training out of the coastal locale of Sabah, the female warrior hones her craft at Borneo Tribal Squad, advancing her skills in various disciplines such as wrestling, jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. A well-rounded mixed martial artist, Osman likes to overpower her opponents and is extremely aggressive, always looking for a finish. Osman will take on Haiat Farag in her return to the ONE Championship cage.

Haiat Farag is a former Egyptian freestyle wrestler who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Also a former Wushu practitioner, the 29-year old Farag combines lightning-quick and pinpoint striking with tenacious grappling and mat skills. Farag makes her professional mixed martial arts debut inside the ONE Championship cage against Ann Osman of Malaysia.

The Hefei Flyweight Tournament semifinals and finals matchups will take place the day before ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS, Friday, 1 July, and will feature Bu Huo You Ga against Maimai Tituo Heti, and Li Hao Jie against Tang De Pan. In the alternate bout, Zhang You Liang takes on Tang Ren Xing. The winners will go on to compete in the tournament final match.

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is 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.

Donald Cerrone stopped Patrick Cote at 2:28 of round three of their welterweight bout.

Cerrone got Cote down and landed some thunderous punches and the bout was stopped.

Cerrone, 171 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 30-7-1. Cote, 170 lbs of Montreal is 24-8.

Steve Bosse won a wild three round unanimous decision over Sean O’Connell in a wild light heavyweight bout.

Both guys landed plenty of shots and both were boody.

Bosse, 205 lbs is 12-2. O’Connell, 205 lbs of Salt Lake City, UT is now 17-8.

Olivier Aubin Mercier made Thibaukt Ghoti top out from a rear naked choke at 2:28 of round three of their lightweight bout.

Mercier, 155 lbs of Montreal is 9-2. Ghoti, 156 lbs is 11-2.

Joanne Calderwood stopped Valarie Latourneau in the 3rd round of their bantamweight bout.

Calderwood hit Latourneau with a body shot and was followed up by a lick kick and right to the face that sent Latourneal to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:51 of round three.

Jason Saggo won a 3-round split decision over Leandro Silva in a lightweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 for Saggo and 29-28 for Silva.

Saggo, 155 lbs is now 12-2. Silva, 155.5 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 19-3-1-1.

Misha Cirkunov made Ion Cutelabe tap out in the 3rd round of their light heavyweight bout.

Cirkunov got the victory with an arm triangle on Cutelabe, who had a bloody right ear and eye at 1:22.

Cirkunov, 205.5 lbs of Toronto, CAN is 12-2. Cutelabe, 202,5 lbs of Moldova is 11-2-1.

Kryztof Jotko stopped Tamden McCrory in the first round of their Middleweight bout.

Jotko drilled McCrory with a perfect left that sent him to the deck. Jotko landed two hard shots to a prone McCrory and the bout was stopped at 59 seconds.

Jotko, 184.5 lbs of Orienta, POL is 18-1. McCrory, 185 lbs of Binghimton, NY is 14-4.

Joe Soto made Chris Beal tap out in round three of their bantamweight bout.

Beal tapped after being caught in a rear naked choke at 3:39 of round three.

Soto, 135 lbs of Porterville, CA is 16-5. Beal, 134 lbs of Ventura, CA is 10-3.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents live coverage of the official prelims for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON from TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this Saturday, June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON prelims exclusively in Canada at 8:30 p.m. ET, preceded by a live pre-show at 7:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

In featured preliminary bouts, Toronto native Jason Saggo (11-2) takes on Brazil’s Leandro Silva (19-2-1, 1NC) in a lightweight matchup, Latvian-Canadian powerhouse Misha Cirkunov (11-2) welcomes Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba (11-1, 1NC) to the sport’s biggest stage for a light heavyweight showdown, slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Tamdam McCrory (14-3) faces Polish veteran Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) in a middleweight clash, plus bantamweights Chris Beal (10-2) and Joe Soto (15-5) will kick off the televised festivities with a bang.

Before all the action, the fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON weigh-ins on Friday, June 17 at 5 p.m. ET, as headliners Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson, plus co-main event stars Donald Cerrone and Patrick Cote, tip the scales ahead of their highly anticipated clashes.

Following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON post-fight press conference in its entirety.

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 events.

This Sunday, June 19 at 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents UFC 74: Respect from August 2007 in Las Vegas, featuring a heavyweight championship showdown between Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga, plus Georges St-Pierre battles Josh Koscheck and Patrick Cote collides with Kendall Grove.

The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN5, 10:30 p.m. ET):
-Rory MacDonald (18-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (12-1)
-Donald Cerrone (29-7, 1NC) vs. Patrick Cote (24-9)
-Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)
-Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-1)
-Valerie Letourneau (8-4) vs. Joanne Calderwood (10-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 8:30 p.m. ET):
-Jason Saggo (11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (19-2-1, 1NC)
-Misha Cirkunov (11-2) vs. Ion Cutelaba (11-1)
-Tamdan McCrory (14-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (17-1)
-Chris Beal (10-2) vs. Joe Soto (15-5)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 6:45 p.m. ET):
-Elias Theodorou (12-1) vs. Sam Alvey (26-7, 1NC)
-Randa Markos (5-4) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2)
-Colby Covington (8-1) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-0)
-Ali Bagautinov (13-4) vs. Geane Herrera (9-1)

But first, Fight Network gets the live action underway on Friday, June 17 with a mixed martial arts tripleheader, beginning with a live 9 p.m. ET broadcast of World Series of Fighting 31: Ivanov vs. Copeland from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., followed by Hard Knocks Fighting 50 live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Century Casino at 11 p.m. ET. Finally, RFA 39: Barcelos vs. Moffett will air via short tape delay from Indiana’s Hammond Civic Center at 2 a.m. ET.

All three cards will air on Fight Network across Canada and globally in over 30 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The live presentation of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 will also air on Fight Network in the U.S. on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, CenturyLink, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable, Armstrong Cable and other select carriers, as well as digitally on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Headlining the live World Series of Fighting lineup, reigning kingpin Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) defends the WSOF heavyweight title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1). In the lightweight co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with the No. 1 contender ranking at stake. Rounding out the star-studded main card, undefeated Jackson-Winkeljohn middleweight prospect Phil Hawes (3-0) makes his promotional debut against Joshua “The Prince of MMA” Key (6-11, 2NC), battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will face late replacement “Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight bout, plus Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) returns to the featherweight division for a scrap with former title challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

The live broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 is topped by a bantamweight championship showdown pitting red-hot Jesse Arnett (10-4) against surging Michigan Top Team representative Mike Hernandez (10-2). In other action, Stephanie Essensa (2-1) battles Brazil’s Paula Baack (2-4) in a women’s strawweight tilt, Josh Griffin (3-4) meets Trenton Rowell (3-4) in a middleweight affair and Leo Xavier (3-0-1) takes on Thomas Richardson (3-0) in a clash of undefeated welterweights.

RFA’s first trip to Chicagoland will feature RFA featherweight champion Raoni Barcelos (9-1) defending his title for the first time against local favorite Bobby “The Wolfman” Moffett (8-1). The event will also feature a featherweight encounter between Luis Saldana (11-4) and Mike Santiago (17-9), a middleweight matchup pitting undefeated Joseph Gigliotti (7-0) against Daniel Vizcaya (9-3), a light heavyweight bout between Jordan Johnson (4-0) and Shaun Asher (11-2-1), a bantamweight fight between unbeaten prospects Ode Osbourne (3-0) and Antonio Sanchez (2-0), plus a welterweight homecoming for Deray Davis (7-2-1), as he welcomes Bobby Nash (7-1) into enemy territory.

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.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (June 17, 2016) – Former three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko submitted Vyacheslav Vasilevsky to capture the M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Championship, while fellow Russian Alexander “Drago” Volkov knocked out Attila “Pumukli” Vegh, last night at M-1 Challenge 68 in St. Petersburg, Russia’s Yubileyny Sports Palace.

Shlemenko (53-9-0, M-1: 4-0-0) qualified for the M-1 Grand Prix middleweight final as did reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0). Leading up to their showdown, however, Emeev suffered ligament damage to his elbow, forcing him out of his fight with Shlemenko. Vasilevsky (28-5-0, M-1: 10-3-0), who Shlemenko had defeated by decision in the M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals, accepted the challenge to replace Emeev a rematch. Shlemenko used a choke hold to submit the always tough Vasilevsky in the third round.

In his first M-1 Challenge heavyweight title defense, Volkov (26-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0) stopped Vegh (11-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), fighting out of Slovakia, in the opening round.

M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov

In other main event fights, Russian welterweight Sergey Romonav (9-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0) defeated Andreas Birgels (12-10-0, M-1: 0-1-0), of Germany, by way of a first-round technical knockout, Russian welterweight Abukar Yandiev (5-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0) submitted Greek-born American Tony Christodoulou (12-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0) in the opening round, Russian middleweight Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (10-1-2, M-1: 1-1-2) and Spaniard Enoc Solves Torres (18-9-1, M-1: 5-6-1) fought to a three-round draw.

On the preliminary card, Ukrainian featherweight Andrei “Iron” Lezhnev (8-5-0, M-1: 2-2-0) choked out Russian foe Kuznetsov (5-2-0 (M-1: 2-2-0). Russian lightweight Alexey “Ataman” Makhno (11-4-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russian heavyweight Anton Vyazigin (6-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russian welterweight Maksim Grabovich (4-2-0, M-1: 4-0-0) and Belarussian lightweight Maksim Pugachev (3-0-00, M-1 1-0-0) all won their matches by unanimous three-round decisions.

Complete results and photo gallery below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – M-1 GRAND PRIX MIDDLEWEIHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexander Shlemenko (53-9-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Russia
WSUB3
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (28-5-0, M-1: 10-2-0), Russia
(Sclemenko won M-1 Grand Prix middleweight title)

CO-FEATURE – M-1 CHALLENGE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexander Volkov (26-6-0, M-1: 10-3-0), Russia
WKO1
Attila Vegh (11-2-0, M-1: 7-2-0), Slovakia
(Volkov retained M-1 Challenge heavyweight title)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Enoc Solves Torres (18-9-1, M-1: 5-6-1)
DRAW3
Valery Myasnikov (10-1-2, M-1: 1-1-2)

WELTERWEIGHTS
Sergei Romanov (9-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia
WTKO1
Andreas Birgels (12-10-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Germany

Abukar Yandiev (5-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
WSUB1
Tony Christodoulou (12-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0), USA

PRELIMINARY CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Anton Vyazigin (6-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Daniil Arepyev (5-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Maksim Grabovich (4-2-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Danila Prikaza (3-1-1, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Alexey Makhno (11-4-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
WDEC3
Felipe Rego (7-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil

Murodzhon Kodirov (2-0-0), M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Maksim Pugachev (2-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0)

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Andrei Lezhnev (8-5-0, M-1: 2-2-0), Ukraine
WSUB1
Mikhail Kuznetsov (5-2-0, M-1: 2-2-0), Russia

Vasilvesky & Shlemenko

Volkov & Vegh

Christodoulou & Yandiev

Torres & Myasnikov

Grabovich & Prikaza
Kodirov & Pugachev

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MAIN EVENT – M-1 GRAND PRIX MIDDLEWEIHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
ALEXANDER “Storm” SHLEMENKO (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 184 1/2 lbs. (83.7 kg)
vs.
VYACHESLAV VASILEVSKY (28-4-0, M-1: 10-2-0), Russia 185 lbs. (84.0 kg)

CO-FEATURE – M-1 CHALLENGE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
ALEXANDER “Drago” VOLKOV (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0), Russia 238 lbs. (108.0 kg)
vs.
ATTILA “Pumukli” VEGH (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0), Slovakia 220 lbs. (100.1 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
SERGEI ROMANOV (8-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (76.9 kg)
vs.
ANDREAS BIRGELS (12-9-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Germany 169 1/2 lbs. (76.9 kg)

ABUKAR YANDIEV (4-1-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia 175 lbs. (79.5 kg)
vs.
TONY CHRISTODOULOU (12-6-0, M-1: 0-0-0), USA 177 1/2 lbs. (80.5 kg)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS — 3 X 5
ENOC SOLVES TORRES (18-9-0, M-1: 5-6-0), Spain 183 1/2 lbs. (83.7 kg)
vs.
VALERY “The Russian Hammer” MYASNIKOV (10-1-1, M-1: 1-1-1), Russia 184 1/2 lbs. (83.7 kg)

PRELIMINARY CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
DANIIL AREPYEV (5-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 271 lbs. (123.3 kg)
vs.
ANTON VYAZIGIN (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 249 lbs. (113.5 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
DANILA PRIKAZA (3-0-1, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (77.0 kg)
vs.
MAKSIM GRABOVICH (3-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (76.9 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
FELIPE REGO (7-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 154 1/2 lbs. (70.2 kg)
vs.
ALEXEY “Ataman” MAKHNO (10-4-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia 154 1/2 lbs. (70.1 kg)

MURODZHON KODIROV (1-0-0), M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 151 1/2 lbs. (68.9 kg)
vs.
MAKSIM PUGACHEV (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0) 154 1/2 lbs. (70.2 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
ANDREI “Iron” LEZHNEV (7-5-0, M-1: 1-2-0), Ukraine 145 lbs. (65.9 kg)
vs.
MIKHAIL KUZNETSOV (5-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia 144 1/2 lbs. (65.6 kg)

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2016

WHERE: St. Petersburg, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

LIVE STREAM: www.m-1global.tv (11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT in USA)

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For Immediate Release – June 15, 2016

Fight Network Presents MMA Tripleheader Friday, June 17 with WSOF, Hard Knocks & RFA

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents an action-packed mixed martial arts tripleheader this Friday, June 17, beginning with a live 9 p.m. ET broadcast of World Series of Fighting 31: Ivanov vs. Copeland from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., followed by Hard Knocks Fighting 50 live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Century Casino at 11 p.m. ET. Finally, RFA 39: Barcelos vs. Moffett will air via short tape delay from Indiana’s Hammond Civic Center at 2 a.m. ET.

All three cards will air on Fight Network across Canada and globally in over 30 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The live presentation of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 will also air on Fight Network in the U.S. on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, CenturyLink, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable, Armstrong Cable and other select carriers, as well as digitally on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Headlining the live World Series of Fighting lineup, reigning kingpin Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) defends the WSOF heavyweight title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1). In the lightweight co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with the No. 1 contender ranking at stake. Rounding out the star-studded main card, undefeated Jackson-Winkeljohn middleweight prospect Phil Hawes (3-0) makes his promotional debut against Joshua “The Prince of MMA” Key (6-11, 2NC), battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will face late replacement “Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight bout, plus Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) returns to the featherweight division for a scrap with former title challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

The live broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 is topped by a bantamweight championship showdown pitting red-hot Jesse Arnett (10-4) against surging Michigan Top Team representative Mike Hernandez (10-2). In other action, Stephanie Essensa (2-1) battles Brazil’s Paula Baack (2-4) in a women’s strawweight tilt, Josh Griffin (3-4) meets Trenton Rowell (3-4) in a middleweight affair, Leo Xavier (3-0-1) takes on Thomas Richardson (3-0) in a clash of undefeated welterweights and TJ Laramie (3-1) throws down with Brad Katona (3-0) in a bantamweight bout.

RFA’s first trip to Chicagoland will feature RFA featherweight champion Raoni Barcelos (9-1) defending his title for the first time against local favorite Bobby “The Wolfman” Moffett (8-1). The event will also feature a featherweight encounter between Luis Saldana (11-4) and Mike Santiago (17-9), a middleweight matchup pitting undefeated Joseph Gigliotti (7-0) against Daniel Vizcaya (9-3), a light heavyweight bout between Jordan Johnson (4-0) and Shaun Asher (11-2-1), a bantamweight fight between unbeaten prospects Ode Osbourne (3-0) and Antonio Sanchez (2-0), plus a welterweight homecoming for Deray Davis (7-2-1), as he welcomes Bobby Nash (7-1) into enemy territory.

The live action continues on Fight Network across Canada on Saturday, June 18, as the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON prelims emanate from TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for the first time. In featured preliminary bouts kicking off at 8:30 p.m. ET, preceded by a live pre-show at 7:30 p.m. ET, Toronto native Jason Saggo (11-2) takes on Brazil’s Leandro Silva (19-2-1, 1NC) in a lightweight matchup, Latvian-Canadian powerhouse Misha Cirkunov (11-2) welcomes Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba (11-1, 1NC) to the sport’s biggest stage for a light heavyweight showdown, slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Tamdam McCrory (14-3) faces Polish veteran Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) in a middleweight clash, plus bantamweights Chris Beal (10-2) and Joe Soto (15-5) will kick off the televised festivities with a bang. Following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live post-fight press conference in its entirety.

For more, visit www.fightnetwork.com or follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

LAS VEGAS (June 15, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that Thiago Meller has withdrawn from his scheduled welterweight (170 pounds) contest against John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12), who will now face “Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight (185 pounds) bout at the much-anticipated WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world championship doubleheader Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live on NBCSN (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.

In addition, undefeated Marcus Surin (3-0) of Stamford, Conn. has been tabbed to step in for Sam Watford in the scheduled lightweight (155 pounds) preliminary card contest against Christian “The Terminator” Torres (0-0) of Endicott, N.Y.

Originally hailing from Orlando, Fla., the 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Arrant, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, resides in Las Vegas, where he is a member of legendary champion Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture fight squad.

Arrant is looking to return to the win column following a unanimous decision defeat in his last start on August 7, 2015, at the hands of two-time UFC veteran Brock Jardine.

Prior to the loss, Arrant had reeled off six consecutive victories, five of which he produced in the first round, by way of (T)KO or submission. To date, 12 of his 15 professional wins have been finishes.

During the six-fight win streak, Arrant seized his first championship – regional promotion SteelFist Fight Night’s welterweight title – with a first round (5:00) TKO (retirement) of Carl Dieckmann on July 12, 2013.

Like Arrant, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard boasts a phenomenal finish rate with 15 of his 23 professional victories having come by way of (T)KO or submission.

Howard will make his promotional debut with World Series of Fighting following a second stint with the UFC that spanned seven fights and included wins over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada and Cathal Pendred.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 5 p.m. ET, and the first of seven preliminary card bouts will begin at 5:45 p.m.

The entire preliminary fight card will stream live on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com.

In the main event of the five-bout, live NBCSN telecast, reigning World Series of Fighting heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will put his title on the line against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (12-3).

In the lightweight co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND

MAIN CARD (Live on NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Championship Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov (Champion) vs. Josh Copeland (Challenger)

Lightweight Co-Main Event:
Jason High vs. Mike Ricci

Middleweight: John Howard vs. Mike Arrant
Featherweight: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key

PRELIMINARY CARD (Live on WSOF.com)

Lightweight: Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell
Heavyweight: Juliano Coutinho vs. Justin Willis
Heavyweight: Tyler King vs. Lorenzo Hood
Welterweight: Robert Fonseca vs. Sean Lally
Lightweight: Bruce Boyington vs. Saul Almeida
Bantamweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Ben Pierre-Saint
Lightweight: Marcus Surin vs. Christian Torres

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.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 7th, 2016) — With Luis Felix forced to withdraw from his first official title defense due to injury, Ryan Sanders will step up to face a three-time Ultimate Fighting Championships veteran Friday at Twin River Casino.

Sanders (10-7, 1 KO), the Bangor, Maine, native who defeated Felix in March and was set to face the Providence, R.I., lightweight in a rematch June 10th, 2016 for Felix’s CES MMA Title, instead battles Long Island native Levan Makashvili (7-2-1, 5 KOs) in a three-round bout on the main card of “CES MMA 36” live on AXS TV Fight.

The Sanders-Makashvili fight joins a stacked lineup that also features the return of nine-time Bellator and three-time CES MMA vet Matt Bessette (18-7, 5 KOs) of Stafford Springs, Conn., rising East Providence, R.I., lightweight Nate Andrews (8-1, 5 KOs) and former Strikeforce and Bellator standout Josh LaBerge (10-5, 4 KOs) of Fall River, Mass.

Tickets for “CES MMA 36” 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.

Sanders appears on AXS TV for the second time since March after beating Felix in a non-title bout as a last-minute replacement for Waylon Lowe when Felix suffered a knee injury in the second round and was forced to verbally tap. The rematch would’ve been for Felix’s title; instead, Sanders faces Makashvili, who last fought in January on UFC on Fox 18 against Damon Jackson, a fight ruled a draw after Makashvili was deducted a point in the third round for an illegal strike.

The January fight against Jackson was Makashvili’s third UFC appearance since May of 2015. He amassed a 6-1 record before signing with the promotion last February, but his debut was pushed back three months when his opponent withdrew due to illness.

Sanders, who fought on the Bellator 93 undercard in 2013, carries a three-fight win streak into Friday’s event, which includes a win over regional standout Lucas Cruz. Sanders’ resume also includes a win over 15-time UFC vet Marcus Davis.

Also on the main card, Bessette faces Brazilian Jairo Soares (17-10, 2 KOs) in a featherweight bout. Bessette has rebounded nicely since his knockout loss to Lenny Wheeler at “CES MMA 30,” finishing each of his last three opponents within the first two rounds, including a first-round submission win over Taurean Bogguess at “CES MMA 33” in March.

Andrews, meanwhile, looks to keep the momentum going following the most impressive win of his career at “CES MMA 33” in March, a dominant second-round knockout of former CES MMA champion and UFC vet Julian Lane on national TV. On Friday, Andrews faces Oklahoma’s Luis Muro (4-1, 1 KO), who looks to rebound from his first career loss less than a month ago.

Lane, meanwhile, is looking to start a new win streak at “CES MMA 36,” but will first have to get through Medford, Mass., lightweight Lewis Corapi (6-2, 3 KOs). The Ohio native Lane, who is now 10-5-1, recently snapped his three-fight losing streak in April with a submission win over Antonio Castillo Jr.

Corapi hasn’t fought in more than a year and has yet to avenge his March of 2015 loss to Jay Bakanowski; he was scheduled to face Providence’s Keenan Raymond at “CES MMA 35” in April until Raymond sustained an injury the day of the fight.

Rounding out the main card, Fall River, Mass., native Josh LaBerge (10-5, 4 KOs) makes his third appearance with CES MMA in a lightweight bout against Maine’s Jonathan Lemke (5-3, 4 KOs). LaBerge earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win over 40-fight vet Ran Weathers at “CES MMA 35,” just his third fight since 2011.

Highlighting the stacked preliminary card is the professional debut of Providence bantamweight Marquise Brewster and the return of undefeated New Britain, Conn., flyweight Carlos Candelario (3-0, 1 KO).

Brewster, who earned a promotional contract with CES MMA following a victory in his final amateur bout on the undercard of “CES MMA 35” last month in Beverly, Mass., faces Vladimir Kazbekov (0-1) of Welland, Ontario, while Candelario, fresh off his thrilling 31-second knockout win over Luay Ashkar at “CES MMA 34” in April, battles Turtle Creek, Pa., native Roosevelt Archie (0-1).

Also on the preliminary card, featherweight James Grant Murrin (3-4, 2 KOs) looks to snap his two-fight losing streak when he takes on Long Island native and two-time CES MMA vet Thomas English (5-6, 2 KO), who last appeared at Twin River in January of 2015 against current UFC featherweight Kyle Bochniak; and heavyweights Dan Randall of Granby, Mass., and Marquis Allen of Mansfield, Ohio, make their professional debuts against one another in a three-round bout.

Dedham, Mass., featherweight Matt Tullos (1-0) faces Merab Dvalishvilli (2-2, 1 KO) of Long Island; Mashpee, Mass., welterweight Bobby Flynn (5-3, 1 KO) battles Queens native Kevin Horowitz (6-5); and Providence’s Kurtis Parisi makes his pro debut against 15-fight vet Hector Sanchez of Woonsocket, R.I., in a middleweight bout.

Flynn returns to the cage for the first time since August while Tullos makes his second appearance with CES MMA after winning his pro debut against Shan Bachok in March.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES36 to join the conversation.

BAKU, Azerbaijan (June 5, 2016) — Ukrainian fighter Alexander Butenko won a hard fought 5-round decision over Artiom Damkovsky last night to become the new M-1 Challenge lightweight champion in the M-1 Challenge 67 main event in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Butenko (41-11-2) and Damkovsky (20-10-0) battled from start to finish with Buntenko winning a unanimous decision to capture the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title.

In the co-feature, M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (31-4-0), of Slovakia, used a North-South choke to submit his late replacement opponent, Russian Mikhail Korobkov (9-2-0), in a non-title fight.

Red-hot Kazakh welterweight Shavat Rakhmonov (6-0-0) kept rolling, knocking out Brazilian Marcelo Brito (13-8-0) in the opening round. Hometown favorite Etigat Adakishniev (1-1-0) won his first professional fight, submitting Spaniard Adrian Perez (3-2-0) by way of a guillotine choke.

Czech Republic had two winners on the main card as middleweight Talekh Nadzhafadz (5-1-0) won a 3-round decision over his Spanish opponent, Felipe “Biggi” Nsue (11-10-0), while heavyweight Zauer Gadzhibabayev (5-1-0) used a rear naked choke to submit Bulgarian Lazar Todev (2-3-0).

Fighting on the preliminary card, Russian lightweight Zalimbeg Omarov (7-1-1) and Russian featherweight Azamat Zhantuduev (1-2-0) won a 3-round decisions over, respectively, Mikhail Syrbu (4-2-0), of Moldova, and his fellow countryman Bair Shtepin (3-1-0). Russian heavyweight Evgeni Myakinkin (14-5-0) forced Evgeni Guryanov (8-6-0) to submit with a triangle choke, and Russian featherweights Vadin “Bad Santa” Malygin (6-1-1) and Ibragim Navrusov (2-0-1) fought to a 3-round draw.

Complete results and picture gallery below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
ALEXANDER BUTENKO (41-11-2, M-1: 8-1-0), Ukraine
WDEC5
ARTIOM DAMKOVSKY (20-10-0, M-1: 10-7-0), Belarus
(Butenko wins vacant M-1 Challenge Challenge lightweight title)

FEATHERWEIGHTS
IVAN BUCHINGER (31-4-0, M-1: 6-0-0), Slovakia
WSUB1 (North-South choke)
MIKHAIL KOROBKOV (9-2-1, M-1: 0-2-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV (6-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Kazakhstan
WTKO1
MARCELO BRITO (13-8-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
TALEKH NADZHFADE (5-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Czech Republic
WDEC3
FELIPE NSUE (11-10-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Spain

HEAVYWEIGHTS
ZAUR GADZHIBABAYEV (5-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Czech Republic
WSUB2 (Rear Naked Choke)
LAZAR TODEV (2-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

PRELIMINARY CARD

LIGHTWEIGHTS
ZALIMBEG OMAROV (7-1-1, M-1: 4-0-1), Russia
WDEC3
MIKHAIL SYRBU (4-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Moldova

HEAVYWEIGHTS
EVGENI MYAKINKIN (14-5-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Triangle Choke)
EVGENI GURYANOV (8-6-0, M-1: 1-3-0), Ukraine

FEATHERWEIGHTS
AZAMAT ZHANTUDUEV (2-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
BAIR SHTEPIN (3-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

VADIM MALYGIN (6-1-1, M-1: 0-0-1), Russia
DRAW3
IBRAGIM NAVRUZOV (2-0-1, M-1: 0-0-1), Russia

Alexander Butenko and Artiom Damkovsky

Alexander Butenko and Artiom Damkovsky

Azamat Zhantuduev & Bair Shtepin

Etigat Adakishiev

Ivan Buchinger

Vadim Malygin & Ibragim Navrusov

Zaur Gadzhibabayev & Lazar Todev

Upcoming Event:June 16, M-1 Challenge 68, St. Petersburg, Russia

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MONTE CARLO, Monaco (June 3, 2016)- The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA), Pan American Division has appointed Chile to host the inaugural Pan American championship October 7-9 in Santiago, Chile.

“We chose Chile for political, economic and social stability,” said Tomas Yu, President of the WMMAA Pan-American Division. “In Latin American, context of things were not going very well, and our decision was to appoint Chile to organize it. We had a tremendous turnout and the WMMAA PANAM was more than well received.”

Yu recently made the official announcement of Chile being the newest WMMAA member, as well as host of the 2016 Pan-American Championship during his visit to Santiago this week.

Seven-time MMA champion Eric “The Tiger” Castaños, who accompanied Yu, was appointed Honorary President of the Chilean MMA Federation. “I have fought for this country,” Castaños remarked, “this country has fought for me”

“It is an honor and a challenge, both having been chosen as the host country and, of course, we will live up to such an important event like the Pan-Am Championships,” WMMAA Chile President Alberto Maturana commented.

WMMAA attorney and vice president of Chile, Christian Parra, also noted, “It is an honor to be able to form the first national MMA team in history of both the sport and Chile. There is no doubt that Chile will place among the best this year.”

In a recent survey, conducted by the auditing firm of Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu Limited (also called Deloitte), indicates that wrestling and martial arts are the fastest growing markets of sport, even beating more traditional sports like soccer.

Companies around the world have started to invest in MMA, rather than investing in traditional sports like soccer. In the last 12 months, the same study indicates that products and retail brands from other sectors related to MMA showed growth of more than 30-percent in sales.

Mixed Martial Arts today are the fastest growing sport in the world, widely shifting to boxing and generating more foreign exchange in the United States than classic sports like the National Basketball Association.

MMA is a strictly regulated sport that combines the most effective techniques of all traditional martial arts and sports of modern combat, including Karate, Boxing, Taekwondo, Capoeira, sanshou, WingChun, WingTsun, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Judo, Hapkido, Jujitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling Olympic, San Shou San Da, Jujutsu, shoot-fighting, Sambo and among hybrids are Miletick Fighting Systems combat systems, Russian Vale-tudo, Pit-fighting, Taeki-do, Kenpo, JeetKune do, Karate Gojuryu, and Kajukendo.

WMMAA is the future of MMA! Today it governs with a strict regulation that protects the integrity of the athlete, while ensuring public entertainment.

MMA is fought in a cage in which competitors must have proficiency in three combat disciplines, plus a very full fitness, a specifically balanced diet that allows them to absorb shock, cushion falls, defend Force , flexibility and agility are the essential physical qualities; And, perseverance, courage, a good heart, a lucid mind and spirituality foolproof.

WMMAA judges are highly qualified, internationally recognized and certified, according to WMMAA official regulations, and with an unbiased database of international officials.

Information

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https://www.facebook.com/WMMAA-665064310170463/
www.youtube.com/user/TheWMMAA
www.wmmaa-chile.com
-30-

MAIN EVENT – VACANT M-1 GLOBAL LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
ALEXANDER “Iron Capture” BUTENKO (40-11-2, M-1: 7-1-0), Ukraine 154 ½ lbs. (70.3 kg)
vs.
ARTIOM DAMKOVSKY (20-9-0, M-1: 10-6-0), Belarus 154 ½ lbs. (70.2 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
IVAN “Buki” BUCHINGER (30-4-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Slovakia 144 lbs. (65.6 kg)
vs.
MIKHAIL KOROBKOV (9-1-1, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV (5-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Kazakhstan 169 lbs. (76.8 kg)
vs.
MARCELO BRITO (13-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil 169 lbs. (76.8 kg)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
TALEKH NADZHFADE (4-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Czech Republic 184 lbs. (83.6 kg)
vs.
FELIPE “Biggi” NSUE (11-9-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Spain 182 lbs. (82.8 kg)

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
ZAUR GADZHIBABAYEV (4-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Czech Republic 256 ½ lbs. (116.5 kg)
vs.
LAZAR TODEV (2-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 223 lbs. (101.3 kg)

PRELIMINARY CARD

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
ZALIMBEG OMAROV (6-1-1, M-1: 3-0-1), Russia 140 ½ lbs. (63.9 kg)
vs.
MIKHAIL SYRBU (4-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Moldova, 139 lbs. (63.3 kg)

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
EVGENI MYAKINKIN (13-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia, 223 ½ lbs. (101.5 kg)
vs.
EVGENI GURYANOV (8-5-0, M-1: 1-2-0), Ukraine, 222 ½ lbs. (101.0 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
BAIR SHTEPIN (3-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia, 134 ½ lbs. (61.2 kg)
vs.
AZAMAT ZHANTUDUEV (1-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 134 lbs. lbs. (61.0 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
VADIM “Bad Santa” MALYGIN (6-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia, 134 ½ lbs. (61.0 kg)
vs.
IBRAGIM NAVRUZOV (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 134 lbs. (61.0 kg)

WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 2016

WHERE: Orenburg City, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

LIVE STREAM: www.m-1global.tv (11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT in USA)

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (June 1, 2016) – A sudden illness has forced Magomed Idrisov to withdraw from his scheduled M-1 Challenge featherweight title fight this Saturday (June 4) against defending champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger at M-1 Challenge 67: Battle in the Land of Fire at Baku, Azerbaijan.

(L-R) – Mikhail Korobkov and Ivan Buchinger

Mikhail Korobkov (9-1-1, M-1: 0-1-1), of Russia, is the late replacement for Idrisov but, due to Korobkov coming off of a loss in his last fight (decision to Timur Nagibin last Friday at M-1 Challenge 66), his fight versus Buchinger (30-4-0, M-1: 5-0-0) is a not for the title and it has been downgraded from main event to co-feature. Buchinger, fighting out of Slovakia, has won his last nine fights dating back four years.

The new main event matches Alexander “Iron Capture” Butenko (40-11-2, M-1: 7-1-0), of Ukraine, and Belarussian Artiom Damkovsky (20-9-0. M-1: 10-6-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight championship.

M-1 Challenge 67 will be streamed live from Azerbaijan 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.

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In a battle of previously undefeated bantamweights, Cody Grabrandt scored an explosive first round stoppage over Thomas Almeida at The Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Garbrandt landed a crunching right hand that crumpled Almeida to the canvas, Garbrandt landed two more shots while ALmeida was on the ground and the bout was stopped at 2:53.

Grabrandt, 135.5 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 9-0. ALmeida, 136 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 21-1.

Jeremy Stephens won a unanimous decision over former Bantamweight champion Renan Borao.

Borao was cut on the right side of his forehead in round two.

Stephens, 146 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is 25-12. Borao, 146 lbs of Rio di Jeneiro, BRA is 35-4-1.

Rick Story won a unanimous decision over Tarec Saffiedine in a welterweight bout.

Story, 171 lbs of Vancouver, WA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 19-8. Saffiedine, 170 lbs of Brussels, BEL is 16-5.

Chris Camozzi won a unanimous decision over Vitor Miranda in a middleweight bout.

Miranda was bleeding over his left eye in round two.

Camozzi, 186 lbs of Lakewood, CO won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 24-10. Miranda, 186 lbs of Rio di Jenairo, BRA is 13-5.

Lorenz Larkin won a split decision over Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight bout.

In round three, blood began to drip from the nostrils of Larkin.

Larkin, 171 lbs of Riverside, CA won two cards via 29-28 tallies. Masvidal, 170.5 lbs of Miami, FL won a card 29-28.

Larkin is 17-5-1. Masvidal is 29-11.

Paul Felder won a three round unanimous decision over Joshua Burkman in a lightweight bout.

Felder, 155 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 12-2. Burkman, 156 lbs of Draper, UT is now 28-13-1.

In round three, Burkman began to bleed from his nose.

Sara McMann won a three round unanimous decision over Jessica Eye in a Bantamweight bout.

McMann, 135.5 lbs of Gaffney, SC won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 9-3. Eye, 134.5 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 11-5-1.

Abel Trujillo won a 3-round unanimous decision over Jordan Rinaldi in a lightweight fight.

Rinaldi began to bleed under his left eye in round three.

Trujillo, 155.5 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 15-2. Rinaldi is 12-5.

Jake Collier came back to stop Alberto Uda in round two of their middleweight bout.

Early in round one, Collier had his nose broken when Uda landed a knee to the face. Collier was bleeding bad from his nose. In round two, Collier landed a knee that was followed by three punches that softened Uda up for a vicisous spinning back kick to the body and Uda fell to the canvas. Collier landed three more punches and the bout was stopped at 1:06 of round two.

Collier, 185.5 lbs of Cuba, MO is now 10-3. Uda, 185 lbs of Bluenman, BRA is 9-1.

Erik Koch made Shane Campbell tap out in round two of their lightweight bout.

Koch, 155.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI got the win with a rear-naked choke at 3:02 of round two and is now 15-4. Campbell, 156 lbs of Kelowina, BC, CAN is 12-5.

ORENBURG CITY, Russia (May 28, 2016) – Last night’s M-1 Challenge 66 event had its share of upsets, leading with a main event split decision victory by Rashid Yusopov over defending M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Viktor Nemkov, in Orenburg City, Russia.

Former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan “T-800” Puetz took a unanimous 3-round decision from Andrey Seledtsov in the co-feature.

Russian challenger Yusopov (7-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0) won a hard fought 5-round split decision over defending champion Nemkov (23-6-0, M-1: 14-5-0), fighting out of Russia by way of Kazakhstan, who was making his initial title defense.

Nemkov had captured the coveted M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title this past December, taking a 5-round decision from defending champion Puetz, who had won a 5-round split decision April, 2014 against Nemkov for the title. Nemkov is a two-time M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion having defeated Vasily Babich (WSUB3 – arm-lock) for the vacant title that he then lost in his first title defense to Puetz.

The 23-year-old Yusupov was riding a 4-fight win streak going into his fight with Nemkov. A former Russian, European and World Amateur MMA champion, Yusupov is known as a dangerous striker whose signature moves are powerful kicks.

Puetz vs. Seledtsov was billed as “Terminator” vs. “Spetsnev” and it lived up to its name as Puetz won a unanimous 3-round decision. Puetz, of Germany, had successfully defended his M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title twice, after beating Nemkov in their original championship match, against Luis Fernando Miranda (SUB2 – choke) August 15, 2014 at M-1 Challenge 50, and Valery Myasnikov (KO/TKO2 – punches) December 17, 2014 at M-1 Challenge 54. In a non-title fight this past May, Puetz stopped then-M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura in the third round due to a severely damaged broken nose.

Seledtsov, 28, is a former Spetsnev solider known for his powerful boxing, combat samba and MMA background. A local White-Rex promotion champion, the Russian was making his M-1 Global debut.

In other M-1 Challenge 66 fights, Damir Ismagulov (7-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0) stopped Georgian lightweight Raul Tutarauli (6-3-0, M-1: 3-1-1) near the end of the third round on punches, American bantamweight Josh “The Finisher” Rettinghouse (13-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0) made an impressive M-1 Global debut when the doctor stopped his fight against Belarussian Vadim Zhlobich (4-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0) in the opening round, Timur Nagibin (8-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) won a 3-round decision over fellow Russian countryman Mikhail Korobkov (9-1-1, M-1: 0-1-1), and Russian featherweight Movsar Evloev (3-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0) punched out Alexander Krupemkin (1-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), fighting out of Ukraine.

Complete results & photo gallery below:

MAIN CARD

M-1 CHALLENGE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
RASHID YUSOPOV (7-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0), Russia
WDEC5
VIKTOR NEMKOV (23-6-0, M-1: 14-5-0), Russia by way of Kazakhstan
(Yusopov M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
STEPHAN PUETZ (14-2-0, M-1: 5-1-0), Germany
WDEC3
ANDREY SELEDTSOV (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
DAMIR ISMAGULOV (7-2-0, M-1: 3-2-0), Russia by way of Kazakhstan
WKO/TKO3 (Punches – 3:49)
RAUL TUTARAULI (6-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Georgia

BANTWAMWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
JOSH RETTINGHOUSE (13-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0), United States
WKO/TKO1 (Doctor Stoppage – 3:10)
VADIM ZHLOBICH (4-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Belarus

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
TIMUR NAGIBIN (8-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
MIKHAIL KOROBKOV (9-1-1, M-1: 0-1-1), Russia

MOVSAR EVLOEV (3-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0)
WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 4:09)
ALEXANDER KRUPEMKIN (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Ukraine

Yusopov strikes Nemkov

(L-R) – Yusopov & Nemkov

(L-R) — Yusopov & Nemkov

(L-R) — Puetz & Seledtsov

Vadim Zhlobich fight vs. Josh Rettinghouse was stopped by the doctor due to these cuts

Nagibin & Korobkov

Upcoming Events:

June 4, 2016 – M-1 Challenge 67: Buchinger vs. Idrisov @ Baku, Azerbaijan.

June 16, 2016 – M-1 Challenge 68: Shlemenko vs. Vasilevsky @ St. Petersburg, Russia

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