Archive for June, 2007

NEW YORK, June 28, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one professional mixed martial arts league, goes inside the matchup between the Chicago Red Bears and the defending IFL Champion Quad Cities Silverbacks, in the next episode of “IFL Battleground” on Monday, July 2, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT). “IFL Battleground” airs every Monday night, with a replay on Saturday, on MyNetworkTV. Read the rest of this entry »

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Fight fans around the world watched Randy “The Natural” Couture as he dominated Tim Sylvia for five straight rounds to become the only man ever to win the UFC® World Heavyweight title three times. Seven weeks later, millions watched in awe as Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga landed a devastating knockout over Mirko “Cro Cop”, one of the most skilled and feared heavyweights in the world. Having earned the respect of sports fans everywhere, both Couture and Gonzaga – the two best heavyweights in the UFC – will now face each other in one of the most anticipated title fights in history. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization presents UFC 74: RESPECT featuring the championship main event
Couture vs. Gonzaga and the special feature Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck, live from Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday, August 25. Read the rest of this entry »

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Ultimate Fighting Championship® President Dana White today announced that Croatian superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” will return to the Octagon™ in September and take on France’s Cheick Kongo in a featured heavyweight bout at UFC 75 in London’s new O2 Arena. White delivered the UFC 75 announcement today live from Las Vegas via satellite on ESPN’s The Hot List and discussed the upcoming bout with host Scott Reiss. Read the rest of this entry »

SANTA ANA, California (June 25, 2007) – Former porn star Aaron Brink is caught between a rock and a hard place, MMA fighting-wise, so he’s focused on winning New Era Fighting’s (NEF) “World’s Toughest Man” contest, already a global affair with registrants coming from all over the world, and ultimately beating his good friend Kimo Leopoldo for an unprecedented $1,000,000 winner-take-all purse. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK, June 20, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one professional mixed martial arts league, goes inside the bout between the Southern California Condors and San Jose Razorclaws, in the next episode of “IFL Battleground” on Monday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT). The bout was held in the wake of the tragic death of the Condors’ Jeremy Williams; the episode features an extended tribute to the star middleweight. “IFL Battleground” airs every Monday night on MyNetworkTV. Read the rest of this entry »

KIMBO: I expected to get to whatever level I could have gotten to. The fact that I got into this fight is all good. I will fight anybody. I don’t care how good he is and I can’t care who he has fought or how good he thinks he is. I’ll fight anybody. If I have to fight someone on a professional level, like this cat, I will tell my managers and my people to get me the right trainers and I’ll fight anybody on any level.

You don’t need to train for a street fight – it’s a street fight. Anything goes. Now that I have to fight on this level, you’re damn fight I am going to train. I have been training my ass off to get in there and fight that cat on that level.

MERCER: I’ve been doing Ju Jitzu and training. I’ve been doing both. I am prepared to fight for anything. Kimbo says this is a street fight – anything goes. It’s not like I haven’t fought a street fight. I’ve fought in the streets before. I have fought in the ring professional so I am ready for this fight. We worked with a lot of people to get prepared for this fight. Boxing is my thing and I will use that in this street fight. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK, June 18, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league announced it will move its 2007 World Team Finals from The Forum in Los Angeles to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. It will mark the IFL’s first-ever event in the state of Florida, and will take place in Hard Rock, on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2007) — Murilo “Ninja” Rua will not be fighting on the highly anticipated “Shamrock vs. Baroni” Friday, June 22 cage fight card extravaganza from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

“Ninja,” who was scheduled to fight Joey “Dream Smasher” Villasenor for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title as part of the Strikeforce-EliteXC cage fight card that will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME® PPV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), did not pass the physical. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK, June 14, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and Alfred Haber Distribution (AHDI) today announced the first two international television partners who will air IFL programming, including “IFL Battleground” and “IFL Fight Night.” The first two international partners are CanWest Global in Canada, who will distribute the shows on their Global X-Treme Sports Channel and MBC, the leading free-to-air Pan-Arab news and entertainment channel in the Middle East and parts of Africa.

“These announcements are further proof that our brand and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts are gaining further traction not just in the United States but around the world,” said Gareb Shamus, IFL Co-founder and CEO. “Alfred Haber has been a great partner for us and we are looking forward to another series of announcements as the product and the brand grows even more internationally in the near future.” Read the rest of this entry »

(LOS ANGELES) June 11, 2007 – Exclusive access, never-before-seen footage and explosive rivalries all define “Countdown To Shamrock vs. Baroni,” a 30-minute magazine show set to premier on SHOWTIME on Tuesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. “Countdown” explores the highly anticipated world championship mixed martial arts showdown between former UFC middleweight king, Frank Shamrock, and UFC and Pride Fighting Championship veteran, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni. (For complete schedule of airings go to www.sho.com/schedule)

The 14-match mega fight card will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, June 22, and will feature Shamrock vs. Baroni in the main event with up to five other matches airing live on SHOWTIME® PPV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). As many as five undercard bouts will be streamed live at ProElite.com while a few bouts will be reserved for those in attendance at the “Shark Tank.” Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK, June 11, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, today announced a multi-year strategic partnership and licensing agreement with The Topps Company, one of the most storied brands in sports collectibles. The partnership will include the first-ever line of cards featuring IFL coaches and athletes, and will capture the league’s action and personalities in a collectible, consumer friendly, and high-quality format. Read the rest of this entry »

SANTA ANA, California (June 10, 2007) – Boxing promoter Sterling McPherson (Sterling Promotions) is in the corner of New Era Fighting, the hot mixed martial arts group that combines the brutality of UFC and the WWE’s entertaining storylines. The Las Vegas-based McPherson, who won 28 of 32 pro fights as a lightweight-junior welterweight from 1979-1987, has been a boxing promoter for the past five years. He has had a hand in promoting world champions and title contenders such as Mike Tyson, including his exhibition match last year in Ohio, Frans Botha, Henry Akinwande, Michael Dokes, Robert Garcia, and Lonnie Smith. Sterling also was the International Boxing Federation’s Manager of the Year two times. Read the rest of this entry »

LAS VEGAS, June 10, 2007 – Three athletes from the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, competed over the weekend at the USA Wrestling Team Trials, vying for spots in the Wrestling World Games in Ankara, Turkey, in September. Portland Wolfpack middleweight Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) and New York Pitbulls heavyweight Bryan Vetell (New York) both earned spots on the first-ever USA Grappling Team which will represent the USA by reaching the finals of their respective weight classes before falling, while Wolfpack assistant coach and former IFL athlete Dennis Hallman (Yelm, Wash.) advanced to the semifinals. Read the rest of this entry »

Photos: Daisy Rosas/For Strikeforce

MMA legend and former UFC middleweight champion Frank Shamrock and foul-mouthed, trash-talking, knockout-artist Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni clash for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight (185-pound) championship in the main event of a spectacular MMA cage fight card on Friday, June 22, at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, Calif.

If Baroni can fight 1/64th as tough as he talks, Shamrock could be in for a long night.

In a second world title fight on a Strikeforce-EliteXC cage fight card that will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME® PPV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), Joey “Dream Smasher” Villasenor and Murilo “Ninja” Rua will clash for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title.

Tickets to “Shamrock vs. Baroni” are on sale at the HP Pavilion box office, at Ticketmaster Ticket Centers and online at www.ticketmaster.com. One can charge by phone by calling (408) 998-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK, June 7, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, will have three athletes competing this weekend at the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, with the winners going on to the Wrestling World Games in Antalya, Turkey in September. The trio, New York Pitbulls heavyweight Bryan Vetell (Hempstead, N.Y.), Portland Wolfpack middleweight Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) and Wolfpack assistant coach Dennis Hallman (Yelm, Wash.), all won qualifying events to reach this weekend’s competition. Read the rest of this entry »