IFL Kicks off 2K7 Expanded TV schedule Friday on FSN
NEW YORK, February 21, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and television partner Fox Sports Net will begin its 2007 Friday night schedule this Friday, February 23, with the season-opening matchup from Oakland, Calif., between the Tiger Sharks, coached by MMA and kickboxing world champion Maurice Smith and based in Seattle, and the Condors, led by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA champion Marco Ruas and based in Southern California. It will be the first of 22 one-hour shows to be seen on FSN.
Start time for the show is 11 p.m. in most markets. The February FSN schedule, with dates and times on each Regional FSN network, can be seen at http://www.ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html. Viewers can also check their local schedule at http://msn.foxsports.com/tv/schedule.
The 22 hours of original programming scheduled on FSN this year represents nearly 70% more than the 13 hours shown in 2006, when the network aired three hours of coverage of the IFL Legends Championship in May and June and followed up with 10 hours of IFL World Team Championship action, September through December.
The FSN coverage is in addition to the 22, two-hour episodes of “International Fight League Battleground,” to be seen on over-the-air MyNetworkTV nationwide beginning on March 12.
In all, 66 hours of original IFL programming is scheduled to run on the two networks, which together reach more than 95% of U.S. television households.
The schedule of matchups on each FSN debut date is as follows through April:
February 23, Condors vs. Tiger Sharks (contested in Oakland, Calif., Jan. 19)
March 2, Lions vs. Razorclaws (Oakland, Jan. 19)
March 9, Scorpions vs. Sabres (Houston, Feb. 2)
March 16, Anacondas vs. Silverbacks (Houston, Feb. 2)
March 23, Dragons vs. Wolfpack (Atlanta, Feb. 23)
March 30, Pitbulls vs. Red Bears (Atlanta, Feb. 23)
April 6, Condors vs. Sabres (Los Angeles, March 17)
April 13, Wolfpack vs. Pitbulls (Uncasville, Conn., April 13 same day show)
April 20, Anacondas vs. Razorclaws (Los Angeles, March 17)
April 27, Dragons vs. Scorpions (Uncasville, April 13 show)
Each of the nine regular season IFL events will consist of four teams - each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing - along with a special Superfight, for a minimum of 11 bouts per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.
Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 15.
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Posted February 22nd, 2007 l 105 views
