Archive for February, 2008

This spring, millions of Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) fans will see a new heavyweight take the center of the Octagon(TM). Today Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) and UFC(R) announced that Bud Light, the world’s best-selling beer, will become the new exclusive beer sponsor for the UFC.

Bud Light’s three-year deal with Zuffa, LLC, owner of the UFC brand, makes the American-style light lager with superior drinkability the exclusive beer sponsor of the UFC — the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Read the rest of this entry »

Fellow New Englanders and rising stars in the UFC® lightweight division, The Ultimate Fighter® alumni Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian and Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon will meet each other where the Ultimate Fighting Championship® all began, and headline the first UFC fight in the state of Colorado in thirteen years live on Spike TV Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00 PM. The televised fight-card has been expanded to three hours for the first time in three years for a “UFC Fight Night” on Spike TV because of the number of prominent fighters scheduled. Read the rest of this entry »

The CBS Television Network and ProElite, Inc., a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, today jointly announced a multi-year agreement that will bring one of the fastest growing spectator sports to a major broadcast television network for the first time.

CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite’s EliteXC fight division, as two-hour live primetime specials targeted for Saturday nights. Read the rest of this entry »

Video interview of 5 fighters giving their predictions for this weekend’s Silva vs. Henderson fight. The fighters are Randy Couture, Denis Kang, David Loiseau, Rogerio Nogueira, Thomas Schulte and Announcer Mauro Ranallo. Video courtesy of www.mmaringreport.com

HDNet Fights announced today that it is teaming with the Xtreme Fighting League for the upcoming “HDNet Fights Presents: Xtreme Fighting League” on March 15 at the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event will air live, exclusively on HDNet. This announcement is the latest is a series of new partnerships formed between HDNet Fights and many mixed martial arts organizations around the country and in Canada. Read the rest of this entry »

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. and Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced a multi-year extension of their closed circuit television/pay per view agreement. The deal maintains Joe Hand Promotions as the exclusive commercial distributor in the United States for the UFC, the premiere brand in the sport of mixed martial arts, through 2009.

“The team at Joe Hand Promotions understands Closed Circuit TV better than anyone else in the business,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Their experience in the closed-circuit industry and their knowledge of the UFC brand has helped grow UFC into the country’s leading pay-per-view provider. I look forward to working with them in coming years and to continuing our success in closed-circuit TV.” Read the rest of this entry »

TACOMA, WA.—With a live audience of 7,089 at Tacoma Dome on Saturday, February 23rd, “Strikeforce At The Dome” surpassed the dollar amount grossed by any boxing, mixed martial arts, or kickboxing gate in Washington State history.

“It’s an honor that the people in the Tacoma and Seattle area welcomed us with such open arms our first time there,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “The public’s embracement of the event is evidence of its hunger to see a big mixed martial arts fight card live as well as its true understanding of the sport.” Read the rest of this entry »

– The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced that UFC® Fight Night™ – the event marking UFC’s long-awaited return to Colorado, the state where UFC debuted more than 15 years ago – is officially sold out. The UFC and Spike TV also announced the April 2 card will expand to three hours, the first time in three years for a UFC Fight Night, because of the stacked card and lineup of prominent fighters I knew that bringing the UFC back to the state of Colorado would be big,” said Dana White, UFC President. “But thanks to our fight fans in Broomfield and Denver and all across Colorado, this is going to be one of our best UFC Fight Night events ever. Not only is it going to air as a three-hour special on Spike TV, it will also be a house packed with UFC fans ready for great fights. I’m looking forward to April 2, and can’t wait to bring this great fight card to Mile High City.” Read the rest of this entry »

The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) and leading social media network imeem today announced a video sharing partnership that will give imeem’s growing global community of 23 million users the opportunity to view and interact with media from IFL’s action-packed fighting league at www.ifl.imeem.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced Yahoo! will be the new online distributor for UFC live Pay-Per-View (PPV) events, via Yahoo! Sports. Fans can view the next UFC event, UFC 82: PRIDE OF A CHAMPION, on March 1, 2008 at http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/ufcppv/82.

“This relationship with Yahoo! is an important step for the UFC to build its global distribution platform for live pay-per-view events,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We are looking forward to working with Yahoo! Sports to expand our reach and bring the sport of mixed martial arts to fight fans in every corner of the world in every possible language.” Read the rest of this entry »

FightZone TV is once again proud to announce another partnering with one of Tampa Bay’s Pioneer MMA Promoters – Real Fighting Championships (RFC).

Past televised events and featured articles in FightZone Magazine have been instrumental in highlighting the talents of many RFC fighters who have gone on to national prominence such as Alan “Monstah Lobstah” Berube (TUF 5), Matt Arroyo (TUF 6), Chris Baten (IFL), Edson Berto (Elite XC), Yosmany Cabezas (Elite XC) and Liz Posener (Bodog) to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »

All Photos by Tom Casino/EliteXC: Surfs up, beach boy, and tanks for the memories. Before a sellout crowd of 6,187 that produced the single largest gate in the history of the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami, Kimbo Slice registered a spectacular 43-second, first-round knockout over David “Tank” Abbott Saturday on SHOWTIME.

The exciting event, which was presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, aired on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It will be replayed a few times in the next several days, including Wednesday on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (full replay schedule below). Read the rest of this entry »

Photos: TOM CASINO/EliteXC

Kimbo Slice (left), EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw, and Tank Abbott pose after Friday’s weigh-in at the Holiday Inn at Coral Gables, Fla. Kimbo takes on Tank in EliteXC’s eagerly anticipated main event Saturday at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami. Tickets for a spectacular 11-bout event start at $35 and are available at Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. The first fight is 7:30. Read the rest of this entry »

In what will be a thrilling and entertaining heavyweight fight for as long as it lasts, the incredibly popular Pride of Perrine, Fla., Kimbo Slice (1-0), will face hard-hitting Mixed Martial Arts icon, David “Tank’’ Abbott (9-13), of Huntington Beach, Calif., in a must-see showdown this Saturday, Feb. 16, at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

Tickets for a spectacular 11-bout event, presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, start at $35 and are available at Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. The first fight is 7:30. Read the rest of this entry »

Photos: TOM CASINO/EliteXC

Tank Abbott works out at the Paradise Gym in Coral Gables, Fla., Wednesday night as he winds down preparation for his gigantic, long-awaited, must-see fight against Kimbo Slice Saturday at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

Tickets for a spectacular 11-bout event, presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, start at $35 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET; the first fight is 7:30. Read the rest of this entry »