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Shine Fights - Mayorga vs. Thomas

Shine Fights has been making waves over the last several months signing a number of top fighters to contracts, and after months of speculation they've announced their next event set for May 15 in Fayetteville, NC with former UFC fighter, Din Thomas, leading the way against boxing legend, Ricardo Mayorga, making his MMA debut.

Mayorga was announced as a fighter on the Shine Fights roster some months ago, and the bout with Thomas was expected, but now they have a date and a venue to settle the score.

A former WBA and WBC champion, Mayorga holds wins over some of the top boxers in the sport including Fernando Vargas and the late Vernon Forrest. Now moving into the world of MMA, Mayorga is hopeful to have the same kind of success.

"I conquered the world in the boxing ring all the while I was puffing cigarettes and
drinking beer, “ Mayorga said in a press release. “I won three world title belts, and I stood toe to toe with so many legends, beating some of them. Vernon Forrest, God rest his soul, was a great boxer yet I beat him back twice. I cannot be denied as I am a force of nature. Now I will shock the MMA fans and I know so many of my fans from boxing will follow me as I expand my repertoire.

"They can't deny me in MMA and I will destroy Din Thomas. I am going to smash him the way I smashed all the big superstars of boxing. To me, a fight is a fight in a ring, in a cage or on the street. Fighting is my middle name."

For his part, American Top Team fighter Din Thomas is more than happy to welcome Mayorga to the world of MMA, and then send him packing just as quickly.

"I respect what Ricardo has done in boxing. He fooled many opponents with that smoking and drinking shtick but he won't fool me," Thomas stated. "I train night and day and I know he works hard also. But I will send him back to boxing, crawling back to boxing. He is about to get a violent education about the skills he needs for MMA and they are skills that an old dog like Mayorga cannot learn. I will be taking this cat to school, trust me."

The Shine Fights card will be available on pay-per-view for a cost of $29.95, and will feature several other bouts including fighters like Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Nick Thompson, and Niko Vitale.

Tickets for the event are on sale now through Ticketmaster and the promotion will be announcing more fights for the May card in the coming weeks.

Shine Fights is excited to announce the official signing of a bout between former Bodog Welterweight Champion Nick “The Goat” Thompson (38-12-1) and Brazilian veteran Eduardo Pamplona (12-2).

The bout will take place on the main card at “Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas,” which will be held at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on May 15, 2010. “Worlds Collide” will be broadcast live on Pay Per View.

Known as two of the most exciting welterweights in the world, both fighters will be making their debut with Shine Fights, and each fighter is looking to secure a place in the title picture with a victory.

Thompson, one of the most respected fighters in the sport, has fought all over the world, including in organizations such as the UFC, Bodog, Sengoku, EliteXC, and Strikeforce. Having compiled an impressive 22-2 record as a welterweight from 2005-2009, including victories over UFC veterans Josh Neer, Keith Wisnewski, Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Paul Daley, current Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, and Cage Rage veteran Mark Weir, Thompson found it difficult to find challengers at welterweight and was forced to make the move to middleweight to face a tough opponent in Tim Kennedy in Strikeforce. Thompson lost that fight and immediately sought out an opportunity to fight at welterweight for an organization on the rise. His willingness to fight and an attractive offer from a growing promotion like Shine made Thompson aware that it was time to sign on the dotted line: “I couldn’t get a fight. It was really frustrating,” Thompson said in January when agreeing with Shine.

Now with an opponent in hand and a fight on the horizon, the 28-year-old has moved on to his next goal: Shine Fights gold.

“I am happy to be with Shine and I look forward to earning the first shot at their welterweight title,” said the former three-time Bodog champion. “Eduardo is a tough and exciting fighter,” Thompson said about his upcoming opponent. “He is the kind of fighter you like to fight because there will be fireworks…while he has not had a loss in the last three years, I am confident that I am the better fighter and will stand victorious when the night is over.”

One of the top welterweights in Brazil, Pamplona is now on a mission to prove that he is also one of the best 170-pound fighters in the world. Already a veteran of organizations like Pancrase, Shooto, the IFL, and M-1 Challenge, Pamplona will now bring his aggressive striking and world-class ground game to Shine Fights. Having earned victories over MMA legends Jorge “Macaco” Patino, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, and fellow Shine signee Daniel Acacio, Pamplona made his U.S. debut in 2007 at “IFL: Atlanta” in an exciting three round war with former EliteXC champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. Pamplona lost a hotly contested bout that night, but the 34-year-old has reeled off seven straight victories since, bringing his record to 12-2 overall.

“This fight with Thompson is a big fight for me,” Pamplona said. “He has many great victories on his record, and I believe it will be a great fight between us. I believe this fight will have a lot of movement. We both like to stand up and exchange. I believe we will stay on our feet.”

“I’m excited to see these two tough fighters slug it out inside the Shine cage,” Shine Fights matchmaker Ron Foster said. “The winner will definitely be at the top of the list when I look for guys to put in a title fight.”

Braulio Estima, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, will face off with the undefeated Rick Hawn (4-0), a decorated Judo practitioner, at Shine Fights “Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas”.

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2010/03/24/ ... vs-thomas/

Shine Fight Promotions (Shine Fights) today announced the official signing of the penultimate bout for its upcoming "WORLDS COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS. THOMAS" pay-per-view event, as former PRIDE/EliteXC fighter Travis "The Gladiator" Galbraith replaces the injured Falaniko "Niko" Vitale to take on PRIDE veteran and former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua at a catchweight of 190 pounds. One more bout will be announced for the PPV-broadcast card

Both long-time veterans of the sport, this fight is as an intriguing bout between two very well-rounded fighters in the game. Rua (18-10-1) was a PRIDE mainstay, fighting in Japan 's premier MMA organization a total of 13 times, and his brother is UFC light heavyweight contender Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Galbraith (17-7) is one of the biggest names in Canadian MMA, and is a seven-time King of the Cage veteran, winning the King of the Cage Canadian Middleweight Championship in 2009.

"I was looking forward to fighting Niko Vitale, and have been training since New Year's Eve to fight him. It was sad that he got injured, but that's how life goes. As a fighter you have to be prepared to overcome those things and step up to the challenges," said Ninja.

"Everybody knows I fight anyone and I love fighting. Just looking back at my career you'll see the names I have fought, in three different weight classes, and realize I'm not the type of fighter that runs from fights or fears challenges. It's just ridiculous that people would take advantage of the injury of an opponent to talk shit and try to force their way into a big show on PPV like Shine Fights.

My career is nowadays in the hands of my manager, and he tells me who I have to fight and I just go and do it. This is called professionalism, and some people should learn to act like professionals.

"I'm very happy to be fighting Travis. I think he is an experienced, well-rounded fighter who will look at this fight as a great opportunity, and will do his best to turn this fight into a war. I'm excited about this fight, and I have been training hard since early January, doing a lot of jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and wrestling, so I think our fight can turn into Fight of the Night this coming May 15th," he concluded.

Born and raised in Curitiba , Brazil , Rua is the brother of UFC light heavyweight contender Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Ninja began his career in his home country, running off four straight stoppage wins. His impressive beginning to his career earned him a call from Japan , and he soon began to make a name for himself as an athlete that finishes fights.

After his time in PRIDE, Ninja moved to England 's Cage Rage promotion, before making his way to the United States . Since then, he has competed in both EliteXC and StrikeForce, while still making appearances in Japan , England , and his native Brazil .

Over the course of his nine year career, he has faced many of the top fighters in MMA, including PRIDE/UFC veteran Akihiro Gono, former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson, former PRIDE contenders Sergei Kharitonov and Ricardo Arona, StrikeForce fighters Benji Radach and Kevin Randleman, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Fihlo, UFC fighter Denis Kang, Japanese fighter Riki Fukuda, and the aforementioned Lawler.

Ninja has defeated notables such as Mario Sperry, Alex Stiebling, Mark Weir, Xavier Foupa- Pokam, and Joey Villasenor, who he beat for the EliteXC Welterweight Championship belt. 16 of his 18 wins have come either KO/TKO or submission, and he always puts on a show for the fans, win or lose. And Ninja expects to continue to show that in his fight with Galbraith: "I'll try to impose my game and come out with a great win, so I can start off [my career with] Shine Fights in the right way. I'll always try to give great performances, making it for great spectacles for my fans and if God helps, try to win a belt, which will certainly be another great dream for me."

What separates him from his opponent? "My pace, my cardio and my will to enter the cage and look for the win all the time!"

And Ninja has a message for the fans: "I would like to first of all thank all the fans, and tell them that I'll be there [at WORLD's COLLIDE], with a great appetite to seek the win for me and my family. I'll be even more motivated cause I'm going to be a father for the second time, so I need this win badly! If God helps me, this will be a great gift for me and my family. Finally, I want to thank Shine Fights for the effort of promoting our sport and giving me this chance of being part of it!

A native of Prince George , British Columbia , the 28-year-old Galbraith has made his name in MMA as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, and he is currently a BJJ brown belt under noted trainer Rodrigo Munduruca. But "The Gladiator" has also shown an impressive knockout power in both hands, thus making him one of the more dangerous fighters in the middleweight division.

The Canadian has faced some of the best that the sport has to offer, including current UFC Welterweight Champion and top pound-for-pound fighter Georges St. Pierre , current UFC fighter Jonathan Goulet, UFC veteran Joe Doerksen, PRIDE veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura, Strikeforce fighter Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, and Cage Rage veteran/MFC fighter Tom "Kong" Watson.

The talented member of Edmonton , Alberta 's Triple Threat MMA has also earned impressive victories over UFC veteran David Heath, top-ranked Canadian light heavyweight Martin Desilets, and King of the Cage veterans Nick Hinchliffe (twice) and Craig Brown.

"The Gladiator" has also made appearances in PRIDE Fighting Championships, the now-defunct Elite XC, and is a five-time veteran of Canada 's Maximum Fighting Championships, going 4-1 in that organization. Having stopped opponents in 15 of his 17 career victories (10 submissions, 5 knockouts), Galbraith is currently ranked as the No. 5 light heavyweight fighter in Canada by TopMMANews.com. Galbraith has won four of six bouts dating to the start of 2008, stopping all but one foe.

This bout joins the previously announced 160-pound catchweight main event between former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga and MMA veteran Din Thomas as well as a welterweight contest between MMA veteran Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Brazilian star Eduardo Pamplona on the May 15th card.

A surefire ground war is set to take place at 175 pounds between 2009 ADCC Absolute Champion Braulio Estima and former Olympic Judo competitor Rick Hawn. A 205-pound grappler's dream will also take place between Brazilian star Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira and IFL veteran and BJJ black belt Jamal "The Suit" Patterson to round out the PPV-broadcast main card.

"WORLDS COLLIDE" is taking place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville , NC , and will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada . The event will be broadcasted in High-Definition, and it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available). The broadcast will start at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT and will be produced by MultiVision Media, Inc.

There will be a 30-minute countdown show prior to the live event at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT. The event will be available for $29.95. Tickets may be obtained by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420, or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Crown Coliseum Box Office. For box office hours and more info, please call (910) 438-4100.

Nice Karate Chop.........................

Shine Fight Promotions (Shine Fights) today announced an exciting undercard matchup to the already stacked "WORLDS COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS. THOMAS" pay-per-view fight card, as PRIDE veteran Luciano Azevedo will tangle with rising young star Zac George. This exciting bout will complement the other highly-anticipated bouts that are already a part of "WORLDS COLLIDE."

Luciano Azevedo (16-8) is known for being the only MMA fighter to defeat dominant WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, who successfully defended his belt this past weekend. Over the course of his seven-year professional career, the veteran Azevedo has fought all over the world, making a name for himself due to his unrelenting determination and his obvious love for fighting.

A well-rounded fighter, much of Azevedo's success has come due to his dominant ground game; twelve of his sixteen wins have come by way of submission. Regardless of whether his fights go to the ground or not, one thing fans are guaranteed when they watch Azevedo fight is fireworks, as he leaves it all in the ring each time he goes to battle.

"An MMA fight to me is just like an action movie without being edited," said Azeredo recently. "I want to show everybody that MMA is not a street fight; it's an art. My performances are never boring, so I think I have a lot to show the fans."

Standing across the ring from Azevedo on May 15th will be Zac George (19-3 with 16 finishes). George is a seasoned striker with a strong ground game. Throughout his young career, he has demonstrated time and time again that he is capable of ending his fights with his relentless striking and his explosive submissions.

Currently riding a six-fight winning streak, the Team Quest product is excited about the opportunity to face a world class fighter like Azevedo. "He's probably the best fighter I've faced so far. I've fought a lot of guys with skills, but they lacked a well-known name. With Azevedo, he's got both. He's legit, and I'm excited to have such an awesome opportunity." A victory over the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Azevedo could propel him towards a possible title fight in the near future.

In addition to the Azevedo-George bout, Shine Fight also announced a substitution to another recently revealed bout. News of a scrap between Luiz "The Joker" Azeredo and Junior Assuncao was released last week. Unfortunately, Assuncao suffered an injury, and has had to be replaced.

Now fighting Azeredo will be well-known MMA star Charles "Kid Khaos" Bennett (22-16-2). Bennett is a longtime-veteran of MMA who has fought some of the biggest names in the sport, including current StrikeForce fighter K.J. Noons, Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri, former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi and former WEC featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber.

A colorful character that has made a name for himself for both his exciting fights and unorthodox lifestyle, "Kid Khaos" is also known for his claims that ground fighting "is like making love...it's not real fighting." Suffice to say he will bring a very different approach to Azeredo than Assuncao would have. About the fight, Bennett says, "I win, he lose. I'm training, so we'll see what training is doing. I was winning without training, so we'll see what I can do now."

Luiz "The Joker" Azeredo stands as one of only four men to defeat the current pound-for-pound king and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Following his professional debut in 1997, Azeredo has stepped up the competition one fight after another, continuing to put on acclaimed performances each time he steps into the ring.

"The Joker" holds an impressive win over the UFC's Paul Daley, a victory which ranks as one of his crowning achievements. He is also known to fight fans for participating in one of the most memorable PRIDE bouts in history alongside fellow Shine fighter Luiz Firmino.

These two bouts join the previously announced 160-pound catchweight main event between former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga and MMA veteran Din Thomas, as well as a co-main event bout between Murilo "Ninja" Rua and Canadian warrior Travis "The Gladiator" Galbraith.

In addition, a welterweight contest between MMA veteran Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Brazilian star Eduardo Pamplona will entertain Shine fans. Also, a surefire ground war is set to take place at 175 pounds between 2009 ADCC Absolute Champion Braulio Estima and former Olympic Judo competitor Rick Hawn, and grappling specialists Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferrara and Jamal "The Suit" Patterson will also do battle.

"WORLDS COLLIDE" is taking place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville , NC , and will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada . The event will be broadcasted in High-Definition, and it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available).

The broadcast will start at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT and will be produced by MultiVision Media, Inc. There will be a 30-minute countdown show prior to the live event at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT. The event will be available for $29.95. Tickets may be obtained by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420, or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Crown Coliseum Box Office. For box office hours and more info, please call (910) 438-4100.