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M-1 Selection 2010 - Americas Finals Middleweight Contender Collision: Luigi Fioravanti Faces Woody Weatherby


The M-1 Selection tournament finals take place Saturday, September 18th, 2010 at Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey and the evening’s fights feature tournament returnees and newcomers to the M-1 ring; Fioravanti rounds out a full card as he squares off against Weatherby for positioning on the M-1 Global middleweight contender ladder.

“The American Selections tournament has uncovered great talent and the Finals is going to be an amazing night of fights,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations for M-1Global. “The undercard plays a huge role in mapping out our return to Atlantic City in December for the Challenge event. 2011 is shaping up to be a highly successful year for M-1Global.”

The Final round bouts feature rising American stars who are one victory away from being crowned the M-1 Selection champion in their respective weight classes.



Tournament Finalists and undercard matchups include:

Jose Figueroa and George Sheppard Lightweight Division

Tom Gallicchio and Len Bentley Welterweight Division

Tyson Jeffries and Mike Geurin Middleweight Division

Byron Byrd and Daniel Vizcaya Light Heavyweight Division

Kenny Garner and Pat Bennett Heavyweight Division

Shane Primm and Bristol Marunde Middleweight Division

Josh Bacallao and Josh Thorpe Lightweight Division

Aaron Meisner and Jose Rodriguez Welterweight Division

Luigi Fioravanti and Woody Weatherby Middlewight Division

The M-1 Selection 2010 - Americas Finals match-ups go down Saturday, September 18th and the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Champions will be crowned.

The “M-1 Selection” is the world’s premiere MMA competition where the next generation of superstars are given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage with fighters being eliminated after only one loss; victory will advance the winning fighters throughout the tournament and earn them a trip to the championship event where they will compete for the coveted “M-1 Selection” title.

The “M-1 Selection” tournament is broken down into global regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Americas with each region hosting three rounds and a final of the ““M-1 Selection” tournament. The winning fighter in each weight class will gain the opportunity to fight on the larger international stage.

The tournament features some of the best up-and-coming fighters from each region as they begin the journey towards a tournament victory.

How to see the fights:

The Finals of the M-1 Selection tournament will take place live on September 18 at the coveted Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tickets are priced from $35.00-$125.00 and are available to purchase through http://www.TicketMaster.com.

Doors open at 7.00 pm, first fight at 7:30 PM/ET.

Free broadcast coverage of the entire 2010 M-1 Selection tournament will be available at a later date to viewers worldwide on http://www.M-1global.com and selected affiliate partner sites.

Go to http://www.M-1Global.com for additional information.

M-1 Selection: Americas Finals Preview “The Welterweights”


In our continuing look at the individual fights that make up the M-1 Selection: Americas Finals, we will now dissect the welterweights. Many pundits are of the opinion that the fight between Tom “Da Tank” Gallicchio and Len “The Liger” Bentley is an odds on favorite for “Fight of the Night.”

Gallicchio, a New Jersey native, has been a part of two stellar battles leading up to this point. In the quarterfinals, he won a hard fought split decision win over Reggie Pena, and the semi finals were not any easier as Gallicchio defeated highly touted prospect Aaron Meisner by rear naked choke in the final frame.

Gallicchio is a dangerous fight for anyone; he’s a well rounded fighter who is never out of a fight. As he displayed against Meisner, “Da Tank” is simply double tough and brings a 14-5 professional record into this tournament championship fight.

Len Bentley (9-3) enters the finals on the heels of a very impressive performance against Colin Schrader in the semi finals. Bentley, who took the fight on short notice as a late replacement, floored Schrader in the second round of their contest. Observers at the event remarked that it was easily one of the more brutal knockouts of the entire tournament.

Bentley is a confident fighter who knows what he wants and how to get it. His team at Victory Athletics has been training intensely with the welterweight and we look to see Len Bentley at his best on September 18.

The new cliché is to say styles make fights, in the case of Bentley and Gallicchio it may be a case of who wants it more. Both men are well rounded and experienced. The areas that stand out would be Bentley’s brutal left hand, and Gallicchio’s ‘never say die’ approach to winning fights.

This fight on paper shows the potential to be a pivotal moment in both men’s careers.

M-1 Selection: Americas Finals Preview “The Middleweights”

The M-1 Selection: Americas tournament middleweight division has been the source of some of the most memorable moments of the competition. This is a trend that is sure to continue as Tyson Jeffries out of Team Quest faces Mike Geurin of Team Bombsquad.

Entering the finals, its been a long and sometimes pain filled road for Tyson Jeffries. The Team Quest middleweight won his quarterfinal fight over Mike Johnson when an eye injury halted the bout. In the semi finals, Jeffries found himself of the wrong end of multiple kicks to the groin from talented striker Plinio Cruz. Showing a grit and determination seldom found, Jeffries worked through the pain to capture the victory and a berth in the finals.

Training out of Team Quest, Jeffries works among some of the best fighters in the world. In a gym full of world class wrestlers, Jeffries has refined his ground game, and with 5 submission wins on his resume out of 6 wins, he is known to control the action on the floor.

Mike Geurin is a quiet man, but don’t let his calm personality fool you. A member of Team Bombsquad, Geurin is a top flight wrestler with heavy hands and crisp striking. With an 8-1 professional record, and 5 TKO’s to his credit, Geurin uses his wrestling to control where the fight takes place rather than positional dominance.

Entering the finals, Geurin is coming off a fight of the night performance against Shane Primm in the semi finals. The two fighters fought tooth and nail in an exciting battle that had the capacity crowd in Atlantic City on the edge of their seats. Geurin left the ring that evening with a unanimous decision victory and a trip to the finals.

This matchup is interesting for a number of reasons. Geurin uses his wresting to control the action and set up his hands, Jeffries obviously knows how to handle a wrestler on the mat. Can Jeffries get the fight to the floor where he will hold the advantage? Can Geurin keep this fight on the feet and secure his 6th TKO win? These are just a couple of questions that will be answered on September 18, at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey as M-1 Global presents the 2010 M-1 Selection: Americas tournament Finals.

M-1 Selection: Americas Finals Preview “The Light Heavyweights”



The M-1 Selections: Americas tournament light heavyweights have been a source for excitement from the opening bell of the competition. Byron Byrd and Daniel Vizcaya have both successfully finished all of their tournament fights via first round stoppage. On September 18, the two will face off looking to make quick work of one another to capture the tournament championship.

Daniel Vizcaya’s run for the championship started with a dominant KO victory over Ariel Sepulveda at 4:40 of the opening round in the quarterfinals. Viscaya (3-0) displayed a very well rounded game in the semi finals on August 7th. “The Bulldog” lived up to his nickname taking Chris Syndor to the mat early in the fight and relentlessly working towards a finish that would come at the 2:02 mark of the first round sending this up and coming fighter into the finals.

With 3 professional fights under his belt, Vizcaya has continued to show improvement in each of his bouts. Standing, Vizcaya has shown power and precision in his striking, On the mat Vizcaya has shown control , determination, and a desire to finish fights.

Fighting out of the famed American Top Team, Byron Byrd has burst on the fight scene in incredible fashion. With a perfect record of 2-0, Byrd has made possibly the biggest impression in the shortest amount of time. With a total of :50 seconds of ring time, Byrd has dismantled the opposition. In his quarterfinal fight , Byrd set a M-1 Selection record for the fastest knockout. Byrd needed only :10 seconds to dispose of Mike “Shake n Bake” Shenkenberg. Moving into the semi finals Byrd followed up by stopping a very tough Sammy “Big Daddy” Collingwood in just :40 seconds.

With such a shortage of ring time, the one thing that can’t be questioned is Byrd’s power. Showing a tenacity and confidence not often found in such a young fighter, Byrd is fighter to watch in the future.

This matchup will prove to be the most difficult for each fighter. Not only will one fighter go home without the tournament title, one will leave Atlantic City, New Jersey with their first professional loss.

M-1 Selection: Americas Finals Preview “The Heavyweights”


The M-1 Selection: Americas tournament finals heavyweight contest features two fighters with contrasting styles both in an out of the ring. Team Bombsquad’s Pat Bennett and American Top Team’s Kenny Garner are set to enter the M-1 ring on September 18th and take the next big step on their way to the top.

At 6’ 3” tall and 245lbs, Team Bombsquad’s Pat Bennett is a mountain of a man. With a strong wrestling pedigree, Bennett brings a 3-1 professional record into the finals. Showing off excellent power Bennett made quick work in his quarterfinal matchup against Ryan Smiley, using only :37 seconds of the opening round to earn a KO victory. Bennett’s semi final fight with talented heavyweight Mehdi Hassan was nothing short of a war in the ring. The two fighters went toe to toe for 15 minutes with Bennett showing a will to win that carried him to a unanimous decision victory, and earning his place in the finals.

Outside of the ring, Bennett displays a quiet confidence. A true warrior in every sense of the word Bennett is ready and prepared to take a place among the M-1 Selection champions worldwide.

Kenny “Deuce” Garner brings a 4-2 record to the finals. At 6’1” and 251 lbs, Garner is deceptively quick and athletic. Much like his opponent Bennett, Garner made quick work of his quarterfinal fight. Garner stopped a very game Matt Hopkins by KO at just 1:35 of the opening round. In his semi final match up, Garner looked unstoppable handling 6’ 8” monster heavyweight Andrei “The Russian Killer” Kapylou. Garner controlled the fight from the opening bell, displaying power, precision, and stamina both on his feet and the canvas scoring a very lop sided unanimous decision victory.

Away from the ring, Garner is a charismatic personality with a chip on his shoulder and a desire to prove to his fans and foes that he deserves to move up the ladder and earn the right to prove his talents on a global stage.

In the matchup, Bennett will bring his heavy hands and high level wrestling, while Garner will bring his ever improving boxing and all around game. Each man improves with every trip to the ring, on September 18, one of these two bright prospects will reign supreme and capture the tournament championship.