IFL Puts 5 Titles On The Line At Grand Prix Finals
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:06 pm
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE PUTS AN UNPRECEDENTED FIVE TITLES ON THE
LINE FOR DECEMBER 29 “WORLD GRAND PRIX” AT MOHEGAN SUN
Rematch of MMA “Fight of the year” between undefeated Chris
Horodecki and Shad Lierley, undefeated Brazilian star Wagnney Fabiano’s
debut at featherweight, undefeated Benji “Razor” Radach and rising star
Jay Hieron all part of the biggest night of MMA action ever in the
northeast
NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 The International Fight League (OTC.BB:
IFLI) today announced several additions to the card for the 2007 IFL
World Grand Prix finals, the individual all-star competition for the
world’s number one mixed martial arts league. Five Championship bouts,
believed to be unprecedented in North America, will take place on
Saturday, December 29, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Headlining the upgraded card will be the much anticipated rematch
between undefeated (11-0) star Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki
(London, Ontario) and former NYU wrestling standout Shad Lierley (Seattle).
The two met in June in Everett, Washington, with Horodecki pulling out
a thrilling split decision in what many considered the MMA fight of the
year to date. Lierley is moving into the lightweight spot created when
undefeated Brazilian Wagnney Fabiano (5-0) was moved to the new
featherweight class where he will fight in 2008. Fabiano will not go
untested, meeting another undefeated rising star, L.C. Davis (Kansas City, Mo.)
of Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks.
“We have set up what will be one of the memorable nights for fans,
and a night which showcases the six weight classes that will be the key
component of our 2008 season,” said Kurt Otto, IFL commissioner and
co-founder. “Moving Wagnney to his natural featherweight, and having a
worthy opponent such as L.C. already in the league, shows our depth of
talent and also sets up a great rematch between Chris and Shad for
their natural lightweight title. The other fights, and the undercard
featuring a sneak peak at some of our U.K. talent and another rising star
in Rory Markham, will make this a night not to be missed.”
In addition, the night will feature title shots at welterweight,
middleweight and heavyweight:
• At welterweight, the Pitbulls’ Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil), the top seed with a 5-1 overall mark this year, takes on Long
Island native Jay Hieron of the Anacondas, who has won three of four bouts
in 2007.
• At middleweight, hard-hitting top-seed Benji Radach (Coconut Creek,
Fla.) tries to remain unbeaten (5-0) in the IFL when he battles Matt
Horwich (Portland, Ore.) of the Wolfpack (3-1).
• At heavyweight, Antoine Jaoude (Rio de Janeiro) also unbeaten in
IFL (4-0), goes against Roy “Big Country” Nelson (Las Vegas), who has
two punishing TKO’s to his credit among his three victories in 2007.
Horodecki and Fabiano won their IFL World Grand Prix semifinal bouts on
November 3, at the Sears Centre in Chicago, along with six others, to
advance to the finals. Three other highly-anticipated Championship
fights are also on tap for Mohegan Sun, including:
Standout Rory Markham (Chicago) of the Silverbacks will take on Dan
Miller (Sparta, N.J.), who helped the Pitbulls to the World Championship
with a semifinal round victory as a late replacement. Alex Cook
(Whitehaven, England) will help introduce the new British team, coached by Ian
Freeman, which will begin competition in 2008, against Marcello
Salazar (Portland, Ore./Brazil) in a rematch from March 2006, won by Cook.
Undefeated military vet Tim Kennedy (Fayetteville, N.C.), one of the
bright spots for the Red Bears, battles (local) standout Elias Rivera
(Southington, Conn.).
Vladimir Matyushenko (El Segundo, Calif./Retchisa, Belarus) claimed the
first IFL World Grand Prix Championship belt with a win at 205 lbs.
over Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) in Chicago.
Tickets for the Finals can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun box office,
online at http://www.Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at
1-860-886-0070.
Athletes were selected for the World Grand Prix based on their
respective match records during the 2007 regular season. In the event of a
tie, competitors with the fastest finishes or best strength of victories
earned the higher seeds. The winners will defend their individual belts
throughout the 2008 IFL season.
The full rosters for the World Grand Prix Finals follow. Bout order to
be determined prior to the weigh-in on Dec. 28.
Preliminary Bouts
175 lbs.: Dan Miller, Pitbulls (Sparta, N.J.) (1-0 IFL 2007, 1-0 IFL
career, 6-1 overall) vs. Rory Markham, Silverbacks (Chicago) (2-0, 6-1,
12-2)
185 lbs.: Marcello Salazar (Brazil) (0-0, 0-0, 6-1-2) vs. Alex Cook
(Whitehaven, England) (0-0, 0-0, 8-5)
185 lbs.: Elias Rivera (Southington, Conn.) (0-0, 0-0, 3-2) vs. Tim
Kennedy, Red Bears (Fayetteville, N.C.) (2-0, 2-0, 8-1)
Championship Bouts
145 lbs.: L.C. Davis, Silverbacks (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 2-0, 9-0)
vs. Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-1)
155 lbs.: Shad Lierley, Tiger Sharks (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1, 2-1) vs.
Chris Horodecki, Anacondas (London, Ontario) (4-0, 7-0, 11-0)
170 lbs.: Jay Hieron, Anacondas (Las Vegas) (3-1, 5-2, 13-4) vs. Delson
Heleno, Pitbulls (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-1, 6-2, 13-3)
185 lbs.: Matt Horwich, Wolfpack (Portland, Ore.) (3-1, 5-3, 20-9-1)
vs. Benji Radach, Anacondas (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (5-0, 5-0, 17-3)
265 lbs.: Roy Nelson, Lions (Las Vegas) (3-1, 3-1, 9-2) vs. Antoine
Jaoude, Condors (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-2)
About the IFL
International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s number one
professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in
New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL,
please see: http://www.ifl.tv.
LINE FOR DECEMBER 29 “WORLD GRAND PRIX” AT MOHEGAN SUN
Rematch of MMA “Fight of the year” between undefeated Chris
Horodecki and Shad Lierley, undefeated Brazilian star Wagnney Fabiano’s
debut at featherweight, undefeated Benji “Razor” Radach and rising star
Jay Hieron all part of the biggest night of MMA action ever in the
northeast
NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 The International Fight League (OTC.BB:
IFLI) today announced several additions to the card for the 2007 IFL
World Grand Prix finals, the individual all-star competition for the
world’s number one mixed martial arts league. Five Championship bouts,
believed to be unprecedented in North America, will take place on
Saturday, December 29, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Headlining the upgraded card will be the much anticipated rematch
between undefeated (11-0) star Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki
(London, Ontario) and former NYU wrestling standout Shad Lierley (Seattle).
The two met in June in Everett, Washington, with Horodecki pulling out
a thrilling split decision in what many considered the MMA fight of the
year to date. Lierley is moving into the lightweight spot created when
undefeated Brazilian Wagnney Fabiano (5-0) was moved to the new
featherweight class where he will fight in 2008. Fabiano will not go
untested, meeting another undefeated rising star, L.C. Davis (Kansas City, Mo.)
of Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks.
“We have set up what will be one of the memorable nights for fans,
and a night which showcases the six weight classes that will be the key
component of our 2008 season,” said Kurt Otto, IFL commissioner and
co-founder. “Moving Wagnney to his natural featherweight, and having a
worthy opponent such as L.C. already in the league, shows our depth of
talent and also sets up a great rematch between Chris and Shad for
their natural lightweight title. The other fights, and the undercard
featuring a sneak peak at some of our U.K. talent and another rising star
in Rory Markham, will make this a night not to be missed.”
In addition, the night will feature title shots at welterweight,
middleweight and heavyweight:
• At welterweight, the Pitbulls’ Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil), the top seed with a 5-1 overall mark this year, takes on Long
Island native Jay Hieron of the Anacondas, who has won three of four bouts
in 2007.
• At middleweight, hard-hitting top-seed Benji Radach (Coconut Creek,
Fla.) tries to remain unbeaten (5-0) in the IFL when he battles Matt
Horwich (Portland, Ore.) of the Wolfpack (3-1).
• At heavyweight, Antoine Jaoude (Rio de Janeiro) also unbeaten in
IFL (4-0), goes against Roy “Big Country” Nelson (Las Vegas), who has
two punishing TKO’s to his credit among his three victories in 2007.
Horodecki and Fabiano won their IFL World Grand Prix semifinal bouts on
November 3, at the Sears Centre in Chicago, along with six others, to
advance to the finals. Three other highly-anticipated Championship
fights are also on tap for Mohegan Sun, including:
Standout Rory Markham (Chicago) of the Silverbacks will take on Dan
Miller (Sparta, N.J.), who helped the Pitbulls to the World Championship
with a semifinal round victory as a late replacement. Alex Cook
(Whitehaven, England) will help introduce the new British team, coached by Ian
Freeman, which will begin competition in 2008, against Marcello
Salazar (Portland, Ore./Brazil) in a rematch from March 2006, won by Cook.
Undefeated military vet Tim Kennedy (Fayetteville, N.C.), one of the
bright spots for the Red Bears, battles (local) standout Elias Rivera
(Southington, Conn.).
Vladimir Matyushenko (El Segundo, Calif./Retchisa, Belarus) claimed the
first IFL World Grand Prix Championship belt with a win at 205 lbs.
over Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) in Chicago.
Tickets for the Finals can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun box office,
online at http://www.Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at
1-860-886-0070.
Athletes were selected for the World Grand Prix based on their
respective match records during the 2007 regular season. In the event of a
tie, competitors with the fastest finishes or best strength of victories
earned the higher seeds. The winners will defend their individual belts
throughout the 2008 IFL season.
The full rosters for the World Grand Prix Finals follow. Bout order to
be determined prior to the weigh-in on Dec. 28.
Preliminary Bouts
175 lbs.: Dan Miller, Pitbulls (Sparta, N.J.) (1-0 IFL 2007, 1-0 IFL
career, 6-1 overall) vs. Rory Markham, Silverbacks (Chicago) (2-0, 6-1,
12-2)
185 lbs.: Marcello Salazar (Brazil) (0-0, 0-0, 6-1-2) vs. Alex Cook
(Whitehaven, England) (0-0, 0-0, 8-5)
185 lbs.: Elias Rivera (Southington, Conn.) (0-0, 0-0, 3-2) vs. Tim
Kennedy, Red Bears (Fayetteville, N.C.) (2-0, 2-0, 8-1)
Championship Bouts
145 lbs.: L.C. Davis, Silverbacks (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 2-0, 9-0)
vs. Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-1)
155 lbs.: Shad Lierley, Tiger Sharks (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1, 2-1) vs.
Chris Horodecki, Anacondas (London, Ontario) (4-0, 7-0, 11-0)
170 lbs.: Jay Hieron, Anacondas (Las Vegas) (3-1, 5-2, 13-4) vs. Delson
Heleno, Pitbulls (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-1, 6-2, 13-3)
185 lbs.: Matt Horwich, Wolfpack (Portland, Ore.) (3-1, 5-3, 20-9-1)
vs. Benji Radach, Anacondas (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (5-0, 5-0, 17-3)
265 lbs.: Roy Nelson, Lions (Las Vegas) (3-1, 3-1, 9-2) vs. Antoine
Jaoude, Condors (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-2)
About the IFL
International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s number one
professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in
New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL,
please see: http://www.ifl.tv.