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UFC Vets Hallman, McKenzie, Fioravanti Join BattleGrounds MMA 8-Man Tournament


BattleGrounds MMA (http://www.battlegroundsone.com), the upstart Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion headed by Olympic wrestling legend Kenny Monday, announced today that it has signed the first six competitors for O.N.E., its highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man welterweight (170 pounds) tournament that will award the winner a grand prize of $50,000 on Friday, June 27 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

All-time great Dennis “Superman” Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. will lead the charge into the star-studded playoff and be joined by fellow submission ace Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated prospect and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; battle-tested Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David “Bulletproof” Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif. and Josh “The Beast” Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow, Okla.

“We are excited to have assembled a group of incredibly talented and accomplished athletes for this landmark tournament,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and three-time U.S. Olympic wrestler Monday, who captured the gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 1988 and, before that, earned three-time All-American honors competing for Oklahoma State University.

“The one-night tournament,” continued Monday, “is truly the toughest test physically and mentally in all of combative sports, and BattleGrounds MMA is proud to bring this format back to life and usher in a new era of elite competition in the world’s fastest growing sport.”

The final two tournament participants as well as the remainder of the fight card will be announced soon. A lottery draw to determine the tournament’s matchups will be held after weigh-ins on Thursday, June 26.


Dennis “Superman” Hallman

Riding a three-fight win streak, the 38-year-old, 5-foot-10 Hallman has provided the MMA world with some truly memorable moments over the course of his decorated 18-year professional career that includes an astounding 41 of his 53 career victories by way of submission. Amongst those on his list of conquests are Karo Parisyan, Ben Saunders, John Makdessi and UFC Hall of Fame legend Matt Hughes, whom Hallman tapped out twice, in a combined 37 seconds.


Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie

After a run at both featherweight (145 pounds) and lightweight (155 pounds), the 6-foot, 26-year-old McKenzie will campaign at welterweight in an effort to make his biggest mark in the sport to date. The inventor of a modified guillotine choke dubbed “The McKenzietine,” the Alaskan-born Gracie Jiu-Jitsu stylist has utilized the submission hold to stop opponents in 11 of his 15 career victories. Only two other fighters, both of whom have more than 50 career bouts under their belts, have recorded more wins by way of guillotine choke than McKenzie.


Chris Honeycutt

Touted as “the most decorated and high-profile collegiate wrestler” to enter the fiercely competitive world of MMA by SB Nation’s MMAFighting.com, the 5-foot-10, 25-year-old Honeycutt finished as runner-up in the 2012 NCAA national wrestling championships while representing collegiate wrestling powerhouse Edinboro University, the alma mater of his mentor, Josh Koscheck. A fiercely competitive wrestler since his early adolescent years, Honeycutt elected to not wrestle for his school squad in eighth grade because of greater opportunities he received competing for three different independent, local squads that guaranteed him 50 matches in a span of four months.

Since making his pro MMA debut in Jan. 2013, Honeycutt has finished 3 of his 4 opponents inside of the first round of action.


Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti

Fioravanti, who was nicknamed by his boxing coach for his rugged, straightforward style of fighting, has made his mark in the sport over the course of dozens of wars and will look to extend his streak of back-to-back wins that he notched by way of first round submission (rear-naked choke) and third round TKO (retirement) of Edwin Aguilar and Joshua Thorpe, respectively. The 33-year-old, 5-foot-8 Fioravanti is a former Marine who was a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.


David “Bulletproof” Mitchell

Another submission savvy scrapper, the 34-year-old, 5-foot-10 Mitchell scored a big victory for Faber’s Team Alpha Male in his last start, forcing 53-fight veteran Jaime Jara to tap out from a rear-naked choke in the first round (4:15) of their April 26th matchup in Sacramento, Calif. The win was Mitchell’s second straight.

Mitchell grew up in small-town Laytonville, Calif. where he was amongst just 25 students in his high school graduating class, but was nevertheless a victim of bullying at the hands of peers on the 500 acre ranch that he grew up on. He has since channeled the resulting anger and trauma from his childhood towards the cage as well as to an anti-bully crusade, “Knockout Bullying,” that sees him offering support and guidance to California youth who are being victimized by their classmates.


Josh “The Beast” Bryant

The 34-year-old Bryant enters the tournament as the local fan favorite and will look to turn around his recent career downslide in his BattleGrounds MMA debut. The 6-foot, 34-year-old, Bryant, trained by Chuck Liddell on The Ultimate Fighter, burst onto the Okla. fight scene in 2007, going on a perfect 10-0 run, with 6 of those victories coming by way of (T)KO or submission.

Outside of the cage, Bryant moonlights as a radio personality, co-hosting Tulsa’s top-rated Big Bad Morning Show on KMOD 97.5 FM rock music radio every Friday.


Doors at BOK Center open at 6 p.m. CST on June 27. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7:15 p.m.

Roan "Jucao" Carneiro Enters One-Night, Eight-Man BattleGrounds MMA Tournament‏


BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that it has signed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and seasoned contender Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga. to compete in O.N.E., the promotion’s highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man tournament that will award it’s winner a $50,000 grand prize at the first-ever Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. on Friday, June 27.

The addition of Carneiro brings the total number of confirmed tournament fighters to seven. Carneiro joins in the tournament field, submission aces Dennis “Superman” Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David “Bulletproof” Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif. and Josh “The Beast” Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow, Okla.

“We are excited to welcome Roan Carneiro to our roster of highly-accomplished and well-versed mixed martial artists,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday. “Roan has been fighting all over the world, at the highest level of the sport, so we felt he was a perfect fit for BattleGrounds MMA’s high stakes tournament.”

The eighth tournament competitor as well as several Superfights and a preliminary bout card will be announced soon. All tournament fights, including the championship matchup, will be comprised of three, five-minute rounds.

A rough and tough battler, the 5-foot-9, 35-year-old Carneiro has dealt with the physically and mentally taxing format of the one-night tournament in the past. On March 18, 2006, he defeated Gregory Bouchelaghem and Matt Horwich - each by split decision - in the quarterfinal and semifinal round, respectively, of an eight-man playoff in Manchester, England.

The back-to-back victories pitted Carneiro against Leonardo Nascimento Lucio in the championship matchup. Carneiro broke his foot in the first round of action, forcing him to retire during the break before the second frame, resulting in a second place finish.

Carneiro took up Capoeira at the age of five before receiving a brutal introduction one day to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his younger brother, who quickly took Carneiro’s back and applied a choke hold that Carneiro was unable to escape from. Carneiro immediately became fascinated with the submission art, eventually earning his black belt under legend Carlson Gracie.

Eight years ago, Carneiro left his native Brazil for Paris, France and, two years after that, re-located to Atlanta, where he started a family and opened a training center. He will prepare for the upcoming challenge with local, world-class talent, including Brian Stann, Ovince St. Preux and Raphael Assuncao, and plans to spend another portion of his training camp at American Top Team in South Florida.

Carneiro made his debut on the silver screen in 2011, playing fictional MMA fighter Marco Santos in the LionsGate theatrical release Warrior, starring Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte.

Brock Larson Completes Eight-Man Battlegrounds MMA Tourney


BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that it has filled the last remaining spot for O.N.E., its highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man welterweight (170 pounds) tournament at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. on Friday, June 27, with two-time world championship contender and two-time, one-night tournament winner Brock Larson (37-8) of Brainerd, Minn.

The 36-year-old, 5-foot-11 Larson will vie for the single-elimination contest's $50,000 grand prize amongst a pack of other thirsty challengers, including fellow submission aces Dennis "Superman" Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody "AK Kid" McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; Luigi "The Italian Tank" Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David "Bulletproof" Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif.; Josh "The Beast" Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Roan "Jucao" Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga.

"Brock Larson is amongst the best submission fighters in the world and an incredible addition to our tournament field of world-class talent," said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday. "We have on our hands a sensational lineup for BattleGrounds MMA's first one-night, eight-man tournament, and are going to deliver a very memorable night of action for fans on June 27."

A 12-year veteran of professional MMA, Larson is also the most seasoned one-night tournament competitor in the BattleGrounds MMA eight-man field, with experience dating back to March 12, 2004 when he overcame Brian Maceachern and Alex Gasson, both by way of armbar submission, in the semifinal and championship stages of a four-man tournament in Minn.

On July 23, 2005, Larson took his first eight-man tournament by storm, finishing three consecutive opponents, beginning with DaMarques Johnson, whom Larson tapped out with a keylock in the third round (1:02) of their quarterfinal stage matchup. In the semifinal stage, Larson forced Ryan Jensen to tap from an onslaught of punches in the first round (1:39) and, in the championship showdown, Larson again used a keylock to submit Ryan McGivern in the first round (2:09) of battle.

On April 5, 2013, a gritty Larson notched an impressive three-round, unanimous decision win over two-time world champion Melvin Manhoef in Singapore.

Born and raised on a beef farm in Brainerd, Larson developed a strong work ethic during his childhood. He competed as a high school wrestler before being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, later, meeting famed world champion Sean Sherk and master trainer Greg Nelson who took Larson under their wings and geared him up for a career in MMA.

Two Superfights Confirmed for BattleGrounds MMA 'O.N.E.'‏


BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that it has confirmed two Superfights – a lightweight (155 pounds) showdown between Ryan Couture (7-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. and Jonny “The King of Late Night” Carson (11-6) of San Francisco, Calif., and a women’s atomweight (105 pounds) scrap between Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (8-7) of Tulsa, Okla. and Jen “Tink” Aniano (0-2) of Kalamazoo, Mich. – for its highly-anticipated O.N.E. event that will be headlined by a one-night, eight-man tournament at BOK Center in Tulsa on Friday, June 27.

The tournament affair, featuring an assembly of established and fast-rising stars in the welterweight (170 pounds) division, marks the first one-night, eight-man, single-elimination MMA affair in Tulsa since UFC 4 on Dec. 16, 1994, and will award its winner a hefty grand prize of $50,000.

“We are excited to showcase such high-caliber talent on what is, without a doubt, our most superb fight card to date,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday. “Fans are going to see a mix of fast-paced, high-pressure tournament fights as well as several nationally recognized and local, emerging stars facing off in single, Superfights with potential tournament opportunities at stake in each bout.”


Ryan Couture vs. Jonny Carson

Couture, the 31-year-old son and protégé of retired legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, is coming off his second consecutive victory, a second round (1:34) submission (rear-naked choke) of Shakir McKillip at BattleGrounds MMA 4 on May 17. In his previous start, Couture made quick work of Kyle Sjafiroeddin, using the rear-naked choke to submit Sjafiroeddin in the first round (2:14) of action at BattleGrounds MMA 3 on Jan. 18.

Prior to signing with BattleGrounds MMA, Couture compiled a career record of 6-1 while competing for Strikeforce. His greatest win to date – a split decision over UFC star K.J. Noons - came during Strikeforce’s final event in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Jan. 12, 2013.

The matchup with Couture represents the 28-year-old Carson’s first start of 2014. He will look to notch his second consecutive win after earning a unanimous decision over Marcio Navarro in Catoosa, Okla. on April 12, 2013.

Carson is a member of the Skrap Pack, the vaunted, San Francisco, Calif.-based fight squad founded and headed by UFC superstar Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez. Carson relocated from his native Broken Arrow, Okla. to The Golden Gate City six years ago after receiving an invitation from Melendez to become a full-time member of the team.



Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Jen Aniano

Rivera-Calanoc, the 28-year-old wife of retired kickboxing and MMA star Travis Calanoc, will look to return to the win column after suffering a first round (4:57) submission (rear-naked choke) defeat in her Invicta Fighting Championships world title bid against reigning champion Jessica Penne on July 13, 2013.

One fight prior to the championship matchup, the feisty Rivera-Calanoc, who has been touted as the “female Wanderlei Silva” for her hard-charging, aggressive-minded fighting style, earned a unanimous decision victory over Angelica Chavez on July 28, 2012. An eight-year veteran of professional MMA, Rivera-Calanoc began boxing at age 11 as a means of emulating her childhood hero, Oscar De La Hoya.

Also 28 years of age, Aniano brings over a decade of experience in martial arts to the BattleGrounds MMA cage. A former high school and collegiate wrestler who competed in freestyle rules wrestling tournaments while attending community college, Aniano added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to her repertoire and continued studying the submission fighting art while pursuing a master’s degree in education at the University of Michigan.

After graduating in 2010, Aniano moved to Kalamazoo to train under Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt Clint Crabtree and MMA coach Master Amir Khillah. Aniano also holds a position as an alternative education middle school teacher where she mentors at youth risk.

Slated for action in the one-night, eight-man BattleGrounds MMA tournament are fellow submission aces Dennis “Superman” Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; two-time, one-night tournament winner Brock Larson (37-8) of Brainerd, Minn.; Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David “Bulletproof” Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif.; Josh “The Beast” Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow; and Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga.

Additional bouts will be announced soon.

Finisher Trey Houston Enters BattleGrounds MMA $50K Eight-Man Tournament‏


BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that hard-hitting finisher Trey “That Just Happened?” Houston (11-2) of Bixby, Okla. will replace an injured Josh “The Beast” Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow, Okla. in the highly-anticipated one-night, eight-man welterweight (170 pounds) tournament that will award it’s winner a grand prize of $50,000 at BOK Center in Tulsa on Friday, June 27.

In addition, a tournament reserve matchup between undefeated prospect Marcus “Milk” Sanchez (4-0) of Tulsa and Anderson Silva sparring partner Jordan Smith (18-6) of Kaysville, Utah has been confirmed for the event. In the event that one of the tournament’s quarterfinal stage winners is unable to re-enter the cage for the semifinal stage due to injury, the victor of the reserve matchup will take the injured combatant’s place in the tournament.

“We want to wish Josh Bryant a full and speedy recovery. We are saddened that he will not be able to participate in this landmark event for BattleGrounds MMA, but are excited to be able to give another one of Oklahoma’s finest up-and-coming mixed martial artists – Trey Houston - the biggest opportunity of his career,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday.

Unlike many of his fellow fighters, the 26-year-old, 5-foot-11 Houston, an explosive fighter who has produced all 11 of his professional victories by either (T)KO or submission, did not grow up competing in sports. It wasn’t until he was 15 years old that he began playing rugby while living in Germany where his father, a U.S. Army serviceman, was stationed. After moving back to Okla., Houston went on to play for the University of Tulsa rugby team and even enjoyed a stint with the U.S. national rugby squad.

Houston holds a master’s degree in geophysics from the University of Tulsa and has a full-time career as a field geologist for an oil company.

Only six months after he was introduced to MMA by a friend, Houston competed in and won his first amateur bout by submission inside the first minute of the first round.

Joining Houston in the one-night, eight-man BattleGrounds MMA tournament are fellow submission aces Dennis “Superman” Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and 2012 NCAA national wrestling championships runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; two-time, one-night tournament winner Brock Larson (37-8) of Brainerd, Minn.; Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David “Bulletproof” Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif.; and Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga.

The tournament affair marks the first one-night, eight-man, single-elimination MMA contest in Tulsa since UFC 4 on Dec. 16, 1994.

In non-tournament, Superfight action on the card, Ryan Couture (7-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. will collide with Jonny “The King of Late Night” Carson (11-6) of San Francisco, Calif. in a lightweight (155 pounds) showdown and seasoned veteran Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (8-7) of Tulsa, Okla. will battle Jen “Tink” Aniano (0-2) of Kalamazoo, Mich. in an atomweight (105 pounds) scrap. Additional bouts will be announced soon.

Battlegrounds MMA: O.N.E. Moved to Oct. 3, to Air on PPV


The public has spoken and BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) has listened. Due to popular demand, the promotion led by Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday will take its highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man welterweight (170 pounds) tournament, which will award its winner a $50,000 grand prize, to a national audience with a live pay-per-view telecast on Friday, October 3 from BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

BattleGrounds MMA 'O.N.E.' will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing, beginning at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on October 3 on both cable and satellite pay-per-view carriers iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH and Avail-TVN. The price point for the live pay-per-view telecast as well as other details will be announced soon.

All tickets that have already been purchased for the event, which was originally scheduled to take place on June 27, will be honored by BOK Center on October 3.

"This is a tremendous step forward for our two year old company that will allow us to bring BattleGrounds MMA's world-class competitive platform to a live, national audience for the first time," said BattleGrounds MMA President Monday. "We truly appreciate all the support and enthusiasm that the fans and our fighters have shown us. On October 3, we are going to show our gratitude by giving MMA fans throughout the U.S. the opportunity to take in all the action live from their homes."

The tournament affair marks the first one-night, eight-man MMA contest in Tulsa since UFC 4 on Dec. 16, 1994.

Slated for action in the tournament are submission aces Dennis "Superman" Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody "AK Kid" McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and 2012 NCAA national wrestling championships runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; two-time, one-night tournament winner Brock Larson (37-8) of Brainerd, Minn.; Luigi "The Italian Tank" Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David "Bulletproof" Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif.; Roan "Jucao" Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga.; and Trey "That Just Happened?" Houston (11-2) of Bixby, Okla.

In the tournament reserve matchup, undefeated prospect Marcus "Milk" Sanchez (4-0) of Tulsa will take on Anderson "The Spider" Silva sparring partner Jordan Smith (18-6) of Kaysville, Utah. Should one of the tournament's quarterfinal stage winners is unable to re-enter the cage for the semifinal stage due to injury, the victor of the reserve matchup will take the injured combatant's place in the tournament.

In non-tournament, Superfight action on the card, Ryan Couture (7-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. will collide with Jonny "The King of Late Night" Carson (11-6) of San Francisco, Calif. in a lightweight (155 pounds) showdown and seasoned veteran Nicdali "The Night Queen" Rivera-Calanoc (8-7) of Tulsa, Okla. will battle Jen "Tink" Aniano (0-2) of Kalamazoo, Mich. in an atomweight (105 pounds) scrap.