WSOF 5: Arlovski vs Kyle - Fight Card Updates

[keithlewis]

Arlovski vs Kyle Official for Main Event of WSOF 5 on Sept. 14


The man who was victorious in the featured bout of World Series of Fighting's very first event will return once again to headline for the promotion.

Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (20-10) will compete in the main event of next month's World Series of Fighting 5 against slugger Mike "MAK" Kyle (20-9-1) in a heavyweight bout on Saturday, Sept. 14 at New Jersey's Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Arlovski is a replacement for the injured Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

The live, two-and-a-half-hour NBC Sports Network telecast of the World Series of Fighting 5 main card begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT. The night's preliminary bouts stream live on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the fight card, which start at just $29, are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000.

Arlovski, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder, hails from Belarus and currently resides in Chicago. The 34-year-old knockout artist made his World Series of Fighting debut this past November, when he earned a first-round TKO victory over Devin Cole. He returned to the promotion in March, when he suffered a hard-fought, unanimous-decision loss to "Rumble" Johnson. The result snapped a five-fight win streak for Arlovski, who remains one of the most popular figures in mixed martial arts.

Meanwhile, Kyle is a 12-year veteran of the sport who hails from one of MMA's most-respected fight camps, American Kickboxing Academy. A resident of San Jose, Calif., Kyle is no stranger to the spotlight and has stepped in the cage against a who's who of MMA's top fighters in two weight classes, including Paul Buentello, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, James Irvin, Gegard Mousasi, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, Krzysztof Soszynski and Fabricio Werdum, among others.

Kyle fought most recently on May 24, when he needed just 21 seconds to score a knockout win over 86-fight veteran Travis "Diesel" Wiuff.

World Series of Fighting 5 features a five-fight main card in addition to a full lineup of preliminary contests. Middleweight tournament opening-round matchups of Dave Branch (12-3) vs. Danillo Villefort (14-4) and Elvis Mutapcic (13-2) vs. Jesse Taylor (26-9) have been booked, and additional bouts will be announced soon.

The nationally televised event, which airs live on NBC Sports Network, marks the promotion's second visit to the world-class venue.

"After a very successful first event with the promotion this past March, We are very excited to welcome back the World Series of Fighting on NBC Sports Network to Revel Casino Hotel," said Entertainment Consultant Bernie Dillon. "We are looking forward to another great night of fights."

Offered WSOF President Ray Sefo, "We're very happy to be headed back to Revel. They treated us so well during our first event and we had a great showing from the fans out there. The people at the hotel and venue are first-class and we look forward to a successful event on Sept. 14 and many more in the future."

[keithlewis]

Three members of MMA's First Family added to nationally televised World Series of Fighting 5 lineup

Rolles, Gregor and Neiman Gracie all scheduled for Sept. 14 event at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ


The First Family of Mixed Martial Arts will leave a significant imprint on World Series of Fighting's next event as three different members of the Gracie clan will appear on the eagerly anticipated Sept. 14 card at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.

In addition to a recently announced heavyweight contest between Rolles Gracie (8-1) and Derrick "Caveman" Mehmen (15-5), Gregor Gracie (7-3) meets Rich Patishnock (5-1) in a welterweight bout, and Neiman Gracie (0-0) makes his professional MMA debut against Darren Costa (0-1) in a middleweight contest at "World Series of Fighting 5: Arlovski vs. Kyle."

Rolles Gracie vs. Mehmen takes place on the evening's two-and-a-half-hour NBC Sports Network telecast, which airs live at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.

Gregor Gracie vs. Patishnock and Neiman Gracie vs. Costa are both scheduled for the evening's preliminary card, which streams on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, and precedes the evening's NBC Sports Network-televised main card.

Tickets for World Series of Fighting 5 are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000. A heavyweight slugfest between sambo master Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (19-10) and slugger Mike "MAK" Kyle (20-9-1) serves as the evening's main event.

Rolles Gracie is a third-degree black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, as well as judo. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rolles currently resides in Holmdel, N.J., where he serves as a lead instructor at the famed Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Rolles has lost just once in nine career contests, and all eight of his wins have come by way of submission.

Mehmen, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who matches Rolles' 6-foot-4 frame, trains with one of the world's best squads at American Top Team. A seven-year veteran of the sport, Mehmen currently boasts a three-fight win streak and has earned 10 of his 15 career wins by way of knockout.

Gregor Gracie is a two-time world champion jiu-jitsu player who returns to the World Series of Fighting cage for a second time. The 26-year-old Brazilian suffered a disappointing TKO loss to upstart Tyson Steele at World Series of Fighting's debut event last November and now looks for a return to the form that has seen him earn six of his seven career victories by submission.

Gregor now meets Patishnock, a resident of Whippany, N.J., and member of the Garden State's famed AMA Fight Club. Patishnock made his World Series of Fighting debut in March and earned a TKO win over another member of the Gracie clan, Igor Gracie, when doctors called a halt to the bout at the end of the first round. Fighting professionally for two years, Patishnock has tasted defeat just once in six contests.

Another member of Renzo Gracie's fight team, the 25-year-old Neiman Gracie has thus far in his career focused exclusively on grappling conquests but now transitions to MMA for the first time. He meets Maryland's Darren Costa, who made his professional debut in May but suffered a second-round TKO loss.

[keithlewis]

Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Waylon Lowe completes World Series of Fighting 5's NBC Sports Network-televised main card


Featherweight thriller kicks off nationally televised broadcast of Sept. 14 event at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ


A featherweight contest between Millennia MMA standout Georgi "Insane" Karakhanyan (21-3-1) and American Top Team product Waylon Lowe (14-4) completes the NBC Sports Network-televised main card for next month's "World Series of Fighting 5: Arlovski vs. Kyle" event.

Tickets for WSOF 5 are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000. A heavyweight slugfest between sambo master Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (19-10) and slugger Mike "MAK" Kyle (20-9-1) serves as the evening's main event.

The night's NBC Sports Network-televised main card also includes previously announced middleweight tournament bouts between David Branch (12-3) vs. Danillo "Indio" Villefort (14-4) and Elvis "The King" Mutapcic (13-2) vs. Jesse "JT Money" Taylor, as well as a heavyweight matchup of Rolles Gracie (8-1) vs. Derrick "Caveman" Mehmen (15-5).

A former professional soccer player, Karakhanyan has been fighting professionally since 2006. Born in Russia to Armenian parents, the 28-year-old now resides in Riverside, Calif., where he trains at the highly respected Millennia MMA academy. Karakhanyan currently boasts a seven-fight win streak that includes victories over big-show veterans Din Thomas, Hiroyuki Takaya and Micah Miller.

Lowe makes his second appearance for World Series of Fighting. The 32-year-old Pennsylvania native debuted for the promotion in March and made an instant impact, scoring a first-round knockout over Cameron Dollar at WSOF 2. The contest was Lowe's first at 145-pounds after competing for the previous seven years as a lightweight.

World Series of Fighting 5's two-and-a-half-hour NBC Sports Network telecast airs live at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT. A full preliminary card, which includes Gregor Gracie (7-3) vs. Rich Patishnock (5-1) and Neiman Gracie (0-0) vs. Darren Costa (0-1) streams on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

[keithlewis]

Glenn vs. Rofi Among Three Fights Added to Complete WSOF 5


A trio of contests have been added to September's "World Series of Fighting 5: Arlovski vs. Kyle" lineup, as Rick "The Gladiator" Glenn (13-2-1) meets Artur Rofi (6-0), Ozzy Dugulubgov (4-1) faces Andrew "Ozzy" Osbourne (7-5) and Sidemar "Sideco" Honorio (8-3) takes on Jimmie "El Terror" Rivera (12-1).

With the additions to the evening's preliminary fight card, the World Series of Fighting 5 lineup now includes 10 total fights.

Tickets for World Series of Fighting 5 are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000. A heavyweight slugfest between sambo master Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (19-10) and slugger Mike "MAK" Kyle (20-9-1) serves as the evening's main event.

The night's NBC Sports Network-televised main card also includes previously announced middleweight tournament bouts of David Branch (12-3) vs. Danillo "Indio" Villefort (14-4) and Elvis "The King" Mutapcic (13-2) vs. Jesse "JT Money" Taylor, as well as a heavyweight matchup of Rolles Gracie (8-1) vs. Derrick "Caveman" Mehmen (15-5) and a featherweight contest between Georgi Karakhanyan (21-3-1) and Waylon Lowe (14-4).

An Iowa native, featherweight Glenn now lives in Wisconsin, where he's a part of Milwaukee's famed Roufusport MMA Academy. Training since he was a teenager, the 24-year-old prospect opened his career at just 3-2 but has since gone 11 straight fights without a loss. Glenn made his World Series of Fighting debut in March, where he earned a third-round knockout over Alexandre Pimentel.

Glenn now meets New Jersey's own Rofi, a Team Bittencourt fighter who has earned all six of his career wins by way of stoppage. After opening his career in October 2010 with a knockout win, Rofi has since tapped out five consecutive opponents.

The Russian-born Dugulubgov, now a resident of Hackensack, N.J., fights for a second time under the World Series of Fighting banner. The 24-year-old Renzo Gracie-trained fighter debuted for the promotion in March, earning a unanimous-decision win over Chris Wade.

Dugulubgov faces North Carolina's Osbourne, who fights out of Angel's Gym in Fayetteville, in a 160-pound catchweight contest. Fighting professionally since April 2011, Osbourne is 4-1 in his past five contests, with the lone loss in that stretch coming to former Ring of Combat champion Ryan LaFlare.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian bantamweight Honorio trains at Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. After opening his career with seven wins in his first eight appearances, Honorio has struggled in recent bouts with top prospects Aljamain Sterling and Sean Santella but is poised to make a statement against a tough Rivera, who brings an impressive 11-fight win streak to the contest.

Rivera, a Team Tiger Schulmann fighter, hasn't tasted defeat since 2008. In fact, before turning pro, Rivera compiled an amateur record of 7-0, giving him an incredible 19-1 career mark at all levels of competition. Along the way, Rivera picked up 135-pound belts for highly respected regional promotions King of the Cage and Ring of Combat.

World Series of Fighting 5's two-and-a-half-hour NBC Sports Network telecast airs live at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT. The five-bout preliminary card, which also includes previously announced matchups of Gregor Gracie (7-3) vs. Rich Patishnock (5-1) and Neiman Gracie (0-0) vs. Darren Costa (0-1) streams on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.