WSOF 6: Burkman vs Carl - Fight Card Updates

[keithlewis]

World Series of Fighting 6 set for October 26 at Florida's BankUnited Center

Josh Burkman and Steve Carl meet for inaugural welterweight title, Carson Beebe faces Marlon Moraes in co-main event. Justin Gaethje and Dan Lauzon square off in lightweight bout


World Series of Fighting travels to Florida for the first time, as Coral Gables' BankUnited Center plays host to "World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl" on Oct. 26. In the night's NBCSN-televised main event, resurgent veteran Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman (26-9) meets Steve Carl (20-3) with the inaugural World Series of Fighting welterweight title on the line.

In the evening's co-feature, Carson "Little Juggernaut" Beebe (14-2) and Marlon Moraes (11-4-1) clash in a bantamweight matchup that could lead to a future title shot for the winner.

And in a featured lightweight matchup, undefeated prospect Justin Gaethje (9-0) faces Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon (17-4).

The nationally televised event, which airs live on NBCSN, marks the promotion's debut in the Sunshine State. The live, two-hour NBCSN telecast of the World Series of Fighting 6 main card begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. A full lineup of preliminary bouts will also stream live on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and venue doors open at 5 p.m. ET.

"We've been looking forward to making our debut in Florida for some time now, and I'm proud to say we will be in Coral Gables on Oct. 26," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "Our headliner will see us award either Josh Burkman or Steve Carl the first championship belt in our promotion's history, and I think that matchup will be something special. The whole lineup we're planning will be fantastic, and I look forward to making more announcements very soon."

Burkman is a 10-time UFC veteran who first entered the spotlight in 2005 as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 2." Injuries briefly slowed the Utah native's career, but since 2009 Burkman is 8-1 in nine appearances, a run that includes three wins while competing for World Series of Fighting. Most recently, Burkman registered the biggest win of his career to date by earning a technical submission win over Jon Fitch in just 41 seconds.

Meanwhile, Carl is a military veteran whose fighting career was born in the Modern Army Combatives Program. An Iowa native, the 28-year-old began his professional career in 2005 and has already registered 20 career victories, including an incredible 15 wins by submission. Carl has already competed twice under the World Series of Fighting banner, registering a pair of first-round submission wins over Tyson Steele and Ramico Blackmon, and he brings a six-fight win streak to the contest.

Illinois-native Beebe, the brother of former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe, has built an impressive 9-1 mark in his past 10 appearances. Most recently, the wrestling specialist earned a hard-fought decision win over Joe Murphy at June's World Series of Fighting 3 event.

He now meets three-time World Series of Fighting veteran Moraes, who has used his time in the organization to catapult up the world rankings, working from relative obscurity to top-10 status in rapid fashion. A 25-year-old Brazilian with devastating striking and impressive grappling skills, Moraes has already downed Miguel Torres, Tyson Nam and Brandon Hempleman in previous World Series of Fighting appearances.

The 24-year-old Gaethje is a member of Colorado's Grudge Training Center and has looked absolutely spectacular in a pair of World Series of Fighting wins over veterans Brian Cobb and Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante. Competing professionally since August 2011, Gaethje has fought to a decision just once, earning seven knockouts and one submission in nine appearances.

Meanwhile, Lauzon made his World Series of Fighting debut in June and dominated 50-fight veteran John Gunderson en route to a unanimous-decision win. The 25-year-old Lauzon, brother of UFC lightweight standout Joe Lauzon, currently boasts a five-fight win streak.

"We are thrilled to bring World Series of Fighting to Coral Gables," said Global Spectrum's Lorenzo Muniz, General Manager at the BankUnited Center. "Our venue is the perfect setting for mixed martial arts, and we are excited to showcase these world-class fighters here at the BankUnited Center."

[keithlewis]

Marcelo Alfaya vs. Jon Fitch completes four-fight World Series of Fighting 6 main card


Welterweight clash completes NBCSN-televised lineup for Oct. 26 event at Florida's BankUnited Center


A welterweight clash between gritty American Top Team fighter Marcelo "Grilo" Alfaya (15-6) and perennial top-ranked contender Jon Fitch (24-6-1) is the latest addition to the lineup for "World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl." The bout completes the four-fight NBCSN-broadcast main card of the Oct. 26 event, which takes place at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.

The new pairing joins the night's headlining matchup of Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman (26-9) vs. Steve Carl (20-3), who compete for the first-ever World Series of Fighting welterweight title, a bantamweight co-feature between Carson "Little Juggernaut" Beebe (14-2) and Marlon Moraes (11-4-1), as well as the bout that kicks off the evening's broadcast, Justin Gaethje (9-0) vs. fellow lightweight Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon (17-4).

The nationally televised event, which airs live on NBCSN, marks the promotion's debut in the Sunshine State. The live, two-hour NBCSN telecast of the World Series of Fighting 6 main card begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. A full lineup of preliminary bouts will also stream live on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, and venue doors open at 5 p.m. ET.

"We're very excited to announce the addition of Marcelo Alfaya vs. Jon Fitch to our Oct. 26 event in Florida," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "Jon's track record in the sport speaks for itself, and Marcelo is an 11-year MMA veteran who has been waiting for an opportunity like this. When you add this fight to the lineup we've already announced for the evening, this card has all the potential to be our best night of fights yet."

A native of Porto Alegre, Brazil, Alfaya now makes his home in Florida, where he trains with the famed American Top Team. "Grilo," which is Portuguese for "cricket," is 6-1 in his past seven fights, including his most recent appearance, where he needed just 26 seconds to score a first-round knockout. A well-rounded veteran who has been fighting professionally since 2002, Alfaya owns four career knockout wins and six victories by submission. He now fights for the first time under the World Series of Fighting banner.

Meanwhile, Fitch has long been considered one of the absolute best 170-pound fighters in the sport of MMA. A 35-year-old member of California's American Kickboxing Academy, Fitch made his World Series of Fighting debut in June and suffered a shocking submission loss to Burkman in a rematch of the pair's original 2006 meeting, which Fitch won by tapout. Fitch looks to make a statement in his second fight for the promotion in hopes of booking a trilogy bout with Burkman, perhaps even with the World Series of Fighting welterweight title on the line.

[keithlewis]

World Series of Fighting 6 adds Francisco France vs. Hans Stringer, Chad Robichaux vs. Andrew Yates


Preliminary bouts air Oct. 26 on WSOF.com ahead of nationally televised main card


World Series of Fighting's first-ever event in Florida continues to fill out, and a light-heavyweight matchup of Francisco "Kiko" France (8-3) vs. Hans Stringer (21-5-2) and a bantamweight contest of Chad "Robo" Robichaux (10-2) vs. Andrew "The Golden Boy" Yates (7-0) are the latest additions to the lineup.

Both matchups take place on the World Series of Fighting 6 preliminary card, which streams live on the promotion's official website, WSOF.com, and precedes the night's two-hour, nationally-televised main card on NBCSN.

Featuring the first championship bout in the promotion's history with Josh Burkman vs. Steve Carl, "World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl," takes place Oct. 26 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.

The 30-year-old France is a jiu-jitsu wizard who has earned all eight of his career wins by way of submission. A Finney's Hit Squad fighter, France has competed professionally for more than five years and boast wins over UFC veterans James McSweeney and Cale Yarbrough. Most recently, France earned a first-round submission win over Dan McGlasson by way of armbar.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Stringer also makes his World Series of Fighting debut after having his planned first appearance scratched just one day before the scheduled bout. Stringer was expected to face longtime veteran Lew Polley at August's World Series of Fighting 4 event, but Polley missed weight by more than 30 pounds and was ruled out of the fight.

The Blackzilians-trained Stringer has lost just once in his past 13 appearances. Seventeen of his 21 career wins have come by way of stoppage.

Meanwhile, "Robo" Robichaux is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and 14-year MMA veteran with extensive experience in both the professional and amateur ranks. Seventeen of his 19 total career wins have come by way of submission, including 15 first-round tapouts.

A Special Operations Force RECON Marine who also worked with the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, Robichaux is also a veteran of several tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Yates also makes his first World Series of Fighting appearance. A member of MMA legend Wanderlei Silva's famed Wand Fight Team, Yates turned pro in 2011 following an extensive amateur career of more than 25 fights. The 24-year-old has defeated all seven of his professional opponents, including four wins by way of submission and one by knockout.

Additional World Series of Fighting 6 bouts will be announced shortly.

[keithlewis]

Three new preliminary contests added to World Series of Fighting 6 lineup


Oct. 26's nine-bout schedule gets Luiz Firmino vs. Jacob Volkmann, Nick LoBosco vs. Fabio Mello and Alexandre Pimentel vs. Jade Porter


The lineup for World Series of Fighting's first-ever trip to Florida continues to fill with the addition of three new preliminary contests, including lightweights Luiz "Buscape" Firmino (16-6) vs. Jacob "Feelgood" Volkmann (16-4), featherweights Nick LoBosco (6-0) vs. Fabio Mello (11-6) and featherweights Alexandre "Pulga" Pimentel (12-1) vs. Jade Porter (9-3).

The night's NBCSN-televised main card is headlined by the first title fight in World Series of Fighting history, as Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman (26-9) meets Steve Carl (20-3) for the promotion's first welterweight belt.

The new matchups help to fill out World Series of Fighting 6's preliminary card, which takes place Oct. 26 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla., and precedes the evening's NBSCN live network broadcast. The preliminary bouts stream on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com.

Brazilian veteran Firmino has fought around the globe, including stints in Japanese promotions DREAM and PRIDE. Firmino currently boasts a three-fight win streak and recently picked up the Florida-based Championship Fighting Alliance's lightweight title. He now meets Volkmann, a 10-time UFC veteran who debuted for World Series of Fighting in June, earning a dominating decision win over veteran grappler Lyle Beerbohm.

The 29-year-old LoBosco brings an undefeated mark to the cage. The Missouri-based athlete turned pro in 2011 and has since rattled off six-straight wins. Four of the wins have come by stoppage, including three victories that were earned in the first minute of the fight. He now gets the biggest test of his career in Brazilian veteran Mello. Fighting professionally since 2001, Mello is currently enjoying the longest win streak of his career with seven straight wins. An Imperial Athletics fighter, Mello's career is dotted with the names of true MMA royalty in past opponents like Jose Aldo, Takanori Gomi and Masakazu Imanari, among others.

A former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Pimentel looks to rebound from the first loss of his professional MMA career, after falling short against Rick Glenn at March's World Series of Fighting 2 event. He now meets Arizona's Jade Porter, who trains at Power MMA Team. Porter makes his World Series of Fighting debut.


With the additions to the card, the full World Series of Fighting 6 lineup includes:


NBCSN-TELEVISED MAIN CARD

Josh Burkman vs. Steve Carl
Carson Beebe vs. Marlon Moraes
Marcelo Alfaya vs. Jon Fitch
Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Lauzon


WSOF.COM-STREAMED PRELIMINARY CARD

Luiz Firmino vs. Jacob Volkmann
Francisco France vs. Hans Stringer
Nick LoBosco vs. Fabio Mello
Chad Robichaux vs. Andrew Yates
Alexandre Pimentel vs. Jade Porter

[keithlewis]

"World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl" adds featherweights Pablo Alfonso vs. Miguel Torres


Ten-bout lineup now complete for Oct. 26 event at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.



With a stellar lineup already in place for the promotion's first-ever trip to Florida, World Series of Fighting executives have added a 10th and final bout to the company's upcoming event.

"World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl" now hosts a newly announced featherweight matchup between 13-year professional Pablo "The Hurricane" Alfonso (8-5) and former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Miguel Torres (40-6) on the evening's preliminary lineup.

Featuring the first title fight in World Series of Fighting history with Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman (26-9) vs. Steve Carl (20-3) for the promotion's inaugural welterweight belt, World Series of Fighting 6 takes place Oct. 26 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gable, Fla.

"With our first-ever championship bout scheduled in the headlining bout of our Oct. 26 event, we were already excited about visiting BankUnited Center," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "But we had an opportunity to put together an intriguing matchup between Miguel Torres, who will compete at 145 pounds for the fight, and a very tough local fighter in Pablo Torres, who is excited to make a statement in what would be the biggest win of his career. It's a fantastic addition to an already incredible lineup."

Fighting professionally since 2000, Alfonso is an MMA Masters product and Florida resident. With experience under the Strikeforce and Jungle Fight banners, all eight of Alfonso's professional wins have come by way of stoppage, including six by submission. Most recently, Alfonso fought three times under the Championship Fighting Alliance banner.

Meanwhile, Torres also made his debut in 2000, and he's remained among the most prolific fighters in the sport since that time. With 32 stoppage wins among his 40 career victories, Torres has long been among the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA. Torres made his debut for World Series of Fighting at the company's inaugural event but suffered a split-decision loss to fast-rising star Marlon Moraes. Now, Torres seeks redemption.



NBCSN-TELEVISED MAIN CARD

Josh Burkman vs. Steve Carl
Carson Beebe vs. Marlon Moraes
Marcelo Alfaya vs. Jon Fitch
Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Lauzon


WSOF.COM-STREAMED PRELIMINARY CARD

Luiz Firmino vs. Jacob Volkmann
Pablo Alfonso vs. Miguel Torres
Francisco France vs. Hans Stringer
Nick LoBosco vs. Fabio Mello
Chad Robichaux vs. Andrew Yates
Alexandre Pimentel vs. Jade Porter