NSAC Approves Winner-Take-All For WBC Muay Thai Main Event

[keithlewis]

THE STAKES HAVE GONE UP! NSAC APPROVES WINNER-TAKE-ALL TERMS FOR JOE SCHILLING VS. SIMON MARCUS LION FIGHT PROMOTIONS WBC MUAY THAI MAIN EVENT


Feb. 25 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

What began as a bold challenge issued by one fighter to his opponent, has become a reality.

The Lion Fight Promotions’ WBC full rules Muay Thai main event showdown between light heavyweight champion Joe Schilling (12-1, 10 KO’s) and undefeated top contender and bitter rival Simon Marcus (22-0, 17 KO’s), will be contested under winner-take-all terms at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 25. The terms have been approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

The winner of the highly-anticipated matchup will take home not only his purse, but also his opponent’s entire purse, a rarity in combative sports.

“Joe was talking a lot about what he’s going to do to me and this and that, so I said ‘Put your money where your mouth is,” explained Marcus, who initiated the challenge to Schilling online two weeks ago. “Money has never been the most important thing to me. What’s important to me is that I show people – especially the media that have him ranked ahead of me - that I can dominate Joe.”

Schilling, who has been enduring a rigorous training camp that included regular sparring sessions with UFC superstar Nick Diaz before Diaz’s UFC 143 main event battle with Carlos Condit last Saturday, Feb. 4, has never been one to shy away from any kind of fight.

“He offered me the opportunity to take his purse and mine and I didn’t hesitate for a second to agree to it,” said Schilling, .who appeared on the final two episodes of “UFC 143 Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit” on FX, “I’m going to kick his ass either way and, now it’ll just be more money in my pocket. I’m going to expose him and show everyone that he’s just a pop tart.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to put together the best possible matchups between the top Muay Thai fighters in the world and, when you have two fighters like this who are so confident that they’re willing to put their entire payday on the line, it just makes a great matchup into an even greater one,” said Lion Fight Promotions CEO Scott Kent.

“The winner take-all purse concept has rarely been used in Nevada,” said Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer. “This certainly should bring added interest and intrigue to this contest.”

Tickets, priced from $25, are available for purchase at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com.

In other Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 5, Live from The Joint main card action, streaking Las Vegas star and WBC International Middleweight Champion Chaz Mulkey (7-4, 3 KO’s), fresh off his fifth consecutive win at Lion Fight Promotions’ last event on Nov. 19, will face his toughest test to date in two-time world champion and WBC No. 5 ranked super middleweight (168 pounds) contender Gregory Choplin (59-9, 22 KO’s) of Miami, Fla. by way of Paris, France in the middleweight (160 pounds) co-main event.

Mulkey was victorious over British champion Simon Chu via unanimous decision in the main event of Battle In The Desert 4, Lion from The Joint, while Choplin, dropping down a weight class, is looking to return to the win column after two consecutive losses in Nov. and Dec 2011 in his native France.

Following his hard-fought, majority decision victory over Rami Ibrahim on Nov. 19, WBC national champion Phanuwat “Coke” Chunhawat (146-24-1, 24 KO’s) of Oakland, Calif. via Thailand will return to the squared circle an attempt to avenge a June 2011 defeat when he battles 21-year-old young gun Matt Embree (19-3, 9 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the vacant WBC international lightweight (135 pounds) championship at stake.

The matchup between Chunhawat and Embree will serve as a rubber match. In Sept. 2010, Chunhawat edged out a split decision over Embree, who returned the favor by winning in the same fashion in the second meeting.

Jose Palacios (5-2, 3 KO’s) of San Jose, Calif. will meet Shane Oblonsky (6-2, 3 KO’s) of Santa Ana, Calif. in a welterweight (147 pounds) matchup. Vivian Leung (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas via Saskatoon, Canada will face Tiffany Van Soest (1-0) of San Diego, Calif. in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) bout. Power striker Scotty Leffler (4-2, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will meet Sheldon Gaines (2-4, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, Calif. in a 142 pound catch weight fight and 21-year-old top prospect Anthony Castrejon (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas will make the third start of his promising young career in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) fight with 28-year-old Francisco Barragan of Dallas, TX.

Doors at The Joint open at 4 p.m. The first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m.
About Lion Fight Promotions.