Modern Fighting

SIGNAL HILL, California (June 26, 2008) – The Cold War might be over, but old rivalries die hard. On July 19th at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, two of the world’s greatest MMA super powers will collide when Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko faces off with America’s Tim Sylvia for the WAMMA heavyweight championship.

These two formidable heavyweight champions finally make it into the ring together, in an event as impressive as the two athletes heading the bill — “Affliction Banned.” These two heavy hitters are so accomplished it’s a challenge for them to find competitive opponents. The two are almost perfectly matched in number of professional bouts they’ve fought in, with Sylvia compiling 24 wins and only 4 losses, and Fedor recording 28 wins and 1 loss. It’s hard to imagine what it will be like in the ring with these two monsters of MMA go head-to-head.

Fedor is a powerful, intelligent fighter and technician who doesn’t outwardly show much emotion, but fights (and trains) with a lot of heart. This astounding fighter never retreats, has great takedown and ground control skills, and is the most devastating fighter that MMA has ever seen when he’s on the inside. And Fedor hits very hard, with amazing knockout power in both hands. Unlike most fighters, Fedor is also a master game planner who follows through on the plan, and simply doesn’t wilt under pressure, no matter what the circumstances. Fedor’s record is impeccable, losing only once when a referee decided to end a fight early when he sustained a bad cut from an elbow. All in all, Fedor seems virtually unbeatable.

Although Fedor is the top-ranking heavyweight in the world, there’s no doubt that Tim Sylvia is a force to be reckoned with. With a full 8 inches and 30 pounds over Fedor, Sylvia is a monster with an impressive record, surprisingly quick hands and a long reach that many opponents find hard to escape. His size and striking power, coupled with a rock-em sock-em attitude and stamina are a dangerous combination every time he steps in front of an opponent. Trying to regain the championship title in a fight in 2004, Sylvia wouldn’t tap out when Frank Mir locked him in an armbar, even after his arm was snapped. The ref had to put an end the fight, because Sylvia, broken arm and all wouldn’t give up.

Fedor, who has already proved himself in the ring, is looking to earn a different kind of reputation with the American people. “As far as American fans, I’d like them to get to know me personally…not just as a fighter — as a human being as well.” And Sylvia, who has suffered from some criticism and controversy, has a personal, as well as professional, agenda as well — he’s just looking for a little respect. A win against the current world heavyweight champion just might quiet the chatter and earn him the respect he yearns for. In Sylvia’s own words, “It’s time to see if Fedor still has what it takes to be #1.”

On the evening of July 19th at Honda Center in Anaheim, the MMA mega-event of all times —“Affliction Banned”— promises to bear this out.

“Affliction Banned” is stacked with so much world-class talent that it had to be separated into two live shows produced for broadcast. The night’s activities will kick off with “Affliction Live,” a one-hour, free live telecast on FSN (Fox Sports Net) starting at 5 PM Pacific (8 PM/ET) and setting the stage for “Affliction Banned” – five super fights on pay-per-view starting at 6 PM/PT (9 PM/ET) via iN DEMAND, TVN, Shaw Communications, Viewers Choice Canada, DirecTV, DISH Network, Bell ExpressVue and Star Choice in the United States and Canada for a suggested retail price of $39.95.

The heavy metal band Megadeth, led by frontman, guitarist, and songwriter Dave Mustaine, will be performing live at the event.

Tickets for “Affliction Banned” range between $50.00 and $1,000.00, and are on sale at Honda Center’s Box Office and also online at Ticketmaster.com.

In a Rematch of their Recent Controversial Title Fight on CBS, EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler Will Defend Against Scott Smith, While Jake Shields Squares off Against Nick Thompson For the Vacant EliteXC Welterweight Belt

CBS to Broadcast Four Live Fights (Including Two Title Fights) From 9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT; SHOWTIME to Televise Three Live Fights (Including EliteXC Heavyweight Title Fight) from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, June 25 — CBS and EliteXC announced today that the next CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. on Saturday, July 26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The four-fight broadcast will be highlighted by the highly anticipated rematch between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith for the EliteXC Middleweight Title.

The night of mixed martial action will begin with three live fights on SHOWTIME (8:00-9:00 PT, ET/PT) including an EliteXC Heavyweight Championship match featuring Antonio “Big Foot” Silva.

“One venue, two networks and seven exciting world class fights adds up to an entertaining and memorable mixed martial arts event in prime time,” said Doug DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc.

In a rematch of their exciting, controversial first fight on May 31 on CBS, Lawler, the EliteXC middleweight champion from St. Louis by way of Davenport, Iowa

, will put his title on the line once again against hard-hitting challenger Smith of Elk Grove, Calif. Their last meeting, a fight that many called the fight of the night,

ended in controversy when doctors called the fight after Smith caught an unintentional finger in the eye late in the third round. Smith claimed he was ready to continue, but the fight was stopped and declared a no contest.

You can read the full press release by clicking here.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) — UFC® middleweight champion Anderson Silva, arguably the best mixed martial arts fighter in the world, pound-for-pound, will move up in weight class for the first time when he jumps from middleweight to light heavyweight to fight James “The Sandman” Irvin (14-4-1) on Saturday, July 19 at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Silva will square off against the hard-hitting Irvin, who knocked out Houston Alexander in a record-tying eight seconds this past April. Silva vs. Irvin will air LIVE - for the first time ever - on the East and West coast on Spike TV. The fight will be seen at 9:00pm ET and 6:00pm PT, free on Spike TV.

“There has never been a better time to be a mixed martial arts fan,” said Dana White, UFC President. “You get to see Anderson Silva fight for the first time ever as a light heavyweight against James “The Sandman” Irvin, who just tied the record for fastest KO in UFC history with his destruction of Houston Alexander and whose flying knee KO of Terry Martin is an all-time highlight. Silva has been unstoppable in the middleweight division, and now he is looking to test the waters in the light heavyweight division. Fight fans on the West and East coast can see Silva vs. Irvin and a full lineup of great live matchups free on Spike TV Saturday, July 19.”

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — It was difficult for Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox not to smile after his event’s debut performance Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena.

“You know, there were a lot of goals I set for this first show and we made the majority of them,” Cox said. “I look at this event as the first step in creating something special in the Midwest. The people who came seemed to really enjoy themselves and I’m sure they’ll continue to support our event.”

Among the goals set for the first event were:

1. Be televised live on national television (accomplished when HDNet showed it live).
2. Give some up-and-coming fighters a chance to showcase their skills (Cox was especially complimentary of Clay French, Bart Palaszewski, Mike Stumpf, Rory Markham and Mike Russow).
3. Provide competitive bouts (Cox cited Brian Gassaway-Forrest Petz and Palaszewski-Jeff Cox as fight of the night candidates).
4. Create a fan-friendly atmosphere (the Meet-and-Greet session for fans included Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell, Jens Pulver, Andrei Arlovski and Pat Miletich. Event was sponsored by Affliction).

“There are always things to improve upon and we’ll do an even better job at our second show on Sept. 6 at the I-Wireless Center in Moline, Ill.,” Cox said.

In the main event, Chicago policeman Russow improved to 10-1 by stopping Jason Guida with a neck-crank in the first round.

Terry Martin (17-4) won by DQ over Japan’s Daiju Takase, who landed several kicks to Martin’s groin. Martin now fights Vitor Belfort on July 19 in Affliction: Banned.

Gassaway came within seconds of stopping Petz in the first round, and ended up losing a very close 29-28 decision on all three judges’ cards. It was one of the better efforts by Gassaway in recent years and a huge comeback effort by Petz, a 5-time UFC veteran.

Jeff Cox dropped Palaszewski in the first round and looked on his way to scoring a big upset until the local standout dropped and stopped Cox with a kick to the head early in round 2.

Markham (15-4) survived an aerial attack from Jay Ellis, who literally jumped over his opponent’s head to start the match. Markham took it to the ground and won quickly by submission.

Clay French (15-2) showed his strength in dominated a tough Jameel Massouh, winning by submission after effective ground-and-pound.

Joe Jordan didn’t make a lot of friends, but showed his experience in out-pointing XFO champ Ryan Williams. Jordan, who got his 42nd win, clowned around throughout but landed the more severe blows to get the victory.

Sponsors for the event were: Medalist, Affliction, Fairtex, Tapout, Hitman, Warrior Wear, Dollamur.

Boston, MA - World Championship Fighting announced today that HDNet, NBCSports.com and ESPN will be filming this Friday June 20th at the Shriners Auditorium. HDNet will be filming for their flagship program “Inside MMA” which airs on the HDNet Television Network. Inside MMA covers the Nation’s best Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows in the country to provide the most comprehensive coverage to MMA fans across the US.

ESPN will also be on hand to film World Championship Fighting. This marks the first time that ESPN will be filming a World Championship Fighting event, which is representative of the sport’s growing popularity. ESPN is the World Wide Leader in Sports with its all sports, all the time network.

NBCSports.com will cover World Championship Fighting for the second straight time as they covered the last WCF event where UFC President Dana White was a special guest. World Championship Fighting was featured on NBCSports’ MMA Fight Weekly series which can be seen on NBCSports.com.

WCF extends its arms to all media outlets across the country and internationally as the sport of Mixed Martial Arts grows, “We’re extremely proud to be part of the sport’s growth and welcome the opportunity to work with such major media outlets” said Joe Cavallaro, promoter of World Championship Fighting. In an event lineup change the TapouT Crew regretfully announced today that they will not be able to appear at the World Championship Fighting. The news comes after the founder of the TapouT company, Charles Lewis (aka Mask), recently underwent back surgery and is in the process of rehabilitating his back. Mask, Punk-Ass, and Scrape are sure to be back at upcoming World Championship Fighting events as Mask said, “We love working with World Championship Fighting, we had a great time there at the last show and the fans here in Massachusetts are great. We’ll definitely be back. We’re sorry we won’t be able to be there for our fans, but we’ll definitely be back!”

Head promoter for World Championship Fighting Joe Cavallaro had this to say about the news, “While we are sad to not have the TapouT crew here on June 20th we still have a great lineup scheduled for our autograph session including UFC Fighters Marcus Davis, Kenny Florian, Jorge Rivera, Joe Lauzon and Sean Gannon the only man to beat Kimbo Slice! Add to that our awesome fight card, and it’s a great night of MMA action!” Cavallaro also added, “We’d like to wish Mask a speedy recovery, we can’t wait to see you guys again!”

The World Championship Fighting event takes place live, June 20th at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington Massachusetts. Catch the action live to see the area’s best MMA fighters take to the ring including UFC veteran Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon, Mike Campbell, Rich Moskowitz, Jamie Campbell, John Benoit and many more! World Championship Fighting is the East Coast’s premiere MMA sports organization working with the best athletes in the nation to produce some of the most exciting bouts in all of Mixed Martial Arts and recently announced a partnership with the largest radio station in the area, WBCN The Rock of Boston.

You can find the fight card by clicking here.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008
LIVE FROM PHILIPS ARENA
Tickets On Sale Saturday, June 21 at 12pm ET

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Home to some of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts, the UFC® light heavyweight division is without question the most competitive in the sport. On Saturday, September 6th, two of the weight class’ best - legendary former champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and unbeaten rising star “Sugar” Rashad Evans – will finally meet in the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization’s historic first trip to Atlanta for UFC 88: BREAKTHROUGH, live at Philips Arena.

“Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans is a battle between the former champion looking to get a shot at reclaiming his crown and the undefeated contender looking to earn his first title shot,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Chuck is a great wrestler and Rashad has shown improved striking skills so there is no way of telling what will happen when two fighters of this caliber collide. This is going to be another incredible fight, and I am so excited to bring UFC 88 Atlanta.”

Originally scheduled to face off against each other on June’s UFC 85 card in London, a torn hamstring sidelined Liddell and forced him to withdraw from his bout with Evans. But if anything, the additional wait has steeled the resolve of both men to not only win this fight, but to end it in spectacular fashion for the loyal UFC fans of Georgia.

UFC 88 marks the organization’s first event in the state since Augusta’s UFC 13 show in May of 1997, and it’s first ever event in Atlanta. To kick off this inaugural event, White stated he will hold a UFC 88 press conference with Liddell and Evans in downtown Atlanta next Tuesday, June 24, and that later that day, the two fighters will attend an autograph session at Lenox Mall from 2 to 4pm ET.

Tickets for UFC 88: BREAKTHROUGH will go on sale Sunday, June 21 at 12 Noon ET and will be priced at $604, $404, $254, $154 and $79. Tickets for UFC 88 will be available at Philip’s Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 404.249.6400.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, June 18 at 10am ET via the website www.ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, June 20 starting at 10am ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through www.ufc.com.

UFC 88: BREAKTHROUGH is available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

One of the biggest stars in American sports, Chuck Liddell (21-5) is a fighter who needs no introduction to fight fans. Fresh off a thrilling three round win over Wanderlei Silva last December in a fight which easily lived up to over four years of expectations, the 38-year-old – owner of knockout wins over a Who’s Who of 205-pound stalwarts, including Randy Couture (twice), Tito Ortiz (twice), Renato Sobral (twice), Jeremy Horn, and Kevin Randleman - continues on his quest to regain his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; but to get there, he has to get by Evans, only the third undefeated fighter Liddell has ever faced.

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