(PRESS RELEASE) -- Rumors are swirling that current Palace Fighting Championship World Featherweight Champion Jorge Evangelista (Pictures) of Fresno, Calif. is headed down to the bantamweight division.

But the move won’t take place until after a January 22 fight with former lightweight champ Georgia’s Diego Saraiva (Pictures) (12-8-1), according to PFC President Christian Printup. Evangelista’s move, though, should be music to the ears of Las Vegas, Nev.

featherweight Eddie Yagin (Pictures) (11-3-1) and Oroville, Calif.’s Shawn Bias (Pictures) (13-6). The pair along with Fresno, Calif.’s Casey Olson (Pictures) (9-2) have positioned themselves to be contenders for the title.

Yagin, a former X-1 Champion, will face Bias, who is the former PFC champ on Thursday, November 20 at PFC 10’s “All In” at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino.

“First, this is just a great fight, but more importantly the winner is going to position themselves to probably fight for the belt very soon,” Printup said. “We know that Evangelista’s last fight at 45s will probably be against Saraiva in January and we had scheduled the winner of Bias and Yagin to fight Olson in January for the No. 1 contender spot. At this stage in both Bias and Yagin’s career, this is a huge, must-win type of fight.”

Bias is on a comeback after nearly a year off and Yagin’s last fight was nearly a year ago in Hawaii. Yagin has since found a home at Marc Laimon’s Cobra Kai gym in Las Vegas.

“He has power and explosiveness and seems to use overhands to a take down,” Bias said of Yagin. “Good luck with any of that. I expect this fight to reset my existence as a top 145-pound fighter. This is one of the biggest fights in my career.”

Bias’ career has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride. He’s fought the likes of Urijah Faber (Pictures), John Gunderson (Pictures), Chance Farrar (Pictures) and current PFC World Lightweight champ Brian Cobb (Pictures).

“I feel like a new man and a whole new fighter after everything I’ve been through over the last couple years,” Bias said. “My cardio is now my strong point, which was my weakness in the past. I’m progressing at a rate that is nothing less than astonishing.”

Bias was involved in an incident with police officers last year that left him in the hospital in a coma. He’s since fully recovered after being told he would never fight again.

Bias made his first comeback fight August 11 with a technical knockout win over Marcus Blood (Pictures).

“I know that he’s pretty good. He is an ex-champ in the PFC. I’ve heard some good things about him,” Yagin said of Bias. “I’m a counter fighter, though, I’m not going to really worry too much about what I see or hear ‘til its fight time. Then in the ring, I will do the opposite of what he is comfortable with. That’s really my style.”

Yagin also has a history of tough fights. He fought Vitor “Shaolin” Ribiero and Rich Clementi (Pictures) among others.

“I’m really excited about this fight and to fight out there in the PFC,” Yagin said. “I’m ready to get this over with. I’m hungry.”

Collins, Ento to meet again

Lemoore, Calif. – Locally it’s a rematch that everyone has been waiting to see. And on Thursday, November 20 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino the Palace Fighting Championship will give Central California mixed martial arts fans what they’ve wanted - Visalia, Calif. middleweight Kenny Ento (Pictures) (9-4) vs. Merced, Calif.’s Phil Collins (Pictures) (6-4).

“This time it will be different,” said Collins, who fell victim to an arm bar by Ento in a World Extreme Cagefighting bout in May of 2006.

“I won’t take him down after I hurt him this time. I won’t stop punching,” Collins added. Collins wobbled Ento with a punch, but hurried in and took Ento down where he had finished three of his four previous fights by arm bar.

Ento was crowned the first PFC World Middleweight champ when he defeated Justin Levens (Pictures) in October of 2007. But in his first title defense, Ento was submitted by Nate Loughran (Pictures), who has since vacated the title and moved on to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“This is a good fight for me coming off of a loss. It’s also a good fight for him, as he is coming off a loss,” Ento said. “I don’t think there will be much of a difference in how the fight goes, though. He has to try and get a takedown on me or he is going to get knocked out. But if it goes to the ground, we all know what’s going to happen there… I will submit him.”

Ento is one of the biggest local stars for the PFC and owns a victory over UFC and TUF veteran Jesse Taylor (Pictures) also a controversial victory over UFC vet Levens. He’s also fight TUF and UFC vet Lodune Sincaid (Pictures) in a PFC bout.

“I wasn’t chasing a rematch with him. Right now we are each seven or eight fights down the road and it’s cool that it’s happening,” said Collins. “I actually like Kenny. I have his phone number and we’ve been in contact a few times. But when fight day comes, we will have to handle our business and then go back to being friends later.” The fight is also an important one, since Loughran vacated the belt.

“The winner of this fight we are looking to match with the winner of the Leopoldo Searo and Jaime Jara (Pictures) fight and that will probably be for the title,” PFC President Christian Printup said.

Despite what happened in the first meeting, it seems both parties have similar game plans for the second meeting.

“Hopefully, we can stand and box for three rounds,” Collins said. “But I know now that if it does go to the ground that he can’t submit me. When we first fought I hadn’t been training jiu-jitsu, but now that’s mostly what I’ve worked on.”

Ento adds, “I’ve been working on my standup and cardio. Also, my takedown defense. I’m hoping for a knockout, but I don’t think he will make it easy for me. I really would like to stand and bang with him.”

Tickets can be purchased at tickets.com or charge by phone 1-800-225-2277 and at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino gift shop.

In the main event, Visalia, Calif. middleweight Doug Marshall (Pictures) (8-3) battles rival Tulare Calif.’s Rafael del Real (5-10). In PFC championship action, Los Angeles, Calif.’s light heavyweight champ Jorge Oliveira (Pictures) (3-2-1) defends his title in a rematch against St. Paul Minn.’s Isaiah Larson (6-1).

Las Vegas, Nev.’s Ulysses Gomez (2-0) will take on Thailand’s Rambaa Somdet (Pictures) (5-2) in a one of two flyweight semifinals. In the other showdown, Hanford, Calif.’s Luis Gonzales (3-0) is pitted against Phoenix, Ariz.’s Pat Runez (4-0). The winners will face each other on January 22 at PFC 12.

In other action;
-North Highland’s, Calif. middleweight Jaime Jara (Pictures) (20-5) vs. Rio De Janiero, Brazil’s Leopoldo Serao (Pictures) (14-7).
-Las Vegas, Nev. featherweight Eddie Yagin (Pictures) (11-3-1) vs. Oroville, Calif.’s Shawn Bias (Pictures) (13-6).
-Oakland, Calif. lightweight Dominique Robinson (Pictures) (13-2-1) vs. Osaka, Japan’s Takumi Nakayama (Pictures) (13-11-4).
-Lemoore, Calif. lightweight Poppies Martinez (Pictures) (16-5) vs. Porterville, Calif.’s Tony Llamas (Pictures) (7-7).
-Lemoore, Calif. lightweight Mickey Martinez (Pictures) (5-1-1) vs. Visalia, Calif.’s Darren Crisp (Pictures) (4-3).
-Hanford, Calif. featherweight Chad Mendes (Pictures) (1-0) vs. Fresno, Calif.’s Ralph Lopez (Pictures) (4-2).
-Las Vegas, Nev. lightweight Evan Dunham (6-0) vs. Phoenix, Ariz.’s Victor Meza (7-0).
-Las Vegas, Nev. Lightweight Jason Carpenter (0-0) vs. Bakersfield, Calif.’s Juan Lopez (2-3).
-Chicago, Ill. lightweight Erin Toughill (Pictures) (7-2-1) vs. Ohio’s Jan Finney (Pictures) (4-5).
-Hanford, Calif. flyweight Paulina Ramirez (0-0) vs. Fresno, Calif.’s Brittany Briano (0-0).