Don "The Predator" Frye and Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal to Headline M-1's First Televised MMA Event in the U.S.
(PRESS RELEASE) -- July. 23, 2009 - M-1 Global, an Amsterdam-based
organization in which Fedor has an ownership stake, recently
announced the birth of their new premium fight series, "M-1
Breakthrough." Legendary MMA Champion Don "The Predator" Frye
(20-7-1) and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (4-0), who recently completed
a four-fight deal with World Victory Road's Sengoku organization,
will headline the first "M-1 Breakthrough" MMA event on August
28th. The event will be held in conjunction with the International
MMA Expo (IMMAE) in Los Angeles, Calif. at the Los Angeles
Convention Center.
Joost Raimond, Chief Operating Officer of M-1 Global, had this to say, "We are very excited about our first major televised show in the U.S., "M-1 Breakthrough". The name represents our quest to expose new talent to different international markets. We are equally as excited to have Don Frye and Muhammad Lawal headlining our first Breakthrough event. Lawal will be making his U.S. debut and Frye is undoubtedly a legend in the sport. Currently Lawal does not have a loss on his record. If any fighter possesses the credentials to test Lawal's weaknesses, it's the legendary Don Frye."
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, a division one wrestler, made his professional MMA debut in September 2008 at Sengoku 5, where he impressed fans by defeating decorated heavyweight champion Travis Wiuff, via TKO. Lawal, who has yet to add a loss to his record, is riding a four fight win streak going into the bout with Frye. Frye, a former UFC Champion with almost thirty professional fights under his belt, aims to stop Lawal dead in his tracks.
"I am honored to be part of M-1's first televised series in the U.S. M-1 is one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the world. As for Mo Lawal, he is a very dangerous competitor. Mo had an outstanding NCAA Division I wrestling career and was a contender for the US World Team. At that level, every day of practice is like a three hour street fight. This man has had hundreds of matches and a fantastic amount of experience against world class athletes. He is not to be taken lightly despite his limited MMA experience. This fight will be like having sex with a grizzly bear, there will be a lot of scratching and growling from both sides!" states Frye.
M-1 Official Fight Card (subject to change):
· Don Frye vs. Mo Lawal
· Karl Amoussou vs. Nick Thompson
· Alexey Oleinik vs. TBA
· Dave Jansen vs. Daisuke Nakamura
· Bao Quach vs. Bogdan Christea
· Fabio "Negao" Nascimento vs. Dmitry Samoilov
· Lloyd Marshbanks vs. Michael Kitta
· Karen Darabedyan vs. Yuri Ivlev
This M-1 Super Fight Event will take place on Saturday, August 28th at the Convention Center and will be televised on HDNet Fights. Tickets for "M-1 Breakthrough" will go on sale shortly and will be available through Ticketmaster. For more information and regularly updated event information, please visit www.m-1global.com.
About M-1 Global
M-1 Global has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. International MMA stars who have fought under the M-1 banner have included Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Keith Jardine, Alistair Overeem, Yushin Okami, Ben Rothwell, Mike Pyle, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, and Chalid Arrab, to name a few. The M-1 organization also heads up the "M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction." Billed as the "World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts," the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcase some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 80 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge's international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as Affliction Entertainment.
Joost Raimond, Chief Operating Officer of M-1 Global, had this to say, "We are very excited about our first major televised show in the U.S., "M-1 Breakthrough". The name represents our quest to expose new talent to different international markets. We are equally as excited to have Don Frye and Muhammad Lawal headlining our first Breakthrough event. Lawal will be making his U.S. debut and Frye is undoubtedly a legend in the sport. Currently Lawal does not have a loss on his record. If any fighter possesses the credentials to test Lawal's weaknesses, it's the legendary Don Frye."
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, a division one wrestler, made his professional MMA debut in September 2008 at Sengoku 5, where he impressed fans by defeating decorated heavyweight champion Travis Wiuff, via TKO. Lawal, who has yet to add a loss to his record, is riding a four fight win streak going into the bout with Frye. Frye, a former UFC Champion with almost thirty professional fights under his belt, aims to stop Lawal dead in his tracks.
"I am honored to be part of M-1's first televised series in the U.S. M-1 is one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the world. As for Mo Lawal, he is a very dangerous competitor. Mo had an outstanding NCAA Division I wrestling career and was a contender for the US World Team. At that level, every day of practice is like a three hour street fight. This man has had hundreds of matches and a fantastic amount of experience against world class athletes. He is not to be taken lightly despite his limited MMA experience. This fight will be like having sex with a grizzly bear, there will be a lot of scratching and growling from both sides!" states Frye.
M-1 Official Fight Card (subject to change):
· Don Frye vs. Mo Lawal
· Karl Amoussou vs. Nick Thompson
· Alexey Oleinik vs. TBA
· Dave Jansen vs. Daisuke Nakamura
· Bao Quach vs. Bogdan Christea
· Fabio "Negao" Nascimento vs. Dmitry Samoilov
· Lloyd Marshbanks vs. Michael Kitta
· Karen Darabedyan vs. Yuri Ivlev
This M-1 Super Fight Event will take place on Saturday, August 28th at the Convention Center and will be televised on HDNet Fights. Tickets for "M-1 Breakthrough" will go on sale shortly and will be available through Ticketmaster. For more information and regularly updated event information, please visit www.m-1global.com.
About M-1 Global
M-1 Global has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. International MMA stars who have fought under the M-1 banner have included Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Keith Jardine, Alistair Overeem, Yushin Okami, Ben Rothwell, Mike Pyle, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, and Chalid Arrab, to name a few. The M-1 organization also heads up the "M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction." Billed as the "World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts," the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcase some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 80 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge's international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as Affliction Entertainment.
