Gallicchio Out, Lloveras in at M-1 Challenge XXII
Nov 16, 2010
(PRESS RELEASE) -- The scheduled December 10th M-1 Challenge XXII
Welterweight title contest took a dramatic turn this weekend as the
Americas Selection tournament winner, Tom “Da Tank” Gallicchio, has
been removed from the fight due to an infringement of contractual
obligations, pending legal action. At 15-5, the New Jersey based
fighter was scheduled to face the Eastern European Selection
tournament winner Shamil Zavurov (17-1).
“The immediate goal for the winners of Selection is to fight for the M-1 Challenge title,” said M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan. “Tom Gallicchio has not fulfilled his contractual obligations, and we will deal with the matter to the full extent of our contractual rights. I would not expect to see Tom in the ring anytime soon, at least not until this issue is dealt with.”
Stepping in for Gallicchio will be M-1 Selection Western European
winner Abner Lloveras (11-4-1) who enters this title matchup riding
a red hot 6 fight winning streak.
Under Card Bouts:
Luigi Fioravanti (18-8) vs. Shahrijar Abassov (23-1) Middleweight
Mikhail Zayats (12-5) vs. David ‘Square’ Tkeshelashvili Light Heavyweight
Daniel Vizcaya (3-1) vs. Victor Nemkov (9-3) Light Heavyweight
· Additional bouts to be announced
Championship Bouts
Welterweight Division:
Abner Lloveras, M-1 Selection Western Europe 2010 champion (11-4-1) clashes with Shamil Zavurov, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (17-1)
Middleweight Division: Magomed ‘The White Wolf’ Sultanakhmedov, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (28-4) meets RafaÅ‚ ‘Kulturysta’ Moks, M-1 Selection Western Europe 2010 champ (5-2)
Light Heavyweight Division: Tomasz ‘Giraffe’ Narkun, M-1 Selection Western Europe champion (4-0) battles Vyacheslav ‘Slava’ Vasilevsky, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe champion (9-1).
All the action goes down Friday December 10th from the Druzhba Arena in Moscow, Russia with fans worldwide tuning in LIVE online at the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com starting 11:30am EST / 8:30 PST.
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011 includes a full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe. These are the mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand stages its M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events worldwide and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States; captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups. 2011 marks a breakthrough year for this MMA powerhouse. With two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe and North America and a full calendar of Challenge events, M-1 Global’s World Champions will rank amongst the greatest in the sport and the contention system will fuel spectacular cards around the world.
M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.
“The immediate goal for the winners of Selection is to fight for the M-1 Challenge title,” said M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan. “Tom Gallicchio has not fulfilled his contractual obligations, and we will deal with the matter to the full extent of our contractual rights. I would not expect to see Tom in the ring anytime soon, at least not until this issue is dealt with.”
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Under Card Bouts:
Vinny Magalhaes (4-5) vs. Alihan Magomedov (12-1) Light
Heavyweight
Luigi Fioravanti (18-8) vs. Shahrijar Abassov (23-1) Middleweight
Mikhail Zayats (12-5) vs. David ‘Square’ Tkeshelashvili Light Heavyweight
Daniel Vizcaya (3-1) vs. Victor Nemkov (9-3) Light Heavyweight
· Additional bouts to be announced
Championship Bouts
Welterweight Division:
Abner Lloveras, M-1 Selection Western Europe 2010 champion (11-4-1) clashes with Shamil Zavurov, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (17-1)
Middleweight Division: Magomed ‘The White Wolf’ Sultanakhmedov, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (28-4) meets RafaÅ‚ ‘Kulturysta’ Moks, M-1 Selection Western Europe 2010 champ (5-2)
Light Heavyweight Division: Tomasz ‘Giraffe’ Narkun, M-1 Selection Western Europe champion (4-0) battles Vyacheslav ‘Slava’ Vasilevsky, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe champion (9-1).
All the action goes down Friday December 10th from the Druzhba Arena in Moscow, Russia with fans worldwide tuning in LIVE online at the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com starting 11:30am EST / 8:30 PST.
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011 includes a full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe. These are the mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand stages its M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events worldwide and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States; captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups. 2011 marks a breakthrough year for this MMA powerhouse. With two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe and North America and a full calendar of Challenge events, M-1 Global’s World Champions will rank amongst the greatest in the sport and the contention system will fuel spectacular cards around the world.
M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.
