Lightweight Fury Added to M-1 Challenge XXIII
Feb 7, 2011
(PRESS RELEASE) -- With the M-1 Challenge XXIII card growing
stronger by the day, adding the lightweight contention battle
between Mairbek ‘Beckan’ Taisumov and Yuri ‘Cable Guy’ Ivlev is
like adding gasoline to an already raging inferno. With Taisumov
eager to get back in the title hunt and Ivlev seeking redemption
after taking his first loss in a year, these elite strikers are set
to steal fight of the night honors. Fans worldwide can catch the
entire event from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia LIVE and
for free on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com)
starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am on Saturday March 5th.
“The bout between Taisumov and Ivlev is an awesome opportunity for both fighters to cement their position as a top lightweight title contender,” says Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “It’s an incredible addition to M-1 Challenge XXIII; it could easily be worthy of co-main event status. We couldn’t be more excited about the way 2011 is starting off.”
Current lightweight champ, Artiom Damkovsky, is gearing for his
first title defense against 2010 M-1 Selection Americas winner,
Jose Figueroa, in M-1 Global’s sophomore Challenge of 2011 event
being announced shortly.
M-1 Challenge XXIII Under Card Bouts:
Byron Byrd (3-0) vs. Alihan Magomedov (8-2) Light Heavyweight
Shamil Tinagadjiev (7-3) vs. Tomasz Narkun (4-1) Light Heavyweight
Goncalo Salgado (7-1) vs. Arsen Abdulkerimov (3-1) Heavyweight
Rashid Magomedov (7-1) vs. Rafal Moks (6-2) Welterweight
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (28-5) vs. Plinio Cruz (5-3) Middleweight
Daniel Weichel (25-7) vs. Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (16-4) Lightweight
Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner (5-3) vs. Alexander Volkov (9-2-1) Heavyweight
Additional bouts to be announced
Championship Bouts
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4)
Welterweight Division:
Shamil Zavurov, M-1 Challenge Champion (18-1) clashes with Tom ‘Da Tank’ Gallicchio, M-1 Selection Americas 2010 champion (15-5)
Free LIVE broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event from Moscow, Russia will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST on Saturday March 5th.
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’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) 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 has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events 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, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Byron Byrd, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.
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 bout between Taisumov and Ivlev is an awesome opportunity for both fighters to cement their position as a top lightweight title contender,” says Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “It’s an incredible addition to M-1 Challenge XXIII; it could easily be worthy of co-main event status. We couldn’t be more excited about the way 2011 is starting off.”
Advertisement
M-1 Challenge XXIII Under Card Bouts:
Mairbek Taisumov (13-3) vs. Yuri Ivlev (14-6) Lightweight
Byron Byrd (3-0) vs. Alihan Magomedov (8-2) Light Heavyweight
Shamil Tinagadjiev (7-3) vs. Tomasz Narkun (4-1) Light Heavyweight
Goncalo Salgado (7-1) vs. Arsen Abdulkerimov (3-1) Heavyweight
Rashid Magomedov (7-1) vs. Rafal Moks (6-2) Welterweight
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (28-5) vs. Plinio Cruz (5-3) Middleweight
Daniel Weichel (25-7) vs. Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (16-4) Lightweight
Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner (5-3) vs. Alexander Volkov (9-2-1) Heavyweight
Additional bouts to be announced
Championship Bouts
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4)
Welterweight Division:
Shamil Zavurov, M-1 Challenge Champion (18-1) clashes with Tom ‘Da Tank’ Gallicchio, M-1 Selection Americas 2010 champion (15-5)
Free LIVE broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event from Moscow, Russia will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST on Saturday March 5th.
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’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) 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 has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events 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, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Byron Byrd, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.
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.
