Moks Relinquishes Middleweight Title and Returns to Action at M-1 Challenge XXIII
Jan 21, 2011
(PRESS RELEASE) -- After becoming one of M-1 Global’s most
successful underdog stories in the promotion’s 13 year history, M-1
Challenge Middleweight Champion, Rafal ‘Kulturysta’ Moks, has
elected to relinquish his title in order to compete as a
welterweight. With the goal of chasing down the 170-pound crown,
Moks returns to action against rising Gorec team prospect, Rashid
Magomedov, at M-1 Challenge XXIII on Saturday March 5th. All the
evening’s action from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia can
be caught LIVE online for free on the official M-1 website,
www.M-1Global.com, starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.
“With the success that Moks had in the face of much larger opponents, making the decision to return to his natural weight class had to be extremely tough,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations for M-1 Global. “Moks has volunteered to vacate the middleweight title which will be fought for later this year. This was a decision that Moks and his camp believe directs his career down the proper path. M-1 supports it and we wish him continued success.” Expected to compete in the future middleweight bout is American Selections tournament winner and Team Quest fighter, Tyson Jeffries, and a yet-be-determined top contender.
With Magomed Sultanakhmedov as the heavy favourite in their title
fight this past December, Moks shocked fans around the world with
his 17-second leg-lock submission. Rather than always be considered
the ‘underdog’ fighting as a middleweight, Moks ventures back to
his accustomed welterweight division and looks to vanquish
Magomedov in his first outing; a victory puts Moks in direct
contention for the 170-pound M-1 Challenge championship.
Under Card Bouts:
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 Bout
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4)
Additional bouts to be announced shortly
Free broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event will be available live to viewers worldwide on www.M-1Global.com.
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.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
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.
“With the success that Moks had in the face of much larger opponents, making the decision to return to his natural weight class had to be extremely tough,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations for M-1 Global. “Moks has volunteered to vacate the middleweight title which will be fought for later this year. This was a decision that Moks and his camp believe directs his career down the proper path. M-1 supports it and we wish him continued success.” Expected to compete in the future middleweight bout is American Selections tournament winner and Team Quest fighter, Tyson Jeffries, and a yet-be-determined top contender.
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Under Card Bouts:
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 Bout
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4)
Additional bouts to be announced shortly
Free broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event will be available live to viewers worldwide on www.M-1Global.com.
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.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
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.
