Narkun Targets Title Contention Sites at M-1 Challenge XXIII

(PRESS RELEASE) -- After being outclassed in his light heavyweight championship fight against Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, the Berserker’s Team prospect, Tomasz Narkun has gone back to the drawing board to re-establish his youthful confidence and swagger. Determined to earn a second chance at the M-1 Challenge gold, Narkun will start his quest to pick-off the light heavyweight contenders at M-1 Challenge XXIII on Saturday March 5th from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia; first in the cross-hairs is Eastern Europe’s M-1 Selection tournament runner-up, Shamil Tinagadjiev “Narkun’s outing against Vasilevsky was a lesson learned for the Polish fighter,” says M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan. “The loss showed him where he needs to improve in order elevate his game and become a world champion. He immediately returned to training and it seems he’s got a blueprint for success ready for Tinagadjiev.” With the light heavyweight championship possibly being vacated as Vasilevsky considers relinquishing the belt to pursue action in the 185 pound division, a Narkun victory could place the Polish fighter closer to his second shot at the title sooner than originally thought. With that possibility outside his control, Narkun is focused on Tinagadjiev and determined to return to his winning ways. Also added to the undercard is the heavyweight tilt between Gracie Barra Seixal striker,Goncalo Salgado, and Gorets team prospect, Arsen Abdulkerimov. Under Card Bouts: 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. To receive the iframe embedding code to air the event, please email Eric Nicholl at [email protected] for more information. 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.