Derek Brunson – Photo via Strikeforce.com
Press Release – Springfield, Missouri (USA): ShoFIGHT, one of the rising MMA promotions in the Midwest, has finalized its fight card for this Saturday’s ShoFIGHT 20 event. Taking place at the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Missouri, the event will feature twenty veterans of the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, WEC, and PRIDE, including Kendall Grove, Karo Parisyan, Lyle Beerbohm, Marcus Aurelio, and many others.
The main event features Karo “The Heat” Parisyan (20-8-0-1) in a welterweight title fight with fellow UFC vet John “Guns” Gunderson (33-13-2). Also showcased is for Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (14-10) as he battles new opponent in undefeated Strikeforce fighter Derek Brunson (9-0). Terry Martin, Grove’s original opponent, was pulled from the event due to licensing issues.
Tickets to ShoFIGHT 20 are now available for purchase at ShoFIGHT.com or at the O’Reilly Family Event Center Box Office. The event will be broadcasted via delay on PPV. In addition, ShoFIGHT 20 will be broadcasted live on The Fight Network in Canada.
Karo Parisyan (20-8-0-1) has been fighting professionally since 1999, and has faced many top welterweights during his time in MMA, including Sean Sherk, Antonio McKee, Georges St-Pierre, Shonie Carter, Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Diego Sanchez, Ryo Chonan, Thiago Alves, Dong Hyun Kim, and Dennis Hallman. Few in the fight game can boast such a resume. At one point, he was right on the cusp of a UFC title shot, but after some tough losses, he is looking to right the ship and get back to the top of the mountain. Fighting in the main event of ShoFIGHT 20 provides “The Heat” with the opportunity to do just that.
Kendall Grove (14-10-0-1) grew up in Hawaii, and is the prototypical Island boy: a scrapper who is afraid of no man. The 6’6” middleweight made his pro debut in 2003, and soared to heights few reach in the fight game when he won the 3rd season of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter competition. Over the next few years, Grove became a mainstay in the UFC, gathering victories over Ed Herman, Alan Belcher, the late Evan Tanner, Jason Day, Jake Rosholt, and Goran Reljic during his time with the promotion. However, he also suffered several setbacks, and was released in 2011 after two straight losses. Since that time, he has downed both Joe Riggs and Ikuhisa Minowa, but then lost to fellow UFC vet Jay Silva in February. Now, he’ll look to get back in the win column with ShoFIGHT gold on the line.
Since its inception in 2009, ShoFIGHT has rapidly established itself as one of America’s top amateur fight promotions, quickly garnering a reputation for putting on exciting events that electrify Midwest fight audiences. With the primary goal of growing the sport of mixed martial arts in the central U.S., promoter JT Tilley has spent the past four years developing a network of top amateur talent from across the country. The organization has consistently maintained eleven active weight classes, helping develop some of the top pro prospects in the Midwest.
Here is the full finalized fight card:
Main Card
Main Event – ShoFIGHT Welterweight Championship
14. John ‘Guns’ Gunderson (UFC Vet) vs. Karo ‘the Heat’ Parysian (UFC Vet)
Co-Main Event – ShoFIGHT Middleweight Championship
13. Derek Brunson (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Kendall ‘the Spyder’ Grove (UFC Vet)
12. Lyle ‘Fancy Pants’ Beerbohm (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Marcus ‘Maximus’ Aurelio (UFC Vet) – 165lbs
11. Matt Kovaks (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Mike Wessell (UFC Vet) – Heavyweight
10. Jonatas Noveas (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Drew Fickett (UFC Vet) – 160bs
9. Chris ‘Gritz’ Gruetzmacher (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Roli Delgado (UFC Vet) – 145lbs
8. Lucas Lopes (Strikeforce Vet) vs. ‘Smilin’ Sam Alvey (Bellator Vet) – 185lbs
7. Chris ‘Crazyman’ McDaniel (KOTC Vet) vs. Charles ‘Kid Kaos’ Bennett (PRIDE Vet) – 150lbs
6. James ‘JP’ Reese (Strikeforce Vet) vs. Sevak Magakian (UFC Vet) – 155lbs
5. Alan Gibson vs. Dustin Phillips (Bellator Vet) – 145lbs
Undercard
4. Mike Brazzle vs. Karen Darabedyan (WEC Vet) – 170lbs
3. Lucas ‘the Hillbilly Lightstorm’ Overcast vs. Matt ‘Luke Duke’ Lucas (UFC vet) – 205lbs
2. Rabert Saborudden vs. Jacob ‘Straight Jacket’ Ritchie – 125lb
1. Jason Ignacek vs. Gary Michaels – 135lbs
For more information on ShoFIGHT, please visit http://shofight.com/. ShoFIGHT can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/ShoFight-MMA/113079148732416, and on Twitter @ShoFIGHT.