Press Release – CHICAGO (October 3, 2011) – M-1 GLOBAL announces the addition of Sengoku veteran Yasubey Enomoto (7-3) versus dangerous wrestler Josh Thorpe (10-4) for a Welterweight (170 Lbs.) bout at the mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner 2. The bouts from the new 5,500 seat Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona will air LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, October 14 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).
The October 14th event is headlined with the five-round, heavyweight (265 Lbs.) championship bout between undefeated and reigning M-1 Global champion Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) and the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Tournament heavyweight winner Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner (7-3).
In co-main event action, M-1 Global Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs.) Champion and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion Vinny Magalhaes (8-5) will make his first title defense against versatile Russian fighter Mikhail Zayats (14-5).
“This should be a very exciting matchup between two well-rounded and exciting fighters” – said Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of operations. “Enomoto put on an impressive performance at the M-1 Ukraine European Battle this past June and is determined to win his way back to a title shot. Thorpe is a skilled wrestler and grappler and will be extremely motivated to win since he’s coming off a defeat earlier in the year. Both fighters need to prove themselves and both know that leaving it up to the judges is not an option”.
Enomoto (Enomoto Dojo, Zurich, Switzerland) is coming off a majority decision win over Rafal Moks at the M-1 Global Ukraine European Battle in June; prior to that he stepped in as a last minute replacement for an injured Rashid Magomedov to compete against M-1 Welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov. Taking the fight on eight days notice, Enomoto lost via unanimous decision in a full five round battle. “I’m going after that title one way or another and next in my path is Thorpe,” said Enomoto. “Zavurov has my belt. I asked him to give it to me once and he didn’t let me take it. Looks like I’ll have to work a bit harder to get to it. Winning over Josh Thorpe is a step closer. I watched two of his fights and he looks like a pretty solid stand up guy with good takedowns. This will be a good fight and I look forward to it.”
Mobile, Alabama native Josh Thorpe (Port City MMA) lands himself in front of the largest live audience of his career. “This is a big opportunity for me,” said Thorpe. “Enomoto is a skilled fighter but I think he’s in for a surprise when we meet on October 14th. I’m training hard for this and I’m not about to let this opportunity slip away.”
Tickets are priced at $35, $40, $50, $75 and $150and can be purchased at www.GCUArena.com, charge by phone at 602-639-8999 or visit the GCU Arena Box Office located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85017
For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photos and much more, please visit http://sports.sho.com
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 100 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, Guram Gugenishvili, 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 renowned heavyweight fighter, 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.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
About HYPE Enterprises:
HYPE Enterprises, LLC (“HYPE”) is a sports and entertainment promotional company based in Phoenix, AZ, founded in 2011 by 5-time US Masters judo champion and former Dutch soccer star Werner Van Hees. HYPE partnered with Gemini Sports President Rob Yowell to co-promote and handle all sponsorships and event marketing. HYPE promotes mixed martial arts events forM-1 Global in the US and Canada.