The eight participants of ProElite’s upcoming heavyweight tournament were named as part of the promotions announcement that they had reached a multi-fight broadcast deal with HDNet.
ProElite also announced the field for its eight-man heavyweight tournament. The bracket, filled with fighters ready for a wider audience, is highlighted by 2009 NCAA wrestling champion Mark Ellis of the University of Missouri. Ellis (1-0) will take on Ryan Martinez (5-1). In another opening-round battle, Richard Odoms of Texas faces Jason Bosler of Illinois. Jake Heun of Salt Lake City squares off against Chris Birchler of New Jersey. And, in the final matchup, Esteves Jones of Arizona will meet Walter Harris of Alabama.
“When we say we’re looking for the next great heavyweight this was not a half-hearted search. We have eight guys from eight different regions of the country. We have both coasts, the South, Midwest, Southwest and Mountain region covered,” ProElite’s Head of Fight Operations, T. Jay Thompson, said.
ProElite 2 is scheduled to take place on Nov. 5 at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois.
The current fight card for the ProElite 2 event appears as follows:
Main Card
Heavyweight bout: Andreas Kraniotakes vs. Tim Sylvia
Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Wiuff
Heavyweight Tournament bout: Mark Ellis vs. Ryan Martinez
Heavyweight Tournament bout: Jason Bosler vs. Richard Odoms
Heavyweight Tournament bout: Chris Birchler vs. Jake Heun
Heavyweight Tournament bout: Walter Harris vs. Esteves Jones
Welterweight bout: Reagan Penn vs. TBA
Lightweight bout: Waylon Lowe vs. TBA
Preliminary Card
Heavyweight reserve bout: Todd Monaghan vs. TBA