New York City, New York (September 19, 2010) – The M-1 Selection 2010 Americas Finals captivated a live audience on Saturday night at Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tournament returnees and newcomers to the M-1 ring fought an excellent undercard as the Selections championship bouts went down; Selection tournament winners will now fight for the M-1 Challenge belts later this year.
“The American Selections tournament has been a remarkable undertaking,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations for M-1Global. “We now have all our Selection champions in place and the crowning of the first ever M-1 Global world champions begins starting October 28 in St. Petersburg and December 11 back in Atlantic City.”
The Final round bouts feature rising American stars pursuing their last victory in being crowned the M-1 Selection champion in their respective weight classes.
Results for the Final round bouts:
Josh Thorpe def. Brendan Weafer via unanimous decision
Bristol Marunde def. Shane Primm via unanimous decision
Byron Byrd def. Daniel Vizcaya via triangle – 2:43 of R1 (Selections LHW Final)
Luigi Fioravanti def. Woody Weatherby via TKO – 2:51 of R1
Mike Winters def. Jose Rodriguez via unanimous decision
Tyson Jeffries def. Mike Geurin via triangle – 3:43 of R3 (Selections MW Final)
Kenny Garner def. Pat Bennett via TKO – 2:31 of R1 (Selections HW Final)
Jose Figueroa def. George Sheppard via verbal submission – :34 of R2 (Selections LW Final)
Tom Gallicchio def. Len Bentley via rear-naked-choke – 4:38 of R1 (Selections WW Final)
The M-1 Selection 2010 – Americas champions will next fight for the M-1 Challenge championship belts in the coming months.
The “M-1 Selection” is the world’s premiere MMA competition where the next generation of superstars are given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage with fighters being eliminated after only one loss; victory will advance the winning fighters throughout the tournament and earn them a trip to the championship event where they will compete for the coveted “M-1 Selection” title.
The “M-1 Selection” tournament is broken down into global regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Americas with each region hosting three rounds and a final of the ““M-1 Selection” tournament. The winning fighter in each weight class will gain the opportunity to fight on the larger international stage.
The tournament features some of the best up-and-coming fighters from each region as they begin the journey towards a tournament victory.
2011 marks a full calendar of mixed martial arts action as M-1 Global continues to build upon a highly successful Selections tournament. Being added next year are two full Selections tournaments featuring 12 live events across Eastern and Western Europe and the Americas; future superstars will begin mapping out the steps necessary to become M-1 Champions. These Selections tournaments will drive the depth of the contenders ladder in each weight class as warriors cross oceans to battle for the right to face M-1 Global champions at the live, mega-spectacular M-1 Challenge events scheduled throughout the year.
The M-1 Challenge events are positioned to drive the M-1 brand further into the US and European markets as event mega-spectaculars. October 28 in St. Petersburg, Russia is set for M-1 Challenge XXI: Guram vs. Grishin and M-1 Challenge XXII hits Atlantic City December 11th; February 2011 marks the first of six M-1Challenge events with M-1 Challenge XXIII where the newly crowned M-1 Champions will look to defend their titles against the top fighters in the contention system.
Fuelled with stacked undercards featuring new and returning warriors, the M-1 Challenge events will rival promotions for unsurpassed excitement, delivering live audiences and viewers worldwide the ultimate fan experience.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global 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 stages its M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events worldwide 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. 2011 marks a breakthrough year for this MMA powerhouse. With two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe and North America and a full calendar of Challenge events, M-1 Global’s World Champions will rank amongst the greatest in the sport and the contention system will fuel spectacular cards around the world.
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.