Press Release – June 03, 2011: Texas-based mixed martial arts fight promotion company, Shark Fight Promotions, announces Erik Apple, former fighter and prominent MMA and action sports TV host, as the new commentator for the FUEL TV Shark Fights shows. Apple begins with the telecast of Shark Fights 15 on Friday, June 17 and Friday, June 24, at 10:00PM ET/PT. Shark Fights airs in FUEL TV’s Friday Night Fights programming block.
Apple has risen to prominence in the world of action sports, providing commentary on the national television broadcasts of X Games and motocross since 1999. He has also called MMA fights for three different promotions since 2003.
According to Shark Fights executive Wes Nolen, “We are thrilled to have Erik Apple calling the action for the FUEL TV Shark Fights telecasts. His contemporary style and MMA experience will fit perfectly with our events and our brand.”
Bud Brutsman, CEO of BCII and executive producer of the FUEL TV Shark Fights shows, was instrumental in bringing Apple to the promotion. “I have known Erik personally and professionally for years. His on-air style and connection to MMA and action sports is the perfect fit for Shark Fights on FUEL TV. He is going to help make Shark Fights an instant success. I can’t think of a better lead commentator for these shows.”
Apple’s first duties will be the call of Shark Fights 15, at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Shark Fights 15 represents the first time that the promotion has expanded its reach outside of Texas, and it also represents the first FUEL TV Friday Night Fights telecast of the 2011 Shark Fights schedule. UFC veteran Chris Camozzi and Strikeforce veteran Joey Villasenor headline the event, with the co-main event featuring a compelling middleweight match-up between UFC veteran Dave Branch and TUF 7 alum Jeremy May. The high octane fight card features a total of 12 action-packed bouts.
MMA is currently the fastest growing sport in the world and continues to explode exponentially in popularity. Every year Shark Fight Promotions continues to grow and evolve along with the sport. As a result of the organization’s out-of-the box tactics and strategic alliances with companies such as BCII, they are on the fast track to becoming one of the top MMA promotions in the country. With 14 successfully produced live events, and nine events scheduled for 2011, Shark Fights is poised to become the third largest MMA promoter in America.
For more information on Shark Fight Promotions, please visit www.sharkfights.com. To learn more about BCII, please log on to www.bciitv.com.
About Shark Fight Promotions:
Texas based Shark Fight Promotions, founded in 2007, is an integrated entertainment and media company in the combat sports industry, committed to producing high quality fight events and effectively showcasing elite MMA talent. The company is engaged in the production, promotion, presentation and marketing of premier professional mixed martial arts fighting competitions. As an integrated entertainment and media company, Shark Fight Promotions is organized around three principal business activities: Live Event Promotions, Broadcast Television and Digital Media Production and Distribution, Sponsorship and Brand Licensing. As Mixed Martial Arts continues its dominance as the fastest growing sport in the world, Shark Fights is poised to become one of the top fight promotions in the industry.
About BCII
Brentwood Communications International Inc. (BCII) was started in 1997 as an international entertainment company located in Burbank, CA. What started as a one-man company has grown into a lucrative corporation, producing over 300 television programs during its ten-year history. BCII’s early resume includes the Hollywood Legends series (HBO, BskyB and Fox worldwide), Natural Disasters (the Discovery Channel), Cheating Las Vegas (the Learning Channel), Inside the Britannic (A&E, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic), U.S. Customs: Special Agents (The Travel Channel), and the four-part mini-series’ The Complete History of the Navy SEALs and The Complete History of the Green Berets (History Channel). In addition, BCII became the early world leader in the production of mixed martial arts programming with the U.S. event King of the Cage.
In recent years, BCII has generated a string of hit prime-time cable series including Rides and Overhaulin’ (TLC), Payback, Forza Motorsports Showdown, Livin’ The Low Life, Hot Import Nights and Hot Rod TV (SPEED), Get Out Way Out (HGTV), Living With Ed (Planet Green), Celebrity Rides and Garage Mahal (DIY). New productions for 2011 include American Trucker (SPEED), Single with 7 (Style Network), Inside West Coast Customs (Discovery HD Theater), Shark Fights (Fuel TV) and Punk Payback (Fuel TV).
The launch of the BCII Commercial Production Division with directors Andy Robinson and Steve Beebe in fall 2006 has included national TV spots and branded entertainment long-form programs for BF Goodrich, Ford Motor Company, The Home Depot, Royal Purple Motor Oil, Timberland PRO Footwear, Mothers Car Polishes and Waxes, Phoenix Motorcars, Ironclad Performance Wear, BASF, U-Coat-It Flooring, Miller Electric, Optima Batteries and Meguiars Waxes and Polishes. By adapting their sense of style, characters, drama and storytelling from series and documentary television to commercial production, the BCII creative team is doing some of the most effective branded entertainment in the industry today.
About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes®. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.