W-1 Adds Chuck O’Neil Versus Marcus Davis Co-Main Event to October 15 Show in Miami


(Win, lose or draw, Davis comes to fight.)

Warrior One (W-1) MMA has added a new co-main event to its U.S. debut event on October 15, which is set for the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

According to W-1 President Jack Bateman, a welterweight scrap between The Ultimate Fighter alumni Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis (19-8) and Chuck “Cold Steel O’Neil (8-4) will replace a previously revealed middleweight bout between Valdir “BBMonster” Araujo (8-2) and Bellator veteran Mike “El Gringo Diablo” Bernhard (9-2), which has been scraped due to injury. Bateman informed CagePotato.com of the bout this afternoon.


(Win, lose or draw, Davis comes to fight.)

Warrior One (W-1) MMA has added a new co-main event to its U.S. debut event on October 15, which is set for the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

According to W-1 President Jack Bateman, a welterweight scrap between The Ultimate Fighter alumni Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis (19-8) and Chuck “Cold Steel O’Neil (8-4) will replace a previously revealed middleweight bout between Valdir “BBMonster” Araujo (8-2) and Bellator veteran Mike “El Gringo Diablo” Bernhard (9-2), which has been scraped due to injury. Bateman informed CagePotato.com of the bout this afternoon.

2-0 since being released by the UFC with wins over Pete Spratt and Curtis Demarce, asolid win over O’Neil could well punch his ticket back to the UFC, so fans in attendance at the show could get to see his last fight outside of the Octagon.

After losing to Zach Davis in the opening round on the most recent instalment of TUF, O’Neil, who was originally an alternate on the show, was picked by Dana White as one of the season’s “wildcard” entrants and he made the best of the opportunity given to him by the UFC president.

Defeating Javier Torres in the “wild card” bout, he went on to beat Davis in the rematch of their first round bout in by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals before losing to teammate Tony Ferguson via third-round TKO in the semis. He was released by Zuffa following a unanimous decision loss to Chris Cope at the finale in June and is looking to get the attention of the UFC brass with a win over a tough vet like Davis.

W-1: Reloaded will also feature a main event heavyweight bout between former number one UFC  heavyweight contenders Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6) and Jeff Monson (42-12), a welterweight showdown between Team Link standout John Manley (6-1) and ATT product Sabah Homasi (4-2) and a women’s bantamweight match-up between Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (3-5) and ATT instructor Suzie Montero (0-0). Rounding out the show will be welterweight Tom “The Bomb” Waters (4-1) taking on Alan Arzeno (4-4), lightweight Bellator vet JP Reese (3-1) versus Taylor Callens (3-0), welterweight Strikeforce vet Nathan Coy (8-4) versus Anderson Melo (5-5), middleweight Bellator vet Frank Carrillo (4-2) versus Joe Watson (4-1) and a middleweight scrap between Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2).

———-

W-1: Reloaded
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Bank United Center
University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida

Jeff Monson (42-12) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6)
Valdir Araujo (8-2) vs. Mike Bernhard (9-2)
John Manley (6-1) vs. Sabah Homasi (4-2)
Kim Couture (3-5) vs. Suzie Montero (0-0)
Tom Waters (4-1) vs. Alan Arzeno (4-4)
JP Reese (3-1) vs. Taylor Callens (3-0)
Nathan Coy (8-4) vs. Anderson Melo (5-5)
Frank Carrillo (4-2) vs. Joe Watson (4-1)
Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2)

Monson vs. Gonzaga to Headline W-1 MMA’s Inaugural U.S. Event in Miami October 15


(After as one year hiatus, W-1 is back with a solid inaugural U.S. show.)

Apparently rumors of the demise of Warrior One (W-1) MMA were greatly exaggerated as the Toronto, Ontario-based promotion that made waves with its stacked Canadian cards the past two years but hasn’t held an event since last October, is back with another impressive offering — this time for American MMA fans in Florida.

W-1: Reloaded is set for October 15 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and according to W-1 president Jack Bateman, the reason his organization has not held an event in almost a year is that it underwent an ownership restructuring and he and his new partners were carefully laying the groundwork for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. because they wanted to make sure they took their time and did it right.

“Everything has come together and I couldn’t be happier with the way the company has evolved and the quality of our first event in the States,” Bateman explains. “I have a great group of partners who are at the top of their specific fields and whose skill sets bring a lot to the table when it comes to promotion and putting on events like we’ve come to be known for putting on. We have some big signings we’ve been working on and will be having a few of those names on our next card in Miami on October 15.”


(After as one year hiatus, W-1 is back with a solid inaugural U.S. show.)

Apparently rumors of the demise of Warrior One (W-1) MMA were greatly exaggerated as the Toronto, Ontario-based promotion that made waves with its stacked Canadian cards the past two years but hasn’t held an event since last October, is back with another impressive offering — this time for American MMA fans in Florida.

W-1: Reloaded is set for October 15 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and according to W-1 president Jack Bateman, the reason his organization has not held an event in almost a year is that it underwent an ownership restructuring and he and his new partners were carefully laying the groundwork for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. because they wanted to make sure they took their time and did it right.

“Everything has come together and I couldn’t be happier with the way the company has evolved and the quality of our first event in the States,” Bateman explains. “I have a great group of partners who are at the top of their specific fields and whose skill sets bring a lot to the table when it comes to promotion and putting on events like we’ve come to be known for putting on. We have some big signings we’ve been working on and will be having a few of those names on our next card in Miami on October 15.”

The main event of “W-1 V2.0′s” first card will feature former UFC number one heavyweight contenders Jeff Monson (42-12) and Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6). “The Snowman” has one up on “Napao” having won on points when they squared off in a grappling match at the 2005 at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Fighting Championships tournament in 2005 and will be hoping that since Gonzaga hasn’t fought since last October, the long layoff will be to his advantage. At 40, Monson is one of the most active fighters in the game having already fought five times this year. The American Top Team fighter is on pace to beat his career record he set last year with nine fights. Taking Gonzaga lightly, however, is never a good idea. Just ask Mirko “Cro Cop”Filipovic, who was knocked out via a nasty headkick when he overlooked the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s striking at UFC 70 back in 2007. The 32-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who trains out of Team Link in Ludlow, Massachusetts, will likely be hungry for a win and to climb back into the heavyweight top 20 rankings.

The card will also feature a middleweight bout between Valdir “BBMonster” Araujo (8-2) and Bellator veteran Mike “El Gringo Diablo” Bernhard (9-2), a welterweight showdown between Team Link standout John Manley (6-1) and ATT product Sabah Homasi (4-2) and a women’s bantamweight match-up between Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (3-5) and ATT instructor Suzie Montero (0-0). Rounding out the show will be welterweight Tom “The Bomb” Waters (4-1) taking on Alan Arzeno (4-4), lightweight Bellator vet JP Reese (3-1) versus Taylor Callens (3-0), welterweight Strikeforce vet Nathan Coy (8-4) versus Anderson Melo (5-5), middleweight Bellator vet Frank Carrillo (4-2) versus Joe Watson (4-1) and a middleweight scrap between Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2).
———-

W-1: Reloaded
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Bank United Center
University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida

Jeff Monson (42-12) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6)
Valdir Araujo (8-2) vs. Mike Bernhard (9-2)
John Manley (6-1) vs. Sabah Homasi (4-2)
Kim Couture (3-5) vs. Suzie Montero (0-0)
Tom Waters (4-1) vs. Alan Arzeno (4-4)
JP Reese (3-1) vs. Taylor Callens (3-0)
Nathan Coy (8-4) vs. Anderson Melo (5-5)
Frank Carrillo (4-2) vs. Joe Watson (4-1)
Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2)

Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua Signs with W-1; Debut Set for October 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia

(W-1 continues to add top-talent to its already impressive roster of fighters)
Former PRIDE light heavyweight luminary Murilo "Ninja" Rua’s next fight will not be in the UFC Octagon, contrary to rumors pointing otherwise.
The older brot…


(W-1 continues to add top-talent to its already impressive roster of fighters)

Former PRIDE light heavyweight luminary Murilo "Ninja" Rua’s next fight will not be in the UFC Octagon, contrary to rumors pointing otherwise.

The older brother of UFC 205-pound champion, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has signed with the burgeoning Canada-based Warrior One (W-1) MMA organization and will compete on the promotion’s October 23 show in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

W-1 president, Jack Bateman informed CagePotato.com of the signing Sunday night.

"We’re very excited to add a fighter of Murilo’s caliber to our first show in Nova Scotia. I’m really proud of how this card is shaping up," Bateman says. "Our fans in are in for a treat. Ninja is one of the fighters I’ve always enjoyed watching as a fan and we couldn’t be more excited to have him fight for W-1."

Ninja’s opponent on the October 23 card will be underrated Team Cesar Gracie protegee Roy Boughton who sent shockwaves through the Canadian MMA scene in June when he submitted highly-touted Toronto-based grappling phenom Misha Cirkunov at W-1: Judgement Day. 

Although terms of the 30-year-old Brazilian’s contract were not disclosed, sources close to Rua revealed that the former Chuteboxe fighter is one win away from signing with the UFC, so his stay with W-1 could be short-lived if he can get past Boughton.

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W-1 Making Big Moves in Canadian MMA

Mike Russell caught up with Warrior One (W-1) president Jack Bateman at the MMA Expo in Toronto last weekend to talk about his upcoming show on Saturday night and what the future holds for the burgeoning Ontario, Canada-based promotion. According t…


Mike Russell caught up with Warrior One (W-1) president Jack Bateman at the MMA Expo in Toronto last weekend to talk about his upcoming show on Saturday night and what the future holds for the burgeoning Ontario, Canada-based promotion. According to the promoter, his organization has some big plans for the rest of 2010 and beyond that includes signing the top free agents from around the world and developing the talent at home in the Great White North.

Besides their "Judgement Day" show set for this Saturday night in Laval, Quebec that features UFC and PRIDE veteran Denis Kang (32-12-1), Shooto veteran Antonio Carvalho (11-4), Zahabi MMA standout Thierry Quenneville (15-8) and the return of Ivan Menjivar (20-7), Bateman says that the promotion is planning two more events this year.

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