· “M-1 Challenge XXIII: Guram vs. Grishin” Announced For March 5
Press Release:
Moscow, Russia (January 3, 2011) – Kicking off the new year, M-1 Global announces its first event of 2011; on March 5th, from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow Russia, M-1 Challenge XXIII: Guram vs. Grishin will see the current heavyweight champ, Guram Gugenishvili, defend his title for the first time against 2010 Selections Eastern European tournament winner, Maxim Grishin.
“M-1 Global has crowned their champions and 2011 is the year for these stars to defend what they have rightfully earned,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations of the worldwide mixed martial arts promotion. “Guram knows what he has to do at M-1 Challenge XXIII and every heavyweight here on out is gunning to take the belt away from him. His reign is in his hands and M-1 will provide the stage for the showdown between two highly talented fighters.”
The clash was originally slated for M-1 Challenge XXI however Grishin was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained in training just weeks before the October 28th event date. Stepping into replace Grishin was American Selections tournament winner, Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner who succumbed to Guram early in the second round via rear-naked-choke; with the win, Guram become M-1’s first-ever heavyweight champion.
Championship Bout:
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4)
* Additional bouts to be announced shortly
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
Free broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event will be available at a later date to viewers worldwide on www.M-1Global.com and selected affiliate partner sites.
Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.
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 70 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, Byron Byrd, 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 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.
