· M-1 Challenge XXIII Leaves The Judges With An Easy Night Off
Press Release:
Moscow, Russia (March 5, 2011) – Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, M-1 Global, laid out the blueprint for a phenomenal night of fights at M-1 Challenge XXIII that delivers on and tops all expectations. With 11 fights on the card, not one battle goes past the second round in an awesome athletic display of submissions and TKO’s. Fans around the world watched as Shamil Zavurov and Guram Gugenishvili successfully defended their welterweight and heavyweight belts.
“Saturday night’s event has set an incredibly high bar for what fans can expect to come for the remainder of 2011 from overseas and in the USA,” says Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “M-1 Global is Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion for a reason and M-1 Challenge XXIII was proof. Fans are quick to react to what went down in Moscow and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. We can’t wait for March 25th and our return to the United States.”
M-1 Challenge XXIII Under Card:
Nikolai Kaushansky def. Vusal Bayramov – RNC 1:31 of Round 1
Magomed Ismailov def. Maxim Bulakhtin – RNC :48 of Round 2
M-1 Challenge XXIII Main Card (Streaming Live):
Tomasz Narkun def. Shamil Tinagadjiev – Triangle Choke 3:32 of Round 1
Igor Savelyev def. Byron Byrd – Head & Arm Choke 2:16 of Round 2
Arsen Abdulkerimov def. Goncalo Salgado – Arm Bar 2:42 of Round 1
Daniel Weichel def. Magomedrasul Khasbulaev – Triangle 3:26 of Round 1
Magomed Sultanakhmedov def. Plinio Cruz – TKO (referee stoppage) 1:13 of Round 2 (Fight of the Night)
Mairbek Taisumov def. Yuri Ivlev- TKO (referee stoppage) 1:38 of Round 2
Rashid Magomedov def. Rafal Moks – TKO (referee stoppage) 2:05 of Round 1
Championship Bouts
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili def. Maxim Grishin – RNC 3:38 of Round 1 (Submission of the Night)
Welterweight Division:
Shamil Zavurov def. Tom Gallicchio – TKO (referee stoppage) 1:11 of Round 2 (Knockout of the Night)
M-1 Global makes its return to US soil on Friday, March 25th for M-1 Challenge XXIV: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Current lightweight champ, Artiom Damkovsky gears up for his first title defense against 2010 M-1 Selection Americas winner, Jose Figueroa and Tyson ‘The Anti-Hero’ Jeffries faces Magomed Sultanakhmedov in a title fight for the currently vacant middleweight championship.
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.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
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.
Photos: Alex Taran/M-1 Global
