· “M-1 Selection 2011 – Asia: Opening Round 1” Announced
Press Release:
New York City, New York (March 7, 2011) – Coming off a highly successful 2010, M-1 Global’s highly anticipated M-1 Selection 2011 kicks off in Asia with the region’s Opening Round tournament bouts announced today; the live event takes place Saturday, March 26th, 2011 at Event Hall 135-713 in the Fashion Center Building in Seoul, South Korea.
“M-1 Global continues to provide the proving ground for young fighters around the globe to seize their opportunity and become stars on the world stage,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations of Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, M-1Global. “The 2010 Selection tournaments have showcased the caliber of competition worldwide. The Selections tournament has laid a successful foundation and in 2011 we continue to focus on scouring the globe for the best up-and-coming fighters.”
The Opening round bouts feature rising Japanese and Korean fighters who are taking their first steps at the Asia tournament championships.
M-1 Selection 2011-Asia Opening Round 1 Main Card Matchups:
- Kim JangYong (Korea) vs. Henrique Maromba (Japan) Lightweight
- Lee Dong Young (Korea) vs. Toshiya Kurenai (Japan) Welterweight
- Kim Hee Seung (Korea) vs. Eduardo Sakamoto (Japan) Middleweight
- Han Hae Young (Korea) vs. Junpei Hamada (Japan) Light Heavyweight
- Son Hai Suk (Korea) vs. Gilberto Monma (Japan) Heavyweight
- Kwak Myung Sik (Korea) vs. Yuichiro Ono (Japan) Lightweight
- Ahn Seung ho (Korea) vs. Fabio Sakamoto (Japan) Welterweight
- Kim Nam Young (Korea) vs. Shiokawa Franca Tiago (Japan) Middleweight
- Kim doo Hwan (Korea) vs. Lucas Tani (Japan) Light Heavyweight
- Yu young woo (Korea) vs. Masanori Iwamoto (Japan) Heavyweight
M-1 Selection 2011-Asia Opening Round 1 Under Card Matchups:
- Jo Dongil (Korea) vs. Tin taeho (Korea) Lightweight
- Kim deamyeong (Korea) vs. Gwon iljin (Korea) Lightweight
- Son sejoong (Korea) vs. Jang ji hoon (Korea) Welterweight
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, Asia,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.
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.
