Highest Grossing WrestleMania(R) Ever

STAMFORD, Conn., Apr 25, 2013 -- WWE(R) today announced that WrestleMania 29, held Sunday, April 7 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, grossed an excess of $72 million, the highest grossing event in WWE history. In addition, WrestleMania 29 will once again exceed 1 million global pay-per-view buys and attracted a sold out crowd of 80,676 fans from all 50 states and 34 countries at MetLife Stadium.

New Orleans, Louisiana will be the site of next year's WrestleMania, which will take place Sunday, April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Ticket information will be announced later this year.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company, is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.

SOURCE: WWE

My Name Is Ric Gillespie, And I Approve This Message ...

TRANSGENDER FIGHTER FALLON FOX TO MAKE HER NATIONAL TELEVISION DEBUT ON AXS TV

Championship Fighting Alliance 11 to Air LIVE on AXS TV

(April 16, 2013) -- AXS TV will broadcast “AXS TV Fights: Championship Fighting Alliance 11” LIVE Friday, May 24 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT from the Bank United Center in Miami, Florida. The event will mark the national television debut of transgender fighter Fallon Fox as she meets Allanna Jones in the semi-finals of the CFA Women’s Featherweight Tournament. Additionally, veteran heavyweights Valentin Overeem and Mike Kyle will collide in the main event of the evening.

Fox’s recent reveal that she had gender reassignment surgery has made headlines and created heated discussions throughout the sports community from organizations, writers and athletes. AXS TV’s Inside MMA has reported on the topic in depth, including one-on-one interviews with Fox and UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

Fallon Fox: http://youtu.be/8ZFQNM9tc18

Ronda Rousey discusses Fox, claiming the fighter has an advantage: http://youtu.be/F9XU4QOqVbQ

“Fallon Fox's story transcends the MMA community and has led to spirited debate on the topic of transgender athletes involvement in professional sports. AXS TV is proud to provide her and all the CFA fighters the opportunity to compete in front of a national television audience,” said Andrew Simon, CEO AXS TV Fights.

Four additional bouts will round out the televised card: Luis Palomino vs. Robert Washington, Alexis Vila vs. Czar Sklavos, Mike King vs. Oscar Delgado, and Sean Soriano vs. Elvin Brito for the CFA Interim Featherweight Title.

About AXS TV Fights

AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in depth fighter coverage and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from Legacy Fighting Championship, Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Lion Fight Muay Thai, Titan Fighting Championship, Xtreme Fighting Championships, Maximum Fighting Championship, Championship Fighting Alliance and BAMMA every Friday night, at 7PM PT/10PM ET.

AXS TV Fights can be found online at www.axs.tv, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/axstvfights and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/axstvfights.

SOURCE: AXS TV Fights

Op-Ed: Fox And Friends?

I wanted to mention how disappointed I am in the likes of Joe Rogan, Matt Mitrione, Ronda Rousey, and War Machine, concerning their views on transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

I don't presume to have all the answers, but, as far as this subject, the International Olympic Committee seems to have done a good job of steering society in the right direction.

Athletic commissions in California and Florida don't seem to have an issue with Fox fighting women.

Neither do I and neither should you.

Rather than question Fox's motives, or the status of her mental health, I applaud her for her ability to persevere in the face of narrow-minded and sensationalistic viewpoints.

I tend to ramble and get long winded, but I'm going to try and keep this simple.

I'm no expert on American history, so I won't even bother with how it wasn't all that long ago that some people owned slaves and women weren't allowed to vote. I'll stick with what I definitely do know.

As recently as 1999, with many states and cable companies having banned "ultimate fighting," we nearly lost mixed-martial-arts to political pressures, and only a couple of years ago, Dana White said that women would never fight in the UFC.

In the above-referenced New York Post article, Rousey was quoted as saying, "What if she (Fox) became UFC champion and we had a transgender women’s champion? It’s a very socially difficult situation."

How quickly some of us seem to forget.

Maybe we'll never all be friends, but I sure hope some of us can better learn how to open our minds and employ a little sensitivity.

Speaking of - Fallon Fox on Twitter.

JOHN CHAPMAN SELLS UK TRADEMARKS TO WWE

HERTFORDSHIRE, England, April 5, 2013 -- ICT entrepreneur John Chapman has come to terms with the WWE for the sale of Chapman's UK trademarks relating to the initials WW and the MSW/UWF video library.

The UK trademarks include registration nos. 2615718 WW, 2617050 WW, 2610367 Universal Wrestling Federation, 2610368 UWF, 2610370 Mid-South Wrestling Association, and 2610371 MSW.

Chapman acquired earliest rights on numerous intellectual property from the Crown of Great Britain via the Bona Vacantia Division of the Treasury Solicitor's Department.

About John Chapman

John Chapman is a British ICT entrepreneur who re-engineered the voicemail and email platforms of Deutsche Telekom, o2, Virgin Media, and Vodafone. Chapman was formally a lead engineer responsible for ICT engineering activities at Her Majesty's Prison Service, MTV Networks, and the Intercontinental Hotels Group. In 2009 Chapman incorporated Telpla Ltd (UK) and Telpla, Inc. (Delaware, USA), providing managed ICT services for global companies including Vodafone.

In 2010 Chapman incorporated WOS Wrestling Ltd; in 2011, Chapman incorporated WOS Wrestling, Inc. (Delaware, USA). Chapman acquired the rights to the iconic British World of Sport Wrestling video library from ITV plc and the Crown of Great Britain. Chapman also acquired a contract to provide British wrestling programming to iTunes S.a.r.l. The World of Sport Wrestling Classics television programs became available on iTunes in 2012.

Additional information on Telpla can be found at http://www.telpla.com.

Additional information on WOS Wrestling can be found at http://www.woswrestling.com.

Additional information on John Chapman can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/johndavidchapman.

About WWE

WWE is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

All trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: WOS Wrestling Ltd.

WOMEN’S MMA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER TO STREAM LIVE ON INVICTAFC.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 FROM AMERISTAR CASINO HOTEL KANSAS CITY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 1, 2013) –The highly-anticipated, 13-bout Invicta Fighting Championships women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world championship doubleheader event will stream live in its entirety on InvictaFC.com from Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City on Friday, April 5.

The live stream, provided by Ustream, will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST with the five-bout preliminary card and can be purchased on InvictaFC.com for $9.95 with all major credit cards.

Returning to the Invicta FC booth to call the action cageside will be the trio of veteran MMA voice Mauro Ranallo, light heavyweight superstar “King Mo” Lawal and women’s sensation Julie Kedzie.

“This is, without a doubt, the most stacked Invicta Fighting Championships card yet, so we are excited to be able to once again deliver all of the world-class action to a global audience, live online,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp.

In the main event, reigning Invicta FC World Atomweight (105 pounds) Champion Jessica Penne (10-1) of Huntington Beach, Calif. will defend her crown against superstar Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (10-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. and, in the co-main event, and first-ever Invicta FC world flyweight (125 pounds) championship fight, submission ace Vanessa Porto (15-5) of Sao Paulo, Brazil will square off with red-hot star Barb Honchak (7-2) of Bettendorf, Iowa.

Pound-for-pound great and devastating KO artist Cris Cyborg (10-1, 1 NC) of Curitiba, Brazil will make her highly-anticipated Invicta FC debut against rising star Fiona Muxlow (6-2) of Townsville, Queensland Australia in a featherweight (145 pounds) matchup.

Flyweight superstar Zoila Frausto Gurgel (12-2) of Cincinnati, Ohio will also make her Invicta FC debut in another featured bout against submission expert Jennifer Maia (6-2) of Curitiba, Parana Brazil.

In other action on the eight-bout main card, bantamweight (135 pounds) superstar Sarah Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, BC Canada will go to war with Invicta FC 3 and Invicta FC 4 winner Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (5-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif.

Undefeated KO artist Lauren Taylor (5-0) of Anchorage, Alaska will battle hard-hitting! Kaitlin Young (7-7-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at bantamweight.

“Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (4-2) of Brisbane, Australia will look to return to the win column against undefeated sensation and Invicta FC newcomer Jasminka Cive (5-0) of Graz, Austria in a strawweight (115 pounds) meeting.

Hard-hitting kickboxing stylist Julia “The Jewel” Budd (4-2) of Port Moody, BC Canada will square off with upstart Mollie Estes (1-1) of Kansas City in a featherweight contest.

The Invicta FC preliminary card will be highlighted by a bantamweight tilt between two undefeated prospects in powerhouse Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke (2-0) of Richmond, Ky. and Muay Thai stylist Miriam Nakamoto (1-0) of Dublin, Calif.

Katja Kankaanpaa (7-0-1) of Seinajoki, Finland will square off with fellow undefeated rising star Juliana Carnerio Lima (5-0) of Belo Horizonte, Brazil at strawweight in what will mark both fighters’ Invicta FC debuts.

Alex Chambers (3-1) of St. Ives New South Wales, Australia will meet unbeaten Jodie Esquibel (3-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. at atomweight.

Fresh off of her professional debut victory in the Invicta FC cage, top-flight prospect Rose Namajunas (1-0) of St. Paul, Minn. will face off with fellow undefeated upstart Kathina Catron (2-0) of Tehlequa, Okla. at strawweight.

Cassie Rodish (4-3) of Des Moines, Iowa will face Simona Soukupova (3-2) of London, England in an atomweight contest.

Tickets for Invicta FC 5, priced from $25, are on sale online at TicketFly.com.

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

About Ameristar Kansas City

Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: ASCA), and is a premier property characterized by a state-of-the-art casino floor and outstanding dining, lodging and entertainment options. The property features the largest casino and the most games in the Kansas City area, as well as one of the largest poker rooms in the Midwest. Ameristar offers nine diverse dining venues -- The Horizon Buffet, The Falcon Bakery, Pearl’s Oyster Bar, Great Plains Cattle Co., Amerisports Brew Pub, Casino Deli, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, Burger King and Sbarro The Italian Eatery, as well as the Star Club, a private players’ lounge. Entertainment amenities include the Star Pavilion, featuring national headliners; Depot #9, with popular regional and local acts; the Regal Cinema’s Kansas City 18 Theater; Hi-Vi video arcade; and Kids Quest, a supervised child-care facility. The property also includes a 184-room hotel. The property was awarded “Favorite Casino” for the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association’s 2012 Visitor Choice Awards. Best Casino in 2012 Ingram’s Magazine “Best of Business Awards;” in the 2003, 2005, 2007 – 2009, 2011 Kansas City Magazine’s “Best of Kansas City” readers’ poll and 2011 Best Casino in Home in the Northland Magazine’s readers’ poll. Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City also was awarded Best Steakhouse, Best Buffet, Best Live Poker and Best Tournaments in the 2012 Casino Player Magazine’s “Best of Gaming” awards.

SOURCE: Witz End Communications, Inc.

The Return Of Armin's Hammer

It's late and I'm very, very tired. Still, I want everyone to check out the following:

Armin's Hammer

Like a cold sore, I'm back

"Hello there, it's been a while, not much, how bout you, it's been such a long time, and I really just wanted to talk to you." Words from a popular song by England Dan and John Ford Coley, and borrowed by me since it's been a while since my thoughts have invaded your monitor.

So you might ask, where has this Armin Legg fellow been? Due to a bit of wrestling malaise, general disinterest in sharing my sometimes ridiculed views, an addiction to Words with Friends on Facebook and a little bit of frivolity on Skype and Yahoo, I guess my once proud and long running wrestling column got put on the back burner.

To those who know me, I'm an old man in a young kids business, and my strong interest in this whacky game started before most of you that will read this were born. Now that I have reached my 62nd year on this planet, and now that I have retired from working full time, I figured it was time to get off this wrinkly old backside and share my sometimes antiquated views of what's going on in the wrestling world. In the words of the late Caspar Weinberger, "Let's get it over with."

We're just about ready for the latest addition of Wrestlemania, the granddaddy of them all in the wrestling business. Anyone that reads this column will know the time, date, location, etc. of this event, so I won't waste my gnarly fingers typing out the details. The lead ups for the main matches have been well done by the folks in Stamford, and this one shapes up to be at least a good middle-of-the-road WM. If the weather doesn't cooperate with this outdoor event, it could put a damper on the festivities, but the matches look to be promising. I'll just give a short take on the more important matches.

Rock- Cena.... I see Cena going over in this one. The Rock suited his purpose, getting a lot of mainstream publicity for the show, and nobody can argue his acumen on the microphone, so it was a win for WWE. Some have argued that letting him carry the belt might not be a smart idea, but I have no issues with it.

Jack Swagger- Alberto Del Rio.... Pure genius on the part of WWE creating the Zeb Coulter character and using Zeb and Swagger in their vignettes to rail on this country's immigration policies. Getting heat is the number one goal of a good heel and these two hit it out of the ballpark. Del Rio is a fabulous worker but I'm still not sure I prefer him in his babyface role. That being said, Del Rio will go over and this feud might have some shelf life left after this match.

Undertaker- C.M. Punk.... I'm torn on this one. Taker is at the end of his career and I hope he doesn't do like some others before him have and hang around after his expiration date. Punk, who claims to be the "best in the world" is one of my favorites from this generation of stars. I saw him in his formative years on the Midwest Indy circuit, and saw stardom in his future. I had slight reservations due to his size, but his workrate has always been world class. Eight years ago, Vince would have never booked a barely 200 pound worker without bulging muscles into anything more than being fodder in mid-card squash matches. In the WWE, circa 2013, thankfully, attitudes have changed. Taker will keep his streak alive going 21-0 in WM appearances and Taker still has enough left in the tank to make this a believable, and potentially great, exhibition. Punk can work with anyone and make them look good, so this one is a hit. Punk won't lose any credibility in this loss. Also, with the recent loss of Taker's longtime manager, William Moody aka Paul Bearer, this should also give WWE reason to have Taker go over.

Brock Lesnar- Hunter Hearst Helmsley McMahon Levesque.... HHH puts his career on the line against former UFC champ Lesnar. I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, being a constant detractor of HHH in past columns, I'm kind of pulling for him in this one and see him going over. HHH still has a few good runs left in him and he does seem to want to do what's right for business now that his future is totally secure. Brock is a monster but I don't think his heart is in the business and a loss won't hurt one way or the other.

Sheamus-Orton-Big Show - The Shield.... I'm not all that enthralled with this match and I think that The Shield has run its course. It will be interesting to see how it plays out with two faces and a heel teaming up. I'll go with S.O.S. going over but there might be a heel turn by Orton in this one. Orton is a natural heel and he never really caught on much as a babyface, so a turn in this match might be the right time for it.

The WWE Hall of Fame inductions will be taking place that same weekend and I'm fine with their cast of inductees. Foley, Booker T, Stratus, Backlund and Sammartino on the wrestling side and Donald Trump. In particular, I'm pleased to see Bob Backlund inducted as he was their standard bearer for them in the pre-attitude era, a fabulous wrestler that was a credit to the business. If I was pleased about Backlund, I'm doing cartwheels and handsprings over Brunos decision to put past differences aside and let him take his place in the WWE Hall. He was a champion for over 8 years who put wrestling on the East Coast on his shoulders and carried it to unprecedented heights at the time, a true gentleman and deserving of any accolades sent his way. Bravo to Bruno and WWE for patching things up.

TNA Impact has been awesome in this old timers opinion. I thought the Aces and Eights angle would have ended by now, but it's even better than it has been. I watched the 5 promos that Bully Ray did, explaining how he master minded this whole thing, and it was top notch. Congrats to whomever it was that wrote this angle. Bully is great, as are Aces and Eights in their roles. Nice touch having Taz and D-Lo enter the fray as non-wrestling members. I'm still not the fan of Hogan and his kid, but this all makes sense and making sense is something this promotion hasn't always made. Hats off to this one. I'll still take the TNA locker room over WWE in respect to wrestling abilities of its roster and now that they are taping on the road, this also bodes better for their future success. They've been around for more than 10 years when most said they wouldn't last 6 months (not this writer mind you, and I have archived proof that I was a believer in them) and I don't think they'll be leaving us in the immediate future.

As is always the case, this old dude has been going to many Indy shows in this area and each promotion has it's own style of booking their shows. What a great bargain for your 5-15 dollars. Three hours of fun to be had by one and all. It is so important to support your locals as the more they get to show their skills, the more of a chance that they may someday progress to the next level. Take in an Indy when you get the chance.

A quick get well wish to X-Pac (Sean Waltman) whose backside was split open during a match in Minnesota this past weekend. Talk about a pain in the arse. Sorry, couldn't resist.

This evening on LogoTV, they ran a documentary on G.L.O.W. the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and it brought back some fun memories. While their skills will never make you forget The Jumping Bomb Angels or Donna Christantello and Toni Rose, their schtick was always fun. They interviewed quite a few of them and it was a great watch. Check your cable listings as I'm sure it will be repeated.

I'm sure there is more I want to talk about, but being 62, I probably forgot half of what was on my mind. Rest assured, now that I don't have the constraints of a work schedule to deal with, you'll be hearing from me again with much more frequency.

The Leggman will be dropping the Hammer on you again, very soon. Now run along and play.

Mike "Armin Legg" Martin
3-26-13

UFC Adds Seventh Name To Its Women's Bantamweight Division

Germaine-de-Randamie, formerly with Strikeforce, has finalized (or is in the process of finalizing) a deal which will bring her into the UFC.

"The Iron Lady," an undefeated kickboxer who hasn't seen nearly the same success in mixed-martial-arts, and has tried her hand as a bantamweight and a featherweight, last fought in August (picking up a unanimous decision over Hiroko Yamanaka), so I expect a bout to soon be officially announced.

'UFC On FOX 7' Officially Gets A Main Event, And I Couldn't Be Happier

Word out of the UFC, is that on Saturday, April 20, Gilbert Melendez (former Strikeforce Lightweight champ) gets his chance at Benson Henderson's UFC Lightweight crown, and a shot at avenging Nate Diaz' last loss.

Henderson and Melendez are both excellent fighters, but that has nothing to do with why I'm extremely stoked.

Truth be told, I've never been a big fan of Melendez, and if you think what Henderson did to Diaz was bad, wait until you see what happens to 'El Niño.'

Pot, Meet Kettle

UFC Women's Bantamweight titlist Ronda Rousey (who "earned" her championship status, in part, by being a hot blonde and fawning over an ugly, fat, bald man who just happened to have her future, and maybe other things, in his hands) recently told Las Vegas Review-Journal's Doug Elfman that, if Georges St-Pierre "wasn't really good-looking, and really Canadian, he would be really unknown."

Nothing against Elfman, but if you (unlike me) feel the need to hear anything more from the lips of Rousey, here's where you can check out the remainder of his column.

CARD UPDATE: BELLATOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 88

The Arena at Gwinnett Center
Duluth, GA
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Prelims: Live on spike.com @ 8 PM ET
Televised: Spike TV @ 10 PM ET
Lineup subject to change

PRELIMS
* Dave Vitkay vs. ??? - middleweights

TELEVISED
* Maiquel Falcao vs. Alexander Shlemenko - Middleweight title
* Stephen Upchurch vs. ??? - featherweight tourney?

"The Beast" Officially Retires From Active MMA Competition

Dan Severn, the ever-versatile and ever-successful amateur wrestler, pro wrestler, and mixed-martial-artist, has said he will no longer compete in the latter, closing the door on a chapter of his life which spans nearly twenty-years.

Severn, who earlier in the year had stopped competing as an amateur wrestler, debuted in the UFC on December 16, 1994 (back in the tournament days of UFC 4), and immediately made a name for himself by quickly finishing his first two opponents and putting quite a scare into legendary Royce Gracie before falling to him in what was then the longest fight in MMA history (fifteen-minutes-forty-nine-seconds).

Severn, 54, had spent the holiday season reflecting on one-hundred-one wins in one-hundred-twenty-seven fights (including a final victory on April 28, 2012), and after recently failing to get a career-closing rematch (and hopefully win) against either Gracie, Mark Coleman, or Ken Shamrock (all three hold victories over him), decided he had nothing left to accomplish and was done.

Severn has also said that this year will be his last as an active pro wrestler, but as he has with amateur wrestling, he expects to still be involved in behind-the-scenes roles (trainer/spokesperson/etc.) in all three sports.

"The Beast," already in the UFC's Hall Of Fame, is one of the few mixed-martial-artists I'd consider a no-brainer for a true HOF. I thank him and wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors. You can keep up with him via his official website.

Happy New Year!

Well, 2013 is here, and, if you're reading this, you either safely and soundly made it through last night's celebrations, or you're a really brave trooper.

Either way, I thank you. ;-)

Merry Christmas!

I live an amazing life, and, in part, it's because of you.

Though I rarely work on this site, being even remotely involved with it has afforded me opportunities I'd have never other experienced.

Whether or not Christmas is your thing, I hope that everyone takes some time to appreciate and celebrate what they have, including and especially their loved ones.

Long after our cell phones/Twitter/Facebook/etc, stop being important, it is those people who will continue to bring us joy and are truly what's important.

Yes, even more important than Ronald McDonald's bottom line.

Vale Tudo Japan Returns On December 24th, 2012

(((IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21st, 2012)))

Only 3 more days until the legendary Vale Tudo Japan event goes down with an unbelievable fight card. The event will take place on December 24th at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium live on SkyperfectTV.

In the main event, SHOOTO legend Rumina Sato battles DREAM bantamweight favorite, Hideo Tokoro. To add to the excitement, viewers will also see 3 "JAPAN vs USA" bouts. Current SHOOTO welterweight champion and former UFC fighter, Kuniyoshi Hironaka (20-8), will be taking on UFC veteran Carlo Prater (30-12-1) in a highly anticipated lightweight matchup. Long time SHOOTO veteran Mamoru Yamaguchi (26-6-3) will be representing Japan in a flyweight showdown against the USA’s Darrell Montague (11-2). The number 1 SHOOTO prospect, 23 year old Kyoji Horiguchi (8-1), will take on UFC veteran and current Tachi Palace Fight champion, Ian Loveland (16-9).

About VTJ

What was previously held as an annual mixed martial competition from 1994-1999 in Japan, VTJ has become a legendary event that helped pave the way for modern MMA. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie was dominant in his tournament victories during the first two years of competition and helped put the sport on the mainstream map. The legendary tournament returns with VTJ 1st, which will have all matchups take place inside of a cage rather than the traditional ring.

Featured bouts:
Takeshi Inoue (21-6) vs Kenji Osawa (18-10-2)
Megumi Fujii (25-2) vs Mei Yamguchi (10-4-1)
Keita Nakamura (24-5-2) vs Nobutatsu Suzuki (9-0-2)
Daisuke Hoshio (7-6) vs Kuntap Weerasakreck (0-1)

For more information visit http://www.vtj1st.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vtj.inspirit.kashiwagi?ref=hl

SOURCE: Vale Tudo Japan

DREAM 18 NEW YEAR’S EVE MMA MATCHUPS ANNOUNCED

SHINYA AOKI FACES ANTONIO MCKEE
BIBIANO FERNANDES BATTLES YOSHIRO MAEDA
MELVIN MANHOEF SQUARES OFF WITH DENIS KANG

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 7, 2012) - DREAM Lightweight (155 pounds/70 kilograms) Champion Shinya Aoki (31-6) will face battle-tested wrestling specialist Antonio McKee (28-4-2) at the DREAM Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve.

The matchup was announced today by officials from DREAM and Glory Sports International, which is presenting the year-end show along with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event.

Also announced was a middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) fight between Melvin Manhoef (26-9-1, 1 NC) and Denis Kang (35-15-2, 2 NC) and a 139-pound catchweight meeting between former DREAM bantamweight (135 pounds/61 kilograms) champion Bibiano Fernandes (12-3) and Yoshiro Maeda (30-11-2) of Japan.

“Shinya Aoki is already a legend in mixed martial arts. His jiu jitsu and judo skills are just incredible and we are delighted to have him on the card for DREAM 18. The Saitama Super Arena is his home and the greatest matches of his career have been fought there. We expect another epic encounter on New Year’s Eve when he faces UFC veteran Antonio McKee,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer.

“With Melvin Manhoef and Denis Kang, we have a fight where the fans cannot afford to blink - there is so much power and skill in that fight that it is very, very unlikely to go the distance. And the fight between Bibiano Fernandes and Yoshiro Maeda will be a whirlwind, technical master class. Fernandes is one of the world’s top ten bantamweights while Maeda is as tough as they come. All the DREAM 18 fights are absolutely world class and we are very excited about them.”

Known as Tobikan Judan (‘Master of Flying Attacks’), Aoki is a grappling prodigy. An incredible 20 of his 31 career wins have been by way of submission and his victories include wins over Rich Clementi, Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez. He has a ruthless killer instinct, exemplified by his breaking the arm of Mizuto Hirota at a 2009 New Year’s Eve event in the Saitama Super Arena.

McKee has fought for the UFC, the IFL and top Canadian promotion MFC in a career spanning 12 years. Only four fighters have ever managed to beat him, and three of those - Karo Parisyan, Jacob Volkmann and Chris Brennan – have also competed amongst the upper echelon of fighters in the UFC and PRIDE FC. McKee was set to fight Aoki at DREAM: Fight for Japan last May, but the bout fell through because of visa issues.

The Dutch dynamo Manhoef needs little introduction to fight fans in Japan or anywhere else. A huge fan favorite, Manhoef’s power and highly aggressive style combine to ensure that his fights rarely go the distance. He is one of only two men to ever stop Mark Hunt with strikes and he also has a win over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba.

French-Korean middleweight Kang won a ‘Fight of the Night’ award for his clash with Michael Bisping in the UFC. A second-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Kang’s honors include being a finalist in the PRIDE FC Welterweight Grand Prix and winning a title in leading Korean promotion Spirit MC. He has wins over Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua and Akihiro Gono.

Fernandes won the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix to become the organization’s first featherweight champion. After losing the belt to Hiroyuki Takaya, he moved down to bantamweight and won the DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix.

Maeda has competed for many of the best organizations in the world, including PRIDE FC, DREAM, WEC, Pancrase and DEEP. He fought for the WEC bantamweight title against Miguel Torres at WEC 34 and holds wins over Chase Beebe and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert Micah Miller among others. He was also a quarter-finalist in the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix.

‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo - New Year's Eve Special’ - will commence at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo - Heavyweight Grand Slam, a one-night, 16-man, single-elimination tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About DREAM:

Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world's premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world's largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world's most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It's Showtime.

SOURCE: Glory Sports International

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