IFL Puts Unprecedented Five Titles On The Line For Dec. 29 World Grand Prix At Mohegan Sun

Courtesy of the International Fight League:

Rematch of MMA “Fight of the year” between undefeated Chris Horodecki and Shad Lierley, undefeated Brazilian star Wagnney Fabiano’s debut at featherweight, undefeated Benji “Razor” Radach and rising star Jay Hieron all part of the biggest night of MMA action ever in the northeast

NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) today announced several additions to the card for the 2007 IFL World Grand Prix finals, the individual all-star competition for the world’s number one mixed martial arts league. Five Championship bouts, believed to be unprecedented in North America, will take place on Saturday, December 29, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Headlining the upgraded card will be the much anticipated rematch between undefeated (11-0) star Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (London, Ontario) and former NYU wrestling standout Shad Lierley (Seattle). The two met in June in Everett, Washington, with Horodecki pulling out a thrilling split decision in what many considered the MMA fight of the year to date. Lierley is moving into the lightweight spot created when undefeated Brazilian Wagnney Fabiano (5-0) was moved to the new featherweight class where he will fight in 2008. Fabiano will not go untested, meeting another undefeated rising star, L.C. Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) of Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks.

“We have set up what will be one of the memorable nights for fans, and a night which showcases the six weight classes that will be the key component of our 2008 season,” said Kurt Otto, IFL commissioner and co-founder. “Moving Wagnney to his natural featherweight, and having a worthy opponent such as L.C. already in the league, shows our depth of talent and also sets up a great rematch between Chris and Shad for their natural lightweight title. The other fights, and the undercard featuring a sneak peak at some of our U.K. talent and another rising star in Rory Markham, will make this a night not to be missed.”

In addition, the night will feature title shots at welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight:

At welterweight, the Pitbulls’ Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the top seed with a 5-1 overall mark this year, takes on Long Island native Jay Hieron of the Anacondas, who has won three of four bouts in 2007.

At middleweight, hard-hitting top-seed Benji Radach (Coconut Creek, Fla.) tries to remain unbeaten (5-0) in the IFL when he battles Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) of the Wolfpack (3-1).

At heavyweight, Antoine Jaoude (Rio de Janeiro) also unbeaten in IFL (4-0), goes against Roy “Big Country” Nelson (Las Vegas), who has two punishing TKO’s to his credit among his three victories in 2007.

Horodecki and Fabiano won their IFL World Grand Prix semifinal bouts on November 3, at the Sears Centre in Chicago, along with six others, to advance to the finals.

Three other highly-anticipated Championship fights are also on tap for Mohegan Sun, including:

Standout Rory Markham (Chicago) of the Silverbacks will take on Dan Miller (Sparta, N.J.), who helped the Pitbulls to the World Championship with a semifinal round victory as a late replacement. Alex Cook (Whitehaven, England) will help introduce the new British team, coached by Ian Freeman, which will begin competition in 2008, against Marcello Salazar (Portland, Ore./Brazil) in a rematch from March 2006, won by Cook. Undefeated military vet Tim Kennedy (Fayetteville, N.C.), one of the bright spots for the Red Bears, battles (local) standout Elias Rivera (Southington, Conn.).

Vladimir Matyushenko (El Segundo, Calif./Retchisa, Belarus) claimed the first IFL World Grand Prix Championship belt with a win at 205 lbs. over Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) in Chicago.

Tickets for the Finals can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun box office, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-860-886-0070.

Athletes were selected for the World Grand Prix based on their respective match records during the 2007 regular season. In the event of a tie, competitors with the fastest finishes or best strength of victories earned the higher seeds. The winners will defend their individual belts throughout the 2008 IFL season.

The full rosters for the World Grand Prix Finals follow. Bout order to be determined prior to the weigh-in on Dec. 28.

Preliminary Bouts

175 lbs.: Dan Miller, Pitbulls (Sparta, N.J.) (1-0 IFL 2007, 1-0 IFL career, 6-1 overall) vs. Rory Markham, Silverbacks (Chicago) (2-0, 6-1, 12-2)

185 lbs.: Marcello Salazar (Brazil) (0-0, 0-0, 6-1-2) vs. Alex Cook (Whitehaven, England) (0-0, 0-0, 8-5)

185 lbs.: Elias Rivera (Southington, Conn.) (0-0, 0-0, 3-2) vs. Tim Kennedy, Red Bears (Fayetteville, N.C.) (2-0, 2-0, 8-1)

Championship Bouts

145 lbs.: L.C. Davis, Silverbacks (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 2-0, 9-0) vs. Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-1)

155 lbs.: Shad Lierley, Tiger Sharks (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1, 2-1) vs. Chris Horodecki, Anacondas (London, Ontario) (4-0, 7-0, 11-0)

170 lbs.: Jay Hieron, Anacondas (Las Vegas) (3-1, 5-2, 13-4) vs. Delson Heleno, Pitbulls (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-1, 6-2, 13-3)

185 lbs.: Matt Horwich, Wolfpack (Portland, Ore.) (3-1, 5-3, 20-9-1) vs. Benji Radach, Anacondas (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (5-0, 5-0, 17-3)

265 lbs.: Roy Nelson, Lions (Las Vegas) (3-1, 3-1, 9-2) vs. Antoine Jaoude, Condors (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (4-0, 4-0, 8-2)

About the IFL

International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s number one professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv.