FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
M-1 GLOBAL "BREAKTHROUGH" EVENT MOVED TO KANSAS
CITY; NEW MAIN EVENT BETWEEN "KING" MO LAWAL VS. MARK
KERR
TO BE COMPLEMENTED BY SPARRING EXHIBITION
BETWEEN FEDOR AND MOUSASI
Amsterdam, Holland -- M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com)
officially announced Monday morning that its August 28
"Breakthrough" event scheduled to be
televised live in the U.S. has been moved from the Los
Angeles Convention Center to the historic Memorial Hall
in Kansas City.
"The change in venues is
unfortunate, however, the change was necessitated due to
circumstances beyond our control," said M-1 Global Chief
Operating Officer Joost Raimond. "We
had a partner in Los Angeles that backed out of certain
commitments. However, instead of letting fighters and
fans down by canceling the event, we worked diligently
to find a new location in Kansas City. At no point in
time did we entertain the idea of canceling our first
'Breakthrough' event."
With the change in venue
comes a change in the original main event, which had
been set to feature "King" Mo Lawal and
UFC veteran Don Frye. Frye has formally
pulled out of the fight and has been replaced by another
former NCAA Champion and All-American, Mark Kerr.
"Don Frye had a signed contract with M-1 and part of
that signed commitment allowed us to change the venue if
needed," said Raimond. "From our perspective, Don should
still be in this fight. However, for reasons that we
aren't exactly sure of, he has backed out. Don still has
not provided us with a clear reason as to why he is
refusing to fight.
"We've heard rumors that he
wasn't happy with the location change but our television
partner, Mo Lawal, and every other fighter scheduled for
the event are satisfied with Kansas City so why isn't it
good enough for Don? Don also fought just a few short
months ago in Lubbock, Texas. It just doesn't make sense
because the old Don Frye was willing to fight anyone,
anywhere, and at anytime. Perhaps the fire is gone and
he underestimated the challenge that 'King Mo'
presents?"
Lawal was also perplexed by Frye's
decision and even said during a recent YouTube interview
that he'd fight himself if he had to at "M-1
Breakthrough." Fortunately, Lawal will not have to do
that, as Frye's departure has created an opportunity for
Kerr, a former star in both the UFC and
PRIDE, to launch a comeback on a major
platform.
"Kerr at one time was one of the best
fighters on the planet," M-1 Global Vice President of
Live Events Joe Kelly said. "His fall
from grace was documented publicly on the popular HBO
documentary The Smashing Machine. A lot of people have
written Mark Kerr off but if he's able to beat Lawal on
national television, suddenly he becomes a hot commodity
again. Mark was already in training for a fight when we
contacted him and I'm not exactly sure how hard Don was
training. This will actually be a tougher fight for
Lawal."
In addition to Lawal vs. Kerr, "Breakthrough" will now
also feature a sparring exhibition between
Strikeforce fighters Fedor Emelianenko
and Gegard Mousasi.
"We were
blown away by just how popular Fedor's exhibition vs.
Aoki in Japan was," said Raimond. "Fedor and Gegard have
sparred many times together and the sessions have always
been intense. Now fight fans watching on television and
those attending live in Kansas City will get a rare
glimpse at two of the best fighters in the world
sparring each other."
In addition to Lawal's
first-ever fight on U.S. soil versus Kerr and the
sparring exhibition between Fedor and Mousasi, "M-1
Breakthrough's" co-main event will feature French
striking sensation Karl "Psycho" Amoussou
vs. former BodogFIGHT champion
Nick Thompson.
"M-1's mission statement
has been to develop new stars and bring them to the
world stage," Kelly began to say. "Karl just got back
from Brazil, where he worked a lot with
Wanderlei Silva and I am convinced that
Amoussou is the next Wanderlei. However, Thompson is by
far the toughest test he's had to face and I am
expecting a war."
In addition to "Breakthrough"
receiving an upgrade with the addition of Fedor vs.
Mousasi, another enhancement has been made to the card
as a grudge rematch between Lucio Linhares
vs. Mikhail Zayats will now be
featured. Linhares vs. Zayats II had been scheduled for
the undercard of Affliction's ill-fated "Trilogy" event.
"We liked the card we had planned for LA, but to be
honest, we are now going to be presenting fans with an
even better show than we had originally planned," Kelly
stated. "Linhares is one of the most underrated fighters
on the planet. He could fight for any promotion in the
world right now."
In addition to the live
televised fights, fans in attendance at Memorial Hall
will be treated to a undercard showcasing some of the
top up-and-coming talents from in and out of the Kansas
City area. The undercard will feature the MMA debut of
2007 WKA Amateur Muay Thai champion
Andria Caplan in a 145 lbs. women's MMA
fight. Tickets for the event will go on sale this
Thursday at 10 a.m. CT at all local Ticketmaster
outlets, at
Ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
*** *** *** *** ***
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION OR FIGHTER INTERVIEW REQUESTS, CONTACT:
Jacob Schaap of M-1 Global at
jacob.schaap@m-1global.com.
*** *** *** *** ***
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL AND THE "M-1 CHALLENGE
PRESENTED BY AFFLICTION:"
M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com)
has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
organizations in the world for over a decade.
International MMA stars who have fought under the M-1
banner have included Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi,
Karl Amoussou, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko,
Daisuke Nakamura, Keith Jardine, Alistair Overeem,
Yushin Okami, Ben Rothwell, Mike Pyle, Melvin Manhoef,
Roman Zenstov, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev,
and Chalid Arrab, to name a few.
Billed as the
"World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts," the M-1 Challenge is
a full season of MMA events sponsored by partner
Affliction that showcases some of the best up and coming
MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 80
countries around the world, including HDNet in the
United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five
fighters representing their respective countries against
each other for international bragging rights and the
title of M-1 Challenge Champions.
The "M-1
Challenge Presented by Affliction" affords MMA prospects
all over the world an opportunity to test their skills,
gain valuable experience at the international level, and
become future stars in the sport of MMA. Fighters who
succeed on the M-1 Challenge's international breeding
ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major
MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional
partners such as HDNet, Affliction Clothing and
Strikeforce.
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