Jerry Milani sent along the following:
PITBULLS, LIONS WIN AT IFL LAS VEGAS; IFL PLAYOFF SEEDS SET
Gracie’s New Yorkers Secure Playoff Berth, Second Overall Seed
LAS VEGAS, June 16, 2007 — The New York Pitbulls and host Nevada
Lions claimed victories in the final 2007 regular-season International
Fight League matches for each team, before a sold-out crowd of 3,200 at the
Las Vegas Hilton. The Pitbulls took out the Toronto Dragons, 3-2,
while the Lions scored a 4-1 win over the Tucson Scorpions.
With the win, the Pitbulls (3-0 team, 10-5 individual) have qualified
for the four-team IFL Playoffs, which will begin on August 2
(semifinals, E. Rutherford, N.J.), where they will be the No. 2 seed and will take
on the third-seeded Tokyo Sabres (3-0, 9-6). The top-seeded L.A.
Anacondas (3-0, 11-4) will battle the No. 4 seeds, the Quad Cities
Silverbacks (2-1, 9-6) in the other semifinal in New Jersey. The defeat
eliminated the Dragons (1-2, 8-7) from contention.
In the first matchup, the Dragons’ Brent Beauparlant (Montreal,
Quebec) defeated Fabio Leopoldo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in the middleweight bout
via TKO when Leopoldo injured his shoulder during the third round of
what had been a very competitive bout, for a 1-0 Toronto lead. Light
heavyweight Andre Gusmao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) tapped out Wojtek
Kaszowski (Winnipeg, Manitoba) with just seconds left in the first round to
even things at 1-1.
In the pivotal lightweight fight, Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil) made quick work of Erik Owings (New York) in a battle of Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu experts, gaining a victory by armbar submission a minute into
the first round to put the Dragons up, 2-1. Delson Heleno (Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil) earned a second-round welterweight submission victory for
the Pitbulls over Gideon Ray (Roselle, Ill.) by armbar, evening the
match at two wins apiece. In the decisive heavyweight bout, with his
team’s season on the line, the Pitbulls’ Marcio Cruz (Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil) won by disqualification from Rafael Feijao (Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil), after Feijao committed a second illegal head-kick, to propel Renzo
Gracie’s squad into the playoffs.
In the nightcap, Daniel Molina (Carson City, Nev.) put the host Lions
(2-1, 8-7) on top with a submission victory, heel hooking Seth Baczynski
(Phoenix) of the Scorpions (0-3, 4-11) in the middleweight bout. At
welterweight, Pat Healy (St. Louis) scored a split decision over Mike
Guymon (Lake Forest, Calif.) to double the Lions’ edge to 2-0. John
Gunderson (Medford, Ore.) secured the Lions’ victory with a late
second-round submission win over Gabe Casillas (Tucson, Ariz.) in the
lightweight bout. Hometown favorite Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) was dominant in his
unanimous heavyweight verdict over Shane Ott (Reading, Pa.), adding to
the Lions’ lead. Mike Whitehead (Central Point, Ore.) salvaged the
final point for the Scorpions by defeating Vernon White (East Palo Alto,
Calif.) via second-round TKO.
In the preliminary bout which preceded the regular team competition,
Rick Reeves (Reno, Nev.) of the Lions defeated Chris Kennedy (Las Vegas)
of the Scorpions via unanimous decision in a welterweight battle fought
mostly on the ground.
About the IFL
International Fight League (IFL) is the world’s first 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.
International Fight League
Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, June 16, 2007
Pitbulls (3-0, 10-5) def. Dragons (1-2 team, 8-7 indiv.), 3-2
185 lb: Brent Beauparlant, Dragons, def. Fabio Leopoldo, Pitbulls, via
TKO (injury), 2:22, 3rd
205 lb: Andre Gusmao, Pitbulls, def. Wojtek Kaszowski, Dragons, via
submission (rear naked choke) 3:53, 1st
155 lb: Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons, def. Erik Owings, Pitbulls, via
submission (armbar), 0:58, 1st
170 lb: Delson Heleno, Pitbulls, def. Gideon Ray, Dragons, via
submission (armbar), 1:29, 2nd
265 lb: Marcio Cruz, Pitbulls, def Rafael Feijao, Dragons, via
disqualification (repeated illegal head kicks), 3:42, 3rd
Lions (2-1, 8-7) def. Scorpions (0-3, 4-6), 4-1
185 lb.: Daniel Molina, Lions, def. Seth Baczynski, Scorpions, via
submission (heel hook), 1:32, 1st
170 lb.: Pat Healy, Lions, def. Mike Guymon, Scorpions, via decision
(split), after three rounds
155 lb.: John Gunderson, Lions, def. Gabe Casillas, Scorpions, via
submission (rear naked choke), 2:58, 2nd
265 lb.: Roy Nelson, Lions, def. Shane Ott, Scorpions, via decision
(unanimous), after three rounds
205 lb.: Mike Whitehead, Scorpions, def. Vernon White, Lions, via TKO,
0:54, 2nd
Preliminary Bout
170 lb.: Rick Reeves, Lions, def. Chris Kennedy, Scorpions, via
decision (unanimous), after three rounds
IFL Standings Through June 16
Team Overall Match
(1)Anacondas 3-0 11-4
(2) Pitbulls 3-0 10-5
(3) Sabres 3-0 9-6
(4) Silverbacks 2-1 9-6
Condors 2-1 8-7
Lions 2-1 8-7
Dragons 1-2 8-7
Tiger Sharks 1-2 8-7
Wolfpack 1-2 7-8
Scorpions 0-3 4-11
Razorclaws 0-3 4-11
Red Bears 0-3 4-11
(playoff seed noted in parentheses)
DISCUSS THIS NEWS IN THE MMANEWS.COM FORUMS >>
