Press Release:
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) ADDS LEGENDS DON FRYE AND MARCO RUAS
AS COACHES FOR 2007
Scorpions and Piranhas to be based in Tucson, Arizona and Southern
Calif.
September 25, 2006 — The International Fight League (IFL) today
announced that world champions Don Frye and Marco Ruas have been added as
coaches for the 2007 season, bringing to 10 the number of confirmed teams
for the inaugural season. Frye will coach the Scorpions, based in
Tucson, Arizona, while Ruas will mentor the Piranhas, based in Southern
California. Two additional teams will be announced before the end of the
year. The IFL will launch its first full season with 12 teams in the
first quarter of 2007.
“We are very excited that Don and Marco have chosen to join us,” said
Kurt Otto, IFL co-founder and commissioner. “Like our other coaches
both are legends in the sport, expert instructors and quality people who
will help us continue to grow mixed martial arts beyond its current
boundaries. The addition of another team training in Southern California
and one in an MMA hotbed like Arizona also will help to create a more
consistent presence for the IFL in two key geographic growth areas.”
Don “The Predator” Frye is considered one of the original
“cross-trained” MMA competitors. He was a collegiate wrestler at NCAA powerhouses
Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University, holds a 2nd
degree black belt in Judo and has fought as a professional boxer. He has
held a championship belts for the UFC and is also a veteran of K-1 and
PRIDE in a legendary career. He is also an accomplished actor, and will
appear in the upcoming Rob Schneider film Big Stan.
Marco “The King of the Streets” Ruas is one of the most renowned
tacticians in MMA, and is regarded as the founder of Ruas Vale Tudo, a hybrid
of Brazilian submission fighting and kickboxing. He too is a former UFC
champion and is currently training several of the sport's rising stars
in Southern California.
About the IFL
Founded in 2005 by Kurt Otto, a real estate investor and a life-long
martial arts participant and Gareb Shamus, chairman of Wizard
Entertainment Group, the International Fight League(TM) (IFL) was created to
establish a centralized and structured organization that brings the power
and influence of the mixed martial arts industry together. On August 25,
2006, IFL entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Paligent,
Inc. (PGNT:OTCBB), pursuant to which IFL would emerge as the surviving
entity. For further information regarding the merger, contact Paligent
at (212) 755-5461. For more information on the IFL, go to www.IFL.tv.
