Jerry Milani sent along the following:
LEOPOLDO, FABIANO, WHITEHEAD, GUNDERSON AMONG NOTABLES AS INTERNATIONAL
FIGHT LEAGUE VISITS LAS VEGAS JUNE 16
Playoff Spots On Line As Renzo Gracie’s N.Y. Pitbulls Take On Carlos
Newton’s Toronto Dragons; Don Frye’s Tucson Scorpions Battle Ken
Shamrock’s Reno Lions
LAS VEGAS, June 8, 2007 — The final two playoff berths are on the
line as the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s
number one professional mixed martial arts league, today announced the field
for its event at the Las Vegas Hilton., set for Saturday, June 16, at
7:30 p.m. Numerous top IFL stars will be in action as the New York
Pitbulls, coached by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Renzo Gracie, take on the
Toronto Dragons, coached by MMA legend Carlos Newton, and the Tucson
Scorpions, led by MMA and wrestling icon Don Frye, battle Ken Shamrock’s
Reno Lions on the 12-bout card.
IFL unbeatens Fabio Leopoldo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) of the Pitbulls
(2-0 team, 7-3 individual), Waggney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) of
the Dragons (1-1, 6-4) and Mike Whitehead (Central Point, Ore.) of the
Scorpions (0-2, 3-7) are among the IFL standouts on the card. Leopoldo
takes on Brent Beauparlant (Ottawa, Ontario) in a key middleweight
bout, Fabiano draws Pitbulls lightweight Erik Owings (New York) and
Whitehead tangles with MMA veteran Vernon White (East Palo Alto, Calif.) of
the Lions (1-1, 4-6).
The Pitbulls vs. Dragons matchup could be a winner-take-all affair in
terms of the IFL Playoffs, which begin with the Semifinals on August 2
in East Rutherford, N.J. A win by the Pitbulls or a decisive win by the
Dragons would mean that the loser would be eliminated. A 5-0 sweep by
the Lions over the Scorpions would keep Shamrock’s team
mathematically alive in the chase.
The evening marks the final regular season event of the full IFL 2007
schedule, the most comprehensive advance schedule in the history of
fight sports. It also represents the first MMA event to be held at the
Las Vegas Hilton, one of the city’s most historic venues. Below are
the matchups for the event, with bout order to be determined by
coaches’ selection prior to the Official Weigh-in on Friday, June 15, at 3
p.m. PT.
Dragons (1-1 team, 6-4 indiv.) vs. Pitbulls (2-0, 7-3)
155 lb: Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (2-0, 6-1) vs. Erik
Owings (New York) (3-1, 3-1)
170 lb: Gideon Ray (Roselle, Ill.) (1-0, 14-5-1) vs. Delson Heleno (Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil) (3-1, 10-2)
185 lb: Brent Beauparlant (Montreal, Quebec) (2-3, 5-4) vs. Fabio
Leopoldo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (3-0, 5-1)
205 lb: Wojtek Kaszowski (Winnipeg, Manitoba) (0-4, 0-6) vs. Jamal
Patterson (Hoboken, N.J.) (3-1, 3-1)
265 lb: Rafael Feijao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (1-0, 4-0) vs. Marcio
Cruz (0-0, 2-2)
alt. 205 lb.: John Krohn (Gresham, Ore.) (1-0, 3-0) vs. Andre Gusmao
(New York) (2-0, 3-0)
Scorpions (0-2, 3-7) vs. Lions (1-1, 4-6)
155 lb.: Gabe Casillas (Tucson, Ariz.) (0-1, 9-7) vs. John Gunderson
(Medford, Ore.) (1-1, 11-5)
170 lb.: Mike Guymon (Lake Forest, Calif.) (0-0, 6-1-1) vs. Pat Healy
(St. Louis) (1-1, 17-12)
185 lb.: Seth Baczynski (Phoenix) (0-1, 4-4) vs. Daniel Molina (Carson
City, Nev.) (0-2, 6-7)
205 lb.: Mike Whitehead (Central Point, Ore.) (3-0, 18-5) vs. Vernon
White (East Palo Alto, Calif.) (1-0. 25-30-2)
265 lb.: Shane Ott (Philadelphia) (1-0, 3-0) vs. Roy Nelson (Las Vegas)
(1-1, 7-2)
alt. 170 lb.: Chris Kennedy (Las Vegas) (0-0, 3-2) vs. Rick Reeves
(Reno, Nev.) (1-0, 2-1)
Tickets are available at the Las Vegas Hilton Box Office, through
www.lvhilton.com or by telephone at 800-222-5361.
Each of the nine regular season IFL events consist of four teams —
each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing. The team
that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team
winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling
meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts
are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute
rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience
for local fans.
Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season
events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will
advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2 at
Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL
Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September
15.
About the Las Vegas Hilton
The new Las Vegas Hilton, a classic property that has transformed
itself into a contemporary resort, ranks among the world’s most famous and
popular destinations. It is situated on 59 acres next to the Las Vegas
Strip (and the Hilton’s Monorail station links the property to the
Strip via a five minute ride) and adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention
Center. It offers nearly 3,000 rooms and suites (including a variety of
enhanced room products). The property is one of the largest hotels in
the world and offers world-class entertainment (featuring the legendary
Barry Manilow and other headliners) in the 1600-seat Hilton Theater, 16
distinctive restaurants, and a full-service health club and spa
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
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