Press Conference

“Moosin: God of Martial Arts” PPV card stacked from top to bottom

Sylvia-Pudzianowski headlines May 21 at DCU Center in Worcester

WORCESTER, Mass. (May 14, 2010) – The first major mixed-martial-arts show in Massachusetts history, the May 21st “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” pay-per-view event, offers much more than the much-anticipated super heavyweight showdown between 2-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim“Maine-iac” Sylvia and 5-time World’s Strong Man, Mariusz“Dominator” Pudzianowski, at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Fans in attendance, as well as PPV viewers, will watch entertaining fights featuring many of the leading MMA fighters in the world. The main event between Sylvia (25-6-0), a native of Eastbrook, Maine, and Polish sports icon Pudzianowski, promises to climax an evening of explosive action.

“God of Martial Arts” is being presented by Moosin, the South Korea-based promotional company, which has promoted MMA shows in South Korea and the United States. Moosin, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, plans expansion into to China, Poland and Australia.

“God of Martial Arts” is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95 (also available in HD). It is also available on www.GoFightLive.TV outside of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Poland.

Korean heavyweight Mu Bae “The Heavy Tank of Busan” Choi (9-4-0) meets veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (59-14-0) in the co-main event. Choi is a former Greco-Roman wrestling champion, who has fought in Pride and Sengoku, making his U.S. debut. One of the most experienced MMA fighters in the world, Wiuff was a 2-time NJCAA All-American wrestler whose MMA victims include former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez and other UFC fighters such as Keith Jardine, Sean Salmon and Chris Tuchscherer, in addition to former IFL titlist Matt Horwich.

Brazilian middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal (11-2-0) takes on The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis “The Serial Killer” Lutter (10-5-0) in a match between Brazilian Jui-Jitsu specialists. Natal, representing Gracie Fusion, started out fighting
in the art of Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian style using a lot of sweeps and kicks. A BJJ black belt, Lutter gained fame by winning TUF4, defeating Patrick Cote in the finale with an arm-bar. The experienced Lutter has fought Anderson Silva,
Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland.

Bahamian lightweight Yves “The Texas Gunslinger” Edwards (37-15-1) squares-off against rising New England star Mike “The Beast” Campbell (7-2-0). An all-around fighter, Edwards, has fought all over the world, including Pride and Bodog, and the Texas resident has registered wins versus the likes of Rich Clementi and Hermes Franco (twice). Providence-native Campbell, who was a potential Olympian in power lifting, outgrew the New England MMA circuit and is ready for the larger stage.

A special attraction features two of the premier female MMA fighters in the U.S., Tara LaRosa (18-1-0) and Roxy Modafferi (13-4-0), at a 130-pound catch-weight, in a rematch of their March 4, 2006 fight that LaRosa won by decision. Modafferi, however, has defeated (submission by triangle choke in 2005) the only woman to ever defeat LaRosa, Jennifer Howe, by TKO (punches) in 2003.

The non-PPV scheduled part of the Moosin show also has worldwide appeal yet features several local favorites on the undercard: Korean light heavyweight Chang Seob Lee (2-4-0) vs. Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski (5-6-0), Clinton’s Matt Lee (11-8-1) vs. Bridgewater’s Brett Oteri (5-0-0) in a match-up of Massachusetts lightweights, unbeaten Worcester (Mass.) welterweight Ralph Johnson vs. NAAFS champion Forrest “The Meat Clever” Petz (23-7-0 undefeated Rockland (Mass.) heavyweight Paul Barry(3-0-0) vs. Stipe Miocic (1-0-0),Stoughton (Mass.) middleweight Fred “French Foot Fighter” Belleton (6-2-0) vs. Anthony “The Recipe” Lapsley(14-5-0).

Also, fan favorite Eric “Butterbean” Esch (98-18-5, all-fighting) squares-off against former Boston Bruins enforcer and popular WAAF sports personality, Lyndon “LB” Byers, in a charity fundraiser. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $35.75, $55.75, $75.75, $150.75 and $250.75, are on sale at the DCU Center Box Office (50 Foster St., Worcester, MA), all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.800.745.3000.

Doors open at 7:30 PM/ET, first bout 8:00 PM/ET, first PPV bout 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT). Go to www.MoosinUSA.com or www.dcucenter.com for additional information. For odds on the fights go to http://betus.com.

Moosin: A global event promoter based out of Seoul, South Korea, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Moosin is known for bringing fans the finest in mixed martial arts competition. Moosin is revolutionizing
the MMA industry by merging an international roster of talented fighters with recognizable stars from the world or music, sports and popular culture. Moosin pits warrior against warrior, featuring a hybrid of MMA and hard-hitting Moosin-style kickboxing, in hand-to-hand battles of skill, honor and art.

DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000 DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered on Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR…Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.

Integrated Sports Media:North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Kahn, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

UFC veteran Jason MacDonald (24-13) will step in and replace Loiseau to face John Salter (4-1) at UFC 113. Loiseau was slated to fight, however is awaiting renewal of his license with the Quebec Athletic Commission.

MacDonald has been victorious in his last three fights. Jason MacDonald has defeated Solomon Hutcherson in the ‘MFC,’ Vernon White in ‘W1,’ and Matt Horwich in ‘Lets Get It On’ last Friday. Look for the match to take place on the undercard of the event.

UFC 113 will take place on May 8th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the main event features a light-heavyweight title rematch between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The MMA News was on hand for the inaugural show for Lets Get It On MMA presented by Elaine McCarthy. The Welterweight tournament was on showcase tonight and it provided some great match-ups. The Main Event was a rematch between Jason ‘The Athlete’ MacDonald and Matt Horwich. The show was very well run but it was not without a bit of controversy.

Main Event:
Jason MacDonald – 184.5 lbs vs. Matt Horwich – 184.5 lbs
Jason MacDonald wins by Unanimous decision. (30-27) (29-28) (29-28). A ground war that was eventually won by J-Mac

Welterweight Tournament:
George Belanger – 169.5 lbs vs. Colin Daynes – 169.5 lbs
Colin Daynes wins by TKO @ 5:00 of Round 1. George was rocked but didn’t look out. Early stoppage considering it was the end of the round. Daynes looked gassed at the end of the fight too.

Victor Bachmann – 169 lbs vs. Jordan Mein – 170 lbs
Jordan Mein wins by Neck Crank @ 4:21 of Round 1. Jordan looked really, really good in this fight. He twisted Bachmann’s neck to make him look like an owl. Jordan looks like the easy frontrunner in the tournament so far.

Andrew Buckland – 171 lbs vs. Ryan McGillivray – 170.5 lbs
This bout is a majority draw. Two judges had is 28-28 and one had is 29-27. Buckland lost this fight because he hit McGillivray after the bell at the end of the 2nd round. Stupid by Buckland but a rematch looks like it will happen on the next card.

Advin Omic – 170 lbs vs. Jose Rodriguez – 170 lbs
Advin Omic wins by Unanimous Decision. All three judges have it 30-26. Omic won this bout because he was on top more but he did nothing with the top position. Rodriguez was way busier from the bottom. Omic better work a lot for his next fight.

Undercard Bouts:
Dan Chambers – 185 lbs vs. Nolan Clark – 184 lbs
Nolan Clark wins by TKO @ 0:35 of Round 1. Chambers was out cold at the end of this fight. On a side note, Clark came to the ring by himself and ended up having matchmaker Matt Stansell in his corner. I’ve never seen anyone come out by himself before.

Robert Curtis – 168.5 lbs vs. Brandt Dewsberry – 168.5 lbs
Dewsberry wins by RNC @ 1:55 of Round 1

Corey Knapp – 144.5 lbs vs Rob Roy – 143 lbs
Rob Roy wins by RNC @ 1:14 of Round 1

The weigh-in results for the 1st Lets Get It On MMA Event in Edmonton at the River Cree. The first 4 fights of the 170 LB tournament starts on Friday April 23, 2010. All fighters made weight. Advin Omic replaced Jaret Evans and he now faces Jose Rodriguez.

Main Event:
Jason MacDonald – 184.5 lbs vs. Matt Horwich – 184.5 lbs

Welterweight Tournament:
George Belanger – 169.5 lbs vs. Colin Daynes – 169.5 lbs
Victor Bachmann – 169 lbs vs. Jordan Mein – 170 lbs
Andrew Buckland – 171 lbs vs. Ryan McGillivray – 170.5 lbs
Advin Omic – 170 lbs vs. Jose Rodriguez – 170 lbs

Undercard Bouts:
Dan Chambers – 185 lbs vs. Nolan Clark – 184 lbs
Robert Curtis – 168.5 lbs vs. Brandt Dewsberry – 168.5 lbs
Corey Knapp – 144.5 lbs vs Rob Roy – 143 bs

Press Release

Miami, FL (USA): Shine Fight Promotions (Shine Fights) today announced the official signing of another main card bout for its upcoming “WORLDS COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS. THOMAS” pay-per-view event, as a highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout between ground specialists Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira and IFL veteran Jamal “The Suit” Patterson has been finalized.

As two highly-ranked 205-pound fighters in the world, this fight is sure to determine a top contender in the Shine light heavyweight division. Ferreira, 30, is perhaps the best “unknown” fighter in the world. The Chute Boxe member holds an impressive 18-6 record in mixed martial arts, with 17 of his victories coming via submission. Even more impressive is Cacareco’s recent string of seven straight submission victories, with all seven fights lasting a total of just nine minutes.

The submission specialist, who favors the kimura armbar as his preferred way to end fights, feels that he has something to prove to the MMA world. Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida turned down a fight with the explosive wrestler and BJJ expert in early 2009. Shortly thereafter, Ferreira signed with Shine and now looks to make his next fight a sort of coming out party. “I’m well known for my submissions. I think people will be impressed with my standup game as well,” says Cacareco.

Having stepped in with the likes of UFC fighter Chris Haseman, and holding victories over the likes of UFC/Pride veteran Heath Herring, Pride veteran “Dirty” Bob Schrijber, MMA veteran Shannon Ritch, UFC veterans Moti Horenstein and Branden Lee Hinkle, Team Black House member Fabio Maldonado, and IFL veteran Lew Polley, the 12-year veteran is a certifiable star.

Patterson, 36, made his MMA debut in the IFL for Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls, and subsequently went on to win four out of his first six contests, all against notable opponents. Nicknamed “The Suit” because of his day job as a salesman for a high-profile dental company, Patterson earned victories over UFC veteran Matt Horwich (twice), Ultimate Fighter season one veteran Alex Schoenauer, and Chris Baten. Patterson also did his best Cacareco impression at UWC 5 in 2009, earning a 44-second submission victory over Shine and Strikeforce veteran Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt. Overall, he holds a 5-2 MMA record, with all five victories coming by way of submission.

A former collegiate football player who competed as a safety at Colgate University, Patterson has been featured in both Sports Illustrated as one of its “Faces in the Crowd” and in The New York Times for his prowess in business and the sport of MMA. Now setting his sights on Ferreira and Shine Fights gold, Patterson is as motivated and focused as ever: “I’m motivated for any fighter I face, no matter who it is.” Patterson said. “If you have to get motivation from other areas, you’re in trouble. You have to enjoy
fighting and winning.”

About his opponent for “Worlds Collide”, Patterson had this to say: “He’s a very good fighter, submission guy, tough guy, lots of experience. But I think he’s going to give me some opportunities to end the fight. I think I’m a little more well-rounded, and I think my chance will come.”

Stopping just short of predicting his first knockout victory, Patterson explained that he sees this as his chance to show off his striking: “I think this is going to be the fight where I show I can strike. I get praised for my submission game, but I’m a pretty good standup fighter. I’m not going to stand with a guy that is better than me in that area, so with Cacareco, I expect to show him I’m better on the feet.”

“This is a fight between two of the best grapplers in the world, and I’m predicting that it will be fight of the night,” Shine Fights matchmaker Ron Foster said. “Cacareco has a chip on his shoulder because of the Machida thing, and he feels like this will be his coming out party in the U.S. Patterson is a legitimate Renzo Gracie black belt and will be a tough matchup for anybody. I made this fight because of my selfish desire to see this incredible fight between two elite ground wizards.”

With both fighters salivating at the thought of facing the other, each promised that fans won’t be disappointed. “Root for me and expect a great show,” Ferreira said. “Cacareco is in the house!” Patterson also promised fireworks in the upcoming bout: “I’ve never not had an exciting fight, even in my losses. So anyone that watches this fight is going to see something fun.”

This pivotal bout in the Shine light heavyweight division joins the previously announced 160-pound catchweight main event between former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga and MMA veteran Din Thomas as well as a welterweight contest between MMA veteran Nick “The Goat” Thompson and Brazilian star Eduardo Pamplona on the May 15th card. Another surefire ground war is set to take place at 175 pounds between 2009 ADCC Absolute Champion Braulio Estima and former Olympic Judo competitor Rick Hawn.

“WORLDS COLLIDE” is taking place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC, and will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada. The event will be broadcasted in High-Definition, and it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available). The broadcast will start at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT and will be produced by MultiVision Media, Inc. There will be a 30-minute countdown show prior to the live event at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT. The event will be available for $29.95. Tickets may be
obtained by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420, or online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Crown Coliseum Box Office. For box office hours and more info, please call (910) 438-4100.

For more information on Shine Fights or “Worlds Collide,” please follow Shine on Twitter @ShineFights, Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/ShineFights), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/ShineFights), or become a fan on Facebook.

Here are the announced bouts for “Worlds Collide:”

Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga vs. Din “Dinyero” Thomas

Nick “The Goat” Thompson vs. Eduardo Pamplona

Braulio Estima vs. Rick Hawn

Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira vs. Jamal “The Suit” Patterson

Miami, FL (USA): Shine Fight Promotions (Shine Fights) today announced the official signing of another main card bout for its upcoming “WORLDS COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS. THOMAS” pay-per-view event, as a highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout between ground specialists Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira and IFL veteran Jamal “The Suit” Patterson has been finalized.

As two highly-ranked 205-pound fighters in the world, this fight is sure to determine a top contender in the Shine light heavyweight division. Ferreira, 30, is perhaps the best “unknown” fighter in the world. The Chute Boxe member holds an impressive 18-6 record in mixed martial arts, with 17 of his victories coming via submission. Even more impressive is Cacareco’s recent string of seven straight submission victories, with all seven fights lasting a total of just nine minutes.

The submission specialist, who favors the kimura armbar as his preferred way to end fights, feels that he has something to prove to the MMA world. Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida turned down a fight with the explosive wrestler and BJJ expert in early 2009. Shortly thereafter, Ferreira signed with Shine and now looks to make his next fight a sort of coming out party. “I’m well known for my submissions. I think people will be impressed with my standup game as well,” says Cacareco.

Having stepped in with the likes of UFC fighter Chris Haseman, and holding victories over the likes of UFC/Pride veteran Heath Herring, Pride veteran “Dirty” Bob Schrijber, MMA veteran Shannon Ritch, UFC veterans Moti Horenstein and Branden Lee Hinkle, Team Black House member Fabio Maldonado, and IFL veteran Lew Polley, the 12-year veteran is a certifiable star.

Patterson, 36, made his MMA debut in the IFL for Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls, and subsequently went on to win four out of his first six contests, all against notable opponents. Nicknamed “The Suit” because of his day job as a salesman for a high-profile dental company, Patterson earned victories over UFC veteran Matt Horwich (twice), Ultimate Fighter season one veteran Alex Schoenauer, and Chris Baten. Patterson also did his best Cacareco impression at UWC 5 in 2009, earning a 44-second submission victory over Shine and Strikeforce veteran Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt. Overall, he holds a 5-2 MMA record, with all five victories coming by way of submission.

A former collegiate football player who competed as a safety at Colgate University, Patterson has been featured in both Sports Illustrated as one of its “Faces in the Crowd” and in The New York Times for his prowess in business and the sport of MMA. Now setting his sights on Ferreira and Shine Fights gold, Patterson is as motivated and focused as ever: “I’m motivated for any fighter I face, no matter who it is.” Patterson said. “If you have to get motivation from other areas, you’re in trouble. You have to enjoy fighting and winning.”
About his opponent for “Worlds Collide”, Patterson had this to say: “He’s a very good fighter, submission guy, tough guy, lots of experience. But I think he’s going to give me some opportunities to end the fight. I think I’m a little more well-rounded, and I think my chance will come.”

Stopping just short of predicting his first knockout victory, Patterson explained that he sees this as his chance to show off his striking: “I think this is going to be the fight where I show I can strike. I get praised for my submission game, but I’m a pretty good standup fighter. I’m not going to stand with a guy that is better than me in that area, so with Cacareco, I expect to show him I’m better on the feet.”

“This is a fight between two of the best grapplers in the world, and I’m predicting that it will be fight of the night,” Shine Fights matchmaker Ron Foster said. “Cacareco has a chip on his shoulder because of the Machida thing, and he feels like this will be his coming out party in the U.S. Patterson is a legitimate Renzo Gracie black belt and will be a tough matchup for anybody. I made this fight because of my selfish desire to see this incredible fight between two elite ground wizards.”

With both fighters salivating at the thought of facing the other, each promised that fans won’t be disappointed. “Root for me and expect a great show,” Ferreira said. “Cacareco is in the house!” Patterson also promised fireworks in the upcoming bout: “I’ve never not had an exciting fight, even in my losses. So anyone that watches this fight is going to see something fun.”

This pivotal bout in the Shine light heavyweight division joins the previously announced 160-pound catchweight main event between former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga and MMA veteran Din Thomas as well as a welterweight contest between MMA veteran Nick “The Goat” Thompson and Brazilian star Eduardo Pamplona on the May 15th card. Another surefire ground war is set to take place at 175 pounds between 2009 ADCC Absolute Champion Braulio Estima and former Olympic Judo competitor Rick Hawn.

“WORLDS COLLIDE” is taking place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC, and will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada. The event will be broadcasted in High-Definition, and it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available). The broadcast will start at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT and will be produced by MultiVision Media, Inc. There will be a 30-minute countdown show prior to the live event at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT. The event will be available for $29.95. Tickets may be obtained by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420, or online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Crown Coliseum Box Office. For box office hours and more info, please call (910) 438-4100.

For more information on Shine Fights or “Worlds Collide,” please follow Shine on Twitter @ShineFights, Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/ShineFights), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/ShineFights), or become a fan on Facebook.

Here are the announced bouts for “Worlds Collide:”

Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga vs. Din “Dinyero” Thomas

Nick “The Goat” Thompson vs. Eduardo Pamplona

Braulio Estima vs. Rick Hawn

Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira vs. Jamal “The Suit” Patterson

I think overall my fight last weekend in Montreal was a good fight. I wanted to come out this spring and fight a lot. It’s a way to stay relevant, especially if you’re working towards getting into the bigger shows, you want to get good wins against quality opponents. Vernon White may be on the backside of his career, but he’s fought a who’s who of MMA and if you look at his record of late, he hasn’t been finished very often.

So I planned to set a pace that I knew he couldn’t keep up with but one that I would be able to maintain. There were a couple of times earlier in the fight that I may have been able to pour it on and possibly finish him. But I wasn’t sure, so didn’t to take the chance of running out of gas in the later rounds.

I was able to wear him down the first couple rounds and then finish him off with a choke in the third. And I don’t have a mark on me. I felt like I controlled the whole fight and short of bruising my foot on a kick, I came out unscathed. So I was able to get back in the gym on Monday morning and get ready for my fight on April 23 against Matt Horwich.

I had spoken to Denis Kang backstage. He of course had done his homework on White, and told me to put him on his back and he’s a fish out of water. Pat Healy said the same thing; they were teammates in the IFL. I just ran out there and did it and it worked out in my favour.

The win has opened up a lot of opportunities. I’ve had a couple of really good offers since. It’s been busy this week as I’m just trying to go through them and figure out which ones are best for me, both career-wise and financially. Bottom line, it looks like it will be a busy April, May and June for me, which is a good thing and I’m excited about it.

The biggest news on this weekend’s UFC card is Thiago Alves dropping out of the rematch against Jon Fitch. I was pretty disappointed because I was really, really looking forward to that fight. That being said, I hope nothing’s wrong with Alves’ brain. I hope we get to see that fight in the near future.

It’s pretty cool that Ben Saunders is stepping up to face Fitch. He’s been improving in every fight; however, I expect Jon to put him on his back and win.

Of course all the hype from the card is for Georges St-Pierre against Dan Hardy. At first I was thinking GSP would just run right through Hardy. But after watching Primetime I think now that Hardy has a legitimate shot. He’s a much better fighter than I’ve given him credit for.

It looks like he’s extremely well-prepared for this fight and he’s ready to take on GSP. One thing we’ve seen before is talk that GSP can be mentally weak. That’s one thing Hardy isn’t. If he’s got anything it’s confidence in his ability. He’s not going to go down without a fight, that’s for sure.

He’s going to give Georges a fight. I’m looking forward to it. I still think that Georges is the better wrestler, and will have the game plan to go in there and put Hardy on his back.

I believe GSP is going to win it, but it won’t be easy. Hardy will give him a fight, which is good for Hardy and good for the UFC.

Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin

I think Carwin is a better version of Brock Lesnar. He has decent standup, great wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. And he’s big and strong, if not stronger than Lesnar.

We saw what Lesnar did to Mir. If you let Mir turn it into a technical jiu-jitsu or kickboxing fight, he’ll have a great chance. But if you go out and turn it into an old-fashioned beat down, Mir doesn’t deal with that very well. So I’m picking Carwin all the way.

Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller

The thing about this fight is Bocek is definitely the better technical guy, but Miller is a tough, physical type of fighter. Bocek is the opposite; he won’t rough you up.

Miller is real strong, I’ve seen a clip of him dead-lifting 470 pounds. I think he’s going to go out there and make it a rough, rowdy fight, and I don’t think Mark will deal with that well. I’d like to pick a fellow Canadian but I have to go with Miller.

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham

Diaz is the more technical, ground fighter and he’s used to training with 170-pound guys; for example, his brother and Jake Shields. I’m going to go with Diaz because he’s used to training with welterweights.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

I’m a little bit interested in this fight. Ricardo at one point looked to be unstoppable. But between injuries and time away from fighting, during which the fight game evolved, I’m not sure if he’s at that level anymore. Brown is getting better and better every fight, and they give him a step up in competition each time, and he keeps on rising to the challenge.

If Brown comes out fast, he could win, but Almeida could make it a slow fight. So I’m sitting on the fence. Brown might overwhelm him and TKO him, or Almeida will make it like the Patrick Cote fight and make it boring.

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 18, 2010) — Ryan McGivern, the former IFL champion and longtime pupil of former UFC Champion Pat Miletich, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament roster.

The 30-year-old McGivern boasts an overall professional record of 13-6 including wins over UFC veteran Matt Horwich and WEC veteran Dan Molina. A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, he was a four-time letter-winner in wrestling at the University of Iowa.

“With his experience in a top NCAA wrestling program and in the IFL, Ryan McGivern brings some great credentials to our 185 tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With him and the rest of the middleweights that we’ve signed, I can tell you that there are going to be some very exciting fights beginning next month.”

McGivern is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator’s eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Jared Hess, Sean Loeffler, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. The group boasts a combined overall winning percentage of .829 (68-14).

Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155 and 170 lbs. during its second season, with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current champions. Each of Bellator’s 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and on The Score sports network in Canada.

Though McGivern has not taken a professional fight in more than a year, he has maintained a full-time training regimen at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Iowa, while also working full-time as a procurement specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense. He calls Bellator “the next major step in my career.”

“I had the chance to watch a lot of the Bellator fights last year, and it’s just an awesome promotion,” he said. “Getting in the tournament is just an incredible opportunity for me. Being on TV and being matched up against some really great fighters is extra motivation to be at the top of my game. I just can’t wait to get into the cage.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

With Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight champion Hector
Lombard set to defend his belt in 2010, the upstart promotion today
announced the second contender in season two's eight-man bracket.

Three-time WEC veteran Bryan Baker (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) returns for a
second appearance for Bellator, though this time he'll be involved in
tournament action.

Baker earned a decision win over Matt Horwich in a non-tournament bout at Bellator VIII during the company's inaugural season.