The sixteenth ranked powerlifter on the Power Rankings, Charles Bailey (275), took to the platform yesterday for the inaugural APF Single Ply Nationals which was held at the Europa in Orlando, Florida.

Press Release
FLORIDA’S BEST SUBMISSION FIGHTERS BATTLE THIS WEEKEND AT GRAPPLERS QUEST EUROPA IN ORLANDO

Mixed Martial Arts Event to Benefit GrapplingAutism.org & AutismRadio.org

ORLANDO – On Friday, April 16th and Saturday, all day, April 17th, Grapplers Quest, “The World’s Largest Grappling Competition” is hosting the 1st Europa Show of Champions Southeast Submission Wrestling, Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships at The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Grappling is the ground fighting art of Mixed Martial Arts and combines the throws of Olympic Judo, the takedowns of Wrestling, Leg Locks from Sambo, and other Submissions from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu like arm bars, shoulder locks and chokes. Competitors of all ages and skill levels participate in the event and it is open to all grappling styles to determine the best grapplers in the World. Grapplers Quest has produced events for The Ultimate Fighting Championship, Mr, Olympia and Europa Supershows from Las Vegas to Europe.

A Special 8-Man Superfight Pro Tournament will be hosted Friday, April 16th from 8:00-10:00 PM and Amateur Submission Wrestling, Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Divisions will be held all day Saturday, April 17th from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Tickets are available at the door for the Europa Show of Champions for $15 per day.

Grapplers Quest will be raising funds for GrapplingAutism.org, a fundraising organization benefiting Autism Awareness, Education and Treatment at each competition nationwide and AutismRadio.org, the online Autism Talk Radio Network hosting Hope Saves the Day. $1 from each ticket sold is donated to help support Autism directly.

About Grapplers Quest: Grapplers Quest is the world’s largest submission grappling organization with 300,000+ competitors worldwide since 1999, owned by The Grapplers Company. Events feature various grappling styles with divisions for all ages and skill levels with events in major cities throughout North America and Europe. For more information on upcoming events, go to: GrapplersQuest.com. For event sponsor and exhibiting opportunities, visit: SponsorGrappling.com or call 877-ARMBAR-1.

About Autism: Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships as well behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States. For more information on Autism, visit: GrapplingAutism.org

Meet director Robert Keller has posted the roster for the 28th Annual USAPL National Collegiate Powerlifting Championships that will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando, Florida on April 16-18, 2010.

At present, nearly 280 athletes from 50 universities will attend the championship. That makes it the largest turnout in the history of the event, which dates back to the mid 1960's when it was first directed by the AAU, then the USPF and now the USAPL.

Meet director Robert Keller has posted the roster for the 28th Annual USAPL National Collegiate Powerlifting Championships that will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando, Florida on April 16-18, 2010.

At present, nearly 280 athletes from 50 universities will attend the championship. That makes it the largest turnout in the history of the event, which dates back to the mid 1960's when it was first directed by the AAU, then the USPF and now the USAPL.

Perennial powerhouses LSU captured the combined and women's competitions and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette won the men's battle in 2009.

Below is video of gold medalist and overall runner-up Danny Thurman (181) at the IPF Masters Bench Press World Championships which took place March 31-April 3 in Orlando, Florida.

Thurman hit lifts of 529 and 551 pounds. He used his final press to attempt an open USAPL American Record of 600 pounds.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (April 5, 2010) — A Miami-Dade County firefighter is among eight local Florida-based MMA rising stars who will get their chance on the big stage this Thursday during Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 2 kick-off show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

John Kelly, a 31-year-old married father of three from North Miami, is undefeated in four fights since making his pro debut last February and attributes much of his success to his training as a firefighter.

“Fighting fires and fighting in a cage are actually very, very similar experiences,” Kelly said. “When you’re in a dark room and you can’t see anything and its 300 or 400 degrees, every sense that you have is telling you to get out of there. It’s the same thing in the cage. There’s times when it would make a lot of sense just to give up and tap out, but all the training that you go through and dedicate yourself to tells you to keep going.”

The unique work schedule that firefighters keep (Kelly works one 24-hour shift and then has two days off) also allow him to maintain a full-time training regimen while supporting his family.

“I’m very lucky because fighting is my passion and I don’t think I could fight and be competitive and still support my family if I wasn’t a firefighter,” he said. “So now I’m just trying to keep winning and see where it takes me. Bellator is a dream come true for me—to be fighting for a great organization like this is just surreal.”

Kelly will put his perfect record on the line versus Port St. Lucie’s Michael Byrnes, Jr.*, (1-2-1) during the Local Main Event of Thursday night’s show.

The event will also feature four nationally televised First Round bouts in Bellator’s eight-man single-elimination lightweight and featherweight tournaments.

Other local feature fights include:

- American Top Team product Chris Manuel (6-3-2) of Coconut Creek, Fla., versus former University of Iowa all-American wrestler Ralph Acosta (5-4) of Orlando, Fla.;

- Local graphic designer and MMA rising star Moyses Gabin (4-2) of Hollywood, Fla., versus veteran karate expert and local martial arts instructor Jeff Savoy (0-1) of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and

- Francisco Soares (3-1) of Miami, Fla., versus Vagner Rocha (3-0) of Pembroke Pines,, Fla., in a battle between two Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists.

The evening’s nationally televised tournament fights include:

- MMA superstar and former Sports Illustrated cover subject Roger Huerta (20-3-1) vs. undefeated Cincinnati brawler Chad Hinton in the First Round of Bellator’s lightweight tournament;

- Former pro soccer star Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1) vs. MMA veteran Bao Quach (17-9-1) in a First Round matchup in the eight-man featherweight tournament;

- Former World Champion Greco-Roman wrestler Joe Warren (2-1) vs. Midwestern veteran Eric Marriott (17-2) in another featherweight tournament First Round matchup;

- Scandinavian strong man Janne Tulirinta (12-3) vs. former all-American college wrestler Carey Vanier in the first round of the Lightweight tournament.

Each of the tournament bouts will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net nationwide and will be featured during weekly Saturday-night Bellator highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo.

Bellator will bring four of Bellator’s nationally televised events — including its Season 2 and 3 premieres — to the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla., during 2010.

Under the terms of this landmark agreement — which was completed in conjunction with the Seminole Hard Rock’s event promotion partner, Redline Media Group — Hard Rock Live will host the following Bellator events:

- Bellator 13 (Season 2 premiere), April 8, 2010;
- Bellator 22, June 10, 2010;
- Bellator 25 (Season 3 premiere), Aug. 12, 2010; and
- Bellator 36 (Season 3 finale), Oct. 28, 2010.

Bellator Fighting Championships’ nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament bouts. There will be four simultaneous tournaments taking place in each season in the featherweight (145 lbs.), lightweight (155 lbs.), welterweight (170 lbs.) and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions. Winners of this year’s tournaments will be declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current roster of champions.

 Tickets to the Bellator Fighting Championships events at the Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

* – Pending final commission approval

About Bellator Fighting Championships:Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino:
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino provides quality guest experiences where South Floridians can play, stay, dine, and shop. Eighty-seven tables offer Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Play one of the more than 2,300 Vegas-style slots including the Native-American casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player’s Club members experience an exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and celebrity show kitchen. Convene in The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise for Texas Hold‘em, limit Texas Hold ’em, Seven Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. The AAA, Four Diamond rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 16 restaurants and lounges, 40,000-square-feet of meeting room space, a European-style spa, auto salon, 23 retail shops, 11 nightclubs, Paradise Live, and Hard Rock Live. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com.

(updated 4/4)

The United States made a clean sweep of the five age divisions competed at the IPF Masters Bench Press World Championships which took place from Wednesday through Saturday in Orlando, Florida. The margin of victory in every contest was impressive. The closest nation in any division was 15 points back.

The IPF Masters Bench Press World Championships kick off today and run through Sunday in Orlando, Florida. Team USA will look to sweep the five men's and women's age divisions.

The U.S. men's 40-50 team is lead by perennial open team members Dennis Cieri (198), Danny Thurman (181), David Doan (242) and Horace Lane (275).

Charles Bailey (275) will headline the list of lifters who will compete in the inaugural APF Single Ply Nationals which will take place April 16-17 at the Europa Sports Expo in Orlando, Florida.

Bailey sits in the top spot on the Powerlifting Watch Lifter Rankings and is ranked seventeenth in America on the Power Rankings.

In addition to the already reported performances of a number of the pro lifters at Saturday's APF Florida States, a number of other top results were turned in at the Orlando meet.

Lester Estevez (275) won the meet's best open lifter. Estevez's 2,320 pound total was good for sixteenth on the Powerlifting Watch Lifter Rankings.