Los Angeles– Today YAMMA Pit Fighting (YPF), a new mixed martial arts (MMA) organization created by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founder Bob Meyrowitz, announced details on the YPF surface called "The Yamma" and revealed the revised fight card for the organization’s first live pay-per-view event, which will air live from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on April 11, 2008. MMA veteran and two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Mark Kerr will fight in the ‘Masters Superfight’ against Oleg Taktarov. In addition, former UFC Heavyweight Champion and recent VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew participant Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez has been added to the eight-man heavyweight tournament. Tickets for the event can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Trump Taj Mahal Box Office. The live pay-per-view broadcast is available in the United States and Canada through In Demand Networks, TVN Entertainment, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer’s Choice Canada and Dish Network.
The YPF surface, known as “The Yamma,” is an evolution of the traditional fighting structure and is designed to keep the fighting more explosive and continuous. In today’s MMA matches, fighters rush their opponents in the quest for a takedown, and the fight often ends up on the ground and pushed up against the fence. The action often stalls there, and must be stopped and moved back into the center of the ring. The Yamma’s design is specifically aimed at stopping this break in the action. The Yamma is a circular pit, shaped almost like a bowl, with a circular flat bottom that rises up around the edge. In this ring, if a fighter is pushed backwards towards the fence, he moves up the lip, gaining both a height and leverage advantage over his opponent. From this position, the fighter on the lip can use gravity and leverage to reverse his opponent, and take the fight back into the center without a break in the action.
“There has been a lot of speculation about the Yamma; some people thought it would have a moving floor, spikes or even live alligators,” said Bob Meyrowitz, Rope Partners. “But the Yamma isn’t about flashy gimmicks; it’s about the evolution of a sport and how the traditional ring can be altered to accelerate that evolution. At its core, the purpose of the Yamma is to make MMA fighting more exciting for those who matter most - the fans.”
“The Yamma’s design is all about function,” said Scott Nagel, lead designer of the Yamma. “It works because of its sloped up edges and because there are no corners. If you are pushed back, you are pushed up – and what goes up is coming back down, probably in a way that causes the opponent a great deal of pain. It’s going to be much more exciting, much more continuous and have much more action.”
Mark Kerr, a Toledo, OH native, got his start in wrestling, where he was a high school state champion. At Syracuse University, Kerr was the Division I champion at 190 pounds in 1992 - Randy Couture, wrestling for Oklahoma State University, took second place. Kerr soon got into MMA, and had four impressive wins in the UFC, in which he was a two time heavyweight tournament champion. He then began fighting in Pride Fighting Championships in 1998. In 2003, HBO aired a documentary titled "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr." The program chronicled the no-holds barred aspect of mixed martial arts and Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten and Mark Coleman also appeared in the film. Kerr won his last fight against Steve Gavin on November 7, 2007. He stands 6 ft 3 in tall and weighs 236 lbs and has a record of 13-06-0.
Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez, a UFC/Pride/King of the Cage veteran, was born in San Jose, California and raised in Staten Island, New York. Rodriguez may be best known for defeating MMA mega-legend Randy Couture in 2002 at UFC 39 to win the UFC heavyweight title. He subsequently lost the title to none other than powerhouse Tim Sylvia. Rodriguez recently appeared on VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and made a commitment to sobriety and returning to the MMA scene. Since returning to MMA, he has competed in four fights, winning two by TKO and losing two by decision. Rodriguez stands 6 ft 4 in tall and weighs 250 lbs and has a record of 27-7-0.
For the first time in over a decade, MMA will return to its origins by reviving the hugely popular tournament format, in which fighters will participate in multiple fights on their way to claiming the ultimate victory, the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion. The format will test the endurance and skill of each fighter, as victory in each round is rewarded not with extended rest, but with another fight. Tournament fighting has long been a huge draw for dedicated MMA fans due to the non-stop action provided by fight-after-fight formatting.
The April 11th fight card is as follows:
MASTERS SUPERFIGHTS (Two Five-Minute Rounds)
Oleg “The Russian Bear” Taktarov VS. Mark Kerr
Butterbean VS. Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge
8 MAN HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (One Five-Minute Round & Championship is Three Five-Minute Rounds)
Marcelo “Pato” Pereira
Sherman Pendergarst
Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez
Tony Sylvester
Chris Tuscherer
Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff
Alexey Oleynik
George Bush
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster’s extensive network of 81 ticket centers throughout the Delaware Valley including Boscov’s, Marshalls and select West Coast Video and Gallery of Sound locations or call Ticketmaster’s convenient Charge-by-Phone service at 1-800-736-1420. For Online Information: www.ticketmaster.com
About Rope Partners
Rope Partners, formed by Bob Meyrowitz and Peter Kauff, have over a 20 year track record of pioneering successful ventures in the music, broadcasting and sports industries. This is illustrated by their successes with DIR Broadcasting (the largest independent radio syndication company), The College Television Network (the largest private television network in the United States), and Semaphore Entertainment Group (the originator and founder of the UFC).
For more information, visit www.yammapitfighting.com or www.myspace.com/yammapitfighting
Monday, April 7, 2008
Floyd Mayweather: Not Even Fighter of The Month
The Boxing Standard
Floyd Mayweather: Not Even Fighter of The Month
Super Lightweight Boxing Champion of the World, "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather and Wrestling star, the new super lightweight Hero Floyd "Money" Mayweather attends the WWE's Wrestlemania XXIV, New York City Press Conference to face "Big Show" Paul Wight, before both the main event this past March, and Floyd "Money" Mayweather's (MME) victory.
I just received my BWAA invite to their 2007 awards dinner on May 1, 2008. The second I saw Floyd Mayweather was voted "Fighter of The Year" by boxings finest, I threw the invitation out. Mayweather being voted FOTY is another layer of proof that todays boxing writers are more fans than anything else.
Miguel Cotto clearly faced and defeated better opposition than Mayweather did, not to mention he won more convincingly. Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya by split decision in 2007. The trouble with that is Oscar hasn't won a big fight since 2002, and has been a part-time fighter since 2004. Floyd followed the De La Hoya fight up with a 10-round TKO over undefeated Jr. welterweight, Ricky Hatton. In that fight, I had Mayweather up a point going into the final around. Other than the final blow Mayweather landed to end the fight, nothing else beyond him struggling with the limited Hatton will be remembered. On the other hand, Cotto stopped Zab Judah (who Mayweather had to come from behind to win a decision against in late 2006), and decisioned Shane Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2000 & 2003. For the record, I had Mosley over Cotto by a point.
Along with Cotto, Kelly Pavlik had a better 2007 than Mayweather did. Pavlik scored a pair of seventh round stoppages over hard hitting Edison Miranda and undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. Like Cotto, Pavlik fought two of the better fighters in the division in which they campaign. Compared to Mayweather, who chose a semi-retired fighter, and another who campaigns in a division beneath him.
I'm not going to take the time to compare Mayweather's body of work to other fighter of the year recipients, you do it, because it makes me ill when I do it. In closing, Floyd Mayweather being voted FOTY is another reason why boxing is sometimes hard to take serious and 90% of boxings finest writers should start covering hunting and fishing.
© 2007, 2008 All photos by "El Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications and Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience all rights reserved
Floyd Mayweather: Not Even Fighter of The Month
Super Lightweight Boxing Champion of the World, "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather and Wrestling star, the new super lightweight Hero Floyd "Money" Mayweather attends the WWE's Wrestlemania XXIV, New York City Press Conference to face "Big Show" Paul Wight, before both the main event this past March, and Floyd "Money" Mayweather's (MME) victory.
I just received my BWAA invite to their 2007 awards dinner on May 1, 2008. The second I saw Floyd Mayweather was voted "Fighter of The Year" by boxings finest, I threw the invitation out. Mayweather being voted FOTY is another layer of proof that todays boxing writers are more fans than anything else.
Miguel Cotto clearly faced and defeated better opposition than Mayweather did, not to mention he won more convincingly. Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya by split decision in 2007. The trouble with that is Oscar hasn't won a big fight since 2002, and has been a part-time fighter since 2004. Floyd followed the De La Hoya fight up with a 10-round TKO over undefeated Jr. welterweight, Ricky Hatton. In that fight, I had Mayweather up a point going into the final around. Other than the final blow Mayweather landed to end the fight, nothing else beyond him struggling with the limited Hatton will be remembered. On the other hand, Cotto stopped Zab Judah (who Mayweather had to come from behind to win a decision against in late 2006), and decisioned Shane Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2000 & 2003. For the record, I had Mosley over Cotto by a point.
Along with Cotto, Kelly Pavlik had a better 2007 than Mayweather did. Pavlik scored a pair of seventh round stoppages over hard hitting Edison Miranda and undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. Like Cotto, Pavlik fought two of the better fighters in the division in which they campaign. Compared to Mayweather, who chose a semi-retired fighter, and another who campaigns in a division beneath him.
I'm not going to take the time to compare Mayweather's body of work to other fighter of the year recipients, you do it, because it makes me ill when I do it. In closing, Floyd Mayweather being voted FOTY is another reason why boxing is sometimes hard to take serious and 90% of boxings finest writers should start covering hunting and fishing.
© 2007, 2008 All photos by "El Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications and Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience all rights reserved
David “EL TORRITO” Torres vs. Oscar “EL ARTISTA” Leon
CHICAGO, IL- An excellent lightweight bout has been added to THE ODEUM RUMBLE this Friday night, April 11th as undefeated lightweight prospect David “EL TORRITO” Torres will take on former world title challenger Oscar “EL ARTISTA” Leon, it was announced today by Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.
THE ODEUM RUMBLE will be held at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center which is conveniently located 20 minutes from downtown Chicago at 1033 N. Villa Avenue in Villa Park and is easily accessible from the Eisenhower expressway in addition to toll roads 355 and 294. Specific directions and further information can be found on their website at www.odeumexpo.com
Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions box office at 312-226-5800. Doors will open on the night of the fight at 7pm, with the first bell at 8pm.
Said Pesoli about the Torres/Leon scheduled eight rounder, “David Torres is a very good prospect from the Tacoma, Washington area. He’s taking a real step up in competition by coming to Chicago to face a Columbian veteran like Oscar Leon.”
About the rest of the card, Pesoli stated “We’ve got seven terrific fights on this card, from top to bottom. It gives our fans an opportunity to see Luciano Perez who’s a longtime fan favorite in a real tough fight against Carlos Molina. Ivan Popoca and Andrzej Fonfara are both terrific prospects who are continuing to get better each time out.
And we’ve got new faces like Yusaf Mack and Torres along with MMA veteran Terry Martin and newcomer Juan Gonzalez who are making their pro debuts.
Our matchmaker, Jerry Alfano, has done another excellent job in ensuring that our fans get to see competitive, action packed fights.”
Long highly thought of as a top prospect in the Pacific Northwest, Torres comes into the battle with a record of 19-0 with 12 knockouts. The 29 year old is coming off a third round stoppage of Donnell Logan on March 1, 2008. In his only fight in 2007, he won a unanimous decision over lightweight division gatekeeper Robert Frankel on February 17th.
The more experienced Leon, from Cartagena, Columbia, sports a 27-7 record with eighteen knockouts over his twelve year career. In 2003, Leon faced world title holders Derrick Gainer and Chris John in successive battles, losing both by narrow split decisions. The 34 year old has fought in numerous countries including Indonesia, Panama, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Turks and Caicos Islands. This will be his first appearance in Chicago.
The full bout card for THE ODEUM RUMBLE is
Luciano Perez vs. Carlos Molina, eight rounds, junior middleweights
Yusaf Mack vs. Oscar Leon, eight rounds, light heavyweights
David Torres vs. Oscar Leon, eight rounds, lightweights
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Manny Castillo, six rounds, middleweights
Ivan Popoca vs. Trenton Titsworth, five rounds, welterweights
Terry Martin vs. Ricardo Upchurch, four rounds, cruiserweights,
Ikem Orji vs. Juan Gonzalez, four rounds, lightweights
Along with 8 Count Productions, THE ODEUM RUMBLE is presented by Miller Lite, TCF Bank and AeroMexico, the premier travel source in Mexico.
The weigh-in for this event will take place at 7pm on Thursday, April 10th at EL JIMADOR, 1600 N. Mannheim Road in Stone Park, just west of Chicago.
The Master of Ceremonies for THE ODEUM RUMBLE will be ring announcer Thomas Treiber.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxinggym.com
CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1998
Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions
www.8countproductions.com
THE ODEUM RUMBLE will be held at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center which is conveniently located 20 minutes from downtown Chicago at 1033 N. Villa Avenue in Villa Park and is easily accessible from the Eisenhower expressway in addition to toll roads 355 and 294. Specific directions and further information can be found on their website at www.odeumexpo.com
Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions box office at 312-226-5800. Doors will open on the night of the fight at 7pm, with the first bell at 8pm.
Said Pesoli about the Torres/Leon scheduled eight rounder, “David Torres is a very good prospect from the Tacoma, Washington area. He’s taking a real step up in competition by coming to Chicago to face a Columbian veteran like Oscar Leon.”
About the rest of the card, Pesoli stated “We’ve got seven terrific fights on this card, from top to bottom. It gives our fans an opportunity to see Luciano Perez who’s a longtime fan favorite in a real tough fight against Carlos Molina. Ivan Popoca and Andrzej Fonfara are both terrific prospects who are continuing to get better each time out.
And we’ve got new faces like Yusaf Mack and Torres along with MMA veteran Terry Martin and newcomer Juan Gonzalez who are making their pro debuts.
Our matchmaker, Jerry Alfano, has done another excellent job in ensuring that our fans get to see competitive, action packed fights.”
Long highly thought of as a top prospect in the Pacific Northwest, Torres comes into the battle with a record of 19-0 with 12 knockouts. The 29 year old is coming off a third round stoppage of Donnell Logan on March 1, 2008. In his only fight in 2007, he won a unanimous decision over lightweight division gatekeeper Robert Frankel on February 17th.
The more experienced Leon, from Cartagena, Columbia, sports a 27-7 record with eighteen knockouts over his twelve year career. In 2003, Leon faced world title holders Derrick Gainer and Chris John in successive battles, losing both by narrow split decisions. The 34 year old has fought in numerous countries including Indonesia, Panama, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Turks and Caicos Islands. This will be his first appearance in Chicago.
The full bout card for THE ODEUM RUMBLE is
Luciano Perez vs. Carlos Molina, eight rounds, junior middleweights
Yusaf Mack vs. Oscar Leon, eight rounds, light heavyweights
David Torres vs. Oscar Leon, eight rounds, lightweights
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Manny Castillo, six rounds, middleweights
Ivan Popoca vs. Trenton Titsworth, five rounds, welterweights
Terry Martin vs. Ricardo Upchurch, four rounds, cruiserweights,
Ikem Orji vs. Juan Gonzalez, four rounds, lightweights
Along with 8 Count Productions, THE ODEUM RUMBLE is presented by Miller Lite, TCF Bank and AeroMexico, the premier travel source in Mexico.
The weigh-in for this event will take place at 7pm on Thursday, April 10th at EL JIMADOR, 1600 N. Mannheim Road in Stone Park, just west of Chicago.
The Master of Ceremonies for THE ODEUM RUMBLE will be ring announcer Thomas Treiber.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxinggym.com
CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1998
Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions
www.8countproductions.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)