MMA LEGEND PAT MILETICH ADDED TO STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS ANNOUNCE TEAM

Posted on | May 6, 2009 | No Comments

Miletich To Join Announcers Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros Cageside;

Series Debut Friday, May 15, From Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (May 5, 2009)— Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Pat Miletich will join veteran announcers Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros cageside to call Strikeforce Challengers, a new SHOWTIME series that serves as a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters.

Miletich, who made his debut on SHOWTIME when he called the April 11, Strikeforce event alongside Gus Johnson and Ranallo, will provide his expert analysis when the series debuts Friday, May 15, from Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

Speaking of his new role, Miletich said, “I’m really excited about being able to continue working with SHOWTIME on their Strikeforce Challengers series. This series is extremely important to the MMA world. I am especially honored to be a part of this as we help find the MMA stars of tomorrow.”

Miletich is not only excited about the idea of finding the next generation of talent but also about the partners he’ll have on camera. “I’ve known Mauro and Stephen for years. Their knowledge of both MMA and the television world will no doubt add to the heart of the show. And I know working with them will be a blast.”

Undefeated lightweight sensation Billy Evangelista (9-0) will fight hard-hitting brawler and BJ Penn protégé “Iron” Mike Aina (11-6-1) in the main event. In another top match, Aaron Rosa (11-2) will face Anthony “A Train” Ruiz (21-12) in a light heavyweight fight.

Strikeforce Challengers provides today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

Miletich, who was the first UFC lightweight champion, has a career MMA record of 29-7-2, holds a third degree black belt in Shuri-ryu karate and was awarded a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt by Oswaldo Alves. He is the founder of Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa, a premier MMA training academy where he has trained and coached 11 UFC world champions.

His past and current students are some of the most talented and popular fighters in MMA, including former ICON Sport and EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes. He currently trains top fighters including ex-UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia and former UFC lightweight champ Jens Pulver.

Lawler (16-4), a one-time Miletich’s protégé, will face fellow highly regarded, world-class fighter Jake Shields (22-4-1) in the STRIKEFORCE main event on Saturday, June 6, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Lawler, a top-10 middleweight, and Shields, rated among the top five welterweights in the world, will collide at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

Tickets for the first Strikeforce Challengers event are on sale at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.