Hedderick all in against Atencio: Lashley-Sapp headlines June 27 MMA PPV show in Biloxi, MS

Posted on | June 15, 2009 | No Comments

BILOXI, Miss. (June 15, 2009) – Treasure Bay Casino card dealer Randy Hedderick makes his pro debut against Affliction vice president Tom Atencio in a somewhat unusual hyped lightweight match-up June 27th on the “Ultimate Chaos” pay-per-view card live from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

K1 and PRIDE combat fighting legend, Bob “The Beast” Sapp (10-4-1) battles former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (3-0-0) in a highly anticipated throw-down headlining “Ultimate Chaos, presented by Prize Fight Promotions and Fight Force International, in association with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, and Treasure Bay Casino.

“Ultimate Chaos” is being produced and distributed by Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States and Canada on cable and satellite Pay Per View via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV, Bell TV, Shaw, Star Choice and Viewer’s Choice for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. The show will also air internationally to viewers outside of North America on www.gofightlive.tv.

Veteran blow-by-blow announcer Col. Bob Sheridan and colorful mixed-martial-arts heavyweight Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli lead the PPV broadcast team that also includes color analyst Bray Deavours and ringside reporter Dave Ferguson.

Hedderick faces the best known 1-0-0 MMA fighter in the business, Atencio, who is the face of Affliction Entertainment, which has promoted two mega-MMA PPV shows with another, “Trilogy,” scheduled August 1, as well as UFC president Dana White’s outspoken archrival.

“This is a huge opportunity for me,” nearby Gulfport (Miss) resident Hedderick acknowledged in between training and working as a card dealer at Treasure Bay. “I’ve been working hard and training non-stop. So many people have come up to me saying, ‘Beat his ass,’ and that’s what I’m going to try and do. I’m a stand-up fighter – boxing and Samba – but I’ve been learning Muay Tai. I’m a brawler who lives for the Fight of the Night. I’m looking for that to happen and to win by knockout.

“There’s huge interest in our fight. A lot of people at the casino have mentioned it to me and after the press conference, I ‘Googled’ myself and saw that I was all over the place. I must admit, I do have a few Affliction T-shirts, but my girlfriend bought them for me. I’m enjoying this and can’t wait to get in the cage with Tom. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

For Atencio the fight is a labor of love, a nice release from his everyday pressures associated with Affliction. “I love this sport,” Tom explained. “I grew-up fighting as a young kid and really enjoy it. I was the youngest kid in a Mexican family – fighting is in our blood – and I was the one getting beaten up for a while. Training is much harder than any job I’ve ever worked. Your body is put through hell and I’m 42 now. Training is what makes me have so much respect for fighters. I’m pushing my body and that’s not easy at my age.

“This is probably my last fight, but it really depends on how I feel afterwards. I’d like to fight again. My last fight was October of last year. I had a Muay Thai amateur fight and came out of it with a broken rib and nose. I know Randy’s a tough kid who had a good amateur record. He works at Treasure Bay and I’m really looking forward to stepping in against him.”

Dutch knockout threat Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-13-1) takes on 3-time UFC heavyweight challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo (16-8-0) in the co-feature, while The Ultimate Fighter 4 star Din “Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0) is matched against former King Of The Cage and Gladiator Challenge lightweight champion Javier “Showtime” Vasquez (12-2-0). Hot Canadian lightweight prospect Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) meets 4-time World Muay Thai title-holder William “The Bull” Sriyapai (12-4-0)

Also fighting on the card are welterweight Brett Cooper (9-4-0) vs. Waachiim “Native

Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4-0), middleweight James Orso (8-3-0) vs. Colby McMahan (3-1-0), The Ultimate Fighter 3 star Danny Abbadi (3-4-0) vs. veteran middleweight Lance Thomson (4-2-0); welterweight Eric Bradley (2-1-0), 2-time All-America wrestler and 2003 NCAA boxing champion at Penn State, vs. Belfast, Northern Ireland brawler Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $25.00 (limited discount seating), $40.00 (general admission) and $55.00 (premium reserved seating) and sale at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and all TicketMaster outlets.

For more information go to www.theultimatechaos.com or www.mscoastcoliseum.com. Doors open at 5PM/CT, first fight 6 PM/CT, and the first PPV fight is at 8 PM/CT.