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Former New Jersey boxing champ Arturo Gatti found dead at Brazilian resort

THE WORLD’S BEST HEAVYWEIGHTS APPEAR ON THIS WEEK’S “INSIDE MMA” ON HDNET

Posted on | July 10, 2009 | 1 Comment

Program presents inside perspectives on UFC 100 from the biggest names in MMA,

Friday, July 10, 9:00 p.m. ET

WHAT: Tonight’s “Inside MMA” will feature in-studio guests Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, and writer Dave Meltzer as they sit down with Kenny and Bas to preview all of the upcoming action on the historic UFC 100 card.

In the news cage, Ron Kruck hears what several UFC 100 fighters have to say about their big bouts, including Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Dan Henderson. Then, in Kruck’s Korner, Ron revisits the UFC at its very beginning as he looks back at UFC 1.

Friday’s program also features Part One of Bas Rutten’s exclusive interview with Fedor Emelianenko, where the Russian talks about the upcoming bout against Barnett at Affliction: Trilogy.

A clip of the episode can be viewed at the following link:

http://blip.tv/file/2339457

HDNet’s “Inside MMA” is the first and only one of its kind – an original, weekly television program devoted completely to news and highlights from the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are joined by the sport’s top fighters and news makers every week to discuss and analyze the latest in MMA. The program also includes event highlights, viewer mail, and Ron Kruck providing up-to-the-minute news and features with Kruck’s Korner. “Inside MMA” has become the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving fans their weekly fix of everything MMA.

Since the program’s inception in September of 2007, “Inside MMA” has covered some of the biggest stories in the business, presenting interviews with the biggest names involved. From Randy Couture’s legal battles with the UFC to Seth Petruzelli’s upset win over Kimbo Slice – and the Florida State Athletic Commission’s investigation of that fight, to the fall of EliteXC, “Inside MMA” has covered it all.

“Inside MMA,” HDNet’s weekly series covering the latest news, rankings, stats and highlights from the world of Mixed Martial Arts airs every Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET.

WHEN: Friday, July 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.

About HDNet
HDNet (www.hd.net, twitter.com/hdnet) is a network that is original, thinks independently and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming that appeals to men of all ages, delivered in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television’s only HD news feature programs “HDNet World Report,” and the Emmy Award winning “Dan Rather Reports,” featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant – telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts through HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com, twitter.com/hdnetfights). HDNet Fights partners with leading MMA promoters including Affliction, DREAM, Sengoku, XFC, M-1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more. HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet’s “Inside MMA” is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA.

HDNet also delivers the world’s largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring “Art Mann Presents,” “Vegas Confessions,” “Deadline” and “Get Out!” HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series. “NASA on HDNet” presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.

Only HDNet Movies (www.hdnetmovies.com, twitter.com/hdnetmovies) delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John Malkovich, and Emily Blunt.

Upcoming Sneak Previews include “Answer Man” starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies presents viewers with over one hundred films and an average of twenty-five “HD Premieres” each month. HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. To receive HDNet information via email simply go to www.hd.net/listpage.

FightZone In The House For UFC Expo in Vegas

Posted on | July 10, 2009 | No Comments

FightZone Media/TV/Magazine/Radio is in Las Vegas to bring their viewers, readers and fans the latest News, Reviews and Interviews from the spectacular UFC Fan Expo and historic UFC 100 Event.

What is undoubtedly the largest MMA gathering ever held, MMA is coming into the mainstream right before our eyes here in Las Vegas. From the lead story in the Airline Magazine to a sea of MMA tee shirts on the throngs of media, fans, and fighters arriving at the airport to being welcomed by the largest Electronic billboard in town announcing that UFC 100 is “Sold Out,” there’s no doubt that MMA mania has arrived in the greatest entertainment city in the world. Parties and events are planned all over the town in support.

FightZone’s TV partners, XFA “On Demand,” who supply the weekly MMA news feature now seen on every one of our 85+ airings per month have been shooting for the past few weeks. Anchor Dave Farra has been everywhere interviewing the biggest names in the sport. For a preview of his candid, behind the scenes interviews, visit RawVegas.com.

In addition o being an official sponsor of the UFC Fan Expo, FightZone will also be sponsoring Tuff-N-Uff, Las Vegas’ first all-female MMA card at the Orleans Arena.

This event will feature twenty of the smartest and toughest amateur female fighters to have ever been assembled on the same card. With diverse backgrounds and coming from all facets of life, these female athletes have proven their MMA skills in the amateur ranks. Headlined by Lauren Feldman and Ivana Coleman, these women have both the beauty and brawn to literally knock your socks off!

With all the TV and national media coverage, this will be one event where what happen — won’t stay in Vegas.

Visit FightZoneMedia.com for links to all them latest news.

About FightZone
FightZone Media, consisting of TV, Magazine, Radio and Internet Resources is the largest Independent Distributor of MMA Programming in the country airing over 80 hours of content monthly to over 25 million homes on Fox Sports Net’s SportSouth Sun Sports, DIRECTV, The Dish Network and AT&T U-verse. Visit FightZone.TV for Airing Schedules.

WORLD RANKED CRUISERWEIGHT BJ FLORES TO APPEAR IN ESPN 2 STUDIO FOR FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS.

Posted on | July 10, 2009 | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 10, 2009)—World ranked Cruiserweight (#3-WBO, #6-WBA; #12-IBF, #9-WBC), BJ Flores returns to the airwaves on Friday Night as he will once again be the studio analyst for ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights that will be feature two intriguing matchups which will see a cruiserweight showdown between Matt Godfrey and Shawn Hawk for the NABF crown and a must win Light Heavyweight battle between Chris Henry and Shaun George.

“These are two terrific fights and I am looking forward to the Godfrey-Hawk matchup”, said Flores, who sports an undefeated ledger of 23-0-1 with fourteen knockouts.

“I talked to Godfrey this week in order to give the fans who will be watching an inside look into what Matt is thinking heading into this important bout.”

“If that wasn’t enough, there are a lot of fans who believe that George and Henry could be the fight of the night and as not only a professional boxer but a fan and I am excited to be a part of a broadcast for which a lot of the industry, myself includes, is calling the show of the year on ESPN 2.”

“With everything going on in boxing, I really enjoy this great opportunity that ESPN has given me. I was so impressed with Eddie Chambers’s great victory last weekend that I gave Eddie a call and am looking forward to share some of our conversation with the viewers.”

Flores will get back into the ring on August 15th on the Roy Jones Jr. – Jeff Lacy Pay-Per-View card in Biloxi, Mississippi and is hoping to draw a big name opponent.

“We reached out to WBO champion Victor Ramirez for two months but he decided to go in another direction and fight Marco Huck. That’s the fight we really wanted. But hopefully we can get the winner of that fight or maybe fight WBC champ Giacobbe Fragomeni.”

“This is a big weekend for the cruiserweights with Godfrey-Hawk, Adamek-Gunn and Cunningham- Braithwaite and I am looking forward to talk about these critical fights in my division.”

“After everything shakes out I will sit down with my promoters, Square Ring and see what we can make happen for August 15th.”

For more information on BJ Flores Contact:

Marc Abrams at 856 287 7611 or mabrams@15rounds.com

Gormley: Born & Bred to Fight

Posted on | July 10, 2009 | No Comments

Fedor Emelianenko-Josh Barnett headline August 1 “Trilogy” PPV show in Anaheim

SEAL BEACH, California (July 9, 2009) — Fighting has flowed through Chase Gormley’s bloodline for generations. Even before he was born, he was destined to meet others in combat in the ring. Son and younger brother of professional boxers, the unbeaten heavyweight (6-0-0) was an NAIA All-America wrestler at Lindenwood University. Now he brings the whole mixed-martial-arts package to his August 1st fight against former IFL® heavyweight titlist “Big” Ben Rothwell (30-6-0) for Affliction M-1 Global’s star-studded “Trilogy” Pay-Per-View show at Honda Center in Anaheim.

GoDaddy.com presents Affliction M-1 Global’s “Trilogy,” featuring Fedor vs. Barnett in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Donald J Trump. The show is separated into two live broadcasts on the same night—a one-hour special will air on HDNet starting at 7:30 PM/ET (4:30 PM/PT), followed by the sensational Pay-Per-View event, “Trilogy,” commencing at 9PM/ET (6 PM/PT). Russian combat fighting legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (30-1-0) defends his WAMMA heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Josh “The Babyfaced Assassin” Barnett (24-5-0), in a potential Fight of the Year match-up as the main event.

The 6-3, 270-pound Gormley trains with MMA stars Antonio “Minotauro” Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva at Black House Gym and is a paid sparring partner for heavyweight boxers, including Chris Arreola and Lance Whitaker. “My father, Dan, briefly boxed professionally but my brother, Josh (heavyweight with a 19-4 record with 18 knockouts), who fought as Josh Dempsey, was rated No. 4 in the WBO (World Boxing Organization) in 1998. I plan to go pro, too. I had to fight and started when I was four. Pepe (Correira), who coached on The Contender (season 4, television reality show) is my boxing trainer.”

Rothwell, who will fight Gormley on the HDNet version of the show, has 24 more wins than Chase has pro fights. “Big” Ben, a protégé of Pat Miletich, has won 14 of his last 15 fights, including notable victims such as Ricco Rodriguez and Pat Nelson, and the veteran has been up against other notable competitors, such as Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Mike Whitehead.

Gormley doesn’t view his bout with Rothwell as a breakthrough fight for him, nor does he feel that his opponent has a clear experience advantage over him. “Rothwell’s no big deal,” Chase explains. “There’s no added pressure on me. This is a fight I should easily win, if I go in with the right mindset. His kicks are real dangerous. He’s aggressive and has a lot of heart. But, if I stay calm and use my footwork properly, it won’t be too tough of a fight for me. I try not to think about it (fighting on HDNet). It’s good for my career and I thank Affliction for this honor. I just have to focus on the task at hand and win. Fighting on a big show like this won’t matter if I don’t win. Winning is all that matters and afterwards, I’ll look back at it differently, I’m sure. Rothwell has had a lot of fights against good fighters, but I started competing when I was four, and I don’t think he did until he was 17. I’m not worried about that (experience factor) at all. This is what I was bred and born to do.”

On the PPV card supporting the Emelianenko-Barnett bout in a highly competitive and potentially entertaining co-main event, Armenian kick-boxing specialist Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi (25-2-1) fights for the first time in the Unites States, taking on former Strikeforce® light heavyweight challenger Renato “Babalu” Sobral (32-8-0).

Dutch knockout artist Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (36-13-1) plans to parlay his recent devastating triumph against 3-time UFC® heavyweight title challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo into a standout performance versus yet another former UFC® heavyweight title challenger, Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello (27-10-0).

Brazilian bomber Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (18-8-0), former UFC® Light Heavyweight Champion, unloads on spirited Sengoku middleweight title-holder Jorge Santiago (21-7-0) in another PPV match.

In addition to the Rothwell-Gormley fight, the undercard on HDNet features ex-IFL® Welterweight Champion Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron (17-4-0) against former Cage Rage belt-holder, British brawler Paul “Semtex” Daley (21-8-2); exciting lightweight prospects Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) and Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon (12-2-0) go to war; featherweight L.C. Davis (13-2-0) faces Javier “Showtime” Vazquez (13-2-0), former KOTC and Gladiator Challenge champion; ex-IFL® lightweight challenger Deividas Taurosevicius (10-3-0) meets Mark “The Machine” Hominick (16-8-0). Two off-television matches are also on tap between heavyweights Jessie Gibbs (7-2-0) and Rob Broughton (10-4-1), as well as Brazilian light heavyweight Lucio Linhares (12-4-0) and Michael Zayats (8-3-0).

All fights and fighters are subject to change. For more information go online to www.afflictionclothing.com.

Tickets for Affliction M-1’s “Trilogy” range between $50.00 and $600.00, are on sale at Honda Center Box Office (1.714.704.2500) and also online at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticket Master outlets (1.714.740.2000).

Affliction

Already a mainstay for the most elite athletes, heaviest bands, A-listers and the fashion conscious, Affliction Clothing’s ability to set the bar high in fashion is evident in its collection’s indulgence of style and design, focus on quality, and its trademark series of divinely executed, dark and powerful themes. (www.afflictionclothing.com)

M-1 Global and M-1 Challenge

M-1 Global has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. International MMA stars who have fought under the M-1 banner have included Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Keith Jardine, Alistair Overeem, Yushin Okami, Ben Rothwell, Mike Pyle, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zenstov, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Omar Suloev, and Chalid Arrab, to name a few. (www.m1mixfight.com)

The Trump Organization

The Trump Organization encompasses global real estate development and global licensing, sales and marketing, property management, golf course development, entertainment, entertainment and product licensing, brand development as well as restaurants and event planning. Donald J. Trump is the Chairman and President of the Trump Organization, a privately held company in New York. (www.Trump.com)

Golden Boy Promotions

Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 60 fighters under contract, from future hall of famers Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez to current world champions Ricky Hatton, David Haye, Joel Casamayor, Israel Vazquez and Gerry Peñalosa. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Jeff Lacy, Juan Diaz, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Jhonny Gonzalez, Librado Andrade, Rocky Juarez and Rey Bautista; 2004 Olympians Abner Mares, Vicente Escobedo and Rock Allen; and highly regarded prospects Danny Garcia, Jermell Charlo, Hylon Williams and Carlos and Juan Velasquez. (www.goldenboypromotions.com)

COME DOWN TO THE ROCKY MARCIANO BOOTH AT THE BROCKTON FAIR THIS WEEKEND

Posted on | July 9, 2009 | No Comments

Fight News Unlimited will be helping out at the Brockton Fair this weekend at the Rocky Marciano Foundation tent. We will have Rocky Marciano calendars, T-shirts, DVDs, and a few other surprises. If you are in the Brockton, Massachusetts area this weekend, we will be at the fair Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, and we will be offering free boxing lessons for the youngsters. Look for us across from the magic show and check out the above video to learn more about what we’re selling.