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Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Fsn, Ultimate Fighting Championship Announce Programming Agreement


From Zuffa:



FSN, ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP
ANNOUNCE PROGRAMMING AGREEMENT


FSN To Televise 4 UFC Specials On Quarterly Basis Starting Oct. 17

LAS VEGAS, NEV., October 7, 2004…Officials of FSN and the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand of mixed martial arts today announced they have signed an agreement for FSN to televise four, one-hour UFC fight-show specials quarterly within the next year. The first is televised at 5:00 PM local on Sunday, October 17. The dates and times for the other three shows will be announced.

"Ultimate Fighting Championship," will feature two of the UFC’s best bouts from its recent fight shows. The October 17 show will re-live the epic battle between top light heavyweight contenders Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell and the action-packed welterweight battle between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler at UFC 47: It’s On! from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Future fights will be announced.

"The UFC is the brand for the most accomplished martial arts athletes in the world. When America sees what goes into the sport, the dedication, the discipline and the camaraderie – let alone the sportsmanship – they’ll see what we’ve know all along," said Dana White, UFC president.

"UFC is the ultimate combo of martial arts, boxing and wrestling. It is phenomenal entertainment," said George Greenberg, FSN’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. "It’s a natural extension of programming for FSN’s core audience as it will satisfy our legions of fight fans."

FSN reaches more than 82 million homes through its 20 regional sports channels, and serves as the only supplier of national, regional and local sports programming. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit www.FoxSports.com.


From DSE/Pride:



TWO MORE MATCHES ADDED TO HIGH OCTANE FIGHTCARD

LOS ANGELES, California – Two more bouts have been added to PRIDE FIGHTING’s October 31st event, HIGH OCTANE. Already headlining the event is the highly anticipated title bout between middleweight world champion Wanderlei Silva and top contender Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Now added to the fightcard: "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring versus rising Japanese star Hirotaka Yokoi and New Zealand’s deadly striker Mark Hunt versus American Dan "The Bull" Bobish. All of these bouts are in addition to the colossal match-up of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic versus Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett and the pivotal middleweight bout of Dan "Hollywood" Henderson versus Kazuhiro Nakamura.

HIGH OCTANE will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN on Sunday, October 31st, 2004 at 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST.

At 10-1, Hirotaka Yokoi is one of Japan’s most promising heavyweights; he is a veteran of the Rings organization and was victorious in his PRIDE FC debut, defeating Jerrel Venetiaan at PRIDE 23 CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS 2. But it wasn’t until the opening round of the heavyweight Grand Prix tournament at TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004 that this fighter out of Osaka, Japan, made a name for himself. That evening he gave PRIDE FIGHTING interim heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, everything he could handle. The champion was finally able to defeat his young opponent using a rarely seen choke-hold, but Yokoi’s fighting spirit won over the crowd. Yokoi’s opponent at HIGH OCTANE will be the 6’4, 240 pound Texan, Heath Herring. Representing team Golden Glory out of Holland, "The Texas Crazy Horse" had been riding a four fight-winning streak (which included wins over the 7’2 Giant Silva at SHOCKWAVE 2003 and Yoshiki Takahashi during the opening round of the heavyweight Grand Prix at TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004), that is until he reached the second round of the heavyweight tournament against Nogueira. Like Yokoi, Herring proved to be a difficult match for Nogueira … and like Yokoi, Nogueira used the exact same chokehold to defeat Herring! With both young fighters coming off of loses to Nogueira, which of the two will recover and take the next step forward in the heavyweight rankings?

The second bout added to the HIGH OCTANE fightcard features the classic match-up of striker versus grappler. At 5’10 and 250 pounds and representing Liverpool Kickboxing out of New Zealand, Mark Hunt is known as one of the most dangerous strikers in the world. After making the move from K-1 to MMA, Hunt made his PRIDE FIGHTING debut against Hidehiko Yoshida at CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2004. Though he was not successful in that match, Hunt showed great promise and fans are eager to see what this kickboxing legend will do next. Hunt’s opponent at HIGH OCTANE will be MMA veteran and former "King of the Cage" heavyweight champion, Dan "The Bull" Bobish. This 6’1, 300 plus pound fighter combines a solid wrestling background with a brawling fight style and one thing is always certain—this bull charges forward! Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Bobish now lives and fights out of Cleveland, Ohio. In his career, Bobish has wins over "Dangerous" Dave Beneteau, "Big" Eric Pele and Mike Kyle. Will it be the night of the striker or will the grappler prove superior? Check out HIGH OCTANE to find out.


More matches to be announced soon!

FIGHT CARD

Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Quinton Jackson (USA)
(Champion) (Challenger)
(This bout is for the PRIDE middleweight championship)

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (Croatia) vs. Josh Barnett (USA)
Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Hirotaka Yokoi (Japan) vs. Heath Herring (USA)
Mark Hunt (New Zealand) vs. Dan Bobish (USA)

Fight card subject to change.



From DSE/Pride:



VOVCHANCHYN ADDED TO BUSHIDO 5 FIGHTCARD!

LOS ANGELES, California – Two additional matches have been added to the fightcard for BUSHIDO VOLUME 5. Included is Ukrainian sensation Igor Vovchanchyn as he returns to the ring to take on Japanese fighter Shamoji Fuji. Also added, Masakazu Imanari of Japan versus Luis "Buscape" Firmino of Brazil. Topping the bill is Japanese star Takanori Gomi versus American Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett. Other fighters scheduled on the card include Carlos "The Ronin" Newton, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, and Crosley Gracie. BUSHIDO VOLUME 5 will take place from the Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan and is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN on Friday, November 19th, 2004 at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST. The countdown show begins at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST.

"Ice Cold" Igor Vovchanchyn makes his long-awaited return to the ring after an eight month lay-off. His last bout came on February 1, 2004 at INFERNO when he defeated Dan "The Bull" Bobish via strikes. Vovchanchyn’s opponent at BUSHIDO VOLUME 5 will be mixed martial arts veteran, Shamoji Fuji. At 6’0 and 217 pounds, Fuji hails from Hiroshima, Japan and represents the V-Cross team. He made a successful debut in BUSHIDO with a win over Kim Jin Oh of Korea at BUSHIDO VOLUME 3.


PRIDE FC: BUSHIDO VOLUME 5
Fight Card

Takanori Gomi (Japan) vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett (USA)
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (Japan) vs. Crosley Gracie (USA)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Shamoji Fuji (Japan)
Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa (Japan) vs. Tatsunori Ueyama (Japan)
Ryo Chonan (Japan) vs. Carlos Newton (Canada)
Yasuhito Namekawa (Japan) vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Brazil)
Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (USA) vs. Mal "Twin Tiger" Foki (Australia)
Masakazu Imanari (Japan) vs. Luis "Buscape" Firmino
(Fight Card Subject to Change)

BUSHIDO VOLUME 5 will be available at a reduced rate of $19.95. For additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider.



From the event’s promoter:



EVOLUTION & LAST WOMAN STANDING

HOOKnSHOOT is gearing up for the second women’s event featuring the best female fighters in the game and many new faces!

"The women have taken the second show much more seriously and so have the fans" states promoter Jeff Osborne.

"Although they made an impact at the first event, I personally felt that casual fans (ticket buyers) took them lightly. Most local fans who didn’t attend it live were mad at themselves…..they were expecting slap fighting and they were more than impressed when we showed the event on TV" said Osborne.

"The DVD opened up a whole new world for MMA. The women are taken much more seriously, more fans will watch because of the women and even some VERY important people in the entertainment industry have taken notice" continues Osborne.

"One look at the Revolution DVD and Arnold Schwarzeneggar Expo organizers were sold. There’s so much more mainstream interest the women can bring than the men but no one wants to admit it."

This time around, many feel the lineup is stronger and support for female MMA is more rampant than ever before. Looks for UFC standouts Josh Barnett, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver and other familiar faces at the show. Pulver may be a little more stressed than usual as his "better half" AJ Jenkins will be competing.

"Evolution" will be broadcast on PPV in South Africa and Japan as well as other countries. It will also be shown on regional UPN affiliates in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

November 6, 2004 "EVOLUTION" A historic night of women’s MMA competition.
November 7, 2004 LAST WOMAN STANDING Submission Super Tournament

Scheduled lineup:

Lisa Ward (Washington) vs. Mandy Stewart (Australia) 125lbs

Sara Boyd (New Mexico) vs. Molly Helsel (Hawaii) 135lbs

Jan Finney (Ohio) vs. Rikki Burnett (Kentucky) 135lbs

Shelby Walker (Texas) vs. Adrienna Jenkins (Hawaii) 130lbs

Tara LaRosa (New Jersey) vs. Linda Langerak (Canada) 135lbs

Kelly Kobold (Minnesota) vs. Gret Hicks (Wisconsin) 160lbs

Ginelle Marquez (Washington) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (Massachusetts) 135lbs

Julie Kedzie (Indiana) vs. Jen Case (Kansas) 155lbs

Jennifer Howe (Utah) vs. Heather Soderquist (California) 135lbs

Erica Montoya (California) vs. Megumi Fuji (Japan)

The Sunday LAST WOMAN STANDING show will take place at 10:30AM and is open to all female grapplers! email: hooknshoot@aol.com to enter.

You can purchase tickets securely online at HOOKnSHOOT TICKETS or email HOOKnSHOOT@aol.com.

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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