International Fight League Announces Next Two Events In Portland, Oregon And Moline, Illinois Featuring Two Special Super Fights
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From the event’s promoter:  INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE ANNOUNCES NEXT TWO EVENTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON AND MOLINE, ILLINOIS FEATURING TWO SPECIAL SUPER FIGHTS Tickets on Sale June 26 For World Team Championship Event on September 23 With MMA Legends and IFL Coaches Renzo Gracie and Pat Miletich Squaring Off at The MARK of the Quad Cities New York City – June 22, 2006 – The world’s first team-based mixed martial arts organization, International Fight LeagueTM (IFL), has announced its next two events to take place on September 9 and September 23 in Portland, Ore. and Moline, Ill. respectively. Tickets for the World Team Championship on September 23 will go on sale June 26, 10:00am, at The MARK of the Quad Cities pitting Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls vs. Pat Miletich’s Quad City Silverbacks. The evening’s stellar card will be rounded out with a special Super Fight between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master/Pitbulls coach Gracie and local legend/Silverbacks coach Miletich. Full team rosters to be announced. Tickets will retail from $28.50 – $148.50 and will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at (563) 326-1111, and The MARK of the Quad Cities Box Office.
Tickets for the World Team Championship on September 9 at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, will go on sale Saturday, July 1 The evening’s lineup will feature the world premiere of MMA legends, Matt "The Law" Lindland’s Portland Wolf Pack and Antonio Inoki’s Tokyo Sabres. The teams will face off against the Seattle Tiger Sharks and Los Angeles Anacondas respectively. In addition to the team bouts, the World Team Championship on September 9 will also feature a legendary super fight that will be announced soon. After two successful events in April and June at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, the IFL is off to an impressive start, with Miletich’s Silverbacks winning the inaugural season championship. The league scored high ratings on its Fox Sports Net broadcasts reaching over 1.3 million viewers. The televised shows were produced and directed by Emmy award-winning producer Peter Lasser, who has worked on several Olympic telecasts as well as with ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL Films and FSN, among others. Other exciting news includes the announcement of four additional teams to the IFL, taken the league up to eight teams. "Mixed-martial-arts is the new frontier in fight-related sports," said The Mark at the Quad Cities spokesperson Scott Mullen." We are thrilled to be having the world class fighters of the IFL at our arena right in the Silverbacks backyard." Officially announced in January 2006, the International Fight League is the brainchild of Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus. The avid, business-minded executives have created a stir by introducing the team-based league and a more regulated approach to the aggressive sport. The team concept, which truly sets the IFL apart from other MMA organizations, mirrors national sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA and allows MMA, the combination of jiu-jitsu, karate, judo, kick-boxing, wrestling, and boxing to reach a broader audience. |
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Second Goldberg Enters the Booth: Former WWE Star Set to Jabber, Not Jab at WFA By Loretta Hunt Gearing up for its July 22 "King of the Streets" event at The Forum in Los Angeles, recently announced World Fighting Alliance color commentator Bill Goldberg spoke with both pro-wrestling and mixed martial arts press during a telephone conference call on Wednesday.
"It’s about time that in the States there was a viable competitor to the UFC and I think we’ve got it now," the former WCW and WWE pro-wrestling star said of his new home with the revamped WFA organization, later adding that future involvement with the promotion would depend on his performance at July 22’s event. "If I was to participate in the MMA world as a fighter, I guess we’ve figured out where I’m gonna be," Goldberg barbed at the numerous suggestions the 39-year-old new father might eventually enter the cage himself. Logistically, a cage debut for the one-time NFL defensive lineman doesn’t seem likely, at least for now. Goldberg is currently slated to star in the remake of the Steven Seagal vehicle "Half Past Dead," while he admits he’d need ample time for preparation to enter an MMA bout. "As far as getting prepared 100%, I would have to put all of that to the side," says Goldberg, who shared he’s been training Muay Thai for five years at the Extreme Power Gym in Oceanside, California (which he also co-owns), but has had little formal ground training, as well as no amateur wrestling experience. "I’d have to be a novice," says Goldberg of his mat time. "No question about it. I am much more proficient at standing up and kicking and punching people than I am getting on the ground with them." Goldberg shared limited ringside commentary with Stephan Quadros and Bas Rutten for PRIDE’s Shockwave 2002, and served as a backstage interviewer for the event as well. For the WFA, Goldberg will be joined in the booth by play-by-play commentator Barry Tompkins, formerly of HBO Boxing and current color commentator for FOX’s "Sunday Night Fights." A third expected commentator for the event has not been named at this time. " "It means so much more to the fan if you have somebody with unbelievable ability who is also marketable and entertaining at the same time. I think that has a little bit to do with why they brought me onboard." |
