“All the fighters showed up prepared and ready to step on the scale today; as professional athletes, fighters need to prepare themselves professionally – respecting their opponents, the fans and the promotion” says Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “M-1 has done everything possible to make this event our best to date which includes two title fights, a stacked undercard full of top contenders and another live, free stream to capture our worldwide fan base. M-1 Challenge XXIII has set a new standard in quality competition that we’ll be building on throughout 2011.”
M-1 Challenge XXIII Under Card:
Vusal Bayramov (155.0 Lbs) vs. Nikolai Kaushansky (152.75 Lbs) Lightweight
Maxim Bulakhtin (195.75 Lbs) vs. Magomed Ismailov (195.0 Lbs) Light Heavyweight
M-1 Challenge XXIII Main Card (Streaming Live):
Shamil Tinagadjiev (203.5 Lbs) vs. Tomasz Narkun (202.5 Lbs) Light Heavyweight
Igor Savelyev (201.0 Lbs) vs. Byron Byrd (205.5 Lbs) Light Heavyweight
Arsen Abdulkerimov (234.5 Lbs) vs. Goncalo Salgado (308.0 Lbs) Heavyweight (*no upper weight limit)
Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (155.5 Lbs) vs. Daniel Weichel (155.0 Lbs) Lightweight
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (185.0 Lbs) vs. Plinio Cruz (187.25 Lbs) Middleweight
Yuri Ivlev (153.25 Lbs) vs. Mairbek Taisumov (155.0 Lbs) Lightweight
Rashid Magomedov (170.0 Lbs) vs. Rafal Moks (168.75 Lbs) Welterweight
· Cruz was given an additional 2 hours to make weight
Championship Bouts
Heavyweight Division:
Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (244.25 Lbs) vs.
Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (227.5 Lbs)
Welterweight Division:
Shamil Zavurov, M-1 Challenge Champion (168.25 Lbs) vs.
Tom ‘Da Tank’ Gallicchio, M-1 Selection Americas 2010 champion (169.25 Lbs)
Free LIVE broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXIII event from Moscow, Russia will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST on Saturday March 5th.
Once the event is in the books, M-1 Global makes its return to US soil on Friday, March 25th for M-1 Challenge XXIV: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Current lightweight champ, Artiom Damkovsky is gearing for his first title defense against 2010 M-1 Selection Americas winner, Jose Figueroa.
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
