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CHICAGO, IL (Nov. 5th, 2009) – The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA), today announced it will sanction the STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global fight between undisputed WAMMA reigning heavyweight champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and undefeated challenger, Brett "The Grim" Rogers, which will air live on CBS from Sears Centre Arena on Saturday, Nov 7th.
"It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of this incredible fight card that our partners at STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global have put together," said WAMMA Rankings Chairman, Andrew Falzon. "It is another landmark night for the sport on national television and a rare opportunity for fans nationally to see top WAMMA-ranked fighters compete on free TV."
STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global have welcomed the presence of the WAMMA title at the milestone event, which will air live across the country on CBS Saturday Night Fights on Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, ET live/ delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Fedor’s manager and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein said "Recognizing Fedor as the undisputed WAMMA heavyweight champion means that Fedor is the world champion wherever and whenever he fights."
"Putting a title on the line just provides the fighters with more incentive to perform at their best," said Scott Coker, CEO of STRIKEFORCE.
In addition to sanctioning the main event, WAMMA will also be unveiling a new design for the championship belt, and a new logo, which will be featured on the fight surface during the live telecast.
"This is another sign of WAMMA’s new direction and continued commitment to moving the sport of MMA forward," said Falzon. "We remain open to working with all promotions at all levels of MMA, so long as it is to the benefit of the sport."
WAMMA publishes the sport’s most comprehensive rankings that include an extensive panel of independent MMA media including CBSSportsline.com, ESPN’s MMA Live!, Fox News Fight Game, FoxSports.com, MMA Fanhouse, Sirius Fight Club Radio, Sports Illustrated, The Calgary Sun Newspaper and The Fight Network.
WAMMA has published its official November Rankings today online at: www.GoWAMMA.com/rankings
About WAMMA
WAMMA (www.GoWAMMA.com) is dedicated to leading the sport of Mixed Martial Arts to unprecedented levels of integrity, legitimacy and prosperity. With the help of forward-looking MMA promotions, WAMMA has created an environment where fighters from all organizations have the opportunity to openly compete to be the one true, undisputed champion in their respective weight classes based on WAMMA’s comprehensive and objective MMA Rankings.
About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.STRIKEFORCE.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold out record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie." In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
About M-1 Global
M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995. Billed as the "World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts," the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge's international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.
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