(PRESS RELEASE) -- Tacoma, WA (April 4th, 2012) – Halquist Productions will be returning to the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA for CageSport XXIV, which has quickly become the hottest MMA ticket in the Northwest. At the top of the card will be Brent Knopp (4-0) defending his middleweight title for the first time against C.J. Marsh (2-2). In the co-main event, current bantamweight champion, Brandon Hempleman, will also be defending his title for the first time when he takes on Cory Vombaur (6-2).
“We’re really excited about presenting two CageSport title fights in one night. This show is building off momentum from previous shows and it’s very exciting to see CageSport growing the way it’s growing. I really encourage fans to purchase tickets early as we are experiencing extremely fast ticket sales,” said promoter, Brian Halquist, about upcoming CageSport XXIV.
Middleweight champion, Brent Knopp, has quickly established himself as the top middleweight in the region. Knopp won the vacant title in February when he defeated Darrio Mobley for the second time in a rematch from when they first faced each other at CageSport XX last year. None of the opponents that Knopp has come across in his professional career have lasted more than two rounds in the ring with the former University of Washington reserve defensive lineman; all going down via TKO/KO.
It’s been no surprise that the Burien native, Knopp, has been as successful as he has been. He trains out of Matt Hume’s AMC Pankration, one of the most respected MMA gyms and coaches in the Northwest located in Kirkland, WA. Along with the undefeated professional record of 4-0, Knopp also went 24-2 in the amateurs.
In the co-main event, Brandon Hempleman will take his 9-1 record to the cage when he takes on Vancouver, WA’s Cory Vombaur (6-2) in a title defense for the CageSport Bantamweight Championship. Hempleman acquired the title in July of last year at CageSport XIX when he defeated the rising Jeff Hatton (6-0 at the time) via 1st round TKO.
Eight other matches featuring fighters from all over the Northwest will fill out the rest of the CageSport XXIV card. You can catch a sneak peak of the other matches at CageSport’s official Facebook page. Many UFC fighters have come through CageSport to showcase the MMA talent that has been steadily growing in the Northwest. Local Names such as: Miesha Tate, Bryan Caraway, Sam Sicilia, Michael Chiesa, and John Albert have all made an appearance at CageSport and have made their way to the UFC. Halquist Productions has built a world class promotion featuring live boxing and MMA action at the Emerald Queen Casino that have been seen on ESPN, ESPN 2, HBO, and Showtime. For more information about CageSport XXIV and all other Halquist Production events, please visit their official Facebook and Twitter Pages along with the official website www.halquistproductions.com