(PRESS RELEASE) -- New York, NY (October 2, 2012) – TaKe-On Muay Thai, New York’s premiere Muay Thai promotion, and MSG Sports announced the highly anticipated return of full contact Muay Thai Kickboxing to The Theater at Madison Square Garden in “Muay Thai at the Mecca 2” on Saturday, November 10, 2012.
The historic “Muay Thai at the Mecca” proved to be the biggest sanctioned Muay Thai event ever in United States history and already “Muay Thai at the Mecca 2” is building up to surpass the celebrated event. “Muay Thai at the Mecca 2” will feature UFC veteran Ryan “The Lion” Madigan alongside undefeated Take-On heavyweight slugger, Brian Collette who will collide with Uriah Faber’s Ivan Gatolaoi and undefeated Take-On middleweight champion, Nick Vaughan will face Phil LeGrand, who may be his toughest opponent yet.
“The debut of Muay Thai kickboxing at Madison Square Garden earlier this year was nothing short of fantastic,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “The Garden is excited to continue our partnership with TaKe-On Muay Thai and bring the thrilling sport back to its many fans with “Muay Thai at the Mecca 2” on November 10.”
“Following our overwhelmingly successful partnerships with MSG Sports on both ‘Muay Thai at the Mecca’ in March, and ‘Battle at Bally’s II’ in August, TaKe-On Productions is thrilled to return to Madison Square Garden. TaKe-On continues to deliver to our fans record-breaking events featuring today’s top fighters, non-stop action, and highlight reel knockouts,” stated TaKe-On CEO Mike Gasparski.
“After the tremendous success of our first MSG show, it’s only natural that TaKe-On returns to the Mecca for another historic event. ‘Muay Thai at the Mecca 2’ on November 10th will set the new standard in our sport as the biggest Muay Thai event the US has ever seen,” added TaKe-On President Eddie Cuello.
Four title fights will highlight this explosive fight card including the hard hitting undefeated TaKe-On cruiserweight Champion, Ariel Abreu (6-0; Camp Undefeated/NY) as he puts his belt on the line. Additionally, WKA women’s 105 lb. champ Jess Ng (7-1 Sitan/NY), 125 lb. champ Prairie Ruglio (Girl Fight MMA/NJ), and men’s Pro Arab Champ Eddie Martinez (27-4-1 Sitan/CT) will all look to defend their crowns.
Cyrus “Black Dynamite” Washington (50 wins, 48 KO’s), arguably the most exciting North American Muay Thai fighter to enter the ring, will headline the 17 bout card. Washington, now fighting out of Long Island’s Militia MMA, spent years as a pro fighter living and training in Thailand. He has fought and defeated international superstars and is looking to build his fame on his native land.
Other marquee names featured on the “Muay Thai at the Mecca 2,” which will include representatives from a total of 26 premiere Muay Thai kickboxing gyms, are:
Jay Matias (16-6, Sitan Gym/NY) trains under World Champion Muay Thai coach Aziz Nabih. He is the WKA North American Lightweight Champion, and was recently named 2012’s top Muay Thai Prospect by “Muay Thai Is Life” &“THEGARV.com.”
Tarek Rached (26-3, AFC Kickboxing/NY) with over 100 amateur fights, this Ronkonkoma, NY native has won World Championships in WAKO, WKA, and WPKA.
Eddie Maritnez (27-4-1) has recently won a world title at the Arab Boxing World Championship in Dubai with a seventh-round knockout of Russia's Illman Arskahanov.. He holds the TaKe-On record for most Knockouts via headkick!
Many others top fighters will appear including: Elijah Clarke (Renzo Gracie/NY), Pawel Zawatowski (New York Jiu Jitsu), Kate Allen (Cool Hearts/PA), and Sean George (CeeThree Athletics/CT).
Visit www.TakeOnNYC.com for the full fight card, highlights from past events, fighter features and more.
About the Madison Square Garden Company The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company’s venues. MSG Media’s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
About TaKe-On Muay Thai TaKe-On Muay Thai burst onto the fight scene in 2009, and rapidly became the top Muay Thai fight promotion company on the East Coast. TaKe-On has brought fight fans seventeen exciting Professional and Amateur Thai boxing events, including the US’s largest event in history “Muay Thai at the Mecca”, the legendary “Battle at the Beacon”, and the $10K Pro Tournament where 8 Pro fighters competed in a one night to take home the title and the prize. Take-On events always showcase the best local, national, and international talent, from up and coming prospects to seasoned veterans of the sport. For more information, visit www.TaKeOnNYC.com