(PRESS RELEASE) -- LAS VEGAS — A lightweight (155 pounds) contest between legendary MMA pioneer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo black belt Jorge Patino (35-15-2) of Houston, Texas and battle-tested finisher Eric Reynolds (18-8) of Bradenton, Fla. has been added to the live NBCSN televised portion of the highly-anticipated World Series of Fighting (www.wsof.com) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world championship tripleheader event at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Patino, whose storied career dates back to 1995 during the no holds barred, bareknuckle fighting days of the sport, exploded onto the scene, reeling off 16 consecutive victories, half of which came in under a minute. He is, perhaps, best remembered for his epic battles with fellow pioneers Jose Landi-Jons and Pat Miletich, whom Patino battled for 14 and 21 consecutive minutes in 1996 and 1999, respectively.
Patino also boasts a first round (3:13) KO (punch) win over superstar Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and, more recently, held dual world titles before signing with WSOF.
The 28-year-old Reynolds, whose appearance in the cage will also be his second of 2014 and his debut under the WSOF banner, has scrapped with some of the toughest competitors in the 155 pound division, including Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal, during his seven-year professional career that began with nine straight wins.
Of Reynolds’ 18 career victories, 16 came by way of (T)KO or submission. Fourteen of those finishes occurred in the first round of action.
In the WSOF 15 main event, middleweight (185 pounds) world champion and Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt David Branch (14-3) of Brooklyn, N.Y. will put his title on the line against top-10 ranked contender Yushin Okami (30-8) of Kawaski, Kanagawa Japan.
The co-main event will see undefeated, reigning, 25-year-old lightweight champion and Justin Gaethje (12-0) of Safford, Ariz. defend his crown against fellow superstar KO artist Melvin Guillard (32-13-2, 2 NC) of New Orleans, La.
In a third world championship showdown, women’s strawweight (115 pounds) champion and submission expert Jessica Aguilar (18-4) of Houston will risk her title against fast-paced finisher Kalindra Faria (15-3) of Taubate, Sao Paulo Brazil.
The live, four-bout NBCSN telecast of WSOF 15 begins at 9:00 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.
Tickets for the WSOF 15 event, priced from $20 (Additional fees may apply), are on sale at Ticketmaster.com, the USF Sun Dome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
The first preliminary bout will begin at 6:00 p.m. EST. The card is subject to change.
About "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) is a world wide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and "World Series of Fighting" President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
ABOUT NBCSN NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final -- Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Global Spectrum Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the USF Sun Dome, as well as more than 120 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 24-million people attended more than 15,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor, which operates in 48 of the 50 United States, also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.