Alessio Stops Young in KOTC Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta, Oct. 1 — KOTC Canada drew 3,500 fans to see an exciting show that featured L.A. fighters John Alessio (Pictures) and Savant Young facing off in the main event.

Attending the show to support this great new promotion were fighting legends Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jeremy Horn (Pictures), and Pat Miletich (Pictures). The last show in Edmonton, a city of over 1 million, drew 4,500 fans, but a rock concert on the same night, across the street from the fight venue, and promoted by the same radio station that promoted KOTC, cut the crowd down by at least 2,000 in what would have been a near-sure sellout. Also on hand to tape the show for later broadcast was TSN, the Canadian version of ESPN.

“I really liked the show,” said Tyler Bates of TSN Program Acquisitions. “At first, as a new fan, I really didn’t get what was going on. But by the last fight, I was waiting for the rear-choke to come once I saw Alessio get to Young’s back. It was all very exciting.”

Bates also had a chance to speak personally with Jeremy Horn (Pictures) the morning after the event, and the worldwide MMA star was able to give the television executive some fine points of the ground-and-pound strategy — which Bates said he might be able to make good use of in some of his corporate meetings.

KOTC Canada’s next show is scheduled for early December and promoter Ken Kupsch and partner Keith Crawford are looking at Saskatoon as a possible venue. With 50 shows planned over the next five years, and free television coverage in the offing through TSN.