(PRESS RELEASE) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan Puetz (11-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) will make his second title defense December 17 against unbeaten challenger Valery Myasnikov (8-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 SUB), headlining M-1 Challenge 54 & ACB 12 at Palais des Sports Ice in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Puetz, fighting out of Munich, Germany, is recognized as one of the top light heavyweight fighters in Europe. He captured the M-1 Challenge title this past March 14 at M-1 Challenge 46, taking a five-round decision from Viktor Nemkov (9-1-0). Puetz' first title defense was at M-1 Challenge 50 this past August, in which he defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Luis Fernando Miranda (10-1-0) by way of a second-round submission (choke).
The 23-year-old Myasnikov, fighting out of Moscow, will be making his M-1 Challenge debut against Puetz. Myasnikov has been a professional mixed-martial-arts fighter for three years and seven of his eight fights have ended in the opening round, six times by knockout. He was a multiple MMA and boxing champion as an amateur and holds the title of Master of Sports in both disciplines.
Also on the main card are a pair of unbeaten fighters, Ukrainian Maxim Divnich (9-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 SUB) and Russian Djambulat Kurbanov (6-0-1, 0 KO/TKO, 3 SUB), who will be fighting for the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title.
A middleweight fight between Anatoly Tokov (18-1-0), of Russia, and Enoc Solves Torres (15-7-0), fighting out of Spain, has been added to determine the No. 1 challenger for reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Vyachevlav Vasilevsky.
The 24-year-old Tokov is one of the highest-rated Russian middleweight prospects. Only four of his 16 victories went the full distance. Tokov, who has won his last nine fights, was also the winner in the second season of the M-1 Fighter reality show.
Torres is no stranger to Russian MMA fans having fought in seven M-1 events, including his last M-1 fight two years ago on M-1 Challenge 34, in which the Spaniard lost to Gregory Babene. Torres recently won the Friends of Honor Tournament in Madrid, where the special guests of honor included the famed Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Additional fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
M-1 Challenge 54 & ACB will be streamed in high definition on www.M1Global.TV, live from Russia. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.
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