(PRESS RELEASE) -- TULSA, OK – BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that it has confirmed two Superfights – a lightweight (155 pounds) showdown between Ryan Couture (7-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. and Jonny Carson (11-6) of San Francisco, Calif., and a women’s atomweight (105 pounds) scrap between Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (8-7) of Tulsa, Okla. and Jen Aniano (0-2) of Kalamazoo, Mich. – for its highly-anticipated O.N.E. event that will be headlined by a one-night, eight-man tournament at BOK Center in Tulsa on Friday, June 27.
“We are excited to showcase such high-caliber talent on what is, without a doubt, our most superb fight card to date,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday. “Fans are going to see a mix of fast-paced, high-pressure tournament fights as well as several nationally recognized and local, emerging stars facing off in single, Superfights with potential tournament opportunities at stake in each bout.”
Ryan Couture vs. Jonny Carson
Couture, the 31-year-old son and protégé of retired legend Randy Couture, is coming off his second consecutive victory, a second round (1:34) submission (rear-naked choke) of Shakir McKillip at BattleGrounds MMA 4 on May 17. In his previous start, Couture made quick work of Kyle Sjafiroeddin, using the rear-naked choke to submit Sjafiroeddin in the first round (2:14) of action at BattleGrounds MMA 3 on Jan. 18.
Prior to signing with BattleGrounds MMA, Couture compiled a career record of 6-1 while competing for Strikeforce. His greatest win to date – a split decision over UFC star K.J. Noons - came during Strikeforce’s final event in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Jan. 12, 2013.
The matchup with Couture represents the 28-year-old Carson’s first start of 2014. He will look to notch his second consecutive win after earning a unanimous decision over Marcio Navarro in Catoosa, Okla. on April 12, 2013.
Carson is a member of the Skrap Pack, the vaunted, San Francisco, Calif.-based fight squad founded and headed by UFC superstar Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez. Carson relocated from his native Broken Arrow, Okla. to The Golden Gate City six years ago after receiving an invitation from Melendez to become a full-time member of the team.
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Jen Aniano
Rivera-Calanoc, the 28-year-old wife of retired kickboxing and MMA star Travis Calanoc, will look to return to the win column after suffering a first round (4:57) submission (rear-naked choke) defeat in her Invicta Fighting Championships world title bid against reigning champion Jessica Penne on July 13, 2013.
One fight prior to the championship matchup, the feisty Rivera-Calanoc, who has been touted as the “female Wanderlei Silva” for her hard-charging, aggressive-minded fighting style, earned a unanimous decision victory over Angelica Chavez on July 28, 2012. An eight-year veteran of professional MMA, Rivera-Calanoc began boxing at age 11 as a means of emulating her childhood hero, Oscar De La Hoya.
Also 28 years of age, Aniano brings over a decade of experience in martial arts to the BattleGrounds MMA cage. A former high school and collegiate wrestler who competed in freestyle rules wrestling tournaments while attending community college, Aniano added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to her repertoire and continued studying the submission fighting art while pursuing a master’s degree in education at the University of Michigan.
After graduating in 2010, Aniano moved to Kalamazoo to train under Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt Clint Crabtree and MMA coach Master Amir Khillah. Aniano also holds a position as an alternative education middle school teacher where she mentors at youth risk.
Slated for action in the one-night, eight-man BattleGrounds MMA tournament are fellow submission aces Dennis Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; two-time, one-night tournament winner Brock Larson (37-8) of Brainerd, Minn.; Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif.; Josh Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow; and Roan Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga.
Additional bouts will be announced soon.
Tickets for the BattleGrounds MMA event, priced from $65, can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com as well as at Arby’s Box Office at the BOK Center, all ticket outlets, or by calling 1-800-7-BOKCTR.
Doors at BOK Center open at 6 p.m. CST on June 27. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7:15 p.m.
About BattleGrounds MMA BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) is a world championship professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion designed to place combative sports athletes on a major stage in the most challenging and exciting format possible: one-night, single-elimination tournaments that reveal the toughest competitors in their respective weight divisions. Launched by Olympic wrestling legend Kenny Monday and Bryan O’Rourke in 2012 as a regional organization in Tulsa, OK to unearth promising new talent in one of MMA’s biggest hotbeds, the promotion is quickly capturing the hearts of fans nationwide as it brings about an exciting new era in the world’s fastest growing sport.
About the BOK Center: The BOK Center is Tulsa’s state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue that opened in fall 2008. The 19,199-seat arena is home to the WNBA Tulsa Shock and the CHL Tulsa Oilers. The BOK Center was designed to host major concerts, family shows, ice shows, and other world class entertainment. Owned by the City Of Tulsa, the BOK Center is part of Vision 2025, a project to grow economic and community infrastructure for future generations. In 2011, the BOK Center won the prestigious International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Excellence Award.
About SMG Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 14.4 million square feet of exhibition space and over 1.75 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s Reliant Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions, catering and special events division, SAVOR, currently servicing more than 100 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com.