(PRESS RELEASE) -- LAS VEGAS - Fresh off a successful debut on network television, World Series of Fighting returns to NBCSN for "World Series of Fighting 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez," which takes place Aug. 9 at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
In the night's co-feature, Brazilian brawler Ronny Markes (14-3) returns to light heavyweight to make his World Series of Fighting debut against undefeated submission machine Kelvin Tiller (6-0).
The night's main card also features a middleweight attraction when Bosnian-born Elvis Mutapcic (13-3) returns to the World Series of Fighting decagon against undefeated Bulgarian-born standout Krasimir Mladenov (11-0). Two exciting bantamweights kick off the NBCSN telecast, as ageless Olympian Alexis Vila (13-4) takes on Brandon Hempleman (9-2).
"We had an incredible July event on network television, and our roster is full of hungry fighters who want to have that same type of opportunity," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "We're happy to be back at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for World Series of Fighting 12, where all four main-card matchups feature fighters who can really make an impact with a solid performance, and it's capped off by what looks like a thrilling fight between Luis Palomino and Lewis Gonzalez, both of whom want to be the next to challenge our incredible lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje."
The evening's main card airs live on NBCSN. The broadcast begins on Saturday, August 9, at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT local time). Preliminary contests will be announced shortly and will stream live on NBCSN.com.
Tickets for "World Series of Fighting 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez" start at just $39 and are on sale now at AXS.com.
Luis Palomino returns to action for the first time since a "Fight of the Year" candidate knockout win over Jorge Patino at January's World Series of Fighting 8 event. The eight-year veteran boasts 12 knockouts among his 22 career wins and is known for putting on thrilling performances. He now meets gritty 26-year-old Lewis Gonzalez, who is unbeaten through the first nine fights of his professional career. Gonzalez made an immediate impact at World Series of Fighting in his promotional debut, scoring an upset win over gritty veteran Antonio McKee at World Series of Fighting 4.
The 26-year-old Ronny Markes is a member of Brazil's famed Nova Uniao fight team, home to some of the top fighters in the world. Markes returns to the 205-pound division, where he won 12 of his 13 bouts as professional before embarking on a four-fight run at middleweight. He now meets the undefeated Kelvin Tiller, who is perfect through the first six fights of his career and now looks to prove himself on a national stage. Tiller has earned four of his six wins by submission, and three of those came in the opening round.
Elvis Mutapcic was a member of World Series of Fighting's inaugural middleweight championship tournament but suffered a decision loss to tourney finalist Jesse Taylor. Still, Mutapcic is 5-1 in his past six career outings, and 11 of his 13 career wins have come by knockout or submission. Meanwhile, the durable fighter has never been finished, as all three of his losses came by way of decision. He now meets Krasimir Mladenov, who has already notched a pair of wins under the World Series of Fighting banner with past victories over Angel DeAnda and Kendrick Miree.
Alexis Vila remains one of the top bantamweights in the world, even at 43 years old. The Cuban national was a bronze medal-winning wrestler at the 1996 Summer Olympics and is currently 3-1 in his past four fights, with the lone loss coming in a heartbreaking decision result to a game Josh Rettinghouse at World Series of Fighting 6. He now faces Brandon Hempleman, who came up short in a hard-fought No. 1 contender fight against current World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes at World Series of Fighting 4. Hempleman lost the fight but gained fans as he weathered an incredible storm of offense in a losing result that snapped six-fight winning streak.
About "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) is a world wide premier profesional 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 NBC Sports Network NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas' off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport. The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC. Built in 1995, the property completed a $750 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana, Mötley Crüe and Guns N' Roses have all performed. Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 guest rooms, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites and the all-suite HRH Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 72,000 square feet of casino space featuring Peacock High-Limit gaming and Asian gaming amenities; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $4 million in rare music memorabilia; Body English Nightclub; Reliquary Water Sanctuary, Spa & Salon; 4.5 acres of tropical pool paradise housing world-famous pool parties REHAB Sunday and RELAX Monday; live music/entertainment venues The Joint and Vinyl; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants Culinary Dropout, Nobu, The Ainsworth, 35 Steaks + Martinis, Pink Taco, Mr. Lucky's Café and 福Fú; a state-of-the-art fitness center and trendsetting retailers John Varvatos, Affliction, Love Jones, Rocks The Jewelers and Rock Paper Photo. For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit hardrockhotel.com. Follow Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.