(PRESS RELEASE) -- DAYTONA BEACH, FLA., - World Series of Fighting's President Ray Sefo (above, at right) and WSOF welterweight star Jon Fitch (at left) brightened the day of children, patients and staff members during a visit to the Halifax Health Medical Center Pediatrics and Orthopedic wards on Thursday.
The World Series of Fighting promotion's inaugural NBC-broadcast event, "World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell," will take place on Saturday at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., The undercard will start at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The live, NBC-broadcast four-fight main card begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
On Friday at 11 a.m. the public is invited to attend the official weigh-in at the Daytona Beach Hilton.
One-year-old Eli Velazquez (above) took a liking to Sefo, who held the baby while his parents Ty and Lacey looked on. Ty is part of the Armed Forces and recently served a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Fitch thanked him for his service and handed the family tickets to Saturday's fights.
Eight-year-old Daytona Beach resident Kamar Vernon (above) said he was a huge Washington Redskins fan, but also enjoys watching MMA. Vernon is in the hospital because he suffers from sickle cell anemia.
"You guys made this the best hospital visit a guy could possibly have," said Jesse Manis, 24 (above), who suffered an injury after falling off a ladder. Manis said he's hoping to get out of the hospital Friday and planned to make it to the fights.
World Series of Fighting 11 is headlined by a lightweight championship bout with the exciting Justin Gaethje (11-0) putting his belt on the line against the extremely tough and talented "Notorious" Nick Newell (11-0). Also on the card, a highly anticipated welterweight matchup pitting Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jon Fitch (25-6-1, 1 NC) against MMA veteran Dennis Hallman (53-14-2. Additionally, newly signed lightweight Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard (31-13-2) debuts against Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (18-7-1) and Cody "Bam Bam" Bollinger (15-2, 1 NC) faces a dangerous 14-year veteran in Pablo Alfonso (9-5) in an intriguing bantamweight contest.
Tickets for the event start at just $29 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or WSOF.com. Doors at the Ocean Center will open to fans at 1 p.m. ET local time, with an NBCSports.com-streamed undercard beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The live, NBC-broadcast four-fight main card begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
About WSOF World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. 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 GROUP When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 12 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, World Series of Fighting, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.
About Ocean Center The Ocean Center aims to be recognized as the premier convention facility in the Southeast. The Ocean Center offers competitive rates and excellent customer service and is conveniently located in east Central Florida. A service of Volusia County Government, the Ocean Center can accommodate meetings of 10 to 10,000 and offers more than 205,000 square feet of interior exhibit, meeting and convention space. Learn more at www.oceancenter.com.