YAMMA PIT FIGHTING ANNOUNCES FINAL FIGHT CARD INFO
FOR PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT ON APRIL 11
Los Angeles, March 5, 2008 - Today YAMMA Pit Fighting (YPF), a new mixed martial arts (MMA) organization created by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founder Bob Meyrowitz, announced the final details of the organization's first live pay-per-view event. The event, comprised of an eight-man tournament for the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion and two ‘Masters Superfights,' will air live from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on April 11, 2008. Tickets for the event will go on sale March 8 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Trump Taj Mahal Box Office from March 9 onwards. The live pay-per-view broadcast is available in the United States and Canada through In Demand Networks, TVN Entertainment, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada and Dish Network.
The two ‘Masters Superfights' will feature Eric "Butterbean" Esch versus Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge and Oleg "The Russian Bear" Taktarov versus Don "The Predator" Frye. The veteran fighters will face off in ‘Masters Superfights,' one-on-one matches that feature some of MMA's most illustrious and legendary fighters. The April 11th event will also showcase the skill and endurance of eight fearsome competitors in a tournament match. Tournament fighters include: Marcelo "Pato" Pereira, Sherman Pendergarst, Rex Richards (Pictures), Tony Sylvester, Chris Tuscherer, Travis "The Diesel" Wiuff, Alexey Oleynik and George Bush (Pictures). Jeff Blatnick will serve as a commentator for both the Heavyweight Tournament and "Masters Superfights."
The April 11th event will unveil "The YAMMA," an evolution of the traditional fighting structure that will change how the fight is fought and the strategy the fighters must use to win. This new "ring" has been specifically designed to keep the fighting more explosive and continuous.
"For YAMMA Pit Fighting's inaugural event, we've brought together some of the greatest MMA veterans as well as some of the best emerging fighters," said Bob Meyrowitz. "The event will demonstrate that these MMA legends still have a lot to teach and will also advance the tournament fighters towards legendary status themselves."
Eric "Butterbean" Esch is a professional Super-Heavyweight boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Esch has held the title of IBA World Super-Heavyweight Champion, as well as the WWA World Heavyweight title. Esch stands 5 ft 11 tall and weighs 398lbs. He has a MMA record of 11 wins with 4 knockouts, 6 losses and 1 draw.
Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge, a UFC/Pride/K-1 veteran, was born in Trinidad & Tobago and now resides in Ontario, Canada. Goodridge is known for his devastating strikes and showmanship. He first turned heads in the MMA scene with his victory over Paul Herrera (Pictures) in UFC 8. Goodridge is also a top-ranked contender in professional arm wrestling. He stands 6 ft 3 in tall and weighs 240lbs and has a record of 23-15-1.
For the first time in over a decade, MMA will return to its origins by reviving the hugely popular tournament format, in which fighters will participate in multiple fights on their way to claiming the ultimate victory, the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion. The format will test the endurance and skill of each fighter, as victory in each round is rewarded not with extended rest, but with another fight. Tournament fighting has long been a huge draw for dedicated MMA fans due to the non-stop action provided by fight-after-fight formatting.
The two newly announced MMA fighters are:
· Alexey Oleynik - a 6'1" 220 pound fighter on Russia's #1 team, Red Devil Sports Club, and an M-1 and Bodog veteran with an MMA record of 4-3-0
· George Bush (Pictures) - a 6' 1" 235 pound fighter from Columbus, OH with a MMA record of 5-0-0
The April 11th fight card is as follows:
MASTERS SUPERFIGHTS
Oleg Taktarov vs. Don Frye (Pictures)
Eric Esch (Pictures) vs. Gary Goodridge (Pictures)
8 MAN HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
Marcelo Pereira
Sherman Pendergarst
Rex Richards (Pictures)
Tony Sylvester
Chris Tuscherer
Travis Wiuff (Pictures)
Alexey Oleynik
George Bush (Pictures)
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster's extensive network of 81 ticket centers throughout the Delaware Valley including Boscov's, Marshalls and select West Coast Video and Gallery of Sound locations or call Ticketmaster's convenient Charge-by-Phone service at 1-800-736-1420. For Online Information: www.ticketmaster.com
YAMMA Pit Fighting will be available throughout the Unites States and Canada on pay-per-view. The April 11th live event will carried by In Demand Networks (virtually every cable pay-per-view system in the US - 38 million pay-per-view homes), TVN Entertainment (a leading supplier of on-demand programming & the exclusive provider to Verizon Fios & AT&T U-Verse - 7 million pay-per-view & VOD homes), Bell ExpressVu (the largest pay-per-view provider in Canada - 1.8 million pay-per-view homes), Viewer's Choice Canada (over 1 million pay-per-view homes) and Dish Network (over 14 million satellite pay-per-view homes).
About Rope Partners
Rope Partners, formed by Bob Meyrowitz and Peter Kauff, have over a 20 year track record of pioneering successful ventures in the music, broadcasting and sports industries. As illustrated by their successes in building the largest independent radio syndication company, DIR Broadcasting, The College Television Network, the largest private television network in the United States, and Semaphore Entertainment Group the originator and founder of the UFC.
For more information, visit www.yammapitfighting.com