IFL

IFL Connecticut Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tonight’s International Fight League event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut are below. All fighters successfully made weight on their first try with the exception of Josh Souder, who needed only a few minutes to cut his extra weight.

The event will feature a total of three title bouts. IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson will defend his title against last-minute injury replacement Brad Imes, who was the heavyweight runner-up on the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

IFL middleweight king Ryan McGivern will also take on New Jersey native Dan Miller and lightweight champion Ryan Schultz will make his second title defense against submission artist Deividas Taurosevicius.

Championship Fights:

Roy Nelson (264.2 lbs) vs. Brad Imes (249.2 lbs)
Ryan Schultz (154 lbs) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (154 lbs)
Ryan McGivern (181.2 lbs) vs. Dan Miller (180.5 lbs)

Non-Title Fights:

Matt Horwich (185.7 lbs) vs. Joey Guel (185.5 lbs)
Zac George (155.2 lbs) vs. Josh Souder (155.2 lbs)
Lamont Lister (205.2 lbs) vs. Aaron Stark (205.7 lbs)
John Franchi (155 lbs) vs. Frank Latina (152 lbs)
Nick Calandrino (170 lbs) vs. John Howard (170.5 lbs)
Mike Massenzio (185.2 lbs) vs. Danillo Villefort (184.7 lbs)

Imes Replaces Hinkle at IFL Next Week

NEW YORK - Mixed martial arts veteran Brad Imes (Sacramento, Calif.) will challenge Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) for the heavyweight championship as part of the nine-bout card as the International Fight League returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, May 16. Imes replaces Branden Lee Hinkle (Weirton, W. Va.), who was injured in training.

A training injury to Fabricio Camoes of Brazil also necessitated a change in a non-championship lightweight bout. Frank Latina (Middletown, Conn.) will battle John Franchi (Cortland, N.Y.). Jim Miller (Sparta, N.J.), originally slated to face Camoes, withdrew from the bout following the injury to Camoes.

Imes, known as “The Hillbilly Heartthrob,” trains with Miletich Fighting Systems in Iowa. He He has competed in several MMA organizations, and was notably a finalist in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter television series. Imes is 11-4 in his MMA career and will be making his IFL debut. May 16 will also mark the first IFL bouts for Latina (4-1 overall) and Franchi (3-0).

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IFL to Announce August 15 Show and the HEX

MMAonTap has learned that the IFL is set to announce their next event, set for August 15th, 2008.  For the third time in the last year, an IFL fight card will emanate from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.  Pre-sale tickets go on sale today, May 8th at 11:00am, using the password “IFL” for access.

But the bigger news is that the IFL will be using a new fighting surface for the event.  Replacing the traditional 4 sided boxing ring will be a 6 sided roped design.  From our source…

The night will also feature the world debut of “The HEX”, the IFL’s brand new six-sided ring. This is the future fighting surface for all of MMA.  To introduce this new era in fighting, the IFL Summer Throwdown fight card will present the most explosive Mixed Martial Arts action the East Coast has ever seen!

In addition to several title defenses between IFL champions and top young talent, a group of Eastern European superstars will clash and other groundbreaking fights will be announced.

With the dire financial outlook and rumors of its impending demise, the IFL is looking to shake things up once again to resuscitate itself. 

IFL Announces Complete Card for May Event

NEW YORK - Seven mixed martial arts professionals have been added to the nine-bout card as the International Fight League returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, May 16. HDNet will again have live television coverage of the event.

The added fighters include –Danillo Villefort and Josh Souder, who competed at IFL Draft events last September. Also added is Jim Miller, who is coming off an impressive victory in his IFL debut at the Izod Center in E. Rutherford, N.J. earlier this month.

Also newly named to the card are Lamont Lister, Joey Guel, Fabricio Camoes, and Nick Calandrino. The bouts involving the added athletes include:

•Lamont Lister vs. Aaron Stark (205 lbs)
•Nick Calandrino vs. John Howard (170 lbs)
•Josh Souder vs. Zac George (155 lbs)
•Joey Guel vs. Matt Horwich (185 lbs)
•Fabricio Camoes vs. Jim Miller (155 lbs)
•Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio (185 lbs)

As previously announced, three IFL Champions will put their respective titles on the line to headline the card, as Ryan McGivern takes on Dan Miller at middleweight, Roy Nelson battles Branden Lee Hinkle at heavyweight, and Ryan Schultz defends against Deividas Taurosevicius at lightweight.

The preliminary bouts feature athletes from four noted MMA camps, including Team Quest, Team Bombsquad, World Class Fight Center and Team Prodigy.

Report: Matyushenko to Defend Against Ferreira in July

It seems that IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko may already have an opponent for his next title defense as he will likely take on Brazilian Top Team product Alexandre Ferreira at a yet to be announced event in July.

Brazilian magazine Tatame confirmed the potential bout with Ferreira’s IFL coach, Mario Sperry.

“Ferreira was great and impressed a lot in his last fight,” Sperry said in the report. “He’ll fight for the belt. We received the proposal and already accepted it.”

Matyushenko was successful in his first title defense last weekend at an IFL event in New Jersey, stopping light heavyweight prospect Jamal Patterson with strikes in the second round. The win extended the Russian’s winning streak to eight straight fights.

Ferreira was victorious in his IFL debut in February, submitting American Top Team’s Lew Polley. The veteran’s career stretches back all the way to 1998 and includes wins over Heath Herring, Bob Schrijber, and Brandon Lee Hinkle.

Live from Ringside: Observations from the IFL 4/4 Show

The International Fight League returned to the Izod Center in New Jersey tonight, presenting what may very well have been the deepest fight card in the promotion’s history.  It turned out to be very exciting night of fights that included some massive knockouts along with a vicious submission toward the end of the night. 

With the IFL just opening up the lower level of the Izod Center while curtaining the upper, it looked like a great venue.  It was set up a bit differently than the last time the IFL was in town for the League semi-finals last August.  And while the crowd ended up filling 2/3 of the bottom bowl, it was a good deal less than last year’s.  The theme of the night within the crowd seemed to be cheering for the underdog, as each had some very vocal supporters in the crowd.  To my happiness, I had the pleasure of sitting next to some extremely knowledgeable fans who really knew and appreciated the sport.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to sit next to the guy 3 sections over screaming “use the elbows!”, something that is illegal in the IFL.  I’d like to thank Drew and friends for their conversation and knowledge of the sport.  On to the action!

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Champions Retain Titles at IFL New Jersey Show

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - International Fight League titleholders Vladimir ““The Janitor”” Matyushenko, Wagnney Fabiano, and Jay “"The Thorobred"” Hieron each retained their respective titles at the IFL event at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. in front of 5,131 spectators this evening.

Matyushenko weathered a strong first round by Jamal ““The Suit”” Patterson, then punished the challenger with a series of right hands before the bout was stopped with 30 seconds left in the second round.

Fabiano, known for his world-class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expertise, stunned Shad Lierley with a solid punch just 37 seconds into the first round to record the KO.

Hieron dominated the entire round against Mark Miller, finishing the round with ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in for the TKO.

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Three Title Fights Headline IFL Tonight

The International Fight League will jump back into action with the first of two events in two months as the promotion travels to the Izod Center (formerly Continental Airlines Arena) in East Rutherford, New Jersey for their second show in 2008.

The card for the event might very well be the deepest lineup the organization has put together since it’s inception in January 2006. Matchmaker Kurt Otto has put together three championship fights as well as an undercard featuring the likes of Bart Palaszewski, Chris Horodecki, and UFC veterans Carmelo Marrero and Alex Schoenauer.

Tonight’s event will be televised live on HDNet beginning at 8:30 PM ET. Here’s a little preview of tonight’s bouts.

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IFL New Jersey Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tomorrow night’s International Fight League show in New Jersey are below. All fighters successfully made weight.

The event features a total of three championship fights. IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko will make his first title defense against New Jersey native Jamal Patterson. Popular welterweight champion and Xtreme Couture product Jay Hieron will attempt to keep his belt around his waist when he goes up against former U.S. Marine Mark Miller.

Featherweight convert Shad Lierley will challenge Wagnney Fabiano for his title. Chris Horodecki, Bart Palaszewski, and Alex Schoenauer also return to action in separate bouts.

Championship Fights:

Vladimir Matyushenko (205 lbs) vs. Jamal Patterson (205)
Jay Hieron (170 lbs) vs. Mark Miller (170 lbs)
Wagnney Fabiano (145 lbs) vs. Shad Lierley (145 lbs)

Undercard Bouts:

Delson Heleno (170 lbs) vs. Brad Blackburn (171 lbs)
Jim Miller (155 lbs) vs. Bart Palaszewski (155 lbs)
Nate Lamotte (155 lbs) vs. Chris Horodecki (154 lbs)
Mike Ciesnolevicz (206 lbs) vs. Carmelo Marrero (205 lbs)
Emyr Bussade (170 lbs) vs. Jesse Lennox (170 lbs)
Rafael Dias (145 lbs) vs. L.C. Davis (145 lbs)
Alex Schoenauer (204 lbs) vs. Brendan Barrett (205 lbs)

IFL Announces Three Title Bouts for May

NEW YORK - Two IFL stars, Roy Nelson and Ryan Schultz will make their second respective title defenses and another, Ryan McGivern will make his first when the International Fight League returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a minimum of nine bouts scheduled for Friday, May 16.

HDNet will have live television coverage of the event.

The night will also mark the IFL debuts for the Bomb Squad, a Northeast-based camp which will take on Mario Sperry’’s World Class Fight Center from Las Vegas, and for Team Prodigy, an Ohio-based camp which will battle Matt Lindland’’s Team Quest of Portland, Ore.

In the title bouts, Nelson will defend his heavyweight belt against UFC veteran Branden Lee Hinkle. Nelson won the title in December at Mohegan Sun with a knockout of Antoine Jaoude, then defended with a decisive first-round TKO over Fabiano Scherner in Las Vegas in February.

Schultz will battle Deividas Taurosevicius for the lightweight crown. Schultz also won his title in his last visit to Mohegan Sun in December, bouncing Chris Horodecki from the ranks of the unbeaten, then earned a decision win over John Gunderson in Las Vegas in February to defend.

McGivern, one of the most improved fighters in the IFL, took the middleweight belt from Matt Horwich in February and has won three of his past four bouts.

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