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(Strikeforce press
release)
Undefeated BILLY EVANGELISTA vs. “IRON”
MIKE AINA
Headlines Inaugural Event for Up-And-Coming Fighters;
Friday, May 15 from Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.;
Five-Fight Telecast Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT
NEW YORK (May 12, 2009)—Undefeated lightweight (155-pound. limit)
sensation Billy Evangelista (9-0) will fight hard-hitting brawler
and BJ Penn protégé “Iron” Mike Aina (11-6-1) in the main event of
the inaugural, newly titled Strikeforce Challengers series from
leading MMA promoter Strikeforce and premium television network
SHOWTIME , on Friday, May 15 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA
fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects
with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and
demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event. Friday’s
SHOWTIME telecast will air live beginning at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed
on the west coast).
In other SHOWTIME fights: Sarah Kaufman (8-0) of Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada, faces Meisha Tate (6-1) of Olympia, Wash., in a
terrific women’s match at 135 pounds; Lavar Johnson (11-3) of Fresno
throws down with Carl Seumanutafa (4-2), a Samoan based in San
Francisco, in a heavyweight fight; Anthony “A Train” Ruiz (21-12) of
Coarsegold, Calif., takes on San Antonio’s Aaron Rosa (11-2) in a
light heavyweight bout and Bao Quach (15-9-1) of Huntington Beach,
Calif., takes on Tito Jones (6-2) of Sacramento, Calif., in a
featherweight scrap.
“This is where the men—and women—will be separated from the boys, so
to speak,” said Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker . “The
growth and future of our sport just got a turbo injection. For
regional fighters and up-and-coming men and women looking to test
themselves against other top prospects and get on the fast track to
stardom, Strikeforce Challengers is the place to do it. I can’t
wait for this first event.”
Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event are on sale at the
Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as
well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster
online (
www.ticketmaster.com ) and Strikeforce’s official website (
www.strikeforce.com ). Doors open at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first
live, non-televised, preliminary bout is 6 p.m. (see below for
matchups).
“I don’t know anything about my opponent, but it doesn’t matter
because I know he’s going to try to take me out like everyone else
has, so it’ll be my job to react to whatever he does,” said the
28-year-old Evangelista, who fights out of Fresno. “I’ve got a
great team behind me and I’ve been training really hard so I’m not
worried.”
A finely tuned Muay Thai technician and wrestling expert,
Evangelista notched his last Strikeforce victory by turning the
tides on road warrior Luke “Lil’ Hulk” Caudillo in a thrilling
slugfest at Broomfield, Colo., on Oct. 3, 2008. After being
dropped twice with punches in the first round, a determined
Evangelista battled back in the following two rounds to earn a
unanimous decision.
Three and a half months prior to his conquest of Caudillo,
Evangelista secured a key win over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Nam
Phan in Strikeforce action at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The 28-year-old Aina has never been stopped as a pro. Born and
raised in Hilo, Hawaii, he has been a student of MMA superstar Penn
for six years and has since developed a dangerous, hybrid fighting
style that favors dirty boxing and kickboxing and is supported by a
strong Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu foundation.
“It’s a big opportunity for me,” said Aina of the matchup with
Evangelista. “Billy is no slouch. I’m expecting a really tough
fight because we have similar styles. We both like to stand up
even though we’re both also well rounded. I’m going in with a
positive mindset and I’m ready to work hard in there.”
Aina nearly pulled off a stunning upset over superstar Nick Diaz
when the two faced off in Hilo on Sept. 15, 2007, on SHOWTIME.
Aina stalked Diaz early in their matchup and got the better of Diaz
in a few of their exchanges. By the third round, however, fatigue
set in and Aina’s pace slowed while Diaz, known for his outstanding
stamina, continued to dish out punishment before earning a split
decision.
“I kind of wore out as the fight went on,” admitted Aina. “Nick
stands up in front of you and doesn’t give you a break. I definitely
think I won the first two rounds, hands down, but that’s why you
can’t leave things in the hands of the judges. That fight definitely
tested my character and helped bring my game to the next level.”
Since the loss to Diaz, Aina has reeled off two consecutive
victories, his last being a first-round submission of Ismael
Gonzalves on Aug. 9, 2008.
For Kaufman, punching and kicking opponents is a far cry from her
former passion. She’s been dancing since the ripe age of two. At
eight years old, the five-foot, five-inch Kaufman joined a dance
company and soon after began performing in musicals, dancing to
everything from ballet to jazz to hip-hop.
It was a few years ago that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Adam
Zugec opened an MMA school directly underneath the dance studio
where Kaufman practiced daily. After trying a single aerobic
kickboxing class, she quickly gravitated towards martial arts.
Since her professional MMA debut three years ago, Kaufman has added
a breath of athleticism as well as credibility to the women’s field
of competitors in the sport with the speed and force of her hands.
Tate was introduced to wrestling during her teen years when a
girlfriend convinced her to join their all-boys high school
wrestling team. Tate’s passion for the sport developed as she
learned. Eventually, wrestling led Tate to join the MMA club at
Central Washington University.
Last year, Tate enlisted with Victory Athletics, the elite fight
squad headed by MMA star Dennis “Superman” Hallman .
“He’s got so much to offer technically,” she said about her mentor.
“He comes from a wrestling background so his fighting style is
very similar to the one I want to develop.”
Johnson, a standout football player as an outside linebacker ay
Madera (Calif.) High, began his MMA training in the garage of his
friend’s mother after getting the urge to fight following two
victories in Tough Man Competitions in 2002.
A large, powerful and athletic fighter, Johnson rebounded after
losing his MMA debut to register seven straight triumphs by
stoppage. He lost two straight after the winning streak but has
looked completely refocused in his last four, taking all by either
knockout or TKO.
Seumanutafa, who possesses strong Jiu-Jitsu skills for a fighter his
size, will try to regain his winning ways after going 4-0 at the
outset of his career. He suffered his first defeat to Shane Del
Rosario on Sept. 26, 2008, on SHOWTIME. In his last outing,
Seumanutafa came up on the wrong end of a split
decision to Edson Franca on Feb. 21, 2009.
Rosa was victorious in his first 10 starts as a professional.
Following two losses in a row, he stopped Ron “Killing” Fields in
the second round in Chicago, Ill., on June 14, 2008.
Ruiz, a former Strikeforce light heavyweight championship
challenger, last saw action at Strikeforce’s second event at the
world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he lost
a unanimous decision to former South African national wrestling
champion Trevor Prangley .
Quach is a determined fighter and submission specialist who has
turned his career upside down, winning nine of his last 10 starts
due in large part to improved striking honed through amateur Muay
Thai fights. He will have a huge experience advantage in this one.
Jones, who is taking a step up in class, is a rising star who loves
to entertain the crowd. His only losses have come in fights outside
his natural 145-pound weight class.
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from cageside with Stephen
Quadros and Pat Miletich serving as expert analysts. The executive
producer is David Dinkins, Jr. , with Richard Gaughan producing and
Rick Phillips directing.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive
behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast info
and more, visit the SHOWTIME Sports website at
http://www.sho.com/sports .
Friday’s non-televised fights : Ben Holscher (1-0) of Fresno vs.
Cody Cantebury (1-3-1) of Sacramento at 160 pounds; Zoila Frausto
(1-0) of Fresno vs. Avery Vilche (1-0-1) of Redbluff, Calif., at 125
pounds; Ousmane Thomas Diagne (debut) of San Jose, Calif., vs. Kaleo
Kwan (7-9) of Kailua, Hawaii, in a lightweight fight; Fabricio
“Morango” Camoes (9-4) of Brazil vs. Torrance Taylor (7-5-1) of
Cleveland, Ohio and Chad Sutton (2-1) of Fresno vs. Spencer Herns
(debut) of San Jose at 185 pounds.
About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion
which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock
vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight
card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a
sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been
the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and,
after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts
series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast
Productions, the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with
Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in
2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose
Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS
Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks
SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex
channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®,
SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY
ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE
MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON
DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture
between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide
enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes
sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a
pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
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