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UFC VET
SHANNON GUGERTY
TO REPLACE
MARCUS AURELIO IN GRAND PRIX
Aurelio
suffers injury in training; forced to pull out of tourney
NEWKIRK, OK (September 8, 2010)
- As anyone involved in
the sport of mixed martial arts can tell you, injuries can happen at
anytime. UFC/PRIDE veteran Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio is no exception
to that concept. After sustaining an injury while training for this
weekend’s Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix, the Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu master has been forced to vacate his spot in the tourney.
Taking his place will be fellow submission specialist Shannon
Gugerty.
A UFC veteran in his own right,
Gugerty is a brown belt in
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under famed grappler Dean Lister. He began his
professional MMA career successfully with a submission victory over
current WEC mainstay Cub Swanson. After amassing a 10-2 record, he
was invited to compete for the Ultimate Fighting Championships,
where he has fought five times. During his time with the UFC,
Gugerty was able to rack up wins over Dale Hartt and Matt Grice. The
28 year-old San Diego native trains at Victory MMA with fellow
notables Jeremy Stephens, Court McGee, Toby Imada, Peter Sobotta,
Joe Brammer, and Tomas Drwal.
Jason Chamber, Shine Fight COO
stated, “I am sad to see Marcus pull out of the tournament and wish
him a fast recovery. Stepping up to a challenge of this magnitude on
3 days notice is a very daunting task- it is a testament to what a
warrior Shannon Gugerty is. We are excited to see him compete!"
The Shine Fights Lightweight Grand
Prix is a unique throwback to the original format of mixed martial
arts. Fighters will need to be at their best in order to win the
tourney and in the process gain the glory that comes along with
victory. The Grand Prix will be contested under standard Nevada
State Athletic Commission rules for MMA. Each of the eight 155 lb.
fighters will be paired off in the tournament's opening round, with
the four winners moving on to round two. The two winners of round
two will move on to the tournament's final round, and battle for the
championship. The single-elimination format means that the
tournament winner will need to win three bouts that evening. Rounds
one and two of the tournament will be composed of two 5-minute
rounds. They will also have a three-minute overtime if needed to
decide a winner. Round three (the finals) will increase to three
5-minute rounds. There will be two alternate bouts held in case of
an injury.
Some of the
best 155 lb. fighters in the world will compete in the tournament, a
colorful array of combatants that will lay it all on the line in
order to capture the Shine Fights Lightweight Championship. This
group of outstanding athletes includes Rich “Cleat” Crunkilton,
“Alley Cat” Kyle Baker, James Warfield, Drew Fickett, Carlo Prater,
and Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett.
This Grand
Prix Tournament will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the
United States and Canada. The event will be in High Definition and
it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available).
The Grand Prix Tournament will be distributed live on Pay Per View
beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST by Multi Vision Media, Inc. The
suggested retail price is $29.95.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for
the Mixed Martial Arts Tournament at the First Council Casino on
Friday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets which are on sale now are
priced at $250, $175, $95, $65, and $35. Tickets will be available
through Ticketstorm.com and the First Council Casino box office by
calling 866-966-1777.
To learn more about Shine Fight
Promotions, visit
www.shinefights.com
or follow the organization on Twitter Twitter.com/ShineFightsMMA ,
Myspace (www.myspace.com/ShineFights),
YouTube (www.youtube.com/ShineFights) or become a fan on Facebook.
CONTACTS:
Gladys M. Rosa, Rosa
PR 914-734-7336,
RPRLatin@aol.com
Tania Rivera, Rosa PR
914-734-7336,
Tania.Rivera@Rosapublicrelations.com
Donald Tremblay, Tremblay PR
718-664-3405,
dtremblay@earthlink.com
Sheila Francis, Patriot Center PR
202-628-3200 x. 6042,
sfrancis@washsports.com
About Shine Fight Promotions
Shine Fight Promotions, LLC is a
U.S.-based organization that seeks to deliver the art, discipline,
respect, and passion that is mixed martial arts (MMA) to the global
market. Shine is committed to the growth of MMA, and is focused on
creating a positive experience for both fighters and fans.
Organizing the fights that fighters and fans want to see by
arranging the most competitive and interesting matches available is
the foremost goal of the promotion. Shine Fight Promotion seeks to
grow through innovation, high production values, dramatic and
engaging fights, and the promotion of authentic MMA. Above all,
Shine is committed to letting fighters, fans, and the sport “shine”
through dynamic events. For additional information on Shine Fights,
please visit
http://www.shinefights.com/
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