FEDOR EMELIANENKO & ANTONIO “BIG FOOT” SILVA, STRIKEFORCE, M-1 GLOBAL & SHOWTIME EXECUTIVES
To Hold Media Conference Call Thursday, Jan. 13, at Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT
WHO: MMA legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko
Former Heavyweight World Champ Antonio “Big Foot” Silva
STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker
M-1 Global Co-Founder Vadim Finkelchtein
SHOWTIME Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Hershman
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 13, at Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT
ACCESS #: (888) 299-4099 (U.S. Toll Free), (866) 682-1172 (Canadian Toll Free), (302) 709-8337 (International Toll). Ask for STRIKEFORCE/M-1 Global/ SHOWTIME Call (Verbal Passcode: VB60887)
WHAT: The fighters and executives will participate in an international media conference call to discuss the upcoming, highly anticipated STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament that begins on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In the main event, Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) will take on Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event. The co-feature will match former world champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-8) against Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last man to defeat STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem, in the first of two quarterfinal fights in the three-stage, single-elimination tournament on Feb. 12.
The famed Fedor, 34, of Stary Oskol, Russia, will be making his first start since it was announced that STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL, in association with SHOWTIME, had signed a new, multi-year agreement to co-promote events headlined by the MMA legend.
In his last fight, the 6-foot Fedor suffered a shocking upset loss to Fabricio Werdum on June 26, 2010, on SHOWTIME. Until then, Fedor had manufactured an unprecedented, record-setting run of 28 consecutive victories, earning him recognition as the world’s all-time greatest pound-for-pound fighter.
Silva is a 6-foot-4, 31-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who has won eight of his last night fights. All but two of his victories have come by knockout. Only five of his fights have gone past the first round.
CONTACT: Mike Afromowitz, STRIKEFORCE, (917) 566-8754, mafromowitz@strikeforce.com
Eric Nicholl, M-1 Global, (778) 968-0440. EricNicholl.M1@gmail.com
Chris DeBlasio, Showtime Networks Inc. (212) 708-1633 Chris.DeBlasio@Showtime.net
Annie Van Tornhout, Showtime Networks (212) 708-1663 Annie.VanTornhout@Showtime.net
Steve Pratt, Brener Zwikel & Assoc. (818) 462-5602 SteveP@bzapr.com
John Beyrooty, Brener Zwikel & Assoc. (562) 233-7477 JohnnyBey@aol.com