JANUARY 9, 2006 – HDNet brings the exciting sport of mixed martial arts into television viewers’ homes with the live high definition telecast of World Extreme Cagefighting: “Unfinished Business,” premiering on HDNet Friday, January 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
At 9:00 p.m. ET, prior to the live event, HDNet will air a half-hour original program World Extreme Cagefighting: “Exposed,” where HDNet host Ron Kruck previews the matches and prepares viewers to enter the cage with this one-of-a-kind pre-fight show.
“World Extreme Cagefighting is the premier fighting sport for the 21st Century,” said Scott Adams, President of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). “Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, as it is commonly known, combines all the fighting disciplines into one event, pitting wrestlers against kick boxers, boxers against karate experts, etc. In fact, many of our fighters come into the cage cross-trained in all the disciplines, making them very dangerous fighters,” explained Adams. “Currently, Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and our sport has really benefited from the exposure we have received from the WEC telecasts on HDNet.”
The 90-minute live event, from the Tachi Hotel and Casino in Lemoore California, will feature five exciting bouts, with the main event pitting Marco Ruas Vale Tudo expert Justin “The Executioner” Levens against Capital City Fighting Alliance’s Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith. Smith, who recently won the four-man tournament at WEC 18, will prove to be Levens’ toughest match to date. This fight has been highly anticipated by WEC fans since the tournament and should round out a stellar night of mixed martial arts fights.
A number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veterans will join the January 13th WEC card with Richard “Cleat” Crunkilton, Chris “Light Out” Lytle, Shonie “Mr. International” Carter and Mike Kyle all competing on the card.
About World Extreme CagefightingKnown as WEC throughout the MMA community, World Extreme Cagefighting has made a reputation as one of the premier fighting organizations by matching some of the top names in the sport and focusing on the “up-and-comers” in the fight game. “We really focus on our matches, trying to put people together in the cage that will make for the most exciting fights,” states Adams. “We spend a lot of time at gyms around the country looking at potential fighters to insure the quality of our events.”
About HDNetCo-founded by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, HDNet (www.hd.net) provides viewers with exciting and topical news, sports, music and entertainment programming. The 24-hour all-high definition network features up to 20 hours of new original programming each week, all produced in the highest quality 1080i HDTV format – more original high-definition programming than any other network. HDNet news and entertainment programming includes original series “HDNet World Report,” “Face 2 Face with Roy Firestone,” “Debate,” “HDNet Concert Series,” and “True Music,” as well as acquired programs such as every episode of the acclaimed Warner Bros. series “Smallville.” Live sports productions include National Hockey League and Major League Soccer games and NASCAR Grand National Division auto racing. HDNet Movies, the company’s second network, is the exclusive home of day and date movie releases including “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” “The War Within,” and “Bubble.” HDNet Movies also features a wide selection of major studio theatrical releases – all uncut, unedited, and appearing in their original aspect ratio – as well as features produced and finished in true 1080i high-definition. The HDNet networks are available on Adelphia, Bright House, Charter, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit www.hd.net.