INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) ANNOUNCES FOUR ADDITIONAL TEAMS FOR 2008 SEASON
Teams to be based in Brazil, France, San Diego and South Korea added for IFL second season
NEW YORK, January 2, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, today announced the addition of four teams expected to begin competition with the 2008 season. The addition of these four teams, to be based in Brazil, France, San Diego and South Korea, brings the number of IFL squads to 17, with 12 competing in the first 11-date IFL season (which begins January 19, 2007, at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, Calif.) and at least five more expected to begin in January 2008.
“We are very excited to continue our worldwide growth by adding these four teams for 2008,” said IFL Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto. “Making this announcement now gives these teams the ability to train together with world champion coaches for a full year so that they are ready to go for their first full season in 2008.”
Expected to coach the four new teams are PRIDE welterweight champion Dan Henderson (coaching a San Diego-based team), 2000 K-1 world champion and world super heavyweight champion Jerome LeBanner (coaching a French team), four-time Korean national champion of judo D.B. Park (coaching a South Korean-based team) and three time world jiu-jitsu champion Mario Sperry (coaching a Brazilian team). These four are in addition to the 2008 British team to be coached by Ian Freeman that was announced in late September. Nicknames and logos for the new squads are to be announced.
The IFL already has teams based in Toronto and Tokyo, in addition to its 10 United States-based teams for 2007. The full 12-team, 11-date IFL 2007 season can be found at www.ifl.tv.
The Silverbacks, coached by Pat Miletich and based in Quad Cities, Iowa/Ill., claimed the 2006 IFL World Team Championship with a 4-1 victory over the Wolfpack, coached by Matt Lindland and based in Portland, Ore., in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, December 29. Miletich’s squad also won the 2006 IFL Legends Championship in June.
About the IFL
International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s first professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv.
Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and IFL’s management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future financial condition, and results of operations. There can be no assurance that future developments actually affecting IFL will be those anticipated.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ (favorably or unfavorably) from the expectations stated in this release include the risks and uncertainties such as the conditions of the markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view, Internet, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed merchandise; acceptance of the Company’s brands, media and merchandise within those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with producing live events; uncertainties associated with international markets; risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television distribution agreements; effects of competition, including locations of competitors and operating and market competition.. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
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