INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) TO MAKE ITS NEVADA DEBUT IN RENO ON JUNE 16
Reno Events Center to play host to teams coached by world champion Ken Shamrock, jiu-jitsu master Renzo Gracie, MMA champions Don Frye and Carlos Newton
NEW YORK and RENO, Nev., January 17, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, announced today that its inaugural event in Nevada will take place on Saturday, June 16, with an 11-bout card at the Reno Events Center in Reno, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The event is the final date to be announced as part of the full 11-event IFL 2007 schedule, the most comprehensive advance schedule in the history of fight sports. The first season begins this Friday, January 19, at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California.
“The state of Nevada is the centerpiece of some of the greatest events not just in Mixed Martial Arts, but in all of fight sports, and we are very pleased to now join that group by hosting our first Nevada event,” said IFL Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto. “We think the fans who will see the IFL for the first time in Nevada, in the hometown for Ken Shamrock’s Lions, will discover what fans in cities like Portland, Atlantic City, Chicago and the Quad Cities already know…that this event will compare well with any sports and entertainment event in terms of packed action and excitement.”
The matchups at Jenkins Arena will include the Tucson-based Scorpions, coached by WWE and MMA legend Don Frye, taking on the Toronto-based Dragons, coached by MMA world champion Carlos “The Ronin” Newton. Then the hometown Lions, led by world champion Ken Shamrock, will take on the New York-based Pitbulls, led by world jiu-jitsu champion Renzo Gracie. The lineups for each team and an additional Superfight will be announced in the coming months.
Each of the nine regular season IFL events consists of four teams – each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing – along with a special Superfight, for a minimum of 11 bouts per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.
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IFL To Debut in Nevada June 16 – p.2
Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 15.
The 10 venues for the 2007 season (The Forum in Los Angeles will host two events) will scale to between 7,000 and 13,000 seats, which has been consistent with the IFL’s plan of managed growth. The other venues for the inaugural season will include:
• ORACLE Arena (Oakland, Calif.) on Friday, January 19• The Reliant Center (Houston) on Friday, February 2• Gwinnett Center (Atlanta) on Friday, February 23• The Forum (Los Angeles) on Friday, March 17• The MARK of the Quad Cities (Moline, Ill.) on Saturday, April 7• Jenkins Arena/Lakeland Center (Lakeland, Fla.) on Friday, April 13• Sears Centre (Chicago) on Saturday, May 19• Everett Events Center (Everett, Wash.) on Friday, June 12007 Semi-Finals• Continental Airlines Arena (East Rutherford, N.J.) on Thursday, August 22007 Finals• The Forum (Los Angeles) on Saturday, September 15
Tickets for the Reno event will go on sale Feb. 1 and will be available through www.ifl.tv or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, by telephone or at Ticketmaster outlets.
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, NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. 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.
IFL undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. This press release may include the opinions of IFL and does not necessarily include the views of any other person or entity.
The names of all International Fight League, Inc. televised and live programming, teams, images, and logos are trademarks, which are the exclusive property of International Fight League, Inc. All other trademarks and tradenames mentioned in this release are the property of their respective owners, and are not affiliated with IFL in any way.