SABRES, WOLFPACK FEATURED MONDAY ON “IFL BATTLEGROUND” on MyNetworkTV
L.A. Native McKee Takes Viewers Back To His Roots; Belarus Native Matyushenko Also Among Top International Fight League Athletes Highlighted
NEW YORK, July 4, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one professional mixed martial arts league, takes a look at the matchup between the Tokyo Sabres and Portland Wolfpack, with a playoff berth on the line, in the next episode of “IFL Battleground” on Monday, July 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT). “IFL Battleground” airs every Monday night, with a replay on Saturday, on MyNetworkTV.
One of the highlights of the episode is a profile on the Sabres’ welterweight Antonio McKee (Lakewood, Calif.), who organizes a program for inner-city youths to help them use wrestling and martial arts to stay out of trouble. McKee also takes viewers back to the neighborhood where he grew up, even pointing out the spot where he was once the victim of a stray gunshot. McKee battles Jersey Shore transplant Mike Dolce (Belmar, N.J.), who scored a KO in under 20 seconds in his first IFL bout
Many of the league’s top stars and matchups are profiled in and out of the ring in the episode, which features action from the Everett Events Center in Everett, Wash., including:
• Belarus native Vladimir Matyushenko (El Segundo, Calif.), who as a member of the Belarus national wrestling team defected to the U.S. in 1993 with little money and speaking no English, then build a life through his wrestling and then MMA skills, takes on the Wolfpack’s Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.), who manages his family’s vineyard in Oregon.• Savant Young (Pasadena, Calif.), born in South Central L.A., and an automobile enthusiast who has rebuilt several cars, including the Mazda RX-3 he currently owns, puts his unbeaten IFL mark on the line against Wolfpack lightweight Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.), a former Big XII wrestler at Nebraska.• The Wolfpack’s bible-toting middleweight Matt Horwich (Gresham, Ore.) looks to dispense his own brand of Gospel against the Sabres’ veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Tokyo), the only remaining member from the ’06 Sabres squad, and its only Japanese native.
Additionally, the search for the next IFL Ring Girls continues, with audition footage from Everett.
Viewers can find their local MyNetworkTV affiliate at www.mynetworktv.com/local_stations.html.
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.