PROELITE.COM and Grapplers Quest Join forces
Sponsorship Deal with World’s Leading Grappling Organization Bolsters ProElite’s Presence and Offerings to MMA Community Online; Addition of Powerful Grappling
Video Streams and DVDs to be Delivered Though ProElite.com
(LOS ANGELES) July 31, 2007 – Recognizing the dedicated grappling fan base worldwide, ProElite.com, the comprehensive and inclusive online community for mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, fans and organizations, announced today a landmark partnership with Grapplers Quest. Under the terms of the five-year deal, ProElite.com will be the exclusive social networking sponsorship home to Grapplers Quest participants, events and products.
Under its founder and CEO, Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest has become the leading grappling fight organization focused on delivering high-profile professional grappling superfight tournaments, the world’s largest amateur open events for all ages and skill levels; branded Grapplers Quest fight videos and DVDs, photos and products; a searchable database of over 32,000 qualified grappling academies; and news and forums. The partnership brings together ProElite.com’s all-encompassing MMA social network and Grapplers Quest content to deliver ProElite.com’s audience a deeper and richer MMA and grappling online experience.
“What Brian Cimins has built with Grapplers Quest over the past eleven years is remarkable and pioneering,” said Kelly Perdew, President of ProElite.com. “This deal marks a significant milestone for us as the Grapplers Quest brand is a necessary and natural fit for the rapid expansion of ProElite.com. Grapplers Quest is recognized the world over as the leader in the grappling world and we are proud to be associated with it. There is tremendous cross-over between submission grappling and MMA. ProElite.com can now show today’s MMA stars in their early grappling tournaments, as well as introduce fans to the stars of tomorrow. ”
In addition to ProElite.com broadcasting live Grapplers Quest events, ProElite.com will provide sponsorship of all Grapplers Quest event elements including competition medals, mats and banners; web banners at www.Grapplers.com; co-branding on Grapplers Quest product packaging; and the hosting of interactive forums connected with Grapplers Quest events and content.
“In several short months, under Kelly Perdew’s leadership, ProElite.com has become the online destination for the MMA and grappling communities,” said Brian Cimins, founder and CEO of Grapplers Quest. “As mainstream consumers embrace grappling and MMA, it is only fitting that we come together to give the fans the most powerful entertainment environment available on the Internet. I look forward to growing this relationship and introducing grappling to millions of sports fans.”
Since its launch in February 2007, ProElite.com has become the online touch point for MMA fans, fighters and promoters around the world. ProElite.com is the first social network to bring a variety of compelling live stream MMA events to the Internet.
The first event of the 2007 season co-sponsored by ProElite.com and Grapplers Quest is The Official North American Grappling Championships, Saturday, October 6th at St. Peters’ College in Jersey City, New Jersey featuring $12,000 in prizes, followed by The 1st Liberty Bell No-Gi Challenge and Copa Atlantica Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 10th and 11th at Girard College, and finally the 12th West Coast Grappling Championships at The Sports Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday, December 1st, also featuring $12,000 in prizes. For more information on all upcoming events, visit www.Grapplers.com
ProElite.com is headquartered in Los Angeles.
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About ProElite, Inc. (www.proelite.com)
ProElite Inc. (PELE:PK) delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About The Grapplers Company, Inc. (www.Grapplers.com)
The Grapplers Company, Inc. is a multi-faceted live event and video production company that serves the submission grappling fight community through its renowned Grapplers Quest® brand. Under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest live events have officially become known as the largest submission grappling tournament in the world – hosting 78 top tournaments for nearly 100,000 competitors, fans and coaches over eleven years. Grapplers Quest live events are also distributed on DVD distributed worldwide through many retailers including Best Buy, Blockbuster Video, and Barnes and Noble. Fans and fighters can also visit www.Grapplers.com to connect with fighter and tournament news, video, photos and interactive forums. The Grapplers Company, Inc. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey.