LOS ANGELES, California — University of MMA history takes place at Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, May 20th, when the U awards its first-ever championship title belt at CHAMPIONS OF TOMORROW! Vying for this honor will ‘Gorgeous’ Georgie Garcia (10th Planet Van Nuys / Saekson Muay Thai) and Chris Bonilla (Bas Rutten’s Elite MMA), as they battle in the main event in the featherweight (145 lbs.) class.
“Georgie and Chris are two of the very best in the city in their weight class and not only did we deem the match worthy of the main event, but we felt it should be our first ever title fight,” said U of MMA founder Turi Altavilla.
The featherweight championship is the first of many crownings the U plans for the future, including two separate four-man tournaments to determine U of MMA champions at welterweight (170 lbs.) and heavyweight (265 lbs.). The opening rounds (and alternate matches) of these tournaments will also take place at CHAMPIONS OF TOMORROW!
“There aren’t the same accolades or rewards in amateur MMA as there are at the pro level, but these young fighters work just as hard in the gym,” commented U of MMA matchmaker Jay Tan. “Their effort and progress deserves to be recognized, and as such, we want to offer them something they can feel proud of as they turn pro.”
The University of MMA’s ‘Champions of Tomorrow!’ takes place at 4:00pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012, at Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE, 800 West Olympic Boulevard. Doors open at 3:00pm. Tickets for Club Nokia events are available at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com and from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM, Mon-Fri at the STAPLES Center Box Office located at 1111 S. Figueroa St. No box office or Ticketmaster convenience fees are charged at the STAPLES Center box office or at the Club Nokia box office on show days. The Club Nokia box office will open at 2:00pm the day of the event.
The University of MMA title belts are sponsored by OTM and Built To Fight.