COBRA ENERGY DRINK PRESENTSAPEX: A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONSOCTOBER 14th, 2006 — ROBERT GUERTIN ARENA — GATINEAU, QUEBEC
APEX Championship Fighting, in association with Cobra Energy Drink, is proud to announce A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS, on October 14th, 2006 at the incredible Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, Quebec. Fans of APEX made it clear: they wanted to see fighters battle for APEX MMA Titles, and thus, APEX could only oblige with not one, but FOUR Championship bouts.
In the main event of the evening, the most anticipated fight in APEX history will finally become a reality. APEX superstar Wagnney Fabiano will face UFC and Pride veteran Jeff “Big Frog” Curran for the APEX World Featherweight Title. There has been a history of bad blood between these two competitors and repeated attempts to make this fight happen has led to many cancellations. Finally, the fans will get what they want as this is expected to be the greatest featherweight fight ever on Canadian soil.
In the co-main event, Rockland sensation Nabil “The Thrill” Khatib will be looking to add some APEX gold around his waist as he takes on the well traveled Fritz “The Animal” Paul for the vacant APEX Canadian Middleweight Title. The undefeated Khatib has been raising eyebrows with his spectacular submission victories of late and in Fritz Paul, will be facing his toughest test to date. Paul is well experienced veteran who will be aiming to squash the hype surrounding Khatib. Talk out of Paul’s camp is that ‘Khatib is not ready for Fritz Paul’ and that this is a mismatch by APEX.
The third title bout of the evening, will be for APEX’s World Welterweight Title, and will pit two of America’s best kept secrets, in Nuri Shakir (Team Elite) and James Gabert (Serra/Longo). Shakir is no stranger to Canadian MMA fans, having made two victorious appearances in the APEX ring defeating Kevin Manderson and UFC veteran Steve Berger. Shakir requested somebody who will stand and trade with him, and his request was met willingly by his opponent. Gabert is no stranger to fans in Quebec as he has defeated UFC Veteran Johnathan Goulet early in his career. Gabert has a never say die attitude and is ready to go to war versus Shakir. Coincidentally enough, there is some history between these two warriors, as Shakir recently defeated one of Gabert’s instructors, Nick Serra in an event south of the border. Gabert is looking to avenge this loss and restore order to the Serra/Longo team.
Jeff “The Inferno” Joslin, one of Canada’s top welterweight fighters will be making his long awaited and long anticipated return to the MMA ring. On October 14th, at APEX: A Night of Champions, “The Inferno” will make his APEX debut, returning to the location of his last MMA fight, the Robert Guertin Arena.
In his last MMA fight (July 9th, 2005), Joslin lost a controversial decision against the now 3-Time UFC Veteran Jon Fitch. In what was a hard fought war, Joslin looked to have stopped Fitch in the third round, as in the middle of the action, Fitch called for a ‘timeout’. Incredibly, the referee awarded Fitch a temporary stoppage, then allowed him to continue fighting once he was ready to compete. While the timeout should have been an automatic end to the fight, Joslin and Fitch battled on to a a split decision for Fitch, in a fight where it looked like Joslin clearly won at least two of the three rounds. Many would argue that Joslin actually won all three rounds.
Now, Joslin is returning to the sight of his biggest anguish and is coming to show everyone what his fans already know: that Jeff Joslin is one of the top welterweights in the world, not just in his native country of Canada. Nobody believed that they would see Joslin return to a Quebec ring, but APEX is known for making the impossible, possible.
“I honestly believe that under the right circumstances, Jeff Joslin will be the next Georges St. Pierre that comes out of Canada,” said APEX Broadcaster ‘Showdown’ Joe Ferraro. “He has the kind of talent you only find in a champion; the natural skills that have been honed into an MMA machine, coupled with the heart and strategy of a winner. Up until now, has not been able to show these skills off and just needed the opportunity to show it.”
Joslin will be facing Team Renzo Gracie member Colin O’Rourke. O’Rourke comes in with a combined record of 3-2-0 and is a BJJ Brown Belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie. O’Rourke is a fighter that will step into the ring against anyone, as shown by his split decision loss to UFC and Pride veteran Aaron Riley. He is a rough and rugged competitor who will give Joslin all he can handle.
In honor of the early years of MMA, APEX will be holding a 4-man tournament for the APEX Canadian Welterweight Title. With careful scrutiny, APEX has selected Eric Beaulieu, Rowan Cunningham, Jason Motard and Jordan Jewell to compete in this tournament and to become the first APEX Canadian Welterweight Champion. The first round will feature Eric Beaulieu vs Rowan Cunningham, with the winner taking on the victor between Jason Motard and Jordan Jewell.
Beaulieu is coming off a dominating performance at APEX: Evolution and will be looking to avenge his only loss in APEX as he faces then opponent Rowan Cunningham. Beaulieu has wanted to avenge this lost to Cunningham for a long time and will finally get his chance on October 14th. Cunningham, one of Canada’s most talented grapplers, is looking for a repeat performance versus Beaulieu, which was short and sweet, so he can make it to the finals without expending too much energy.
Last June at APEX: EVOLUTION, Gatineau’s Jason Motard put on an MMA clinic with his victory over “Prince” Ugonga, which earned him a spot in this prestigious tournament. Jewell comes into the fight off a win against Eric Lacelle and looks like a true contender in the welterweight division.
It has been a long time coming, and finally, making his APEX debut at ‘A Night of Champions’ is Canada’s premiere grappling sensation, Mark Bocek. Bocek has long been considered one of Canada’s top MMA prospects, but for one reason or another has only fought once before and that was over two years ago. As a BJJ Black Belt and a multiple grappling tournament champion, arguments always arise about how Bocek is Canada’s most talented lightweight, but the time has come for Bocek to put it together in the ring and prove to the world what he can do. Not one to take an easy fight, Bocek steps up against an APEX veteran in Kevin Manderson a prodigy of UFC veteran Joe Doerksen. Manderson is an excellent wrestler with a solid ground and a stifling standup game. Manderson has thirteen (13) professional fights under his belt to Bocek’s one (1), so the odds are definitely in Manderson’s favour. Can Mark Bocek’s pedigree offset Kevin Manderson’s experience? On October 14th, we will find out.
APEX: A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS will once again be showcasing a bevy of local talent from Ottawa and Gatineau. Defending the National Capital Region are Mark Loft (Ronin), Pascal Debeq (Team Bushido), Nick Denis (Ronin), Stephane Hamarche (Ronin), Chris Kruger (Carver’s Muay Thai) and Eric Lacelle (Hawkesbury).
APEX is also ecstatic with the results of our APEX: Auditions & MMA Camp in April in Mississauga. As the first event of its kind on Canadian soil, APEX was able to discover many MMA athletes that were ready to compete professionally in the APEX MMA ring. At APEX: A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS, a total of eight (8) competitors will be competing courtesy of their performances at the APEX: Auditions and MMA Camp, namely Jason Motard, Cory MacDonald, Jason Cecil, Justin Darbyson-Billingham, Rory McDonnell, Jordan Jewell and Doug Keays. APEX Championship Fighting delivers results, not promises.
With the world’s best athletes, non-stop action and unmatched excitement, APEX: A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS is a can’t-miss event for all MMA fans and thrill seekers in the capital region. Tickets are on sale right now at TICKETMASTER.ca or by calling (613) 755-1111. Get your tickets now so you can guarantee yourself a seat for this incredible event at the 4,000 seat venue, The Robert Guertin Arena!!