Guida steps up as injury sidelines Monson

Jason Guida has managed to cram an entire mixed martial arts career into less than five years.

Known as a hard-nosed competitor who never turned down a fight, Guida was a natural replacement when a broken hand forced Jeff Monson to withdraw from the main event of this Saturday’s Adrenaline MMA show near Chicago.

“Say what you will about Guida, but when you need somebody to jump in on short notice and fight anybody… he’s the guy,” said Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox. “I mean, we all know he’s crazy… but he also comes to fight and you never have to worry about him laying down for anybody. I know this will be a very good main event.”

A native of the Chicago area, Guida’s fighting resume includes almost 40 professional fights all over the world… Russia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Poland. The guy simply loves the competition. And, the tougher the better.

On Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., Guida (23-16) will face Chicago police officer Mike Russow (9-1) in the main event of the 14-fight show. The main fights will be televised live on HDNet, beginning at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

“I feel bad for Monson because he really wanted this fight,” Cox said. “But his broken hand wasn’t healing quick enough and you can’t fight at this level with that kind of injury. I’m just fortunate that we had such a quality replacement right in Chicago.”

Guida is the older brother of UFC lightweight standout Clay Guida, who will be in the corner.

For more information, check out www.adrenaline-mma.com and www.searscentre.com.

IFL Decides Against August 15 Event in New Jersey

Organization Working On Financial Situation

NEW YORK, June 10, 2008: The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI ) today announced that it has canceled its scheduled August 15 event at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in light of the company’s current financial condition. IFL continues to explore options for maximizing shareholder value. However, if the IFL is unable to successfully leverage any of those options, the company may seek protection from its creditors through a court proceeding.

The IFL is working with other top MMA organizations to keep its top fighters active in the sport and showcase their talent, while it pursues options that may enable it to continue its MMA operations. Several IFL athletes will compete on the Adrenaline MMA card in Chicago on June 14, and announcements with other promoters working with IFL athletes are expected in the near future. The IFL will also continue to downsize its staff to reduce costs.

New York — Fans unable to attend the first Adrenaline MMA event on June 14 at the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., will be able to watch the event live on HDNet.

Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox has announced a deal for the Mark Cuban-owned HDNet to carry the event’s first three shows live. “We want to be considered one of the top events in the country,” Cox said. “In order to compete at that level, we have to have a television deal. This enables us to build a following not only in the cities we hold events, but also with fans around the country.”

Among the first fighters signed to Adrenaline MMA contracts are former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, former IFL heavyweight standout Ben Rothwell and former Bodog champion Ed Alvarez.
Adrenaline MMA’s first show features UFC and Pride veteran Jeff Monson against Chicago police officer and Pride veteran Mike Russow. For the complete card, check out adrenaline-mma.com.

ADRENALINE MMA
June 14, 2008 * Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Main Event
Jeff Monson (23-7) vs. Mike Russow (9-1)

Main Card
Daiju Takase (7-11) vs. Terry Martin (16-4)
Zac George (11-2) vs. Clay French (14-2)
Tony Fryklund (14-9) vs. Brian Gassaway (25-17-1)
Jeff Cox (9-6) vs. Bart Palaszewski (28-11)
Tiawon Howard (6-1) vs. Rory Markham (14-4)
Anthony Lapsley (13-3) vs. Mark Miller (9-3)
Herc Hayes (7-5) vs. Kerry Schall (22-9)
Rob Kimmons (15-3) vs. Hector Urbina (11-3)
Aaron Rosa (10-2) vs. Ron Fields (23-24-1)
Louis Taylor (4-0) vs. Adam Maciejewski (6-4)

Preliminary Bouts
Dom O’Grady (5-0) vs. Mike Stumpf (9-1)
Joe Jordan (41-11) vs. Ryan Williams (6-1)
Joe Pearson (22-9) vs. John Hosman (8-3-1)

Russow eyes biggest test in debut of Adrenaline MMA

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — As a Chicago policeman, Mike Russow has become accustomed to dangerous situations.

So, it is understandable when Russow only smiles and refers to fighting veteran Jeff Monson in a professional mixed martial arts bout as a “great opportunity.” Russow, 9-1 in his pro career, takes on Monson, 23-7, in the heavyweight main event of Adrenaline MMA on June 14 at the Sears Centre.

A total of 13 pro bouts are scheduled in the inaugural Adrenaline event. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and fights begin at 6 p.m.

“Monson is far more than just a veteran,” said Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox. “He has fought in every major event in the world and competed for countless titles, including the UFC heavyweight title. He comes into the event having won 18 of his last 20 bouts and is looking to prove Russow is not yet ready for the big time.

“Russow, on the other hand, has been crushing opposition and has been tested twice in major events… losing to then No. 6 ranked Sergei Kharitonov in Pride, then crushing Roman Zentzov in Japan’s Yarennoka event last New Years Eve. He’s ready to show he should be considered among the world’s best.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Sears Centre Box Office, online at www.searscentre.com or by calling 1-888-SEARSTIX.

A foursome of UFC veterans make up the two feature bouts. Chicago’s Terry Martin (16-4) will face Japan’s Daiju Takase (7-11) while Chicago’s Brian Gassaway (25-17) takes on Las Vegas’ Tony Fryklund (14-9).

Martin is a knockout artist, but will need to be cautious of the submission ability of Takase, who owns wins over UFC champion Anderson Silva and former UFC champ Carlos Newton.

Gassaway and Fryklund are two of the sport’s true veterans and both prefer the standup game, which should make for an exciting bout.

The International Fight League has allowed two of its standouts with Chicago ties — Bart Palaszewski and Mark Miller — to compete on the card as well as Zac George. And EliteXC provided striker Aaron Rosa and all-around standout Hector Urbina.

Other Chicago area fighters include Rory Markham, Herc Hayes, Kerry Schall, Clay French, Mike Stumpf, Ryan Williams and John Hosman.

For more about Adrenaline MMA, check out their website at: www.adrenaline-mma.com.

That’s right, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, as well as former IFL heavyweight Ben Rothwell have both signed with the new Adrenaline MMA company (formerly M-1 Global). Here is the official press release from Adrenaline MMA:

Adrenaline signs MMA heavyweight standouts Sylvia and Rothwell

NEW YORK — Adrenaline MMA announced today that heavyweight stars Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell have signed multi-fight contracts with the newly-formed promotion.

Sylvia (24-4) is a former 2-time UFC heavyweight champion, while Rothwell (31-5) was undefeated in the IFL for the champion Quad Cities Silverbacks.

Sylvia, 6-foot-8 and 265 pounds, has fought 13 times in the UFC and defeated top performers like Jeff Monson, Andre Arlovski (twice), Brandon Vera, Ricco Rodriguez and Assuerio Silva.

“Adrenaline is a new promotion, but it allows fighters to fight for other organizations… that’s huge,” Sylvia said. “I’ve got 3 to 4 years left and want to fight as much as possible, so this is the perfect choice for me at this time.”

Rothwell, 6-5 and 265, has won 13 straight bouts, including all 9 of his IFL fights.

“Adrenaline will give me the chance to take things to the next level,” Rothwell said. “I’m ready to see how I fare against the best heavyweights in the world.”

Sylvia and Rothwell both train at Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa.

NEW YORK — Executives at M-1 Global announced today they have started a new promotion called Adrenaline MMA and will begin promoting major events in the U.S. beginning in June.

Adrenaline will replace M-1 Global in the U.S. immediately. The change also includes the release of Russian fighter Fedor Emilianenko, who is free to seek fights elsewhere.

Monte Cox is the President and CEO of Adrenaline MMA. Bob Clark is the COO and Brian Patton is VP responsible for sponsorships and endorsements.