Team Quest’s Tyson Jeffries Eyes M-1 Global’s Middleweight Strap
Oregon native and Team Quest fighter Tyson ‘The Anti Hero’ Jeffries is aiming to take out Magomed Sultanakhmedov at M-1 Challenge XXIV: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa and rightfully take hold of the vacant M-1 middleweight championship belt. With the battle airing LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, March 25 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), Jeffries has been awarded a golden opportunity to solidify himself as a hot-topic in North American mixed martial arts forums.
Coming from a team known for producing impeccable fighters with sound wrestling foundations, Coach Matt Lindland has placed high expectations on his protégé to execute hard-fought, exciting tilts. As a Sport Fight veteran, Jeffries has built a 7-4 record and possesses the qualities and skills necessary to be a successful professional fighter; being exposed to the Team Quest mentality is certainly aiding his development, “I train with the some of the best fighters in the world … I owe lots of appreciation to my coaches and friends,” says Jeffries.
On route to winning the 2010 M-1 Selections Americas tournament middleweight brackets, Jeffries utilized his submission skills and striking abilities to subdue opponents. Facing Mike Johnson in his opening round bout, Jeffries systematically dismantled Johnson’s striking with a steadfast defence and effective counter-punching.
Facing the wild striking of Plinio Cruz in his semi-finals bout, Jeffries maintained an impenetrable defence as he stalked and cut off Cruz’s position inside the ring. Although standing within Cruz’s striking range on occasion which allowed Cruz to score much needed points, Jeffries was able to withstand the barrages and go on to win a razor-thin split decision and berth in the Finals.
Watching Jeffries from the beginning of the tournament, it is easy to conclude that his Finals bout was where he matured as a fighter. The middleweight finals battle with Team Bombsquad’s Mike Geurin took the night’s ‘fight of the night’ honours, is regarded as the highlight bout of the tournament and is also cemented as M-1 Global’s #3 fight of 2010. When Jeffries’ miraculous triangle is tied into the equation, it’s no wonder why this fight also captured the night’s ‘submission of the night’ award as well. Jeffries vs. Geurin exemplified the exciting MMA action that the M-1 Selection tournament was designed to produce.
Jeffries is a patient fighter capable of sitting back and effectively countering while always maintaining an offensive ring position to compliment his takedown threat; he also exhibits a veteran’s composure when timing his opponent’s offensives which allows his to set up a magnificent overhand right. Adding to his versatility, Jeffries is comfortable fighting off his back and has a repertoire of submissions as evident by the elbow-snapping armbar which he transitioned into the bout-ending triangle, a truly miraculous, 11th hour, highlight reel finish.
Jeffries and his camp watched M-1 Challenge XXIII this past weekend taking extremely close notes on Sultanakhmedov as he put away Plinio Cruz and are now finalizing their game plan to put a choke-hold on the middleweight belt. The ‘Anti Hero’ will have 25 minutes to breakdown Sultanakhmedov’s vast vault of experience as he aims to become Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion’s 185-pound champion.
M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa airs LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, March 25 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com
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