NEW YORK, NY (March 22, 2011) – World championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion M-1 Global packs the undercard for M-1 Challenge XXIV: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa, which is set for Friday, March 25th from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia. With hopes of breaking onto future televised bouts, aspiring fighters are intent to impress in the undercard battles.
Local lightweights (155 Lbs.) collide as Phillip Wyman (5-5) faces Max Martyniouk (0-1) and George Sheppard (8-5) takes on David Derby (2-3). Bantamweight (135 Lbs.) action pits Jesse Riggleman (9-2) versus Jason Hilliker (2-1) and Bryan Lashomb (1-0) against Marcus Daniels (pro debut). In welterweight action (170 Lbs), Colton Smith and Brian Nielson take their careers to the next level by squaring off in their professional fighting debuts and heavyweight (205+ Lbs) Bobby Gurley (pro debut) meets Johnny Curtis (3-2). In the event’s sole women’s matchup, rivals Bethany Marshall (3-0) and Stacy Grant (1-1) take to the canvas to meet in a Women’s 135 pound contest.
The evening’s main card bouts will air LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Headlined with the lightweight title contest between current M-1 Challenge champion, Artiom Damkovsky (8-4) making his first title defense against #1 contender Jose Figueroa (9-4), the mega-event spectacular will also feature a second title fight; the promotion’s recently vacated middleweight title (185 Lbs) is also on the line as Magomed Sultanakhmedov (15-5) takes on 2010 M-1 Selection Americas tournament winner, Tyson ‘The Anti-Hero’ Jeffries (7-4) in co-main event action.
In other main-card action, Alexander Sarnavskiy (12-0) faces local fan-favorite, Beau Baker (8-3) in a lightweight scrap while light heavyweight (205 lbs.) Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Vinny Magalhaes (6-5) sets to hand undefeated fighter Jake Doerr (6-0) his first taste of defeat. Rising MMA prospects Jason Norwood (10-2) faces Mojo Horne (8-2) in a middleweight clash.
With M-1 Global establishing champions in all five of the promotion’s weight classes, a contention system continuously fed with stand-out M-1 Selection tournament fighters across four continents will fuel 2011’s events, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
For additional event information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com, M-1 Global facebook fan page.
