New York City, New York (May 6, 2011) – Continuing to build momentum off a breakthrough 2010, Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, M-1 Global is scouring the continents for top talent. The 2011 Asian M-1 Selection tournament kicked off Saturday April 30th with the region’s Opening Round taking place at Event Hall 135-713 in the Fashion Center Building in Seoul, South Korea.
“M-1 Global continues to provide the proving ground for young fighters around the globe to seize their opportunity and become stars on the world stage,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations of Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, M-1Global. “The 2010 Selection tournaments have showcased the caliber of competition worldwide and laid a successful foundation to build on throughout 2011; we’re focused on scouring the globe for the best up-and-coming fighters.”
The Opening round bouts featured aspiring Japanese and Korean fighters taking their first steps at the Asian tournament championships.
2011 Asian M-1 Selection Under Card Matchups:
Lightweight Bout: Kim Jin Hyoung (Korea) def. Kim Jun Woo (Korea) via submission (RNC) 2:21 of Round 1
Lightweight Bout: Kim Dae Myeong (Korea) def. Gwon Il Jin (Korea) via unanimous decision
Welterweight Bout: Son Se Joong (Korea) def. Jang Ji Hoon (Korea) via TKO 2:10 of Round 2
2011 Asian M-1 Selection Opening Round Results:
Lightweight Bout: Hwang Gyo Pyung (Korea) def. Hamamatsu Yamato (Japan) via KO :10 of Round 1
Welterweight Bout: Lee Dong Young (Korea) def. Mano Kiriro (Japan) via submission (RNC) 1:18 of Round 1
Middleweight Bout: Kim Hee Seung (Korea) def. Yasuoka Kazuyuki (Japan) via TKO 2:00 of Round 1
Light Heavyweight Bout: Kuwabara Kiyoshi (Japan) def. Han Hae Yong (Korea) via TKO 1:28 of Round 1
Lightweight Bout: Kwak Myung Sik (Korea) def. Yuichiro Ohno (Japan) via TKO :22 of Round 1
Welterweight Bout: Ahn Seung Ho (Korea) def. Fujita Katsutoshi (Japan) via submission (Armbar) 2:56 of Round 2
Middleweight Bout: Moon Jun Hee (Korea) def. Kuroki Yoshihito (Japan) via submission (Triangle) 2:40 of Round 1
Light Heavyweight Bout: Kim Doo Hwan (Korea) def. Niyama Makoto (Japan) via submission (RNC) Round 1
Heavyweight Bout: Yu Young Woo (Korea) def. Masanori Iwamoto (Japan) via TKO 2:28 of Round 1
The “M-1 Selection” is the world’s premiere MMA competition where the next generation of superstars are given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage with fighters being eliminated after only one loss; victory will advance the winning fighters throughout the tournament and earn them a trip to the championship event where they will compete for the coveted “M-1 Selection” title.
The “M-1 Selection” tournament is broken down into global regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Americas with consisting of three rounds and a final of the “M-1 Selection” tournament. The winning fighter in each weight class will gain the opportunity to fight on the larger international stage.
M-1 Global makes its return to US soil on Friday, July 8th for M-1 Challenge XXVI: Guram vs. Bennett. Current #1-ranked heavyweight prospect and reigning champion Guram Gugenishvili takes on decorated American wrestler, Pat Bennett and newly crowned lightweight champ, Jose ‘The People’s Champ’ Figueroa takes on German submission specialist, Daniel Weichel.
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments held throughout Europe and North America in 2011.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
