International Fight League Announces Venues for First IFL World Grand Prix Tournament

The
International Fight League announced the dates, venues and rosters for the 2007
IFL World Grand Prix, the individual all-star competition for the mixed martial arts league. The semifinals will be held on Saturday,
Nov. 3 at the Sears Centre in

Chicago and the
finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in

Uncasville,

Conn.,
sites of two of the league’s most successful team events in 2007.

The
tournament will feature the top four athletes from the IFL regular season in
each of five weight categories. The winner from each weight class will be
crowned a world Grand Prix champion, rewarding their great individual athletic
accomplishment in team-based MMA.

Tickets
for the IFL World Grand Prix semifinals will go on sale on Saturday, August 4.
Tickets can be purchased at the Sears Centre box office, by calling
1-888-SEARSTIX, or online at www.ifl.tv. Tickets for the Finals at Mohegan Sun
will go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 17, at 10 a.m. ET.
Tickets can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun box office, online at www.Ticketmaster.com,
or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-860-886-0070.

Among the
stars scheduled to compete are Silverbacks’ heavyweight Ben Rothwell (

Milwaukee,

Wis.),
Anacondas teen sensation lightweight Chris Horodecki (

London,

Ontario), Sabres’ light heavyweight standout Vladimir
Matyushenko (

Belarus) and
Anacondas’ unbeaten middleweight Benji Radach (

Coconut Creek,

Fla.).
Among the highly-anticipated matchups are rematches between Rothwell and Roy
Nelson (

Las Vegas) of the Lions and between
Horodecki and Bart Palaszewski (

Wonder
Lake,

Ill.) of the
Silverbacks. Additionally, Wagnney Fabiano (

Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil), unbeaten and the
only IFL athlete with three first-round wins, takes on John Gunderson (

Medford,

Ore.)
in the deep lightweight division.

“The World
Grand Prix provides an additional stage for our top athletes at every weight
class,” said IFL Commissioner and Co-Founder Kurt Otto. “In addition to
striving for the team championship, the best of the best have the opportunity
to compete for an individual championship belt, which will give fans the chance
to see great matchups between the IFL’s rising stars.

“The fact
that every team has at least one qualifier for the World Grand Prix also speaks
to the quality and depth of our teams across the board.”

The
unbeaten Los Angeles Anacondas have the most qualified athletes with four. The
Quad Cities Silverbacks are next with three, while the Toronto Dragons, Nevada
Lions and Tokyo Sabres have two each and the remaining seven teams have one
apiece. All 20 competitors (four at each weight class) will take to the ring in
the semifinals in

Chicago.
The winners will advance to the finals at Mohegan Sun, which will also include
a series of Superfights to round out the card. In the event of injury prior to
the competition, the fifth seed (alternate) will fill the vacated spot.

IFL team
competition reaches its pinnacle over the next six weeks, as the 2007 IFL World
Championship semifinals are set for Thursday, August 2, at the Continental
Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., with the finals set for Thursday,
Sept. 20, at the Seminole Hard Rock in

Hollywood,

Fla.

Athletes
were selected for the World Grand Prix based on their respective match records
during the 2007 regular season. In the event of a tie, competitors with the
fastest finishes or best strength of victories earned the higher seeds. The winners
then defend their individual belts throughout the 2008 IFL season (dates and
locations TBA).

The full
rosters for the World Grand Prix Semifinals follow. Bout order will be
determined prior to the Official Weigh-in on November 2.

Lightweight
(155 lb.)

No. 1
Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons (

Rio de
Janeiro,

Brazil)
(3-0 IFL 2007,

3-0 IFL
career, 7-1 overall) vs. No. 4 John Gunderson, Lions

(

Medford,

Ore.)
(2-1, 2-1, 15-4)

No. 2
Chris Horodecki, Anacondas (

London,

Ontario) (3-0, 6-0, 10-0)

vs. No. 3
Bart Palaszewski, Silverbacks (

Wonder
Lake,

Ill.)

(2-1, 7-1,
27-8)

Alternate:
Shad Lierley, Tiger Sharks (

Seattle)
(2-1, 2-1, 2-1)

Welterweight
(170 lb.)

No. 1
Delson Heleno, Pitbulls (

Rio de
Janeiro,

Brazil)

(3-0, 4-1,
11-2) vs. No. 4 Mark Miller, Red Bears (

Chicago)

(2-1, 8-2,
2-1)

No. 2
Antonio McKee, Sabres (

Lakewood,

Calif.) (3-0, 3-0, 20-3-2) vs.

No. 3 Jay
Hieron, Anacondas (

Las Vegas)
(2-1, 4-2, 12-4)

Alternate:
Pat Healy, Lions (

St. Louis)
(2-1, 2-1. 18-12)

Middleweight
(185 lb.)

No. 1
Benji Radach, Anacondas (

Coconut Creek,

Fla.) (3-0, 3-0, 15-3)

vs. No. 4
Brent Beauparlant, Dragons (

Ottawa,

Ontario) (2-1, 3-3, 6-4)

No. 2 Matt
Horwich, Wolfpack (

Portland,

Ore.) (2-1, 4-3, 19-9-1) vs.

No. 3
Brian Foster, Razorclaws (

Moreno
Valley,

Calif.)

(2-1, 3-2,
9-11)

Alternate:
Fabio Leopoldo, Pitbulls (

Rio de
Janeiro,

Brazil)

(2-1, 3-1,
5-2)

Light
Heavyweight (205 lb.)

No. 1
Vladimir Matyushenko, Sabres (

El
Segundo,

Calif.)

(3-0, 3-0,
18-3) vs. No. 4 Alex Schoenauer, Anacondas (

Las Vegas)

(2-1, 4-3,
12-7)

No. 2 Mike
Whitehead, Scorpions (

Central Point,

Ore.) (2-0, 4-0, 19-4)

vs. No. 3
Mike Ciesnolevicz, Silverbacks (

Williamstown,

Pa.)

(2-0, 4-2,
12-2)

Alternate:
Jamal Patterson, Pitbulls (

Hoboken,

N.J.) (1-0, 3-1, 3-1)

Heavyweight
(265 lb.)

No. 1 Ben
Rothwell, Silverbacks (

Milwaukee,

Wis.) (3-0, 7-0, 22-5) vs.

No. 4 Roy
Nelson, Lions (

Las Vegas)
(2-1, 2-1, 8-2)

No. 2
Antoine Jaoude, Condors (

Rio de
Janeiro,

Brazil)

(3-0, 3-0,
7-2) vs. No. 3 Reese Andy, Tiger Sharks (

Billings,

Mont.)

(3-0, 5-1,
7-1)

Alternate:
Bryan Vetell, Pitbulls (

Jamaica,
N.Y.) (1-1, 1-2, 2-2)