WORCESTER, Mass. (May 7, 2010) – Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim “Main-iac” Sylvia feels disrespected regarding his May 21st showdown against the first 5-time World’s Strongest Man, iconic Polish powerhouse Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski, headlining the “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” pay-per-view event, at the DCU Center in Worcester.
Sylvia (25-6-0), a natïve of Eastbrook, Maine, has defeated many of the top MMA heavyweights and super heavyweights – Andrei Arlovski (2) Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Wes Sims, Ricco Rodriguez, Mike Whitehead (2), Ben Rothwell and Jason Lambert. On the other hand, the 6-1, 275-pound Pudzianowski (1-0), a national hero in Poland, has had only one pro MMA fight.
In addition to his feats of strength as the World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz practices karate, boxing and even finished second last year in Poland’s version of “Dancing With The Stars.” Challenging a fighter of Sylvia’s stature in the May 21st super heavyweight main event, however, sends one clear message to the 6-8, 280-pound Sylvia.
“They’re underestimating me and obviously feel that I’m done,” Sylvia said. “I have another thing coming. He’s big, strong and a good athlete, but I’m going to knock him out. My last opponent (Jason Riley) thought the same thing and I knocked him out in the first round. I would have gotten him out even earlier but I broke my right hand.”
“God of Martial Arts” is being presented by Moosin, the South Korea-based promotional company, which has promoted MMA shows in South Korea and the United States. Moosin, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, plans expansion into to China, Poland and Australia.
Sylvia, presently training in Indiana, was a semi-pro football player in Maine who turned to MMA after attending a show. Although he fought in Rhode Island as an amateur, his May 21st fight against Pudzianowski will be his first as a pro in New England. “Fighting for the first time in New England is an awesome feel and I’m excited about it,” Tim remarked. “Training camp has been awesome. I have 4-5 different big, strong heavyweights rotating in fresh. It’s like the old days in Iowa.”
In the co-main event, Korean heavyweight Mu Bae “The Heavy Tank of Busan” Choi (9-4-0) meets veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (59-14-0). Brazilian middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal (11-2-0) faces The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis “The Serial Killer” Lutter (10-5-0), while Bahamian lightweight Yves “The Texas Gunslinger” Edwards (37-15-1) faces New England’s rising-star Mike Campbell (7-2-0).
A special female attraction features two of the premier women MMA fighters in the U.S., Tara LaRosa (18-1-0) and Roxy Modafferi (13-4-0), at a 130-pound catch-weight.
“God of Martial Arts” is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95 (also available in HD). It is also available on www.GoFightLive.TV outside of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Poland.
The show has worldwide appeal but also features several local favorites on the undercard: Korean light heavyweight Chang Seob Lee (2-4-0) vs. Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski (5-6-0), Clinton’s Matt Lee (11-8-1) vs. Bridgewater’s Brett Oteri (5-0-0) in a match-up of Massachusetts lightweights, unbeaten Worcester (Mass.) welterweight Ralph Johnson vs. NAAFS champion Forrest “The Meat Clever” Petz (23-7-0 undefeated Rockland (Mass.) heavyweight Paul Barry (3-0-0) vs. Stipe Miocic (1-0-0), Stoughton (Mass.) middleweight Fred “French Foot Fighter” Belleton (6-2-0) vs. Anthony “The Recipe” Lapsley (14-5-0).
Also, fan favorite Eric “Butterbean” Esch (98-18-5, all-fighting) squares-off against former Boston Bruins enforcer and popular WAAF sports personality, Lyndon “LB” Byers, in a charity fundraiser. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $35.75, $55.75, $75.75, $150.75 and $250.75, are on sale at the DCU Center Box Office (50 Foster St., Worcester, MA), all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.800.745.3000.
Doors open at 7:30 PM/ET, first bout 8:00 PM/ET, first PPV bout 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT). Go to www.MoosinUSA.com or www.dcucenter.com for additional information. For odds on the fights go to http://partners.betus.com.
Moosin: A global event promoter based out of Seoul, South Korea, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Moosin is known for bringing fans the finest in mixed martial arts competition. Moosin is revolutionizing the MMA industry by merging an international roster of talented fighters with recognizable stars from the world or music, sports and popular culture. Moosin pits warrior against warrior, featuring a hybrid of MMA and hard-hitting Moosin-style kickboxing, in hand-to-hand battles of skill, honor and art.
DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000 DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered on Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR…Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Kahn, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.
Got an Opinion? Submit Your Article to be posted on Nowboxing.com
JOIN the NOW BOXING FORUM to discuss this and other boxing news topics (membership is FREE)
