SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2010) – The August 14th “War on the Mainland” Pay-Per-View event, showcasing three Powerhouse World Promotions (PWP) LLC title fights, will feature a world-class announcing team, PWP CESO Brian Manna announced today.
Bas Rutten, one of the most recognizable figures in mixed martial arts, will be the color commentator/ring interviewer, joining blow-by-blow announcer Benny Ricardo in the television booth. “Classy” Jimmy Lennon, Jr. will serve as the ring announcer.
“We’ve put together one of the best MMA announcing teams in this business, along with one of the all-time great ring announcers,” Manna noted. “It was very important for us to have the best announcers working our first pay-per-view show. We couldn’t be happier or prouder to have these legends working together on our ‘War on the Mainland’ show.”
Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim “Maine-iac” Sylvia takes on former UFC and Strikeforce title challenger Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello in the main event for the vacant PWP Heavyweight Championship, live from Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.
“War on the Mainland,” presented by Powerhouse World Promotions, is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 10:00PM ET/7:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-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. It will also be available in the United Kingdom via Primetime Live. The PPV card will also be streamed live on Internet PPV outside of the United States, Canada and United Kingdom by going to www.WarontheMainland.com.
Rutten, a former Dutch MMA and kick boxer, was a UFC heavyweight champion, as well as 3-time King of Pancrase world titlist. He is co-host of the popular Inside MMA show on HDNet.
“I always like working great MMA shows like this one,” Rutten said. “I love Paul Buentello. He is a top striker. Believe it or not, Tim Sylvia has improved in the last half-year. He came to my gym for two days to train and he kept dropping everybody. This is going to be a great fight and we all know it isn’t going the distance.”
Ricardo was an NFL place-kicker for nine years. Today, he is a stand-up comic who has broadcasted major worldwide sporting events like the Super Bowl and Wimbledon many years for Spanish television and radio stations. Benny crossed over to MMA a few years ago and he has worked numerous MMA PPV shows in North America.
“I’m looking forward to working with Benny,” Rutten added. “I can’t wait to talk to him before the show because he must have a lot of interesting stories to tell with his background in sports. He has successfully made the transition to MMA and we’re going to have some fun working this show.”
In the co-main event, former WEC titlist Jason “The Punisher” Lambert (25-11-0) meets 8-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Allan Goes (17-3-0) for the vacant PWP Light Heavyweight title belt.
In the third of three PWP title fights on the card (5 X 5, all other fights are 3 X 5), former IFL middleweight champion Matt “The Fighting Hippy” Horwich (22-13-1) faces former UFC title challenger Thales Leite (17-3-1) for the PWP middleweight crown.
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (22-13-1) meets Diego “El Nino” Garijo (4-1-0) in a Special Lightweight Attraction. “Jens Pulver started fighting on a show I had – the Bas Rutten Invitational,” Rutten added. “It was a 32-man tournament and Pulver fought four guys in one night. It was crazy. I knew back then that he was talented and went all the way. He still has knockout power. I think he has to focus more. In his last fight, he got out of an arm bar a few times but then he got caught. He just needs to focus more.”
Also fighting on “War on the Mainland” is Brazilian middleweight Gustavo “Ximu” Machado (18-8-1) vs. Rick Reeves (10-3-0) and Mexican welterweight Jorge “The Naked Man” Ortiz (16-5-1) vs. veteran Terry Martin (19-8-0).
Undercard fights featuring local fighters include lightweights Joao Silva (3-2-0) vs. Erin Beach (1-0-0), lightweights Cleber Luciano (3-3-0) vs. Todd Willingham (2-4-2), welterweights A.J. Mathews (3-0-0) vs. Sean Choice (1-0-0), and pro-debuting lightweights Evan Aitkins vs. Chad McCausland. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, ranging from $35.00 to $110.00 reserved and $110.00 to $295.00 on the floor, are on sale at the Bren Events Center Box Office (10 AM/PT-6 PM/PT, Mon-Fri), going on line to www.bren.uci.edu or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.949.824.5000.
Doors open at 5:00 PM/PT, first bout 6:00 PM/PT, first PPV bout 7 PM/PT – 10 PM/ET. Go to www.WarontheMainland.com or www.bren.uci.edu for additional information.
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