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Nelson, Schultz, and Miller Win IFL Titles At Mohegan Sun

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:00:43 +0000

Heavyweight Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) and lightweight Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) defended their respective International Fight League titles while Dan Miller (Sparta, N.J.) scored a victory over defending middleweight champion Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) before 4,530 tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Nelson capped the evening with a victory over Brad Imes (Kansas City, Mo.), after Schultz defeated fellow lightweight Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) to retain his belt.

Nelson started with a blitz of punches right at the start of the first round which Imes was able to recover briefly. Nelson finished the bout with a crunching series of blows for the quick KO.

Schultz and Taurosevicius battled hard, with both surviving near-submissions and solid strikes. Ultimately, Schultz claimed the unanimous decision.

Millerâ€™s was a quick finish, after an exciting first three minutes of the first round in which both competitors maintained a high-energy pace. Miller caught McGivern in a kneebar to win his first title.

The preliminary bouts featured athletes from four MMA camps, including Team Quest, Team Bombsquad, World Class Fight Center and Team Prodigy. Lightweight John Franchi (Cortland, N.Y.) of Bombsquad got the night off to an exciting start with a first-round submission victory over Frank Latina (Middletown, Conn.). Team Questâ€™s Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.) then scored a unanimous decision over Bombsquadâ€™s Lamont Lister (Philadelphia) in a light heavyweight bout. John Howard (Boston) then knocked out Nick Calandrino (Emerson, N.J.) of Bombsquad with a third-round flurry of strikes in an entertaining matchup of welterweights.

The second set of preliminary bouts began with Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) of Team Quest recording a unanimous decision over Joey Guel (Oregon) in a middleweight matchup. Josh Souder (Mason, Ohio) of Team Prodigy then wrapped up a quick TKO over Team Questâ€™s Zac George (Norman, Okla.), before World Class Fight Centerâ€™s Danillo Villefort (Pompano Beach, Fla.) scored a first-round submission victory via kneebar over Mike Massenzio (Paterson, N.J.) of Bombsquad.

The IFLâ€™s next scheduled event is set for August 15 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., when it will unveil its new six-sided ring surface, dubbed â€œThe Hex.â€

For complete results from the event CLICK HERE.

IFL Results (May 16, 2008)

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:00:15 +0000

Roy Nelson (c) def. Brad Imes via TKO – Round 1, 2:55
IFL Heavyweight Championship
Ryan Schultz (c) def. Deividas Taurosevicius via unanimous decision
IFL Lightweight Championship
Dan Miller def. Ryan McGivern (c) via submission – Round 1, 3:36
IFL Middleweight Championship
Danillo Villefort def. Mike Massenzio via submission – Round 1, 3:44
Josh Souder def. Zac George via TKO – Round 1, 0:47
Matt Horwich def. Joey Guel via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Nick Calandrino via TKO – Round 3, 2:24
Aaron Stark def. Lamont Lister via unanimous decision
John Franchi def. Frank Latina via submission – Round 1, 2:19

IFL Weigh-In Results

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:00:30 +0000

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS

Ryan Schultz (154) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (154)
Roy Nelson (264.2) vs. Brad Imes (249.2)
Ryan McGivern (181.2) vs. Dan Miller (180.5)

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

Mike Massenzio (185.2) vs. Danillo Villefort (184.7)
Zac George (155.2) vs. Josh Souder (155.2)
Matt Horwich (185.7) vs. Joey Guel (185.5)
Nick Calandrino (170) vs. John Howard (170.5)
Lamont Lister (205.2) vs. Aaron Stark (205.7)
John Franchi (155) vs. Frank Latina (152)

Brad Imes To Replace Injured Branden Lee Hinkle In May 16th IFL Heavyweight Title Bout

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:42:52 +0000

Mixed martial arts veteran Brad Imes (Sacramento, Calif.) will challenge Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) for the heavyweight championship as part of the nine-bout card as the International Fight League returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, May 16. Imes replaces Branden Lee Hinkle (Weirton, W. Va.), who was injured in training.

A training injury to Fabricio Camoes of Brazil also necessitated a change in a non-championship lightweight bout. Frank Latina (Middletown, Conn.) will battle John Franchi (Cortland, N.Y.). Jim Miller (Sparta, N.J.), originally slated to face Camoes, withdrew from the bout following the injury to Camoes.

Imes, known as â€œThe Hillbilly Heartthrob,â€ trains with Miletich Fighting Systems in Iowa. He He has competed in several MMA organizations, and was notably a finalist in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter television series. Imes is 11-4 in his MMA career and will be making his IFL debut. May 16 will also mark the first IFL bouts for Latina (4-1 overall) and Franchi (3-0).

As previously announced, two other IFL Champions will put their respective titles on the line to headline the card, as Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) takes on Dan Miller (Sparta, N.J.) at middleweight and Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) defends against Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) at lightweight. HDNet will televise all three championship bouts, plus three preliminary matchups.

The preliminary bouts feature athletes from four MMA camps, including Team Quest, Team Bombsquad, World Class Fight Center and Team Prodigy.

Tickets are available via www.ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, and by telephone at 860-886-0070.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD
Championship Bouts

185 lbs.: Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) (Miletich Fighting Systems) (6-4, 12-5) vs. Dan Miller (Sparta, N.J.) (AMA Fight Club) (1-0, 7-1)
265 lbs.: Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) (Lionâ€™s Den) (5-1, 12-2) vs. Brad Imes (Sacramento, Calif.) (Miletich Fighting Systems) (0-0, 11-4)
155 lbs.: Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) (Team Quest) (6-2, 19-9-1) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) (Renzo Gracie) (3-0, 9-2)

Preliminary Bouts

155 lbs.: Frank Latina (Middletown, Conn.) (0-0 IFL, 4-1 overall MMA) vs. John Franchi (Cortland, N.Y.) (Team Bombsquad) (0-0, 3-0)
205 lbs.: Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.) (Team Quest) (2-2, 5-4) vs. Lamont Lister (Philadelphia) (Team Bombsquad) (0-0, 5-3)
170 lbs.: John Howard (Boston) (0-0 IFL, 8-3 overall MMA) vs. Nick Calandrino (Emerson, N.J.) (Team Bombsquad) (0-0, 5-0)
155 lbs.: Zac George (Norman, Okla.) (Team Quest) (1-1, 12-2) vs. Josh Souder (Mason, Ohio) (Team Prodigy) (0-0, 10-6)
185 lbs.: Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) (Team Quest) (6-4, 21-10-1) vs. Joey Guel (Oregon) (0-0, 12-5)
185 lbs.: Danillo Villefort (Pompano Beach, Fla.) (World Class Fight Center) (0-0, 6-2) vs. Mike Massenzio (Paterson, N.J.) (Team Bombsquad) (0-0, 10-1)