The Colin Oyama-coached team took sole possession of first place following Wednesday night’s 5-0 shutout over South Korea during M-1 Challenge’s “Third Edition,” which emanated from Differ Ariake.

Lightweight David Jansen improved to 10-0 after utilizing his outstanding wrestling ability to grind out a unanimous decision victory over Nam Yui Chul (8-2), an impressive prospect who had been 8-1 coming into the fight.

The win marked Jansen’s second consecutive M-1 Challenge victory following his unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Flavio Alvaro during the ‘09 opener on Feb. 21, 2009. In a field of 16 lightweight competitors involved with this year’s M-1 Challenge, Jansen is well on his way towards establishing himself as the competition’s top 155 pound fighter.

Jansen’s fight vs. Chul marked his first time competing in Japan, however, Jansen expressed his desire to return and has issued a public challenge to DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

USA West then moved out to a 2-0 lead following Fabio Negao’s (9-4) majority decision victory over the talented Myung Ho Bae (7-4). The fight was Negao’s first bout since a unanimous decision loss to Matt Lindland at Affliction’s “Banned” event last July.

Next it was time for the middleweights, with Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana (12-1) clinching the team victory for USA West following a armbar submission win over Min Suk Heo (4-8) at 4:05 of round 1. In an incredible statistic, Santana now has 11 career wins via tapout with all of them having come via armbar.

Despite having clinched the team win, Team USA still needed to rack up additional individual victories due to the fact that it competes in a deep Group B division that includes South Korea, Brazil, and the defending M-1 Challenge champions Imperial Team.

All eyes were on Jae Young Kim (12-7) in his return to the M-1 Challenge following his stunning upset over Imperial’s Mikhail Zayats during the Feb. opener courtesy of a head kick. However, former IFL veteran and submission wrestling champion Raphael Davis (6-1) continued his evolution as a striker following a second round TKO over Kim.

Last for Team USA West was heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who entered the ring wearing his WBC Muay Thai championship belt. The blue chip prospect also entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record at stake but Del Rosario improved to 6-0 following a first round knockout over Doo Hee Lee (11-7).

The 5-0 shutout improved Team USA West’s record to 2-0 with a combined individual record of 8-2. The team can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Team Imperial in its next matchup, with a date between the two juggernauts yet to be determined.

In addition to Team USA West’s win over South Korea, the debuting Team England could possibly be the team to beat in Group A following its victory over host country Japan during the night’s main team challenge.

The confident Ian “M-16″ Butlin (6-8) ruffled several feathers during a Tuesday press conference in which the anointed England team leader informed the Japanese media that he and his teammates would shut out the Japanese by a 5-0 score.

Despite the bold proclamation, Butlin wasn’t too far off the mark, as England dominated Japan by a 4-1 score. In a twist of irony, it was Butlin’s first round loss to Luiz Andrada (9-6-3) that prevented the team from recording the shutout.

After promising a knockout win all week, Butlin was unable to implement his game plan as Andrada elected not to engage him in the standup and instead tapped him an armbar at 3:20 of round 1.

England then stole Japan’s momentum after Simon “The Executioner” Phillips (7-2) displayed his professional boxing skills and put the entire M-1 welterweight division on notice following his crushing 20 second knockout over DEEP and Pancrase veteran Hidehiko Hasegawa (16-12-5).

Japan then appeared to be well on its way to regaining the lead with Yusuke Masuda forcing Matt Thorpe to fight on his heels for virtually the entire first round. Despite losing the first frame, Thorpe displayed one of the basic principles of jiu-jitsu as a self defense technique by overcoming a more aggressive Masuda with a rear naked choke at 1:30 of round 2.

Following his teammate’s lead, Tom Blackledge (8-6) also used a rear naked choke to clinch a team victory for England after submitting Tatsuya Mizuno (5-5). However, Blackledge differentiated his win from Thorpe’s by showing shades of Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg and utilizing a standing choke en route to victory.

In addition to having his teammates support him at ringside, Blackledge was also cornered by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson, a well-known figure in Japan thanks to his successful tenure in PRIDE, returned to the country in order to support Blackledge, his good friend and training partner at the Wolfslair Academy in London.

Looking to fortify its standing as the early leader of Group A, British heavyweight Rob “Godzilla” Broughton (9-4-1) displayed excellent ground skills for a big man during his unanimous decision victory over Yusuke Kawaguchi.

For Broughton, the win over Kawaguchi marked yet another notch on his belt when it comes to defeating rising heavyweight prospects. In addition to holding a win over British up-and-comer Martin Thompson, Broughton now can boast that he was the first man to inflict a loss onto Kawaguchi’s record, who previously had been 8-0.

While Team England’s next fight has yet to be finalized, officials with M-1 Global and Cage Warriors are currently working towards bringing a 2009 M-1 Challenge event to England.

The 19-bout M-1 Challenge Japan event also featured a superfight between Karl “Psycho” Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka, an M-1 Challenge Group A team matchup between France vs. Spain, and a special sparring exhibition between WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

While Amoussou’s countrymen suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain, he lifted his former teammates’ spirits with a brilliant flying knee knockout victory over Hamanaka just 23 seconds into their fight with the capacity crowd rising to their feet.

The Japanese crowd displayed even more emotion during Fedor and Aoki’s public sparring session, which was advertised locally as a “special super exhibition.” With no scoring in effect, the encounter between the two undisputed world champions resembled a training session that you might see inside of a fight gym. The only difference was that nearly 1,000 spectators were on hand to watch the two square off while donning Gis.

Fedor utilized his strength advantage to send Aoki soaring with several Sambo throws. At one point, Aoki played to the crowd and removed his Gi in jest and attempted a flying armbar on Fedor. With both fighters pressing each other well less than 100 percent, the two smiled for much of the session and embraced after the final bell had sounded. The video of the session will air free of charge on a video-on-demand basis starting on Monday, May 4 at www.M-1Global.com and www.Mixfight.ru.

Below are complete results from Wednesday’s “M-1 Challenge” event.

Preliminary

1. Featherweight (65 kg/143 lbs.): Tomoaki Ueyama def. Takayuki Hosakawa via TKO (punches) at 2:51 of round 1.

Team France vs. Team Spain

2. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Jose Luiz Zapater Aguirre (Spain) def. Makhtar Gueye (France) via DQ (illegal kick) at 1:21 of round 3.

3. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Abner Lloveras (Spain) def. Gael Grimaud (France) via three-round split decision.

4. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France) def. Rayco “Kakin” Romero Silva (Spain) via submission (Anaconda choke) at 2:48 of round 1.

5. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France) def. Enoc Solbes (Spain) via submission (armbar) at 4:59 of round 1.

6. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rogent Lloret (Spain) def. Soufian Elgarne (France) via submission (Anaconda choke) at 2:44 of round 1

Spain Defeats France via 3-2 score

Preliminary

7. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Kosuke Umeda def. Muneyuki Sato via unanimous decision.

USA West vs. South Korea (best-of-five series)

8. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) def. Yui Chul Nam (S. Korea) via unanimous decision.

9. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) def. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea) via majority decision.

10. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) def. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea) via submission (armbar) at 4:05 of round 1.

11. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West) def. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea) via TKO (punches) at 3:45 of round 2.

12. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West) def. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg) via KO (head kick) at 2:27 of round 1.

USA West Defeats South Korea via 5-0 score

Superfight

13. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Karl Amoussou (France) def. Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Japan) via KO (flying knee) at 0:23 of round 1.

Special Super Exhibition

14. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Shinya Aoki (Japan): Match was conducted as a sparring exhibition with no scoring.

Japan vs. England (best-of-five series)

15. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrada (Japan) def. Ian Butlin (England) via submission (armbar) at 3:20 of round 1.

16. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Simon Phillips (England) def. Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan) via KO at 0:20 of round 1.

17. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Matt Thorpe (England) def. Yusuke Masuda (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:30 of round 2.

18. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tom Blackledge (England) def. Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:22 of round 1.

19. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rob Broughton (England) def. Yusuke Kawaguchi (Japan) via unanimous decision.

Shinya Aoki and Fedor Emelianenko

PRESS RELEASE — A literal parade of 38 fighters made their way through official weigh-ins on Tuesday at the Pearl Kasai Hotel in Tokyo in preparations for Wednesday’s “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” event scheduled to emanate from Differ Ariake.

A total of 19 fights are planned with a scheduled local start time in Tokyo of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday’s lineup includes two preliminary fights, a Superfight between rising French phenom Karl Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka, M-1 Challenge team matchups featuring France vs. Spain, USA West vs. South Korea, Japan vs. England, and a special grappling exhibition between WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

While much of the local media in Japan is fixated on Fedor’s return to the “Land of the Rising Sun,” there is a tremendous amount of intrigue regarding Team USA West’s best-of-five series vs. South Korea. Both teams are one-and-two in the standings in Group B, with South Korea holding a slim one fight lead over the USA West team. Team USA West will not only have a chance to close the gap but also take a resounding leading in the division.

Despite defeating Team Brazil Naja by a score of 3-2 during the 2009 M-1 Challenge opener in Tacoma, Wash. in February, Team USA West has changed three of its five members. Joining returnees David Jansen (lightweight) and Raphael Davis (light heavyweight) are welterweight Fabio Negao, middleweight Giva Santana, and heavyweight Shane Del Rosario.

According to head coach Colin Oyama, the changes to the roster were not performance-related, as Negao, Santana, and Del Rosario had all initially been planned to compete in the opener but were unavailable for various reasons.

“The changes had nothing to do with the guys that we had,” Oyama began to respond when asked about his team’s roster makeover. “This was the original team we had planned on. Shane Del Rosario had an injury and we had to bring in a replacement. Negao had also competed at middleweight and needed additional time to get down to 170. Giva also had other obligations. So the five you will see in this event are the original five guys we intended to start with.”

Del Rosario is a former WBO Muay Thai champion who is 5-0 in MMA. A veteran of EliteXC’s ShoXC series, he will look to improve to 6-0 when he faces South Korea’s Doo Hee Lee. For Rosario, he considers it an honor to represent his home country on foreign land.

“I’m flattered to be able to represent my country,” said Del Rosario. “Last year we were winless and coming into this year a lot of teams thought they were going to walk all over us. We proved them wrong after winning our first fight and I see us being in St. Petersburg (Russia) in the championship final.”

Del Rosario is not the only member of Team USA West who will have a perfect record on the line vs. South Korea. Team Quest’s Jansen improved to 9-0 with his stunning win over Rio Heroes veteran Flavio Alvaro during the ‘09 opener. Set to face Yui Chul Nam, Jansen was candid in admitting that he is feeling some pressure in trying to retain his perfect record.

“There is some pressure. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t,” he remarked.

But pressure doesn’t appear to be too big of an issue for Jansen, as he is already making plans for his next fight. Wednesday will mark his first time competing in Japan, but he would like to return again and challenge DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

“I don’t speak a whole lot of Japanese but I do know how to say one phrase: Kikuno itai meni kaketekoi, which basically means ‘Kikuno, if you want to feel pain, bring it on!’”

First, Jansen must get past Nam in order to have a chance at garnering a shot at Kikuno. The Matt Lindland-trained Jansen doesn’t seem too concerned about the challenge that lies ahead.

“I’m looking forward to this fight. He’s a big striker but he telegraphs his strikes and comes out very aggressive. I think that’s going to play into my takedown game. He’s going to throw looping punches but look for me to throw straight punches. I’m going to take him down and clobber him. It’s clobbering time!”

Even more confident than Jansen is all of Team England, which will be making its M-1 Challenge debut against host country Japan. In fact, lightweight Ian Butlin promised during the pre-fight press conference held at the 21 East Hotel earlier in the day that the Brits will defeat the Japanese 5-0.

Bold remarks are nothing new for Butlin, who has proclaimed himself the best lightweight fighter in all of England.

“I don’t call myself the best lightweight fighter in England – I am the best lightweight in England,” Butlin stated without hesitation. “All the guys that say they’re the best, stand up and fight me! Just don’t talk about it! Get in there and do it! I’m sick of fighters pulling out that are supposed to fight me. I’m the best lightweight in the U.K. – that’s right! Because I’m not just looking to submit you, I’m looking to knock you the [expletive] out!”

Butlin will have to back his proclamation of being England’s top lightweight on Japanese soil when he takes on Luiz Andrada, a long-time veteran of DEEP with notable wins over Shinobu Miura, Yusuke Suzuki, and Kosuto Umeda, along with a draw against current DEEP lightweight champ Kikuno.

Against Andrada, Butlin is hoping to wow the crowd with a brawl for the ages.

“A lot of people say they want to fight a striker like me and then they try to take it to the ground,” he said. “These grapplers think they can [expletive] tap me but they’re the ones that [expletive] tap like a little girl when I punch them in the [expletive] head!”

Opening the event will be a Group A battle between Team France, led by blue chip light heavyweight prospect Christian Mpumbu, and Team Spain, which boasts heavyweight Rogent Lloret as its top gun.

The live stream of the event will be available for non-U.S. residents at www.Mixfight.ru with full coverage for U.S. fans at www.M-1Global.com. The Fedor vs. Aoki exhibition will not be available during the live stream of the event and will instead premiere on a video-on-demand basis on Monday, May 4 at both www.Mixfight.ru and www.M-1Global.com.

Complete weigh-in results and lineups for tomorrow’s event are listed below:

Preliminary

1. Featherweight (65 kg/143 lbs.): Takayuki Hosakawa (65 kg) vs. Tomoaki Ueyama (64.6 kg)
2. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Kosuke Umeda (69.9 kg) vs. Muneyuki Sato (69.9 kg)

Team France vs. Team Spain

3. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Makhtar Gueye (France/70 kg) vs. Jose Luiz Zapter Aguirre (Spain/69.2 kg)
4. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Gael Grimaud (France/75.9 kg) vs. Abner Lloveras (Spain/75.9 kg)
5. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France/84 kg) vs. Rayco Romero Silva (Spain/83 kg)
6. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France/92.6 kg) vs. Enoc Solbes (Spain/90.8 kg)
7. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Soufian Elgarne (France/115 kg) vs. Rogent Lloret (Spain/104 kg)

Superfight

8. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Karl Amoussou (France/83.9 kg) vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Japan/83.9 kg)

Special Super Exhibition

9. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Shinya Aoki (Japan)

USA West vs. South Korea

10. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West/69.9 kg) vs. Yui Chul Nam (S. Korea/70 kg)
11. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West/76 kg) vs. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea/75.8 kg)
12. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West/83.7 kg) vs. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea/83.8 kg)
13. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West/92.9 kg) vs. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea/92.7 kg)
14. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West/109 kg) vs. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg)

Japan vs. England

15. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrada (Japan/71.2 kg) vs. Ian Butlin (England/69.9 kg)
16. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan/76.6 kg) vs. Simon Phillips (England/75.9 kg)
17. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Yusuke Masuda (Japan/83.8 kg) vs. Matt Thorpe (England/82.9 kg)
18. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan/91.2 kg) vs. Tom Blackledge (England/93.3 kg)
19. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Yusuke Kawaguchi (Japan/105 kg) vs. Rob Broughton (England/120 kg)

But on Wednesday, April 29 at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan, Team England will make its much anticipated debut during the 2009 “M-1 Challenge presented by Affliction.”

At the helm the England’s first foray into the M-1 Challenge is Andy Lillis, the Director of Warrior Promotions, the parent company of the U.K.-based Cage Warriors MMA promotion. Lillis also helps manage top British fighters such as UFC welterweight Dan Hardy, top prospect Jim Wallhead, and Rosi Sexton, the number one-rated 125 lbs. female fighter, according to the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts.

“I think (the M-1 Challenge is a) great concept and I think the British fighters and fans will embrace it with open arms,” said Lillis. “England has a history of getting behind our national teams and I know the guys are looking forward to fighting in Japan, as they have always wanted to fight out there.”

Lillis has assembled an elite-level group of five fighters in hopes of bringing the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship Cup back to England. But England’s road to the title will not be easy, as it resides in Group A, a four-team division that also includes Spain, France, and Japan.

Set to welcome Team England into the M-1 Challenge will be Team Japan, with both teams sets to collide against each other during the third edition’s headline attraction on April 29. Lillis believes that while Team England is in for a challenge that the roster he’s put together has enough talent to win.

“I don’t think fighting Team Japan on their own patch will bother them or will negatively affect them as they are really up for the Challenge,” he said. “(The team) has a lot of belief in their own abilities and have been holding regular joint training sessions amongst themselves and other Warriors Promotions Fight Management fighters and other top U.K. talent. A lot of people are backing the team and we hope this support will grow in the future.”

Selected to represent the England at lightweight is Ian “M-16″ Butlin, a strong prospect with deep roots in amateur boxing. Butlin is not short on confidence as he has gone on record to proclaim himself England’s number one lightweight fighter.

Butlin’s proclamation has generated its fair share of critics, who point to his 6-7 record as evidence why his claim is not a valid one. However, Butlin has never taken an easy fight and has increased his training schedule as he prepares to issue his critics a response on April 29 when he takes on Luiz Andrade of Team Japan.

Representing the England at welterweight is Simon Phillips, one of the U.K.’s most decorated amateur MMA fighters. In addition to a sterling 16-1 record, Phillips won four major titles while competing on the amateur circuit. Since turning pro, he has accumulated an impressive 6-2 record with notable wins over Cage Rage veteran Sami Berik, kickboxing champion Zbigniew Kroll, and Lee Doski.

No stranger to wearing gold as an amateur, Phillips has also won a title as a pro. Facing Lewis Barrow during Fightzone 3 on Dec. 8, 2007, he claimed the promotion’s welterweight title after submitting Barrow with a triangle choke just 3:18 into the fight. Phillips will bring his strong Judo background to Japan when he takes on Hidehiko Hasegawa.

King of the Cage U.K. veteran Matt “12 Gauge” Thorpe will represent his home country in the M-1 Challenge as its designated middleweight. Also a veteran of the Cage Warriors and BodogFIGHT promotions, Thorpe, 10-7, holds a notable winner over Cage Rage veteran Che Mills, who recently tried out for Team U.K. during the current ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show.

Thorpe, who once suffered a split decision loss to Hardy, will be put to the test again when he faces Japan’s Riki Fukuda. Fukuda, 14-4, recently improved his win streak to four following his upset victory over former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua at DREAM.8 earlier this month.

At light heavyweight is eight-year pro MMA veteran Tom Blackledge. Blackledge currently trains at the prestigious Wolfslair Academy under TUF 9 U.K. coaches Mario “Sukata” Neto and Dave Jackson. While in the gym, Blackledge is able to call upon current UFC fighters such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Michael Bisping, Cheick Kongo, and Paul Kelly as training partners. He is ready to help his team start out the M-1 Challenge right as he looks to take out Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno.

Standing 6′3” and weighing over 265 pounds, Rob Broughton will perhaps rate as the biggest heavyweight to compete in this year’s M-1 Challenge when he debuts for Team England on April 29 vs. up-and-coming Japanese heavyweight Yasuke Kawaguchi.

Broughton, 8-4-1, has been fed a steady diet of Britain’s top heavyweights and has defeated them all. The talented wrestler’s impressive resume of wins includes victories over former PRIDE star James Thompson, current UFC heavyweight Neil Grove, retired Cage Rage standout Robert “Buzz” Berry, rising prospect Martin Thompson, and multi-time Cage Rage champion Ryan Robinson. He also made headlines at Cage Rage 18 on Sept. 30, 2006 when he submitted professional boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch in the second round with punches.

Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to host country Japan facing the debuting Team England, the event will also feature Team USA West battling Team South Korea for supremacy in Group B along with a Group A matchup featuring Team France and Team Spain.

The third edition will also include a bonus superfight featuring French phenom Karl Amoussou, who will be taking on an unnamed opponent.

Full standings and results from the current season also available at www.M-1Global.com as well with the complete head-to-head fight card lineup consisting of the following:

Japan vs. England (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrade (Japan) vs. Ian Butlin (England)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan) vs. Simon Phillips (England)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Riki Fukuda (Japan) vs. Matt Thorpe (England)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan) vs. Tom Blackledge (England)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Yasuke Kawaguchi (Japan) vs. Rob Broughton (England)

USA West vs. South Korea (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) vs. Yui Chui Nam (S. Korea)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) vs. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) vs. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West) vs. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West) vs. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea)

France vs. Spain (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Makhtar Gueye (France) vs. Jose Luiz Zapter Aguirre (Spain)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Farouk Lakebir (France) vs. Jose Beltran (Spain)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France) vs. Rayco Zebenzui Romero Silva (Spain)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France) vs. Enoc Solbes (Spain)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Soufian Elgarne (France) vs. Rogent Lloret (Spain)