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Valor Fighting & Ken Shamrock
Present
Home of The Brave
Valor Fighting
and Ken Shamrock are teaming up this Fourth of July weekend to
create a whole different type of “fireworks.” The night sky at
Diamond Mountain Casino’s outdoor venue will be lit up for “Home of
The Brave,” a live Mixed Martial Arts fighting event featuring 8 big
fights and some very special guest appearances. Before getting into
the details of this historic night, here is some background on Valor
Fighting and its relationship with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.”
Since its inception in 2004, Valor
Fighting and Management (VFM) has made big waves in the fighting
world, quickly establishing itself as “The Next Generation of Mixed
Martial Arts.” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is an intense and constantly
evolving combat sport in which competitors utilize interdisciplinary
forms of fighting including Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu,
Karate and other styles to their strategic and tactical advantage.
MMA bouts, truly the ultimate challenge in one-on-one competition, are
now recognized and regulated by the world’s most prestigious sports
regulatory bodies. Valor’s mission is to produce exciting, high
quality, professional live events in North America while developing
superstar talent with the skill and presence needed to compete on the
world stage. With a North American-wide DVD distribution deal through
Rock Steady Entertainment, and a partnership with Japan’s K-1 (the
largest fighting organization in the world), VFM is certainly off to a
great start! In fact, VFM has sent over 20 of its most skilled
warriors including Sylvester “Predator” Terkay, Tom Howard,
former WWE pro wrestler Sean O’Haire, and Battle at The Bellagio III
Champion Mighty Mou to compete on K-1 pay-per-views and live events
held all over the globe. Valor was also well represented recently by
fighting legends Kimo and Tank Abbott who each earned victories at The
Rumble on The Rock 7 in Hawaii.
 
Valor did not just
materialize out of thin air; VFM features strong ownership and depth
of management. The principals, Rick Bassman and Eddy Millis
combine their collective wealth of experience across a spectrum of
live event sports, television production, and ancillary business
development. Bassman is also the President of Ultimate Pro Wrestling,
Inc. (UPW) which produces live events and content for release on DVD.
He also owns and operates “Ultimate University” considered the best
wrestling school in world, and develops talent for World Wrestling
Entertainment (WWE). Bassman was responsible for launching the
careers of current WWE Standouts Heidenreich, Victoria, and current
WWE Champion and multi-media superstar John Cena among others. Eddy
Millis is the President of The Shark Tank, Inc. known as one of the
top fighter training organizations in the world with four locations.
As such, Millis has amassed a successful track record of producing and
staging kickboxing events.
That being said, the
founders of Valor are chomping at the bit to unleash and exhibit the
skills of the company’s diverse group of modern day gladiators to
fight fans everywhere through their own Valor Fighting live events.
They will have a chance to do just that with “Home of The Brave” live
from Diamond Mountain Casino in Susanville, CA on Saturday July 2. As
mentioned earlier, Bassman and Millis won’t be alone when it comes to
promoting this historic night of hard-hitting action. It is fitting
that Valor’s sister company is Ultimate Pro Wrestling, because VFM has
found an ideal tag team partner when it come to staging an MMA event.
Valor is teaming up with none other than widely respected fighting
legend, Ken Shamrock!
‘The World’s Most
Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock is a true Icon of MMA. Shamrock is one of
the warriors who first put this intense form of competition on the
map. With an impressive record of 26-8-2 against the toughest
competition in the world, this legend’s key wins include a pair of
victories over fellow Hall of Famer Kimo, and a huge win over Dan “The
Beast” Severn for the Superfight Championship. At 41 years of age,
the battle-tested veteran continues to fearlessly step into battle as
his legacy continues to grow. On July 2, Shamrock will be returning
to his roots by heading back to Susanville for a homecoming of sorts.
Ken is no stranger to the area as it houses Shamrock’s world famous
“Lion’s Den” training center. “I am very excited to bring live MMA
back to Susanville in a big way,” said Shamrock. Although he won’t be
stepping into battle on July 2, Shamrock will have a big impact on the
event. Along with making a very special appearance at “Home of The
Brave,” Ken is taking a hands on role, working with Eddy Millis to
select the fighters and matches which will thrill the crowd in
Susanville. “It’s been an honor working with Ken,” Millis commented.
“We are working hard to present the most colorful fighters and
best-matched fights possible.” For more on Ken Shamrock, check out
his official web site:
www.kenshamrock.com
Home of The Brave” is an
aptly named event, as all of the warriors will personify bravery when
they step into the squared circle. Speaking of which, some very
talented and respected fighters have already been confirmed for battle
on the big night. Those who will be in action on July 2 include:
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Kit Cope
Kit Cope will represent “The Valor
Fighters” at “Home of The Brave.” Cope has 10 years of experience as
a professional fighter. He is well versed in the Muay Thai style of
kickboxing. His ability to unleash devastating kicks and knee strikes
makes him a very dangerous adversary. He is a decorated competitor
who can boast of being a 4-Time World Muay Thai Champion. He
certainly won’t hesitate in boasting either! If Cope has a weakness,
confidence and modesty are out of the running. Cope had this to say
in regard to his skills, “I can say I’m the best because…well I am.
You don’t get mad at a bird for flying, because that is just what it
does; I just happen to put people to sleep!” Scary thing is, Cope can
back up all the talk! His exploits competing in Thailand were
recently featured on MTV’s “True Life” series. Due to high interest
in the piece, Cope may be the focus of his own reality series in the
near future.
Vernon “Tiger”
White
Vernon “Tiger” White is a gleaming
example of how the best fighters in the world are coming to Valor to
display their skills. White, a 12-year veteran of professional
fighting is one of the most dynamic and entertaining fighters in
Valor. With a passion for “Bruce Lee anything” as he puts it, White
incorporates breath taking spin and jump kicks into his arsenal.
Although he is flashy, he is equally deadly with a strong
shootfighting background. With Ken Shamrock’s involvement in the
event, Vernon is a fitting addition as he is fighting out of
Shamrock’s Lion’s Den. Like Cope, White has also collected some
championship gold along the way. He is a former IFC World Heavyweight
Champion. Vernon handed the previously undefeated Vladimir
Matyushenko his first loss to win the Title. He is also a former King
of The Cage Middleweight Champion with experience fighting for Pride
and UFC as well.
Jay Martinez
Jay Martinez will step into the ring on
July 2, with an impressive 17 years of professional fighting
experience. Martinez, one of “The Valor Fighters,” is fighting out of
Valor Co-Founder Eddy Millis’ “Shark Tank.” Some of fellow teammate
Kit Cope’s bravado must have rubbed off on Martinez who joked, “My
friends all tell me that I am far too good looking to be fighting, but
I’m OK.” All kidding aside, Martinez will undoubtedly be all business
in the ring as he also listed, “Inflicting pain and winning” as his
two biggest inspirations. When asked what he might say following his
fight at “Home of The Brave,” Martinez remarked, “I told you so!”
Shannon “The
Cannon” Ritch
No fighter fits the theme “Home of The
Brave” any better than Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch. Shannon, a proud
American and member of the United States Armed Forces wears the Stars
& Stripes every time he steps into battle. Ritch recently returned
from yet again defending our country; he had this to say, “I went to
Iraq as the body guard for The Ambassador to The U.S. I gave up the
ring to go over there to fight. I fought for my country, and now I’m
back to fight for Valor!” As a fighter, “The Cannon” has had over 100
pro fights. Ritch is a 2-Time ISCF Champion, and he also earned the
Russian Middleweight Tournament Championship. Certainly, Ritch would
love nothing more than to enjoy a victory on the weekend in which we
celebrate our nation’s independence. He will have his work cut out
for him however as Shannon will be taking on a very tough opponent in
the form of Josh O’niel who is representing “Team Voodoo.”
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Couture &
Buffer to appear at “Home of The Brave”!
The eyes
of the MMA world will be on Susanville July 2. Some big time heavy
hitters (no pun intended) in the fighting business will be on hand to
take part in the festivities. Among them will be fighting legend “The
Natural” Randy Couture. Couture, a 3-Time All American
wrestler in college, 4-Time Greco Roman National Champion and Pan
American Games Champion, is a wrestling machine. Since that time,
Randy has become a respected fixture in MMA. He made his MMA debut by
defeating Tony Halme and Steven Grahm to win a four-man tournament.
Other key wins include victories over Tito Ortiz, Kevin Randleman,
Vitor Belfort, and Maurice Smith to name a few. Couture like Shamrock
will make a very special live appearance at “Home of The Brave.”
Bruce
Buffer, widely recognized as “The Voice of
UFC” will take an active role in the event as well. Buffer will be
the Ring Announcer for all bouts on July 2, and will be the acting
“Master of Ceremonies.” Buffer will certainly add to the “Big Fight”
atmosphere, and help set the tone for all of the great action that
will go down at “Home of The Brave.”
Valor and Shamrock
promise to bombard the live crowd in Susanville with an all out
“Entertainment Overload ™.” Bassman elaborated, “The pre-show will
feature a promo put together by our fantastic production team which
will introduce the audience to Valor and its fighters. All fighters
will come to the ring with signature music and big screen entrance
videos. Also, the sexy “Valor Girls” will bring a whole new meaning
to “America The Beautiful!”
Make sure you are on hand live
to witness this HUGE night of action and entertainment!
Who: Valor
Fighting and Ken Shamrock Inc.
What: “Home of
The Brave”: 8 big fights featuring Vernon “Tiger” White, Kit
Cope, Jay Martinez, Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch and many more! Also
featuring special appearances by Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, and
Bruce Buffer.
Where:
Diamond Mountain Casino: 900 Skyline Drive. Susanville, Ca 96130
Phone: (530) 252-1100
When: July 2,
2005. Doors open at 6:30 pm, event begins at 7:30 pm
Tickets:
Tickets are available at all Ticket Web retail outlets, by phone:
California / Nevada (866) 468-3399, on-line:
www.ticketweb.com and at
the Diamond Mountain Casino Gift Shop.
Make
sure to check out
www.valorfighting.com for all of the latest news on “Home of
The Brave”.
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