Bodog Fight holds US debut
29 May 2007
Following unforgettable mixed martial arts events in Vancouver, Canada and St. Petersburg, Russia, Bodog Fight is pleased to announce its American debut.
On Saturday, July 14th, Bodog Fighters will become "Garden State" warriors when they visit the Sovereign Bank Arena on the shores of the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey for Bodog Fight: Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee.
After losing his Bodog Fight welterweight championship belt last April to Nick "The Goat" Thompson in Russia, Philadelphia's Eddie Alvarez (9-1) is looking to get back to his winning ways. The explosive striker will face Boston's Matt Lee (9-5-1) at this special event, which is scheduled to air in more than 90 million U.S. homes on ION Television at a later date.
After winning a decision over Alvarez's Fight Factory trainer, Stephen Haigh, last year, Lee is confident he can overcome Haigh's disciple. "I beat the teacher, now I'm going to beat up on the student," warns the Team Elite fighter.
Of course, Alvarez has other ideas.
"This fight is going to accomplish three things on my list," declares Eddie. "First, I'm going to even the score on behalf of my coach. Second, I'm going to put on a show for all my fans up from Philly. Last, but not least, beating Matt is going to put me a step closer to winning back my championship belt."
Alvarez and Lee are not the only ones looking forward to their fight. "I expect these two will provide us with some fireworks, which will be a great way to mark our first ever American event," says Bodog Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre.
Also featured will be a middleweight title fight between rising star Trevor Prangley and MMA legend Yuki Kondo.
Fighting out of Niigata, Japan, Kondo (46-19-6) has faced a who's who of the sport, including Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Phil Baroni, Josh Barnett, and Dan Henderson. Now, the 31-year-old Pancrase veteran is confident he can whip Prangley.
"Trevor is tough, but I've fought some of the best fighters in the world and I believe my experience will serve me well for this fight," warned Kondo.
34-year-old Prangley is a native of South Africa who now trains at the Lion's Den in Idaho. He has a pro record of 14-4 with notable wins over Travis Lutter and Kyacey "Ice Cold" Uscola. He also earned his second unanimous decision over hard-hitting Andrei Semenov in Vancouver at Bodog Fight: USA vs. Russia, and is scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of the television series Bodog Fight: Costa Rica Combat.
"I'm in fantastic shape, and I'm looking forward to putting on a show for the fans in New Jersey," declared Prangley. "It's every fighter's goal to win a title belt and I won't let Yuki Kondo stand in my way."
A second title fight is also on the card, as New York's Laura D'Auguste crosses the Hudson River for a shot at the Bodog Fight women's 135-pound championship belt. She will face a hostile crowd, however, as she squares off against New Jersey's own Tara LaRosa.
"It's going to be a huge thrill fighting for the title in front of my home fans, and I look forward to hearing them cheer when my arm is raised after the fight," said a confident LaRosa.
Other bouts include:
Yves Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal
Chael Sonnen vs. Amar Suloev
Yoshiki Takahashi vs. Josh Curran
Roman Zentsov vs. Mark Burch
Nick Agallar vs. TBA
David Love vs. Brad Pickett
www.casinocitytimes.com