Friday, July 8, 2011 From The Hangar
At the O.C. Fair and Events Center, Costa Mesa, California 

Tyson Jeffries

NEW YORK (June 21, 2011) - M-1 GLOBAL announces the addition of 2010 M-1 Selection Americas middleweight tournament winner Tyson 'The Anti-Hero' Jeffries (7-5) versus feared Russian striker Arthur Guseinov (7-2) at the mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge: Bennett vs. Garner. The bouts from The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California will air LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, July 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).

The July 8th event is headlined with the rematch between the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Tournament heavyweight finalists Pat Bennett (4-2) and Kenny 'Deuce' Garner (6-3). 

"Tyson Jeffries is a fighter with incredible heart and a determination to consistently improve his game; he adds depth and excitement to every card and he's a welcome addition on M-1's second televised event on SHOWTIME," said M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan. "The European fighters who participated in the March card set an extremely high bar this time out. Guseinov has been very vocal about making this an entertaining battle."

Tickets are priced at $75 for the front row and all other seats at $50 and can be purchased online at www.fightcluboc.com, or by calling Roy Englebrecht Promotions at (949) 760-3131.

As a marquee middleweight (185 Lbs.) bout, the clash sets the stage for Jeffries to battle back into title contention after suffering a crushing defeat against the division's newly crowned champion Magomed Sultanakhmedov. 

"That was the toughest fight of my career and a humbling experience," says Jeffries. "I've since spent time training in Las Vegas and in the U.K. and I'm ready to redeem myself with a much improved performance. Thank you to M-1 for the opportunity. It's an honor to be on their second SHOWTIME card."

Jeffries, a versatile fighter within Team Quest's talented roster, won the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas tournament last September with a spectacular highlight reel, triangle-armbar victory over Mike Geurin. 

Arthur Guseinov, the Action-Force Fight Team member, is coming off back-to-back losses against Russian submission specialist Beslan Esaev and staunch American scrapper Luigi Fioravanti. 

Known for his tight clinch work, deadly spinning back-kicks and head-hunting high kicks, Guseinov's lightning-quick striking arsenal is responsible for the majority of his KO / TKO victories. Expect his exciting fighting style to be well received by the North American audience as he brings a high powered offensive directly into Jeffries' path.

Tyson Jeffries: Eager for SHOWTIME's Familiar Spotlights

After enduring a round-and-a-half of pure punishment from newly crowned Middleweight Champion Magomed Sultanakhmedov, Oregon native and Team Quest fighter Tyson 'The Anti-Hero' Jeffries has done all he can to prepare himself this time out. When the bell rings to start the action from The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, Jeffries will look to draw first blood against feared Russian striker Arthur Guseinov. Fans can capture the M-1 Challenge: Bennett vs. Garner card LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, July 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).

Coming from a team known for producing impeccable fighters with sound wrestling foundations, Coach Matt Lindland has placed high expectations on his protégé to execute hard-fought, exciting tilts. As a Sport Fight veteran, Jeffries has built a 7-5 record and possesses the qualities and skills necessary to be a successful professional fighter; being exposed to the Team Quest mentality is certainly aiding his development, "I train with the some of the best fighters in the world ... I owe lots of appreciation to my coaches and friends," says Jeffries.

Known for his relentless, never-say-die fighting style, Jeffries is a fighter that simply doesn't quit; he would rather have his arm broken than to ever admit an opponent has broken his will. Although putting forth a valiant effort against Sultanakhmedov, the sturdy American scrapper is covering all bases to ensure he stands with his arm raised on July 8th, calling in some favours to train with Rampage in Las Vegas and at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England.

2010 was an exceptional year for Jeffries, winning the M-1 Selections Americas tournament middleweight brackets with a solid combination of submission skills and striking abilities. Facing Mike Johnson in his opening round bout, Jeffries systematically dismantled Johnson's striking with a steadfast defence and effective counter-punching. 

Facing the wild striking of Plinio Cruz in his semi-finals bout, Jeffries maintained an impenetrable defence as he stalked and cut off Cruz's position inside the ring. Although standing within Cruz's striking range on occasion which allowed Cruz to score much needed points, Jeffries was able to withstand the barrages and go on to win a razor-thin split decision and berth in the Finals. 

Watching Jeffries from the beginning of the tournament, it is easy to conclude that his Finals bout was where he matured as a fighter. The middleweight finals battle with Team Bombsquad's Mike Geurin took the night's 'fight of the night' honours, is regarded as the highlight bout of the tournament and is also cemented as M-1 Global's #3 fight of 2010. When Jeffries' miraculous triangle is tied into the equation, it's no wonder why this fight also captured the night's 'submission of the night' award as well. Jeffries vs. Geurin exemplified the exciting MMA action that the M-1 Selection tournament was designed to produce.

Jeffries vs Guerin - Watch the fight HERE!

Jeffries is a patient fighter capable of sitting back and effectively countering while always maintaining an offensive ring position to compliment his takedown threat; he also exhibits a veteran's composure when timing his opponent's offensives allowing him to set up his magnificent overhand right. Adding to his versatility, Jeffries is comfortable fighting off his back and has a repertoire of submissions as evident by the elbow-snapping armbar which he transitioned into the bout-ending triangle, a truly miraculous, 11th hour, highlight reel finish.

In the fight game, you're only as good as your last trip to the mat and Jeffries needs a win to rebound off the one-sided beating issued by Sultanakhmedov, marking this fight as a turning point for Jeffries' career; kicking off a string of wins will reposition him in the queue for another future title shot while a loss marks him as a +500 journeyman fighter to be used as a stepping stone for other rising prospects.

M-1 Challenge: Bennett vs. Garner airs LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, July 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets are priced at $75 for the front row and all other seats at $50 and can be purchased online at www.fightcluboc.com, or by calling Roy Englebrecht Promotions at (949) 760-3131. The Hangar is a brand new 1,500 state of the art arena and has already seen three Fight Club OC sell-outs in February, April, and June.

Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.

With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global's growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets. 

2011's full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly

For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, M-1Global.com

and M-1 Global facebook fan page.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world's next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport's top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Guram Gugenishvili, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global's Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.

M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.