IFL''s First Event of ''08 Brings Three Title FIFL's First Event of '08 Brings Three Title Fights to Las Vegas
1/09/2008
By Ben Fowlkes
When the IFL returns to Las Vegas, Nev. on February 29 for the league’s first event of 2008, it will be with a new format and new champions.
Three title fights are scheduled on the card, which also features a meeting between Team Quest and Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den, as well as Mario Sperry’s World Class Fight Center taking on the Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture.
In title action, Matt Horwich will put his middleweight championship belt on the line against up-and-comer Tim Kennedy. Horwich won the title with a second-round TKO of Benji Radach, but Kennedy has won all three of his IFL bouts and has shown explosive potential in the process.
In the lightweight division, newly crowned 155-pound champ Ryan Schultz will defend his belt against Lion’s Den fighter John Gunderson.
Both men came to the IFL via the Pacific Northwest, where a much-anticipated bout between the two hard-hitting lightweights was often rumored but never materialized. Now that it’s finally on the docket, the stakes will be raised with the lightweight title hanging in the balance.
IFL heavyweight champ Roy “Big Country” Nelson will also defend his title in front of his hometown as he takes on Team Quest big man Fabiano Scherner.
It’s all part of the IFL’s inaugural event for 2008, depicting the new direction of the league and taking full advantage of the newfound flexibility in matchmaking, according to IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto.
“This card is a good example of how the flexibility of our new format makes for great matchups,” said Otto. “Fans will get to see three championship bouts, plus some exciting team competition feeding some of our upcoming title fights.”
In other action on the card, Team Quest’s Ian Loveland will face Dennis Davis. Lion’s Den welterweight Pat Healy will face an as of yet unnamed opponent, as will Mario Sperry’s Marcelo Salazar, who is fresh off a victory over Alex Cook, avenging his only loss just a few weeks ago at the IFL Grand Prix.
Tickets go on sale beginning on January 12 and are available at www.orleansarena.com, all Coast Casino box offices, The Galleria at Sunset, by calling 702-284-7777 or by visiting www.ifl.tv.
The full fight card, with some additions yet to be announced, appears below.
IFL Las Vegas
Friday, February 29, 2008
Preliminary Bout
145 lbs.: Ian Loveland (Portland, Ore.) (0-2 IFL, 8-7 overall MMA) vs. Dennis Davis (Las Vegas) (0-0, 13-6)
Team Xtreme Couture vs. MMA Top Team (Mario Sperry)
170 lbs.: TBD vs. Marcello Salazar (Portland, Ore.) (1-0, 7-1-2)
185 lbs.: Benji Radach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (5-1, 17-4) vs. TBD
TBD: matchup TBD
Team Quest (Matt Lindland) vs. Lions Den (Ken Shamrock)
170 lbs.: TBD vs. Pat Healy (St. Louis) (2-1, 18-12)
*155 lbs.: **Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) (5-2, 18-9-1) vs. John Gunderson (Medford, Ore.) (2-2, 15-5)
*265 lbs.: **Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) (4-1, 11-2) vs. Fabiano Scherner (Portland, Ore.) (0-0, 7-5)
Championship Bout
*185 lbs.: Tim Kennedy (Fayetteville, N.C.) (3-0, 9-2) vs. **Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) (6-3, 21-9-1)
*Championship Bout
**Current Titleholder