NEW YORK (August 24, 2009) — K-1 legend and five-time world kickboxing champion, Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo (1-0), will make his STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) debut when he takes on Kevin “The Shaman” Jordan (11-7) in a heavyweight contest on the SHOWTIME televised portion of the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Tulsa, Oklahoma’s SpiritBank Event Center on Friday, Sept. 25.
The 38-year-old Sefo, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds, boasts the highest KO percentage in K-1’s 16 year history. In 2007, he relocated from his native New Zealand to Las Vegas, Nev., and adopted Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture camp as his new training ground.
A Muay Thai stylist known for his punishing leg kicks and a steel chin, Sefo has made eight trips to the K-1 “World Grand Prix Finals,” an annual, year-end tournament that pits the world’s top eight heavyweight kickboxers against one another in a single-elimination tournament completed over the course of one night. During a 14-year professional kickboxing career, he has conquered a number of fellow all-time greats, including three-time World Grand Prix Finals” tournament champion, Peter Aerts; two-time K-1 tournament winner, Jerome LeBanner; and former World Boxing Federation champion and three-time world kickboxing champion, Mike Bernardo.
In his sole MMA appearance, Sefo stopped Min Soo Kim with a high kick in the second round (:30) of their K-1 “Hero’s 2” matchup in Japan on July 6, 2005.
Also 38 years of age, Jordan is a nine-year veteran of MMA who has made two appearances in UFC competition. In his last effort, the 6 foot 3 inch, 245-pound Jordan earned a unanimous decision victory over MMA pioneer and UFC 2 runner up Patrick Smith, in Salem, New Hampshire, on July 31, 2009.
Born in Alabama, Jordan recently move to Cortland, N.Y., from Columbus, Georgia, where he spent nearly 10 years training United States Army personnel stationed at nearby Fort Benning in the military martial arts system called Modern Army Combatives.
Tickets for the event, priced from $25, are on sale at the SpiritBank Event Center box office, all
Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
In the main event, American military hero Tim Kennedy (10-2) will face off with fellow rising star, unbeaten Zak Cummings (10-0), at middleweight (185 pounds).
SpiritBank Event Center doors will open at 7:15 p.m. CT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event and the first preliminary bout will begin at 8:00 p.m.
The live SHOWTIME telecast, which will include up to five bouts, will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
World championship MMA promotion STRIKEFORCE will produce the event at SpiritBank Event Center along with eXtreme Fighting promoter and five-time world kickboxing champion Dale “Apollo” Cook.
STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.
-Press Release