Aurelio suffers injury in training; forced to pull out of tourney

NEWKIRK, OK (September 8, 2010) – As anyone involved in the sport of mixed martial arts can tell you, injuries can happen at anytime. UFC/PRIDE veteran Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio is no exception to that concept. After sustaining an injury while training for this weekend’s Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master has been forced to vacate his spot in the tourney. Taking his place will be fellow submission specialist Shannon Gugerty.

A UFC veteran in his own right, Gugerty is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under famed grappler Dean Lister. He began his professional MMA career successfully with a submission victory over current WEC mainstay Cub Swanson. After amassing a 10-2 record, he was invited to compete for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, where he has fought five times. During his time with the UFC, Gugerty was able to rack up wins over Dale Hartt and Matt Grice. The 28 year-old San Diego native trains at Victory MMA with fellow notables Jeremy Stephens, Court McGee, Toby Imada, Peter Sobotta, Joe Brammer, and Tomas Drwal.

Jason Chambers, Shine Fights COO stated, “I am sad to see Marcus pull out of the tournament and wish him a fast recovery. Stepping up to a challenge of this magnitude on 3 days notice is a very daunting task- it is a testament to what a warrior Shannon Gugerty is. We are excited to see him compete!”

The Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix is a unique throwback to the original format of mixed martial arts. Fighters will need to be at their best in order to win the tourney and in the process gain the glory that comes along with victory. The Grand Prix will be contested under standard Nevada State Athletic Commission rules for MMA. Each of the eight 155 lb. fighters will be paired off in the tournament’s opening round, with the four winners moving on to round two. The two winners of round two will move on to the tournament’s final round, and battle for the championship. The single-elimination format means that the tournament winner will need to win three bouts that evening. Rounds one and two of the tournament will be composed of two 5-minute rounds. They will also have a three-minute overtime if needed to decide a winner. Round three (the finals) will increase to three 5-minute rounds. There will be two alternate bouts held in case of an injury.

Some of the best 155 lb. fighters in the world will compete in the tournament, a colorful array of combatants that will lay it all on the line in order to capture the Shine Fights Lightweight Championship. This group of outstanding athletes includes Rich “Cleat” Crunkilton, “Alley Cat” Kyle Baker, James Warfield, Drew Fickett, Carlo Prater, and Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett.

This Grand Prix Tournament will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada. The event will be in High Definition and it will be available in both English and Spanish (where available).  The Grand Prix Tournament will be distributed live on Pay Per View beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST by Multi Vision Media, Inc.  The suggested retail price is $29.95.

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