Following recent announcements that include Efrain Escudero and Rolles Gracie, UFC and IFL heavyweight veteran Mike Ciesnolevicz (18-4-1) is the newest addition to the Shine Fights roster.
Shine Fight Promotions confirmed their official signing of Ciesnolevicz Tuesday via press release.
Ciesnolevicz’s most recent fight was at “Prestige – MMA 1” in Canada in September, when he defeated the ultra-experienced sub-500 Demian Decorah (28-35-1) via third round submission.
Prior to that, Ciesnolevicz had gone 1-1 during a two-fight stint with the UFC, scoring a first round heel hook submission over Neil Grove (10-3-1) at UFC 95 in February of last year, then dropping a first round TKO loss to Thomasz Drwal (17-4-1) at the TUF 9 Finale four months later.
Shine Fights COO Jason Chambers commented on Ciesnolevicz’s addition to their heavyweight division:
“It’s an honor to bring a well-respected veteran like Mike into the Shine fold, “He is such a tough fighter, and is bound and determined to really make his mark on this sport.”
Shine has not yet announced an official opponent or date for Ciesnolevicz’s debut, although according to a previous report that surfaced earlier this month, he is expected to face Rolles Gracie on January 8. Escudero is also expected to fight on the card.