Fioravanti Takes Unbeaten Streak Overseas
Luigi ‘The Italian Tank’ Fioravanti has always been an extremely dangerous opponent for any mixed martial arts fighter; he brings a veteran’s unshakeable will and a devastating striking arsenal that can blast through even the strongest defense. On April 28th, from the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, Fioravanti aims to knockdown Andrei Semenov and hail victorious once again on foreign ground, proving to fans around the world that he deserves a shot at the coveted middleweight championship. The middleweight clash and the entire M-1 Challenge XXV: Zavurov vs. Magomedov 2 card will be available LIVE online on the official M-1 Global website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.
Fighting out of Orlando, Florida and the famed 29-year-old American Top Team fighter is riding high on a five-fight win streak which began with the TKO victory over Woody Weatherby at the M-1 Selection American Finals this past September. As part of the undercard, Fioravanti silenced critics as the ‘Italian Tank’ left Weatherby without an answer to his overpowering striking, forcing the referee to intervene just past the midway point of the first round; the staunch, relentless fighter now sports a respectable 22-8 professional record.
With his confidence steadily on the rise, Fioravanti’s last outing inside the M-1 ring was in front of a capacity crowd at the Druzhba arena in Moscow at M-1 Challenge XXI where ‘The Italian Tank’ Fioravanti delivered on his promise of bringing the fight to Arthur Guseinov and hand delivered a solid taste of good ‘ol fashioned dirty boxing. Sinking in a suffocating rear-naked-choke submission, Fioravanti secured the victory at the :35 second mark in the overtime round. The performance was a testament to Fioravanti’s conditioning and heart and is well deserving of the fight of the night honor.
Fioravanti is more than just a mixed martial artist, he served his country with pride and honor. Joining the Marines directly after high school, Fioravanti was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and began training in various martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing while stationed in California and Iraq.
After spending five months in Iraq, Fioravanti continued training and began his professional career in early 2004 with his successful debut against future TUF 9 competitor, Kiel Reid, via first-round submission at Obaktagon Challenge 1. Not looking to slow down after his first fight, Fioravanti put his foot on the throttle and quickly racked up an impressive string of victories and has fought such notables as Chris Leben, Jon Fitch, Luke Cummo, and Dave Menne and Diego Sanchez.
As clock ticks down to April 28th, Fioravanti’s camp is in full-swing, preparing to venture across the Atlantic ocean once again and storm head on into hostile territory where he’ll face Russia’s fighting hero and St. Petersburg’s pride, Andrei Semenov; a win this time out positions ‘The Italian Tank’s’ sites at middleweight title contention and a future date to wage war with newly crowned champ, Magomed ‘The White Wolf’ Sultanakhmedov.
Free LIVE broadcast coverage of the entire M-1 Challenge XXV event from St. Petersburg, Russia will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) and select affiliate partner sites starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST on Thursday April 28th.
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, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.