Friday, October 14, 2011 From The Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona

CHICAGO (October 3, 2011) – M-1 GLOBAL announces the addition of Sengoku veteran Yasubey Enomoto (7-3) versus dangerous wrestler Josh Thorpe (10-4) for a Welterweight (170 Lbs.) bout at the mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner 2. The bouts from the new 5,500 seat Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona will air LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, October 14 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).

The October 14th event is headlined with the five-round, heavyweight (265 Lbs.) championship bout between undefeated and reigning M-1 Global champion Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) and the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Tournament heavyweight winner Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner (7-3).

In co-main event action, M-1 Global Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs.) Champion and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion Vinny Magalhaes (8-5) will make his first title defense against versatile Russian fighter Mikhail Zayats (14-5).

“This should be a very exciting matchup between two well-rounded and exciting fighters” – said Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of operations. “Enomoto put on an impressive performance at the M-1
Ukraine European Battle this past June and is determined to win his way back to a title shot. Thorpe is a skilled wrestler and grappler and will be extremely motivated to win since he’s coming off a defeat earlier in the year. Both fighters need to prove themselves and both know that leaving it up to the judges is not an option”.
Enomoto (Enomoto Dojo, Zurich, Switzerland) is coming off a majority decision win over Rafal Moks at the M-1 Global Ukraine European Battle in June; prior to that he stepped in as a last minute replacement for an injured Rashid Magomedov to compete against M-1 Welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov. Taking the fight on eight days notice, Enomoto lost via unanimous decision in a full five round battle. “I’m going after that title one way or another and next in my path is Thorpe,” said Enomoto. “Zavurov has my belt. I asked him to give it to me once and he didn’t let me take it. Looks like I’ll have to work a bit harder to get to it. Winning over Josh Thorpe is a step closer. I watched two of his fights and he looks like a pretty solid stand up guy with good takedowns. This will be a good fight and I look forward to it.”

Mobile, Alabama native Josh Thorpe (Port City MMA) lands himself in front of the largest live audience of his career. “This is a big opportunity for me,” said Thorpe. “Enomoto is a skilled fighter but I think he’s in for a surprise when we meet on October 14th. I’m training hard for this and I’m not about to let this opportunity slip away.”
Tickets are priced at $35, $40, $50, $75 and $150and can be purchased at www.GCUArena.com, charge by phone at 602-639-8999 or visit the GCU Arena Box Office located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85017

For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photos and much more, please visit http://sports.sho.com

One thought on “Yasubey Enomoto vs. Josh Thorpe official for “M-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner 2” LIVE on Showtime”
  1. […] Yasubey Enomoto vs. Josh Thorpe official for “M-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner … Mobile, Alabama native Josh Thorpe (Port City MMA) lands himself in front of the largest live audience of his career. “This is a big opportunity for me,” said Thorpe. “Enomoto is a skilled fighter but I think he's in for a surprise when we meet on … Read more on Pro MMA Now […]

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