July 1 – 6 2014
HEADLINERS KEVIN ROSS vs. MICHAEL THOMPSON BATTLE FOR LION FIGHT’S FIRST EVER SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TIFFANY “TIMEBOMB” VAN SOEST COMPETES IN CO-MAIN EVENT THAILAND’S RUNGRAVEE SASIPRAPA TO MAKE LION FIGHT DEBUT
LAS VEGAS –Scott Kent made the biggest and boldest move yet for the sport of Muay Thai and his LION FIGHT organization, for the first time ever, to present a world class full Muay Thai rules event, LION FIGHT 16, as part of the UFC’s International Fight Week taking place in Las Vegas July 1 – 6. UFC President Dana White and Kent, LION FIGHT Founder and CEO, today announced to fight fans everywhere that LION FIGHT 16 will take place live Friday, July 4 from The Pearl inside Palms Casino Resort, presented on the UFC’s roster of fan events and activities taking place in the city’s hottest venues and clubs throughout the holiday weekend.
“Presenting Lion Fight 16 as part of UFC’s International Fight Week, the biggest fan event in the world of combat sports, is a privilege and an honor and further proves that Lion Fight is the premier promotion in standup fighting,” said Kent. “I sincerely thank UFC owners Dana White and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta for giving Lion Fight this opportunity. I promise you and the fans that our Fourth of July full Muay Thai rules event will be the ultimate action-packed prelude to your UFC 175 mixed martial arts mega-fight on July 5th.”
“The Pearl has been home to so many amazing fights over the years and we’re excited to be a part of such a historic event,” said VP of Entertainment and Special Events at Palms Casino Resort Billy Conn.
Tickets for LION FIGHT 16 are on sale NOW starting at $25 and are available for purchase through www.Ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Pearl at the Palms box office. (Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges).
LION FIGHT 16 airs live on AXS TV starting at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast will feature play-by-play and color commentary by legendary MMA fighter and coach Pat Miletich alongside renowned sports commentator “The Voice” Michael Schiavello.
Kent also revealed the main event matchup for LION FIGHT 16 and that he will introduce a new championship division with Muay Thai superstar Kevin Ross battling Australia’s Michael Thompson for the Lion Fight World Super Lightweight belt.
“In honor of our first event in conjunction with the UFC, we are stacking LION FIGHT 16 with the best of the best in Muay Thai, and topping it off with a world championship super lightweight title fight between Muay Thai superstar and fan favorite Kevin “The Soul Assassin” Ross and Australian knockout artist Michael “Tomahawk” Thompson. Also, our former lightweight champion and the hardest working fighter in the women’s division, Tiffany “Timebomb” Van Soest, will compete in our co-main event, and for the first time ever, Rungravee Sasiprapa will fight inside the Lion Fight ring – this is a fast rising star in Muay Thai and someone that our fans have been asking us to bring to America. On Friday, July 4th, the stars of Muay Thai are coming to Las Vegas ready to kickoff the fireworks extravaganza.”
Ross fights out of Dublin, CA by way of Las Vegas, Nevada and owns 27 career wins with nine knockouts on record. The 5’10” fighter is currently ranked 10th in the world by the WBC for Muay Thai in the Super-Lightweight Division (140 lbs, 63.503 kg). Among Kevin’s titles is the Super Light Weight (140 pounds) WBC International championship Title, the Welterweight (147 pounds) WBC USA National championship Title, the FIDAM Welterweight championship of Mexico and the United States Muay Thai Federation (USMF) Welterweight champion.
Thompson, an Australian Intercontinental and World Muay Thai Champion, has racked up 34 wins and 17 knockouts at just 24 years old. He favors the aggressive Western style of Muay Thai equipped with heavy elbows and fast punching power. Last year, he defeated Thai superstar Pornsanae Sitmonchai, a pivotal career win that proved his skill and established him as one of the fastest rising stars in the sport.
Fighting out of Blue Ocean Muay Thai in San Diego, Van Soest is the former Lion Fight lightweight champion and holds a professional Muay Thai record of 8-1-1. She started her martial arts training when she was just eight years old with the U.S. Karate Organization in Riverside, Calif. She earned a second-degree black belt at age 17. After winning consecutive USKA State, National, and World karate titles, she began training in Muay Thai. Van Soest also grew up as a soccer player and played two seasons for Cal State San Marcos while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and certifications in personal training. “Timebomb” will take on a soon to be announced opponent in the co-main event of Lion Fight 16.
Please visit LIONFIGHT.com for posts, information and event updates, and follow on Twitter @LIONFIGHT.
About Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from the Muay martial arts of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This physical and mental discipline, which includes combat on foot, is known as “the art of eight limbs” because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins and feet. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the twentieth century, when Muay Thai practitioners defeated notable practitioners of other martial arts. The professional sport of Muay Thai is governed by the World Muay Thai Council.
About Lion Fight
Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lion Fight Promotions, LLC is the world’s premier Muay Thai organization. Founded in 2010 by owner and Chief Executive Officer Scott Kent, Lion Fight is the most active promoter of Muay Thai events and stands as the largest standup combat sports organization in North America. Lion Fight’s full rules Muay Thai events are televised live nationally to over 42 million homes as part of AXS TV’s long-running Friday Night Fights series. The company is dedicated to growing Muay Thai in America and to presenting world-class events stacked with the best fighters in the sport.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Beijing, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries to 800+ million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, Octagon™ branded apparel, best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.com and follow UFC at www.Facebook.com/UFC and on Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.
About AXS TV Fights
AXS TV Fights presents more LIVE mixed martial arts and Muay Thai events than any other television network with 40+ LIVE world-class fight cards each year. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world champion Pat Miletich call all the action as champions, challengers, and top prospects take center stage every Friday night at 10pE/7pP. AXS TV Fights can be found online, on Facebook and on Twitter. AXS TV is widely distributed in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also carried in Canada and the Caribbean.
About The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort
The Pearl is Las Vegas’ premier concert theater boasting accommodations for up to 2,500 ticket holders. Featuring a stage just four feet from the floor and the farthest seating area being a mere 120 feet from the stage, the Pearl offers the utmost in intimate viewing of your favorite acts. Private and semi-private skyboxes are located on each side of the venue offering private bars, lounges and restrooms. The Pearl is a marvel of modern technology using only top quality sound and video equipment throughout. Hard wired to Studio at the Palms, the Pearl allows artists to create a cost-effective live album with efficiency and without additional venue set-up.
