Wednesday, March 14, 2007

INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE RETURNS TO FOX SPORTS NETWORK FRIDAY



CLASSIC ANACONDAS-SILVERBACKS MATCHUP GRABS SPOTLIGHT AS INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE SEASON ROLLS ON FRIDAY NIGHT ON FSN

TV Debut Of Epic Horodecki-Palaszewski Bout Highlights Card As Ruttens Anacondas Look To Choke Out Defending Champion Silverbacks In 2007 Openers For Both Teams

NEW YORK, March 14, 2007- The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the worlds first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and television partner Fox Sports Net present one of the leagues most interesting matchups, Bas Ruttens Anacondas against Pat Miletichs defending IFL Champion Silverbacks in action from last month in Houston, debuting on Friday, March 16. This also marks the first airing of the much-discussed lightweight bout between teen sensation Chris Horodecki and unbeaten Bart Palaszewski.

Start time for the show is 11 p.m. in most markets. The March IFL on FSN schedule, with dates and times on each Regional FSN network, can be seen at www.ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html. Viewers can also check their local schedule at msn.foxsports.com/tv/schedule.

In addition to Horodecki-Palaszewski , which by all accounts is one of the great bouts in IFL history, the episode features the return of Anacondas middleweight Benji Radach to the ring after more than two years, against tough Ryan McGivern, as well as three other fights.

The FSN schedule will continue each Friday, following the order of IFL events in the first third of the regular season. Then the battle at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., between two of the leagues top teams, the Pitbulls, coached by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Renzo Gracie and based in New York, and the Wolfpack, coached by Olympic Silver Medalist Matt Lindland and based in Portland, Ore., will air on same-night delay at 11 p.m. on Friday, April 13.

The 22 hours of original programming scheduled on FSN this year represents nearly 70% more than the 13 hours shown in 2006, when the network aired three hours of coverage of the IFL Legends Championship in May and June and followed up with 10 hours of IFL World Team Championship action, September through December.

The FSN coverage is in addition to the 22, two-hour episodes of International Fight League Battleground, seen on over-the-air MyNetworkTV nationwide every Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT).

In all, 66 hours of original IFL programming are scheduled to run on the two networks, which together reach more than 95% of U.S. television households.

The remaining schedule of matchups on each FSN debut date is as follows through April:

March 23, Dragons vs. Wolfpack (Atlanta, Feb. 23)
March 30, Pitbulls vs. Red Bears (Atlanta, Feb. 23)
April 6, Condors vs. Sabres (Los Angeles, March 17)
April 13, Wolfpack vs. Pitbulls (Uncasville, Conn., April 13 same day show)
April 20, Anacondas vs. Razorclaws (Los Angeles, March 17)
April 27, Dragons vs. Scorpions (Uncasville, April 13 show)

Each of the nine regular season IFL events will consist of four teams each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing along with a special Superfight, for a minimum of 11 bouts per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.

Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 15.

About the IFL
International Fight League (IFL) is the worlds first professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York, NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv.

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