ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (July 22 2014) – Former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Victor Nemkov has pulled out of a rematch against current holder Stephan Puetz (10-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 3 SUB) in the main event on a special M-1 Global anniversary show, M-1 Challenge 50: Battle on Neva,” outdoors Friday, August 15 in the St. Petersburg city center open area.
Nemkov, who lost a hard-fought decision to Puetz last March in their M-1 Challenge 46 championship match, recently suffered torn ligaments in his hand that will sideline him for several months. Exciting Brazilian light heavyweight Luis Fernando “Hulk” Miranda (12-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) will now challenge Puetz for the coveted title.
Luis Fernando Miranda (gold and black trunks) connects with straight right
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Miranda is the Monster Black Combat and King of Combat champion back home in Brazil.
“The fight against Nemkov is not going to happen on August 15th and I wish him a quick recovery,” Puetz said. “I will focus on Miranda and my objective hasn’t changed a bit. I want to keep my belt and bring it back to Germany.
“I am not upset (with the change of opponent) at all. It would have been bad if I didn’t have an opponent at all. It is great M-1 came up with an immediate replacement. I believe Miranda is a worthy opponent and a big challenge, too. The change of opponent hasn’t changed by training at all.”
The co-feature showcases two dangerous Polish heavyweights, M-1 Challenge champion Damian “Polish Pitbull” Grabowski (19-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 6 SUB) and undefeated No. 1 contender Marcin “Tybur” Tybura (10-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 4 SUB).
Scheduled to fight on the undercard in Super Fights is Slovenian featherweight Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (26-4-0, 6 KO/TKO, 16 SUB) vs. Russian veteran Mikhail Malyutin (26-12-0, 5 KO/TKO, 8 SUB), Spanish welterweight Daniel “The Gladiator” Tabera (17-5-3, 4 KO/TKO, 6 SUB) vs. unbeaten Russian prospect Ilya Doderkin (5-0-0, 5 SUB), Germany’s Saba Bolaghi (1-0-0, 1 SUB) vs. Russian lightweight Zulfikar Usmanov 6-3-0, 1 KO/TKO, 4 SUB), and Polish featherweight Kamil Maron (5-1-0, 0 KO/SUB, 2 SUB) vs. Russia’s Nikita Chistyakov (1-1-0, 1 SUB).
The M-1 Challenge series has traditionally introduced a new wave of potential MMA stars, showcasing elite athletes from Russia and across Europe. M-1 Global is the No. 1 European MMA organization, as well as one of the oldest in the world, dating back to 1998. Superstar Fedor Emelianenko, considered by many to be the greatest fighter in MMA history, has been the face of M-1 Global around the combat sports world for the past decade.
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Go to www.M-1Global.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244for more information about M-1 Global and M-1 Challenge 50.
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Gobal and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.
