Results tagged “WAMMA” from MMA Explosion

I interviewed Michael Lynch some time ago for a post I did on the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts. WAMMA is still around, and Mike has moved on to other things. I'm not much of a gambler, but I don't deny that gambling is a big part of fighting. This is Mike's new project, so check it out:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
AUG. 28 ROLLOUT OF CHOKEOUTPOKER.NET BEGINS WITH 7-0 RECORD AT RECENT M-1 EVENT

ChokeOutPoker.net is a new hybrid lifestyle online poker brand that caters to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans around across the globe. The site will make its official launch Friday, Aug. 28, to coincide with its sponsorship of "HDNET FIGHTS PRESENTS M-1 GLOBAL: BREAKTHROUGH", a live HDNet telecast airing at 10 p.m. ET.

The online poker educational site was built to appeal to the hip, old-school affluence and lifestyle personified by such iconic figures as Hugh Hefner, Steve McQueen, and Ernest Hemingway.

"Think Maxim meets poker meets MMA and that pretty much embodies ChokeOutPoker.net," said Michael Lynch, CEO of Templar Consulting, the exclusive marketing agent forChokeOutPoker.net.

The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts has taken a great deal of heat since their inception in 2007. As far as I understand it, they want to be a sanctioning body for the sport. Legendary fighter/trainer Pat Miletich, one of the company's officers, apparently came up with the phrase "One Belt, One King," as the organization's motto. In other words, be the conduit between MMA federations and have the best fight the best.

Some people didn't like the way WAMMA did business, or thought they were in it just for the money. Some critics seemed to be those are just resistant to change, or to anyone who thinks "outside the box," to use an over-used phrase. I thought the idea was innovative, and was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Last year, WAMMA crowned Fedor Emeilanenko as their heavyweight champ and Shinya Aoki as their lightweight champ. Recently, photos of WAMMA's cleaned-out offices in Florida surfaced on the Internet. But according to this news release, WAMMA is still around, and with the recent alliance of Strikeforce/M-1/DREAM, who knows? They might be able to crown some more champs. My outlook is, if they do what they say, and it benefits the fans, what's not to like?

NEW YORK (August 20th, 2009) -- The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) today announces a new strategic partnership with Brand Asset Digital, the distributed technologies company. The association between the two groups will help WAMMA incorporate new sponsorships into traditional and electronic platforms.

"We believe our combined efforts will help bring new sponsors into the MMA arena," says WAMMA CEO Dave Szady. "It will also help advance WAMMA's mission of promoting the integrity, legitimacy and prosperity of MMA."

man, I'm getting' psyched for this one. Here's some ticket info.

And Kimber too, modeling some of Affliction's new threads. Don't forget Affliction Trilogy on Aug. 1.

Japanese combat fighting superstar Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi has been added to the Affliction M-1 Global's locked-and-loaded "Trilogy" card against upset-minded Rafaello "Tractor" Oliveira, completing the five-fight Pay-Per-View event, live August 1 from Honda Center in Anaheim.

The premier heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter in the universe, Russian icon Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko (30-1-0), defends his WAMMA heavyweight title against No. 1 contender, Josh "The Babyfaced Assassin" Barnett (24-5-0), in the special main event.

Gilbert Yvel, who was tooled on by Josh Barnett at Affliction: Day of Reckoning, gets the KO on Pedro Rizzo and the right to fight Paul Buentello at Affliction: Trilogy on Aug. 1.

WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (who was recently mentioned as a possible opponent for Josh Barnett) and top middleweight Gegard Mousasi, who won the DREAM middleweight tournament, and is now entered in the Super Hulk tournament, got together for some sparring. This is pretty interesting because Fedor is regarded by many to be the best fighter in the world, and to me, Mousasi represents the next generation of fighters, someone who can be regarded as one of the best, even if he never signs with the UFC.