Reborn, Reformed Beerbohm Looks To Continue Unbeaten Run

As Pro MMA Fighter At Kent’s ShoWare Center June 19

Has “full confidence” he will “break” Duane “Bang” Ludwig;

Strikeforce Challengers Airs Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT

June 19, 2009

ShoWare Center

Kent, Washington

Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (June 12, 2009)—Two years ago, Lyle Beerbohm was sitting in a prison cell, serving an 18

month sentence.  A crystal meth addict, he had stolen from his loved ones and committed multiple felonies

during a dreadful, downward spiral.

On June 19, the reborn 30-year-old native of Spokane, Washington will attempt to continue his miraculous

and inspiring transformation into an undefeated athlete in the world’s fastest growing sport – mixed martial

arts (MMA).

“This is the biggest fight of my life,” said Beerbohm (9-0), who will face his most difficult test to date in the

cage when he squares off with seasoned knockout artist, Duane “Bang” Ludwig (18-8) in a lightweight

(155 pound) matchup during the Strikeforce Challengers MMA event at Kent, Washington’s brand new

ShoWare Center on Friday, June 19.  “Once I beat him, I’ll be a superstar – where I need to be.  I have full

confidence that I will win this fight.”

Beerbohm enjoyed a stint in high school wrestling and claims to have been unbeaten over the course of

numerous street fights as well as three scuffles in Walla Walla state prison, but it was only after he tuned

into The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV’s smash-hit MMA reality series, that he decided he would make combat

his livelihood and his path to redemption.

“When I was sitting in prison and watching The Ultimate Fighter show,” he said, “I was like ‘Are you

serious?  Those guys are on TV, making money?’  I knew I could take those guys so, right then and there, I

made up my mind and haven’t looked back since.”

So determined was Beerbohm to get the ball rolling immediately after his release that he ordered his father

to stop driving after they passed by a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy on the ride home from prison.  Beerbohm

quickly introduced himself to the school owner and explained his intentions. 

Just eight days after his first lesson, Beerbohm stepped in the cage where he won his first amateur bout. 

After amassing a 12-0 record under amateur status in only nine months, he decided the time was right to

turn professional.  He has since finished all but one of his nine victims. 

“I traded one addiction for another,” said Beerbohm, who has also earned the nickname “Fancy Pants” due

to his flashy looking fight shorts that his mother designed for him.  “I had put all my time and focus into that

drug, unfortunately, so I needed something else to put my time and effort into and that’s why I’ve done what

I have so far in MMA.”

Beerbohm no longer has a trainer – only training partners at the Spokane based Sik Jitsu club whom he

claims have been the key to helping him learn on the job.  He has visited a number of prominent training

centers including submission expert Dennis Hallman’s Seattle-based Victory Athletics and former Olympic

wrestler Matt Lindland’s Team Quest, but prefers doing things his own way.

“(The other camps) are pretty good, but we’ve got the best thing in Spokane,” said Beerbohm.  “When I was

at other camps, I wasn’t in charge.  In Spokane, I’m in charge.  The guys do what I want to do and that’s the

way I want it.”

Beerbohm’s next opponent boasts far more formal training than him.  A native of Denver, Colorado Ludwig,

also 30 years of age, immersed himself in the world of Muay Thai kickboxing as a teenager and has gone

on to become a star in the sport of MMA.  He also holds the record for the quickest knockout in UFC history

(Ludwig stopped Jonathan Goulet in 11 seconds on January 16, 2006).  That doesn’t intimidate Beerbohm

one bit, though.

“His stand up (skills) is pretty good, but my style is breaking people.  The way I pace myself, people can’t

handle it,” stated Beerbohm.  “I’ll break him by the third round.  If he gets to the 3^rd round, he’s not going to

get out of the third round.”

“When you see me get in the cage with Ludwig, I will be a different fighter and a step above where I was from

my last appearance.  I’m a brand new fighter and can’t wait to show the world.”

Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event, priced from $32, are on sale at the ShoWare Center Box Office

(253-856-6999 or 877-840-0457), online at ShoWareCenter.com, and at www.strikeforce.com. 

The live SHOWTIME® telecast of the event will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast)

and will include up to five bouts.

Middleweight (185 pound) powerhouses “Smokin” Joey Villasenor (26-6) and Evangelista “Cyborg”

Santos (16-12) will face off in the card’s main event.

Decorated United States Army Ranger Tim Kennedy (9-2) will square off with seasoned veteran Nick “The

Goat” Thompson (38-10-1) in a middleweight contest.

Rising stars Cory “The One” Devela (9-2) and Luke Rockhold (4-1) will face off with each other in yet

another middleweight battle.

Jorge Gurgel (12-5) will battle Conor “Hurricane” Heun (8-2) in a lightweight (155 pound) battle and

welterweight (170 pound) submission ace Dennis “Superman” Hallman (40-12-2) will lock horns with

Cedric Marks (26-18).  

In women’s action, undefeated power puncher Sarah Kaufman (9-0) will meet Shayna “The Queen of

Spades” Baszler (11-5).

ShoWare Center doors will open for the Strikeforce Challengers event at 5:30 p.m. PT on June 19 and the

first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. PT.

Strikeforce’s affair at the Tacoma Dome on February 28, 2008 marked the largest live gate in the history of

any boxing, MMA, or kickboxing event in Washington State.

Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. It provides today’s top

prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a

nationally televised event.

About Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made

history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California

state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record

crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for

ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company

unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions,

the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity

created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San

Jose.

About ShoWare Center

The nation's first sports & entertainment arena awarded "Silver" certification by Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED(r)), ShoWare Center is home to the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, as well as

concerts, family shows, corporate events, tradeshows and other sporting events. Located just 17 miles from

Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma, ShoWare Center offers guests complimentary parking and is the crown jewel

in a well-designed gathering place for residents of the Puget Sound region. Visit www.ShoWareCenter.com.

About SMG

Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to more than 215 public

assembly facilities including arenas, stadiums, performing arts theaters, and convention, conference and

trade centers worldwide, totaling more than 1.5 million entertainment seats and more than 10 million square

feet of exhibition space. SMG manages 76 arenas including Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Times

Union Center in Albany, N.Y., Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Dunkin Donuts

Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Visit www.SMGWorld.com.

Media Contact:

- Strikeforce

  Mike Afromowitz: mafromowitz@strikeforce.com

- Press Release from Showtime with a little editing from us (color, etc...)

Subject to change

(6/12/09)