Judgment Day:” Shamrock Collides With Baroni On June 22nd

Cung Le, Buentello, “Krazy HorseReturn During Live PPV Extravaganza

 

 

June 22, 2007

HP Pavilion

San Jose, California

www.strikeforceusa.net

 

- Special Thanks go out to Mike Afromowitz for the following information:

 

New York, NY….After months of deliberations, one of the most anticipated showdowns in mixed martial arts

history will finally come to fruition when former UFC middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock, battles

fellow knockout artist and consummate showman, “The New York BadassPhil Baroni, for the vacant

Strikeforce world middleweight (185 lb. limit) championship during the main event of “Judgment Day,” a live,

Pay Per View televised Strikeforce-EliteXC cage fight card that will take place at San Jose, California’s HP

Pavilion on Friday, June 22nd.

 

InDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, and TVN will carry the Pay Per View program, which will kick off at 10

PM Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time).

 

Also returning to action during “Judgment Day,” undefeated world San Shou kickboxing champion and

middleweight mixed martial arts contender, Cung Le, will battle UFC veteran, TonyThe FreakFryklund.

Strikeforce’s latest recruit, 2003 K-1 North America tournament champion, Carter Williams, will face the

hard-hitting Paul Buentello in a heavyweight matchup. Off the heels of his stunning knockout victory over

KJ Noons, CharlesKrazy HorseBennett, will take on VictorJoe BoxerValenzuela.

 

Joey Villasenor and former Pride star, MuriloNinjaRua, will lock horns with the vacant EliteXC

middleweight title at stake. On February 10th, Villasenor pulled off a stunning upset by outmaneuvering

and, eventually earning a unanimous judges’ decision over DavidThe CrowLoiseau. Villasenor’s career

is highlighted by a 15 fight winning streak that he put together between December 2002 and April 2006. A

member of the famed Chute Boxe fight squad in Brazil , Rua was last seen in action on September 30th

when he submitted British kickboxer, Mark Weir, with an arm triangle choke in the second round of their

meeting.

 

Arguably the most physically gifted individual to ever step in the cage, the 34-year-old Shamrock, also a

former King Of Pancrase, has been dubbed by the fight press as the “closest thing mixed martial has to

Muhammad Ali” for his combination of versatile skills quick witted mind games that he has so often used to

gain a sharp advantage over his opposition.

 

During his illustrious career, Shamrock has taken out the likes of UFC poster boy Tito Ortiz as well as

mixed martial arts legend, Bas Rutten. His 16 second submission of former Olympic Wrestling Gold

Medalist Kevin Jackson on December 21, 1997 set a new UFC record for stoppage of a fight.

 

On March 10th of last year, Shamrock ended a near three year hiatus from action and rekindled the sport’s

oldest family rivalry when he faced longtime nemesis, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Cesar Gracie, in the

main event of the historic, first-ever sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in the state of California that

took place at the HP Pavilion. Before a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265, Shamrock decimated Gracie,

sending him to the canvas with a hard right hand that set up a 21 second technical knockout.

 

Shamrock returned to the cage on February 10th of this year to meet another famed member of Brazilian

Jiu-Jitsu’s first family, Renzo Gracie. The contest ended in a controversial manner, with Shamrock being

disqualified for throwing two illegal knee strikes to Gracie’s head while the two fighters struggled on the

ground.

 

With his brilliant punching power and dynamic energy that triggers his edgy persona, the 30-year-old

Baroni poses an imminent threat to Shamrock’s legacy.

 

In 2001, Baroni, a native of Long Island, New York, exploded onto the UFC scene and, one year later,

established himself as a credible star by pummeling former UFC middleweight champion, Dave Menne,

only 18 seconds into their matchup.

 

Of late, Baroni has been making noise with the Japan-based Pride Fighting Championship. During the

organization’s first-ever fight card in The United States on October 21st, Baroni thrilled a packed house at

Las Vegas, Nevada’s Thomas and Mack Center as well as a Pay-Per-View audience when he forced famed

Japanese boxer, Yosuke Nishijima, into submission with a kimura hold.

 

Ironically, Baroni recently joined the world-class fight team at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), the

former home of Shamrock. The alliance has thickened the bad blood between the two fighters.

 

“Judgment Day” is being co-produced by Strikeforce; ProElite, Inc, the parent outfit of EliteXC; and Silicon

Valley Sports and Entertainment.

 

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.

 

ProElite, Inc. is an entertainment and media company dedicated to producing world-class sporting events

and empowering the participation of athletes and enthusiasts. ProElite, Inc. fosters the growth of the core

principles of competition – pride, spirit, honor, and sportsmanship. ProElite, Inc. owns the following brands

and companies: EliteXCTM (mixed martial arts live event production), ProElite.com (online community that

provides content and tools for martial arts enthusiasts), and LifeLogger (top-rated internet blogging site and

mobile application developer).

 

Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVS&E, www.svse.net) is a leading producer of major sporting

and entertainment events and the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s largest

entertainment venue, HP Pavilion. SVS&E’s many properties include “Fight Night at the Tank” professional

boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and the annual ATP men’s professional tennis

“SAP Open” event.

 

 

- From StrikeForce with a little editing from us (color, etc...)

 

 

(4/15/07)