Strategic Alliance to Take Effect after Shamrock Faces Gracie in EliteXC Debut Telecast on Showtime February 10, 2007 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
LOS ANGELES (February 7, 2007) – ProElite, Inc. (PELE.PK) today announced the creation of a strategic alliance between its EliteXC live events division and Strikeforce, a San Jose, California-based premiere mixed martial arts promotion. The strategic alliance will pave the way for EliteXC and Strikeforce to promote fights together featuring Frank Shamrock following his bout with Renzo Gracie on the debut of EliteXC on SHOWTIME, February 10 at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, MS.
EliteXC and Strikeforce plan to co-promote pay-per-view events beginning with the highly-anticipated showdown between former UFC middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock, and fellow middleweight knockout artist, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni. The strategic alliance with Strikeforce is the first that EliteXC has formed with another promoter; it was announced by EliteXC President Gary Shaw.
“EliteXC is excited about our new strategic alliance with Strikeforce – one of the leaders in MMA promotion,” said Shaw. “Starting with an event featuring Frank Shamrock, we hope to do many more events together in the future.”
A leader in the mixed martial arts world, Strikeforce broke the all-time record for attendance at a mixed martial arts fight event in North America when it hosted a sellout crowd of 18,265 at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion, the home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
“Strikeforce has been a successful player in mixed martial arts fight promotions for the last year,” said Scott Coker, President of Strikeforce, “and working with ProElite is a great way to showcase our fighters and this great sport to millions of fans worldwide.”
“The alliance with Strikeforce is a logical move for ProElite as we both share a commitment to creating world-class mixed martial art events.” announced ProElite CEO Douglas DeLuca. ProElite launches on February 10th with “Destiny – Shamrock vs. Gracie” televised live on Showtime at 10pm EST.
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About ProElite, Inc. (www.proelite.com)
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).
About Strikeforce (www.strikeforceusa.net)
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts fight promotion that on March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California. 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 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.