Gamma-O Partners With Strikeforce, EliteXC
For “Shamrock vs Baroni”
June 22 at HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.
San Jose, CA; June 7, 2007 – Leading nutritional supplement company, Gamma-O, has joined forces with Strikeforce and EliteXC for the “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” live Pay Per View mega-fight card featuring the long-awaited showdown between bitter rivals Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Friday, June 22nd. At stake during the fight between Shamrock (strikeforceusa.net, frankshamrock.proelite.com) and Baroni (strikeforceusa.net, philbaroni.proelite.com) will be the vacant Strikeforce world middleweight (185-pound limit) championship.
“Gamma-O is excited about the partnership for this event that will help bring the fans the most exciting fights with the most elite fighters in MMA today,” said John Napolitano, President of Gamma Enterprises, LLC. Gamma-O is also the official supplement sponsor of Baroni as well as that of a handful of other top mixed martial arts competitors.
“We are looking forward to having Gamma-O aboard for our biggest event yet,” said Strikeforce CEO, Scott Coker. “The Gamma-O product does a tremendous job of enhancing an athlete’s performance. It is a perfect fit for our product, which demands the most of its athletes both mentally and physically.”
Established in 2003, Gamma Enterprises designed its unique Gamma-O product using Gamma Oryzanol, a natural form of rice bran oil, as its cornerstone. Gamma Oryzanol effectively boosts the body’s levels of testosterone and endorphins. The increase in the two chemicals assists the growth of lean muscle tissue while burning off unwanted fat without the harmful side effects of steroids, pro-hormone or andro products. Strength and energy are enhanced and stress levels are reduced.
“Gamma-O offers athletes a world-class product that and we are thrilled about the opportunity to communicate their brand message with our world championship event,” said Gary Shaw, President, Live Events for Pro Elite, EliteXC’s parent company.
The live Pay Per View event will be distributed by SHOWTIME® PPV beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with a suggested retail price of $34.95. For more information and to order “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” viewers should contact their Pay-Per-View providers.
For more information on the free online broadcast of the four-fight undercard, visit www.ProElite.com or www.strikeforceusa.net.
Ticket prices for “Shamrock vs. Baroni” are on sale at Ticketmaster (408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070).
The star-studded event will also feature the return of undefeated world San Shou kickboxing champion and middleweight mixed martial arts contender, Cung Le (strikeforceusa.net, cungle.proelite.com), who will face his greatest test to date in Tony “The Freak” Fryklund.
Strikeforce’s latest recruit, 2003 K-1 North America tournament champion, Carter Williams (strikeforceusa.net, carterwilliams.proelite.com), will meet hard-hitting Paul Buentello (strikeforceusa.net, paulbuentello.proelite.com) in a heavyweight matchup.
In another top-notch bout, EliteXC’s Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (krazyhorse.proelite.com), who is coming off a stunning, upset knockout victory over EliteXC’s KJ Noons (kjnoons.proelite.com), will take on Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela (joeboxer.proelite.com).
EliteXC fighters, Joey Villasenor (joeyvillasenor.proelite.com) and former Pride star, Murilo “Ninja” Rua (murilorua.proelite.com), will lock horns for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title. On February 10th, Villasenor pulled off a shocking upset by outmaneuvering and, eventually earning a unanimous decision over EliteXC’s David “The Crow” Loiseau (thecrow.proelite.com). Villasenor’s career is highlighted by a 15 fight-winning streak 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 (markweir.proelite.com), with an arm triangle choke in the second round of their meeting.
UFC veteran and K-1 Max star, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, will go head to head with British Cage Rage champion, Paul “Semtex” Daley, in a bout that will be shown to viewers should there be sufficient time remaining on the Pay Per View broadcast following the first three of six main card bouts scheduled to air live.
“Shamrock vs. Baroni” is co-produced by ProElite, Inc., the parent company of EliteXC, and Strikeforce.
About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite, Inc. delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
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. The rapidly growing organization recently re-launched its website, www.strikeforceusa.net, which boasts a bold new look and all-new features, including video streaming capability. 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.”
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™ and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.