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MMA Xplosion Finalizes International Team Challenge Fight Card at Hard Rock Hotel Jan. 29

Millennium Events will present its next event, MMA Xplosion: International Team Challenge, which takes place on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Some of the world’s best will showcase their skills as athletes from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Kazakhstan will form four national teams that will compete against one another at this incredible event.

At the Challenge, Team USA will square off against Team Brazil, and Team Mexico will clash with Team Kazakhstan. Two of MMA Xplosion’s brightest rising stars, Damien Knight and Chidi Njokuani will be featured amongst the six fighters who will represent Team USA. Brazilian favorite Vinny Magalhaes is just one of the talented competitors looking to further elevate the reputation of his native Brazil at the Challenge. And Team Kazakhstan will once again be representing their country with the two Nazarov brothers, Ardak and Beibit, as they team up to face Team Mexico, which will include the ultra-tough Art Ramirez.

Tickets for this event start at $30, and are on sale now at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, (702) 693-5222, www.hardrockhotel.com or www.ticketmaster.com. The event is open to all ages. Doors open at 6 PM, and the first match is scheduled for 7 PM.

The main event will feature an outstanding competitor who’s been on a run in Xplosion in Damien Knight (3-0). In his last two Xplosion appearances, Knight has showcased his skill set in convincing wins over Travis Bartlett and UFC veteran Scott Junk, who he moved up in weight to face. He will represent the Team USA’s 205-pound weight division against highly-regarded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (5-5). “Pezao” has won two of his last three fights, and is well-known for his time in the UFC, where he faced Eliot Marshall and top star Ryan Bader. The matchup between Knight and Magalhaes has far-reaching implications, and will surely bring out the best in both these talented athletes.

Several other notables will be featured at this International Team Challenge event, including Chidi Njokuani (4-1), a young star who is the brother of multi-time WEC veteran Anthony Njokuani. Njokuani will tangle with Wand Fight Team product and one-time WEC veteran Sidney Silva (8-3). In addition, Team Kazakhstan’s Ardak Nazarov, Beibit Nazarov, Kazybek Ashimov, and Begnar Ammanbyev, who put on an extremely impressive performance at the Joint on October 9, will look to build off that momentum as they tangle with Team Mexico. And two of MMA’s female competitors will be represented on the undercard, as Las Vegas based Karina Taylor (0-3) will face off with Tammie Schneider (3-10), fighting out of Kansas City.

“January 29 will be our first in a series of exciting MMA Xplosion promotions at The Joint planned for the year ahead,” stated promoter Vlad Warton. “Given the benefit of experience from our past three events in 2010, we are very proud to continue our association with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. I firmly believe that our positive working relationship with their venue will ultimately result in MMA Xplosion obtaining strong national and international brand recognition. We are totally committed to delivering the best of mixed martial arts content to our fans, and I wish to thank our fans and sponsors for their ongoing support.”

Warton’s business partner Rani John stated, “We have high expectations in building on the foundation MMA Xplosion has established, and plan on delivering top quality shows with top quality athletes for all of 2011.”

The scheduled fight card includes:

USA vs. Brazil

• 205 lbs: USA’s Damien Knight (3-0) vs. Brazil’s Vinny Magalhaes (5-5)
• 170 lbs: USA’s Jason Trevino (3-3) vs. Brazil’s Tiki Squeti (10-5)
• 170 lbs: USA’s Chidi Njokuani (4-1) vs. Brazil’s Sydney Silva (8-3)
• 185 lbs: USA’s Krasimir Samardzhiev (1-0) vs. Brazil’s Jamen Olney (0-1) 

Mexico vs. Kazakhstan

• 155 lbs: Mexico’s Josh Montalvo (2-0) vs. Kazakhstan’s Ardak Nazarov (3-1)
• 155 lbs: Mexico’s Art Ramirez (3-3) vs. Kazakhstan’s Beibit Nazarov (3-0)
• 135 lbs: Mexico’s Omar Avelar (4-0) vs. Kazakhstan’s Begnar Amanbayev (4-0)
• 125 lbs: Mexico’s Freddy Artega (0-1) vs. Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Ashimov (3-1) 

Special attraction women’s bout

• 120 lbs: Karina Taylor, Las Vegas (0-3) vs. Tammie Schneider, Kansas City (3-10) 

Fight card is subject to change.

For more information, please visit http://www.mmaxplosion.com/