Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray meet for 115 lb title at World Series of Fighting 8
Dec 22, 2013 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- LAS VEGAS - Next month's World Series of
Fighting 8 event features a second championship matchup, as the No.
1 ranked 115-pound woman in the world, Jessica
Aguilar (16-4), meets Alida Gray
(4-0) for World Series of Fighing's inaugural women's strawweight
title.
The bout airs live on NBC Sports Network on the main card of the Jan. 18 event, which takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
"We're excited to host the first-ever women's bout in the World
Series of Fighting decagon, and there's no better way to do it than
with a title on the line," World Series of Fighting President
Ray
Sefo said. "Jessica
Aguilar is currently the absolute best 115-pounder on the
planet, but Alida Gray is
a lifelong martial artist who has been on an absolute tear since
turning her attention to MMA. I can't wait to see these two
clash."
"Jag" Aguilar is a member of Florida's famed American Top Team and currently boasts a seven-fight winning streak. She competed most recently in October, when she earned a second career win over her idol and MMA legend Megumi Fujii. Aguilar has lost just once in her past 12 appearances and now makes her World Series of Fighting debut.
Meanwhile, Gray brings a perfect record to the cage after racking up four stoppage wins in just the past six months alone. Fighting out of Texas' Bushido MMA, Gray was an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic judo team. She launched an amateur MMA career in 2010 and eventually turned pro earlier this year. Her four victories include a submission win to score Oklahoma's Sugar Creek Showdown women's strawweight title, as well as a brutal one-punch knockout of Soannia Tiem.
"I'm excited to get in the decagon," Gray exclaimed. "This all came very unexpectedly, but I knew it was a great opportunity for me to prove that I belong at the top. This is going to be my first time on national television, but I'm no stranger to big fights. I'm not going to put too much thought into it. I'm confident in my skills, and when I get in there I will shut everyone else out and go home with the belt."
With the addition to the card, World Series of Fighting 8 now includes:
Justin Gaethje vs. Lewis Gonzalez for inaugural lightweight title
Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Kyle
Jessica Aguilar vs. Alida Gray for inaugural women's strawweight title
Cody Bollinger vs. Tyson Nam
About "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and "World Series of Fighting" President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
About NBC Sports Network NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Hard Rock Live Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena has attracted more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 2005, and has regularly hosted South Florida's greatest variety of musical acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin and George Lopez; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFC matches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and more. For additional information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com, facebook.com/MyHRL and twitter.com/ hard_rock_live.
About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida's ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold 'em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, over 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player's Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef's Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Hard Rock hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold 'em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe -Hollywood, part of Hard Rock's 138 globally recognized rock 'n' roll restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, Rock Spa, award-winning restaurants, high-energy nightclubs, lounges and bars, boutique retail shops, the 350-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com, facebook.com/seminolehardrockhollywood, twitter.com/SHRHollywood, instagram.com/semhardrockhollywood and youtube.com/semhardrockhollywood.
The bout airs live on NBC Sports Network on the main card of the Jan. 18 event, which takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
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"Jag" Aguilar is a member of Florida's famed American Top Team and currently boasts a seven-fight winning streak. She competed most recently in October, when she earned a second career win over her idol and MMA legend Megumi Fujii. Aguilar has lost just once in her past 12 appearances and now makes her World Series of Fighting debut.
"My training is going awesome over here with the best team in the
world at ATT," Aguilar said. "It's nice to be recognized as the top
strawweight in the world, but I'm looking forward to finally
receiving a belt and continuing to show the world why I'm the best.
I'm honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue doing what
I love to do."
Meanwhile, Gray brings a perfect record to the cage after racking up four stoppage wins in just the past six months alone. Fighting out of Texas' Bushido MMA, Gray was an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic judo team. She launched an amateur MMA career in 2010 and eventually turned pro earlier this year. Her four victories include a submission win to score Oklahoma's Sugar Creek Showdown women's strawweight title, as well as a brutal one-punch knockout of Soannia Tiem.
"I'm excited to get in the decagon," Gray exclaimed. "This all came very unexpectedly, but I knew it was a great opportunity for me to prove that I belong at the top. This is going to be my first time on national television, but I'm no stranger to big fights. I'm not going to put too much thought into it. I'm confident in my skills, and when I get in there I will shut everyone else out and go home with the belt."
With the addition to the card, World Series of Fighting 8 now includes:
Justin Gaethje vs. Lewis Gonzalez for inaugural lightweight title
Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Kyle
Jessica Aguilar vs. Alida Gray for inaugural women's strawweight title
Cody Bollinger vs. Tyson Nam
About "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) "World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and "World Series of Fighting" President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
About NBC Sports Network NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Hard Rock Live Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena has attracted more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 2005, and has regularly hosted South Florida's greatest variety of musical acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin and George Lopez; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFC matches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and more. For additional information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com, facebook.com/MyHRL and twitter.com/ hard_rock_live.
About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida's ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold 'em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, over 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player's Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef's Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Hard Rock hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold 'em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe -Hollywood, part of Hard Rock's 138 globally recognized rock 'n' roll restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, Rock Spa, award-winning restaurants, high-energy nightclubs, lounges and bars, boutique retail shops, the 350-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com, facebook.com/seminolehardrockhollywood, twitter.com/SHRHollywood, instagram.com/semhardrockhollywood and youtube.com/semhardrockhollywood.
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