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WSOF30: BRANCH VS. STARKS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER LINEUP RECEIVES FIVE PRELIMINARY BOUTS
PRELIMINARY FIGHT CARD TO STREAM LIVE ON WSOF.COM PRIOR TO FOUR-FIGHT, LIVE NBCSN TELECAST
LAS VEGAS (March 21, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today the addition of five preliminary card bouts to its highly-anticipated WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) doubleheader event at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 2, live on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
Topping the undercard bill that will stream live, in its entirety on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, will be a welterweight (170 pounds) collision between Abubakar Nurmagomedov (11-1-1) and Matt “The Thunder From Down Under” Frincu (7-1).
The adopted brother and training partner of superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 26-year-old Abubakar, who hails from Dagestan, Russia is riding a three-fight win streak, while Frincu of Tempe, Ariz. via Queensland, Australia will put a five-fight win streak on the line.
Nurmagomedov boasts an impressive 82 percent finish rate, while Frincu has earned six of his seven professional wins to date by way of (T)KO or submission.
In lightweight (155 pounds) preliminary card action, undefeated knockout artist Steve “Thunderbeast” Kozola (6-0) will make his World Series of Fighting debut against fellow fast-rising star Gil Guardado (5-1).
On fire since his professional debut victory in July 2013, Kozola of San Diego, Calif. via Chicago, Ill. comes to World Series of Fighting after producing back-to-back, devastating KO victories – each with a furious onslaught of punches - under the promotion of Bellator.
On January 16, 2015, Kozola scored a second round (1:25) KO on Jonathan Rivera at Bellator 132 and, on March 15, 2015, he scored a first round (2:22) KO on Ian Butler at Bellator 137.
Guardado of Las Vegas will look to notch his third consecutive win after two dominant performances inside the World Series of Fighting decagon cage.
The 30-year-old Xtreme Couture prodigy submitted Pete Martin with a guillotine choke in the first round (3:31) of action at WSOF22 on August 1, 2015, and closed out the year with a unanimous decision victory over Giga Chikadze at WSOF26 on December 18.
In a flyweight (125 pounds) scrap, Carlos Garcia (1-1) of San Bernardino, Calif. will make his professional debut against Jason Pacheco (1-0) of Las Vegas.
Adam Aquaviva (4-2) of Las Vegas will face off with Andres Ponce (3-2) of Tempe in a bantamweight tilt and, in the opening preliminary card matchup, Jeff Roman (1-2-1) of Las Vegas will square off with Nick Salantri (0-1) at welterweight.
A sixth, middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary fight featuring Clinton Williams (7-3) of Las Vegas will be announced soon.
Priced from $20, tickets for WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks, are available for purchase online at WSOF.com and AXS.com.
Doors at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open for the event at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m.
In the main event, reigning World Series of Fighting middleweight champion David Branch (17-3), the league’s first-ever, two-division title holder, will put his coveted crown on the line against top contender Clifford Starks (13-2).
In the co-main event, superstar Jon Fitch (27-7-1, 1 NC) will battle recent World Series of Fighting one-night, eight-man tournament runner-up Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino (20-7) with the vacant World Series of Fighting welterweight championship at stake.
Elsewhere on the four-fight, live NBCSN telecast, submission expert Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (13-7) will square off with Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun (9-4) in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest, while World Series of Fighting newcomer and knockout artist Abu “Gladiator” Azaitar (11-1-1) will lock horns with Danny “Dee1” Davis, Jr. (11-10-1) at welterweight.
ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
"World Series of Fighting" (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.
ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final -- Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas’ off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport. The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC. Built in 1995, the property completed a $700 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses and KISS have all performed. Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 rooms and suites, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites; the 15-story HRH All-Suite Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 60,000 square feet of casino space featuring Peacock High-Limit gaming and Asian gaming amenities; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $4 million in rare music memorabilia; Reliquary Water Sanctuary, Spa & Salon; 4.8 acres of tropical pool paradise, which was voted as the No. 1 “Best Hotel Pool” in the 2015 USA Today 10Best Readers Choice contest; the world-famous pool party REHAB Beach Club; live music/entertainment venues The Joint and Vinyl; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants Culinary Dropout, Nobu, The Ainsworth, 35 Steaks + Martinis, Pink Taco, Mr. Lucky’s Café and ?Fú; a fitness center; and trendsetting retailers John Varvatos, Affliction and Rocks The Jewelers. For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit hardrockhotel.com. Follow Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
