CHICAGO, Ill. (December 21, 2009) – In yet another off-season coup, Bellator Fighting Championships announced Monday the acquisition of one of the top free-agent mixed martial artists in all of Europe, 18-5 British welterweight Jim Wallhead.
Wallhead—also known as “Judo Jim”—has won each of his last six fights and nine out of his last 11. He was recently lauded by Sherdog.com as “the top 170-pound fighter in Europe yet to be signed by a major promotion.”
With his signing, Wallhead has been invited to compete in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man welterweight tournament, which commences during Bellator’s Season 2 kickoff on April 8, 2010. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155, and 185 lbs. with the winners of this year’s tournaments being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current roster of champions.
“Adding Jim to our welterweight division is magic for Bellator,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “As one of Europe’s top welterweights, Jim will no doubt use our April tournament on Fox Sports Net to introduce U.S. MMA fans to what European fans already know. Jim is the real deal. As a fan, I can’t wait to see Wallhead, Askren, McClintok and Hornbuckle face off.”
A native of Leicester, England, Wallhead, 25, earned his black belt in Judo at age 16 and won Britain’s under-21 Judo championship at the age of 19. He made his professional MMA debut in 2005 at the age of 21 and has since compiled wins over top MMA talents like UFC veterans Jason Tan and Steven Lynch. In his most recent fight, Wallhead won a unanimous decision against former TUF participant Che Mills in Wales.
Wallhead said that he was drawn to Bellator because of the opportunity to match up against other top welterweights and the chance to spread his notoriety to MMA fans in the U.S. via Bellator’s historic multi-tiered TV distribution alliance. Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m.
“I’ve been looking for a home in a big promotion for quite a while, so I’m just over the moon about signing with Bellator,” said Wallhead. “I watched the Bellator shows last year, and it’s really just a great, high-standards promotion. I’m relishing the challenge to let it all hang out, to take some risks and, hopefully, to have some success against the top competition in the world.”
Wallhead currently resides in Loughborough, England, with his wife and three-year-old daughter.
For more information, please visit Bellator.com.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Brit WW Star Jim Wallhead Inks Multi-Fight Deal with Bellator
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Unite Here Local 226 talks about Station Casino Bankruptcy
Press Release from Culinary Workers Union Local 226:
Report Shows Station Casinos Insiders, Not the Recession, Drove the Company into Bankruptcy: Labor Union Calls on Company Creditors to Demand Significant Equity Investment from Insiders
Las Vegas—In light of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Station Casinos, Inc., the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 is calling on creditors to demand a significant equity investment by insiders, who have amassed over $1 billion from the company. According to an analysis released by the union, the company could have averted bankruptcy if not for the substantial debt it took on largely to enrich a small group of company insiders. The report examines how this debt enabled insiders to extract over a $1 billion from the company in recent years and that these insiders, not the global recession, drove the company into bankruptcy.
Station Casinos is a major employer in the Las Vegas Valley, many of whose over 13,000 employees are family members or friends of Culinary Union workers. The union’s members, as well as the larger community, are rightly concerned about the continuing uncertainty over the future of the company and its impact on Las Vegas.
“Station Casinos is a uniquely Las Vegas company that owes it success to Las Vegas locals like our members,” said D. Taylor, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer. “The company has a special obligation to our community. Its owner-managers have a responsibility not just to their Wall Street lenders and investors, but to their employees, customers, suppliers, and vendors right here in this community. The livelihoods of a lot of people and their families are closely tied to this company’s financial well-being. Clearly, the owner-managers and other insiders were more interested in extracting wealth from the company for themselves than ensuring its and its employees’ future. Now it’s time for them to give back.”
The report shows:
· Company insiders, led by members of the Fertitta family, nearly tripled the company’s long-term debt load between 2005 and the end of 2007 from $1.9 billion to $5.2 billion.
· Of the new debt incurred during this period, more than two-thirds was used to buy back shares and to complete a management-led buyout, both of which significantly benefited a small group of insiders.
· In 2006 and 2007, the company borrowed $990 million to buy back 14 million in outstanding shares. This was the true cost of the company’s stock compensation program over the previous years, which had been described by an independent proxy advisory firm as “the most expensive and liberal we have reviewed” and an “excessive transfer of wealth” to insiders.
· In 2007, the company took on $1.6 billion of new debt to complete a management-lead buyout. More than $660 million – or 40% – of the proceeds went to company insiders. The Fertitta family received $495 million alone as a result of the buyout.
· If the company had forgone these two non-productive transactions – the share buybacks and the buyout – it would have $2.6 billion less debt, significantly less interest expense, and could have averted bankruptcy.
· Since 2001, company insiders received more than $1 billion in executive compensation and from the buyout even as they led the company down the path toward bankruptcy. In contrast, other stakeholders in the company have had to suffer the consequences of their financial mismanagement. Not only is the company in Chapter 11 reorganization under the bankruptcy code, the company stopped matching employees’ 401(k) contributions, more than doubled PPO health care premiums for rank-and-file workers, slashed shifts and cut hours for workers, and terminated hundreds of long-time employees by replacing coffee shops with subcontracted restaurants.
The Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, an affiliate of UNITE HERE, is the largest local labor union in the gaming industry. The Culinary represents approximately 55,000 casino and resort workers on the Las Vegas Strip, in downtown Las Vegas, and in downtown Reno.
For a copy of the report please contact Ken Liu at 702-387-7001 or kliu@culinaryunion226.org.
http://www.culinaryunion226.org/
Report Shows Station Casinos Insiders, Not the Recession, Drove the Company into Bankruptcy: Labor Union Calls on Company Creditors to Demand Significant Equity Investment from Insiders
Las Vegas—In light of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Station Casinos, Inc., the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 is calling on creditors to demand a significant equity investment by insiders, who have amassed over $1 billion from the company. According to an analysis released by the union, the company could have averted bankruptcy if not for the substantial debt it took on largely to enrich a small group of company insiders. The report examines how this debt enabled insiders to extract over a $1 billion from the company in recent years and that these insiders, not the global recession, drove the company into bankruptcy.
Station Casinos is a major employer in the Las Vegas Valley, many of whose over 13,000 employees are family members or friends of Culinary Union workers. The union’s members, as well as the larger community, are rightly concerned about the continuing uncertainty over the future of the company and its impact on Las Vegas.
“Station Casinos is a uniquely Las Vegas company that owes it success to Las Vegas locals like our members,” said D. Taylor, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer. “The company has a special obligation to our community. Its owner-managers have a responsibility not just to their Wall Street lenders and investors, but to their employees, customers, suppliers, and vendors right here in this community. The livelihoods of a lot of people and their families are closely tied to this company’s financial well-being. Clearly, the owner-managers and other insiders were more interested in extracting wealth from the company for themselves than ensuring its and its employees’ future. Now it’s time for them to give back.”
The report shows:
· Company insiders, led by members of the Fertitta family, nearly tripled the company’s long-term debt load between 2005 and the end of 2007 from $1.9 billion to $5.2 billion.
· Of the new debt incurred during this period, more than two-thirds was used to buy back shares and to complete a management-led buyout, both of which significantly benefited a small group of insiders.
· In 2006 and 2007, the company borrowed $990 million to buy back 14 million in outstanding shares. This was the true cost of the company’s stock compensation program over the previous years, which had been described by an independent proxy advisory firm as “the most expensive and liberal we have reviewed” and an “excessive transfer of wealth” to insiders.
· In 2007, the company took on $1.6 billion of new debt to complete a management-lead buyout. More than $660 million – or 40% – of the proceeds went to company insiders. The Fertitta family received $495 million alone as a result of the buyout.
· If the company had forgone these two non-productive transactions – the share buybacks and the buyout – it would have $2.6 billion less debt, significantly less interest expense, and could have averted bankruptcy.
· Since 2001, company insiders received more than $1 billion in executive compensation and from the buyout even as they led the company down the path toward bankruptcy. In contrast, other stakeholders in the company have had to suffer the consequences of their financial mismanagement. Not only is the company in Chapter 11 reorganization under the bankruptcy code, the company stopped matching employees’ 401(k) contributions, more than doubled PPO health care premiums for rank-and-file workers, slashed shifts and cut hours for workers, and terminated hundreds of long-time employees by replacing coffee shops with subcontracted restaurants.
The Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, an affiliate of UNITE HERE, is the largest local labor union in the gaming industry. The Culinary represents approximately 55,000 casino and resort workers on the Las Vegas Strip, in downtown Las Vegas, and in downtown Reno.
For a copy of the report please contact Ken Liu at 702-387-7001 or kliu@culinaryunion226.org.
http://www.culinaryunion226.org/
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
FIGHTERS ONLY MAGAZINE LAUNCHES SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION
FIGHTERS ONLY MAGAZINE EXTENDS GLOBAL REACH WITH
A SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION
23rd November 2009: Fighters Only magazine is proud to announce the addition of another international imprint to its magazine portfolio. ‘Fighters Only’ South Africa will be launched on the 30th November, making a total of four international editions launched since the beginning of 2009. (US and Canadian magazines were launched in February, followed by Germany in April).
Rob Hewitt, President and CEO of Fighters Only said: “At Fighters Only we are truly
passionate about Mixed Martial Arts and have championed the sport since its early days. These international launches reflect not only the ongoing success of our magazine, but the increasing appetite for MMA around the world. We hope that by launching new international titles, we will be able to engage new fans and help support the international growth of our sport
“Fighters Only is the biggest MMA magazine in the world and carries advertising for some of the world’s largest MMA brands. The South African edition will give our advertisers an even greater reach into a new marketplace as well as help grow the profile of local companies and up-and-coming fighters from the region.”
Distribution for the newly launched Fighters Only / TapouT clothing range will follow the magazine into South Africa, with retail stockists having already placed orders.
Further international launches are currently under discussion and will be announced in due course.
For more information please contact Juliet Dawson @ JDPR
juliet.dawson@hotmail.com / 07976 836147
About the Magazine
• Fighters Only was the world’s first monthly Mixed Martial Arts and lifestyle magazine
launching in the UK in 2005.
• By 2008 the magazine was on sale in 13 countries world wide
• Dedicated US and Canadian editions were launched in February 2009 featuring
content specifically generated for the market. A German edition launched in April
2009.
• In 2008 Fighters Only launched the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards. The 2009
Awards Ceremony will be held at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and
broadcast live on Versus.
For further information about the title please contact
UK Enquires:
US & Canadian Enquiries
German Enquiries
Rob Hewitt
Gary Alexander
Oliver Copp
rob.i2media@gmail.com
g.alexander.i2media@gmail.com
oliver.copp@9live.de
A SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION
23rd November 2009: Fighters Only magazine is proud to announce the addition of another international imprint to its magazine portfolio. ‘Fighters Only’ South Africa will be launched on the 30th November, making a total of four international editions launched since the beginning of 2009. (US and Canadian magazines were launched in February, followed by Germany in April).
Rob Hewitt, President and CEO of Fighters Only said: “At Fighters Only we are truly
passionate about Mixed Martial Arts and have championed the sport since its early days. These international launches reflect not only the ongoing success of our magazine, but the increasing appetite for MMA around the world. We hope that by launching new international titles, we will be able to engage new fans and help support the international growth of our sport
“Fighters Only is the biggest MMA magazine in the world and carries advertising for some of the world’s largest MMA brands. The South African edition will give our advertisers an even greater reach into a new marketplace as well as help grow the profile of local companies and up-and-coming fighters from the region.”
Distribution for the newly launched Fighters Only / TapouT clothing range will follow the magazine into South Africa, with retail stockists having already placed orders.
Further international launches are currently under discussion and will be announced in due course.
For more information please contact Juliet Dawson @ JDPR
juliet.dawson@hotmail.com / 07976 836147
About the Magazine
• Fighters Only was the world’s first monthly Mixed Martial Arts and lifestyle magazine
launching in the UK in 2005.
• By 2008 the magazine was on sale in 13 countries world wide
• Dedicated US and Canadian editions were launched in February 2009 featuring
content specifically generated for the market. A German edition launched in April
2009.
• In 2008 Fighters Only launched the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards. The 2009
Awards Ceremony will be held at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and
broadcast live on Versus.
For further information about the title please contact
UK Enquires:
US & Canadian Enquiries
German Enquiries
Rob Hewitt
Gary Alexander
Oliver Copp
rob.i2media@gmail.com
g.alexander.i2media@gmail.com
oliver.copp@9live.de
Monday, November 16, 2009
UFC Fight Night” On Spike TV To Take Place At The Patriot Center In Fairfax, VA On January 11
New York, NY, November 16, 2009 – “UFC Fight Night” on Spike TV heads to the suburbs of Washington D.C. on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:00pm ET/PT for the first ever UFC fight in Virginia with a card featuring some of the best up-and-coming lightweight fighters. Emanating from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA on the campus of George Mason University, undefeated UFC lightweight Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC) takes on hard-hitting Nate Diaz (11-4) in the main event with Efrain Escudero and Evan Dunham in a duel of undefeated fighters in the co-feature.
The main event features a rematch of lightweight contenders Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz who first met in the Octagon on season five of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Diaz defeated Maynard on was way to being named “The Ultimate Fighter” that season.
A former teammate of Rashad Evans on the Michigan State wrestling team, Maynard currently trains with UFC legend Randy Couture in Las Vegas. Maynard is riding one of the most impressive winning streaks in the sport, defeating an impressive array of 155 lb fighters including Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and most recently Roger Huerta this past September.
Diaz has won six of his last eight UFC fights including a win over Melvin Guillard this past September. The pride of Stockton, CA and product of the renowned Cesar Gracie Fight Team, Diaz needs a win over Maynard to continue his path toward a shot at BJ Penn’s lightweight crown.
Winner of season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the undefeated Escudero (13-0) is coming off of an impressive victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103 in September. Fighting out of Tempe, AZ, Escudero will look to use his superior grappling skills against another rising star in the division, Dunham. An Oregon native, Dunham (9-0) was victorious in his first two fights in the UFC, including most recently earning a split decision win over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 102 in August.
The main event features a rematch of lightweight contenders Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz who first met in the Octagon on season five of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Diaz defeated Maynard on was way to being named “The Ultimate Fighter” that season.
A former teammate of Rashad Evans on the Michigan State wrestling team, Maynard currently trains with UFC legend Randy Couture in Las Vegas. Maynard is riding one of the most impressive winning streaks in the sport, defeating an impressive array of 155 lb fighters including Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and most recently Roger Huerta this past September.
Diaz has won six of his last eight UFC fights including a win over Melvin Guillard this past September. The pride of Stockton, CA and product of the renowned Cesar Gracie Fight Team, Diaz needs a win over Maynard to continue his path toward a shot at BJ Penn’s lightweight crown.
Winner of season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the undefeated Escudero (13-0) is coming off of an impressive victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103 in September. Fighting out of Tempe, AZ, Escudero will look to use his superior grappling skills against another rising star in the division, Dunham. An Oregon native, Dunham (9-0) was victorious in his first two fights in the UFC, including most recently earning a split decision win over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 102 in August.
Donovan Craig Named President of FIGHT! Media
ATLANTA, Ga. — Donovan Craig, who has served as editor-in-chief of FIGHT! Magazine since the publication’s debut in 2007, has been promoted to President of FIGHT! Media. Along with continuing his responsibilities at the magazine, Craig will now oversee FIGHT!’s overall strategy in all of its various new ventures, which include a number of film, television, and Internet projects currently in development.
“Under Donovan’s leadership as editor-in-chief, FIGHT! Magazine has redefined mixed martial arts publishing,” says Eddy Kleid, Co-President of Bluff Media, FIGHT!’s parent company. “We are confident that he will have a similar impact as the President of FIGHT! Media.”
In less than three years, Craig, a former boxer and stockbroker, has guided FIGHT! Magazine to become the most popular and influential mixed martial arts monthly in the world. Along with extensive coverage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other top promotions (Strikeforce, Dream, WEC), FIGHT! also has received accolades for discovering new talent, spotlighting trends, and offering both amateur and professional fighters training and nutritional advice. “Besides a top coach or a fighter, I have never met anybody who has such a handle on the art and science of mixed martial arts as Donovan Craig,” says legendary MMA trainer Greg Jackson (who trains Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, and Nate Marquardt, among many others).
Craig also has written extensively for the magazine and has traveled all over the world to chronicle the history and remarkable expansion of MMA. Along with a widely-praised three-part series on the origins of mixed martial arts in Brazil, he has written a first-person account of his own career as an amateur fighter (culminating in his first fight in Las Vegas) and traveled to a U.S. Army base in Iraq for a groundbreaking MMA event. He will continue to write regularly for FIGHT! “Donovan is a world-class journalist and the man responsible for turning FIGHT! into the best MMA magazine in the world,” says Jorge Guimaraes, Brazilian television host, Black House gym owner, and manager of UFC champions Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
About FIGHT! Media: This Atlanta-based company publishes the premier mixed martial arts publication in the world, FIGHT! Magazine, and has become renowned for its monthly comprehensive coverage of the fastest-growing sport in America. Its Web site, FIGHTMagazine.com, features online exclusive articles and blogs by some of the top names in the business, fighter rankings, and event news.
“Under Donovan’s leadership as editor-in-chief, FIGHT! Magazine has redefined mixed martial arts publishing,” says Eddy Kleid, Co-President of Bluff Media, FIGHT!’s parent company. “We are confident that he will have a similar impact as the President of FIGHT! Media.”
In less than three years, Craig, a former boxer and stockbroker, has guided FIGHT! Magazine to become the most popular and influential mixed martial arts monthly in the world. Along with extensive coverage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other top promotions (Strikeforce, Dream, WEC), FIGHT! also has received accolades for discovering new talent, spotlighting trends, and offering both amateur and professional fighters training and nutritional advice. “Besides a top coach or a fighter, I have never met anybody who has such a handle on the art and science of mixed martial arts as Donovan Craig,” says legendary MMA trainer Greg Jackson (who trains Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, and Nate Marquardt, among many others).
Craig also has written extensively for the magazine and has traveled all over the world to chronicle the history and remarkable expansion of MMA. Along with a widely-praised three-part series on the origins of mixed martial arts in Brazil, he has written a first-person account of his own career as an amateur fighter (culminating in his first fight in Las Vegas) and traveled to a U.S. Army base in Iraq for a groundbreaking MMA event. He will continue to write regularly for FIGHT! “Donovan is a world-class journalist and the man responsible for turning FIGHT! into the best MMA magazine in the world,” says Jorge Guimaraes, Brazilian television host, Black House gym owner, and manager of UFC champions Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
About FIGHT! Media: This Atlanta-based company publishes the premier mixed martial arts publication in the world, FIGHT! Magazine, and has become renowned for its monthly comprehensive coverage of the fastest-growing sport in America. Its Web site, FIGHTMagazine.com, features online exclusive articles and blogs by some of the top names in the business, fighter rankings, and event news.
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