MMA News

Apple Valley, Calif. — Gladiator Challenge (GC) Owner/Promoter Tedd Williams has agreed to terms with the renowned Tachi Palace to help bring “MOST WANTED” to the Tachi Palace in Lemoore , CA this Thursday, October 8.

The return of mixed martial arts at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore , Calif. will be especially sweet for two fighters that have called the Palace their home for the last couple of years.

Both Phil Collins and Ulysses Gomez waited patiently for a new promotion to take flight at the casino, which is recognized worldwide as the birthplace of two of the greatest regional promotions ever formed: WEC and the PFC.

Collins (7-4) faces a tough middleweight out of Oakland, Calif. Leopoldo Serao (15-7), and the main event of the night pits local wrestling star and Hanford, Calif. featherweight Chad Mendes (4-0) against Bend , Ore. ’s Mike Joy (7-4). It will be Mendes’ toughest test to date, as the Urijah Faber protégé faces the more experienced Joy.

In the co-main event, Las Vegas , Nev. welterweight War Machine (10-2) takes on Santa Rosa , Calif. ’s David Mitchell (7-0).

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and fights start at 6 p.m.

The weigh-ins will take place at the Palace’s Sunset Lounge located on the first floor of the Palace across from the Coyote Grille. Weigh-ins are slated to begin at 5 PM, and fans are encouraged to come mingle with the fighters.

Other bouts feature:

- Porterville , Calif. featherweight Joe Soto (7-0) vs. Sacramento, Calif. ’s Mike Christenson (4-0).
- Lemoore , Calif. welterweight Poppies Martinez (16-5) vs. Porterville , Calif. ’s Tony Llamas (8-10).
- Oakdale , Calif. bantamweight Michael McDonald (7-1) vs. Huntington Beach, Calif. ’s Carlos Garces (3-1).
-Las Vegas, Nev. flyweight Jessica Rakoczy (0-0) vs. Sacramento, Calif.’s Michelle Ould (3-2)
-Exeter, Calif. featherweight Chris Tangonan (2-0) vs. Coalinga, Calif.’s Francisco Loredo (3-5)

The fights will take place outdoors, general admission is $20, and tickets are available at http://www.tickets.com/. Also, the Palace is offering a hotel/ticket package with one night accommodation at the hotel and two general admission tickets to the event for just $119. To receive the package, call the hotel at (866) 472-5223 and use promotional code TRPM1.

For more information on Gladiator Challenge and all its events, please visit http://www.gladiatorchallenge.com.

Gladiator Challenge is a world-class mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion established in 1999 by Tedd Williams. A former UFC fighter, Williams is a former national AAU Sambo Champion (1997), a former California State Judo Champion (4th Degree Black Belt under “Judo” Gene Lebell) and a former college All-American wrestler (Cerritos Jr. College, 1988-89). Gladiator Challenge runs 12-18 MMA events per year, and has featured MMA superstars Uriah “The California Kid” Faber, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, James Irvin, Tyson Griffin, Dan “The Beast” Severn, “Sugar” Rashad Evans, Scott “Hands of Stone” Smith, “The Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, Mac Danzig, Jerry Bohlander, “Krazy Horse” Charles Bennett, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen, Jake Shields, “The Secret Weapon” Pete Spratt, Nate “The Rock” Quarry, Jason “The Punisher” Lambert, Bobby “The Bad Seed” Hoffman, and Cal Worsham, among many others.

Gladiator Challenge can be found online at http://www.gladiatorchallenge.com