So you want to be a fighter? Ken Shamrock is holding tryouts that will be open to quality MMA fighters for his IFL team that will be based in Reno.
Here is the press release fresh off the presses sent to me directly from the Marketing Director, Jerry Milani, of the IFL.
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) COACH AND MMA LEGEND KEN SHAMROCK TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUT FOR HIS 2007 LIONS TEAM
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be held in team’s new home base in Reno, Nevada on November 29
NEW YORK and RENO, Nev., November 17, 2006- The International Fight League and head coach of the new Nevada-based Lions team, MMA legend Ken Shamrock, today announced that the team will hold an open tryout for elite MMA hopefuls at Reno’s premiere sports facility, The Stadium Sport and Fitness Club, located at 9393 Gateway in Reno, Nev., at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 29. Shamrock’s Lions will have eight team members, five of whom will be selected to compete per event, when the first IFL season opens in late January. The tryout is open to all experienced professional fighters. The full 11-date IFL season will also be announced during that week.
"While we do have some athletes in mind, we felt that there is a great interest in the sport and this would be a good opportunity to both show people what great athletic talent someone needs to compete in the IFL and to give some of that unknown talent a chance to shine,” Shamrock said. “We will screen all of the applicants prior to the tryout and see if we can identify some of the new faces that will help mold the face of this rising sport. Holding the tryout in both a state and a city that is very passionate about MMA, and where we will be training as Reno’s first professional sports team, will be an added plus."
"One of the greatest things about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts today is that we are all finding that the pool of very elite talent and athleticism is deeper than we all may have thought,” said IFL Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto. “Having one of the world’s greatest competitors in Ken Shamrock give some of this talent an opportunity to succeed is very rare in professional sports, and it will be a treat to see which, if any, of these young hopefuls will stand up to the test."
The tryout will be limited based on space and time, and it will be open to the public for viewing. For further details, contact Jerry Milani at 212/356-4009.
About the IFL
Founded in 2005 by Kurt Otto, a real estate investor and a life-long martial arts participant, and Gareb Shamus, chairman of Wizard Entertainment Group, the International Fight League (IFL) was created to establish a centralized and structured organization that brings the power and influence of the mixed martial arts industry together. On August 25, 2006, IFL entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Paligent, Inc. (PGNT:OTCBB), pursuant to which IFL would emerge as the surviving entity. For further information regarding the merger, contact Paligent at (212) 755-5461. For more information on the IFL, go to http://www.IFL.tv.
The cool thing about this announcement is the tryouts will be open to the public!! That means if you are an MMA fan and live near Reno, you can go watch and get a head start on your own opinions of the new Reno Lions.