UFC VETERANS YOSHIDA, KANEHARA IN WSOF-GC 4 DEEP VS. GLOBAL

By JASON LILLY

TOKYO, JAPAN December 14, 2016 World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) is rolling out a mega 18-fight card with two world title fights this Saturday, December 17, by presenting WSOF-GC 4 DEEP VS GLOBAL. The main event will feature THE REMATCH between USA’s Lawrence DiGiulio and Japan’s Yusaku Nakamura, to take place in Tokyo at Differ Ariake Arena, for the WSOF-GC Flyweight Title. The co-main event will be for the inaugural WSOF-GC Bantamweight Title, pitting Brazil’s Fernando Vieira vs Japan’s Takafumi Otsuka. The feature match of the night is for the vacant DEEP Featherweight Championship, pitting the legendary Masakazu Imanari against rising c ontender Tatsunao Nagakura.

In addition to the three championship matches, there is a lot more excitement in other main card action. UFC veterans, Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Masanori Kanehara, will be looking to impress their Japanese fans and take the global spotlight once more.

Yoshida (18-8) will take on Yoshiyuki Katahira (9-4-2) in the first round of DEEP’s Welterweight Grand Prix. Yoshida, who notched victories in the UFC against War Machine and Brandon Wolff, having also defeated Dan Hardy and Phil Baroni in his career, will be returning to the 170lb division for the first time since 2012. Katahira, who fought exclusively for DEEP from 2011 until early 2015, will be looking to end a recent 3-fight skid that saw him fight in Japan, UAE, and Russia.

Kanehara (25-13-5) will make his return to Japan against Australia’s Charlie Alaniz (8-1). Kanehara, who departed the UFC with a victory against Alex Caceras, also has notable wins against Michihiro Omigawa, Kid Yamamoto, and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Alaniz, the #1 ranked flyweight in Australia and contestant on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, is moving up a weight class and taking the bout on less than a week’s notice after Northern Mariana Islands’ Roman Alvarez suffered a groin and hamstring injury in training.

Fight fans from around the world can watch these bouts and the entire 18-fight card, starting LIVE at 9:30pm PST on December 16 for just $9.99 atwsofgc.com. WSOF Global will host WSOF-GC 4 DEEP vs GLOBAL at Differ Ariake Arena on December 17, 2016 at 14:30JST (UTC +9). Tickets start at ¥6500with VIP seating available for ¥16,000. Tickets are now on sale at http://deep2001.tstar.jp/.

This year WSOF Global has brought together more than 15 MMA promotions on 6 continents for fans under one common banner, including DEEP, which has hosted over 300 events since their inception in 2001. These fights will be making their way into the WSOF Global Fight Library at wsofgc.com, as will future fights available live. There are currently five events online at wsofgc.com, including DEEP 76, DEEP 77, DEEP CAGE IMPACT 2016, DEEP JEWELS 12, and DEEP JEWELS 13. MMA fans can watch all of these fights, as well as those from all other affiliates at WSOFGC.com.

World Series of Fighting Global’s ultimate mission is to bring together the best athletes from countries and organizations across the world to compete for a true, globally-recognized world champion. Media inquiries should be sent to Jason Lilly, Vice President of Operations of World Series of Fighting Global, atjlilly@wsof.asia. Follow them on Twitter @WSOFGlobal

About DEEP Fighting Championships:

Founded in 2001 by the promoter Shigeru Saeki, DEEP Fighting Championships (DEEP FC) is a championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) series dedicated to not just showcasing the top MMA athletes in Asia but also promote the sport with many interesting and experimental approaches – promote both ring and cage events, resurrect the careers of big-name stars, provide athletes from other sports such as kick boxers, sumo wrestlers, pro-wrestlers, and ex-pro baseball players, the opportunity to test their skills in MMA. Also, DEEP implement various rules from North American unified rules, PRIDE rules to Kick Boxing and Shoot Boxing rules.

The operation is based in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, DEEP FC is one of the longest running premier MMA promotions in the world.

In addition to MMA series, DEEP FC also promotes grappling series named DEEP X, kick boxing series named DEEP KICK, and senior fighters’ series named DEEP HERO and “Oyaji” DEEP.

DEEP FC is currently broadcasted by Sky Perfect TV / Fighting Network Samurai in Japan, Fight Network in Canada and UK, and recently, inked the deal with Abema TV, an internet TV station created by TV Asahi and Cyber Agent.

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