WSOF-GC: OTSUKA VS. VIEIRA IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT IN JAPAN DEC 17

BY JASON LILY

TOKYO, JAPAN December 13, 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 crown the inaugural WSOF-GC Bantamweight Champion, as wrestling stand-out and DEEP Bantamweight Champion Takafumi Otsuka (21-13-2) from Japan welcomes dangerous submission grappler, Brazil’s Fernando Vieira (12-2). Otsuka has been sensational over the last three years, with a 6-1-1 record and claiming the DEEP Fighting Championships title in May 2015. Vieira has won eight straight matches, having not seen defeat since 2009.

Speaking with Vieira about his upcoming match, he said, “I am very excited about this opportunity and training hard. For many years I have been putting all of my effort into getting an opportunity like this. It is an honor and a privilege to for fight for a world title in Japan. I respect Otsuka a lot and am I’m sure we will put on a great show for the fans.”

Otsuka is also excited for this opportunity. “When I first learned that DEEP was forming an affiliate relationship with World Series of Fighting Global Championship, I knew this would give me an opportunity to perform for people all around the world. I feel that I am one of the best in my weight class. I was very happy when DEEP President, Shigeru Saeki, chose me to represent his company in the very first DEEP vs GLOBAL title match. I expect a tough fight from Vieira and will be excited to be a part of this historical match.”

WSOF Global Vice President of Operations, Jason Lilly, along with DEEP Fighting Championships President, Shigeru Saeki, put this match together. Saeki added, “When we made the official announcement that DEEP and WSOF-GC were partnering together, Otsuka was the very first one to step up and speak out. He said he would fight anyone and wanted the toughest fight we could bring him. There is a lot of honor in that.”

Jason continued, “It was an easy decision for our two organizations to decide on this match and granting this opportunity for both fighters. Regardless of the outcome, we know that each of these athletes will represent us and their country’s well.”

Fight fans from around the world can watch this bout 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.