World Series of Fighting Signs With NBC Sports Network

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and NBC Sports Network have entered into a three-year partnership to deliver live, world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight programming, beginning with the promotion's second event, "WSOF 2," live Saturday, March 23 at 10 p.m. ET at Revel Resorts & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130204/NY53539LOGO )

The agreement calls for a minimum of six live events annually on the national television platform that reaches over 80 million homes. Additionally, later this year, NBCSports.com will live stream World Series of Fighting events via TV Everywhere.

"We are thrilled to call NBC Sports Network the home of World Series of Fighting," said World Series of Fighting President and six-time world kickboxing champion, Ray Sefo . "This partnership will allow us to build the World Series of Fighting brand of world-class MMA competition before a dedicated national audience of passionate sports fans and place our athletes on the big stage that they deserve."

The inaugural World Series of Fighting 1 aired live on NBC Sports Network on Nov. 3, 2012.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
Based in Las Vegas, Nev., the fight capital of the world, World Series of Fighting ("WSOF") is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit www.WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS NETWORK
NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013 the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup , Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Caught Looking, NBC Sports Talk, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

SOURCE World Series of Fighting

RELATED LINKS
http://www.wsof.com
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Counting Crows to Perform Epicurean Charity Concert

COUNTING CROWS TO PERFORM AT EPICUREAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION’S

11^th ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISING GALA AT M RESORT SPA & CASINO

M.E.N.U.S to Present an Array of Las Vegas’ Top Restaurants and Live Entertainment

WHAT:                                The Epicurean Charitable Foundation Las Vegas (ECF) will host the organization’s 11^th annual scholarship fundraiser, M.E.N.U.S. (Mentoring & Educating Nevada’s Upcoming Students), at the M Resort Spa & Casino’s upscale Villaggio Del Sole Pool and Entertainment Piazza.  The “dine around” will be followed with a live concert.

WHO:                                  More than 30 of Las Vegas’ top restaurants and the city’s leading chefs including Gordon Ramsay’s Steakhouse, Hubert Keller’s Fleur, Shawn McClain’s Sage, Carla Pellegrino’s Bratalian and more.

                                               Jim E. Rogers, a leader in philanthropic initiatives, will be honored for his dedication to education in the Las Vegas community.

                                               American rock band, Counting Crows, will perform live at the event.

WHEN:                                Friday, Sept. 28.Media check-in: 7:30 p.m.
Red Carpet Photo opportunity: 8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Performance Photo opportunity: 9 - 9:15 p.m.

                       

 WHERE:                             M Resort Spa & Casino’s Villaggio Del Sole Pool and Entertainment Piazza
12300 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Henderson, Nev. 89109

MEDIA:                                All media must RSVP to Rebeka Mora at Wicked Creative by Friday, Sept 28. Please call (915) 449-3419 or email Rebeka.Mora@wickedcreative.com.

ABOUT:                               ECF works to change the lives of Nevada’s students and positively impact the community, but couldn’t accomplish this without the generous contributions from donors including Southern Wine & Spirits, Wirtz Beverage Nevada, Diageo, Fiji Water, Coca-Cola, Johnson Brothers, MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and more. Future donors can support ECF with a monetary or in-kind donation, matching a gift, gift and estate planning or become a scholarship or M.E.N.U.S sponsor. For more information please contact the Epicurean Charitable Foundation office at 702.932.5098 or visit the ECF website at www.ECFLV.org.

Comprised of more than 25 of Las Vegas’ top food and beverage executives, the Epicurean Charitable Foundation not only awards students with scholarship funds to attend any four-year accredited university of their choice, it also provides mentorship throughout each student’s college career and helps to place the students in internships and jobs.  2012 marked the eleventh year of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation and in its tenure the foundation has provided more than one million dollars to local scholars and also more than one million in charitable community grants to such organizations as Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, UNLV Rebel Athletic Foundation, Nevada Blind Children's Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Latin Chamber of Commerce. The Epicurean Charitable Foundation Las Vegas can be reached at 702-932-5098 or by visiting www.ECFLV.org.Become a friend on Facebook:www.facebook.com/epicureanlv or follow ECFLV on Twitter: www.twitter.com/epicureanlv.

Reflecting on 25 Years in TV Sports

by Ron Futrell @RonFutrell


The news was not unexpected, but still mildly painful.


The TV station where I had anchored sports and news for 25 years was dropping its sports department. Anchors will now read the sports with the same passion they do a hatchet murder, or a panda being born at the local zoo, and the viewers will get used to it (please pronounce Mark Teixeira's name right.) Perhaps they will.


Certainly, media is changing and some have called this a trend in the business. Consultants (who are usually failed news directors) have told us for years they want to attract females and since they believe women do not like sports, they must lessen the importance of sports, or kill it altogether. You could argue against that premise (which I did) until you were Dodger Blue in the face, but you would never win that argument and eventually management will find somebody who would just shut up and fill the three-minute segment (cut to 2:30 if weather went long.)


The news of removing the sports department did cause me to reflect on more than 2 decades of covering sports in Las Vegas and developing a bond with this community that will never be broken. It's been 4 years since I've done full time news on TV, but I still have people come up to me and think I'm the sports guy. "Hey, good job last night on the sports." I usually smile and say thanks.


I feel fortunate to have covered big-time sports during some great times in Las Vegas. I covered the careers of Randall Cunningham, Andre Agassi, Greg Maddux, Mike Tyson and many others. There were the great boxing events with Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, and Duran. I got to cover the rise of NASCAR and the UFC in Las Vegas, and was green-side for Tiger Woods' first win on the PGA Tour. The first month I was in Las Vegas I covered Kareem Abdul Jabbar setting the all-time NBA scoring record at the Thomas and Mack. Whew! Nice way to break-in back in April 1984. I was no Hunter S. Thompson, but covering the Mint 400 in the glory days of off-road racing was a dirty job long before the days of "Dirty Jobs." I was fortunate to cover World Series', Super Bowls, and NBA Finals.


Certainly, the rise and fall of UNLV basketball was a story that few got to report on up-close. 3 Final Fours in 5 years and then the internal struggle where a university president worked covertly to use the media to remove a coach (Jerry Tarkanian) because he did not have the courage to fire him. Who can forget "Cam Scam" when university officials put a camera in an air conditioning duct in the North Gym to try to catch a violation? I am most proud of covering this story straight up and honestly and my commentaries have stood the test of time. Nothing united this community more than Rebel Basketball, nothing tore it apart worse than the subsequent battles. Those were big, historic stories from 20 years ago that are still being talked about today. Often sports was called upon to lead newscasts because the stories were that big.


What I enjoyed most was the time I spent at local high schools and ball fields covering the youth of this valley and getting to know them through their sports exploits. Sure, it was fun interviewing future NFL star Steven Jackson as he barreled over opponents at Eldorado High, but doing the first, and likely the only interview ever with a Bonanza High tennis player was always rewarding. My former station let me cover grass-roots local sports unlike any other station in town and I will always appreciate that and it had great rewards.


Occasionally we did some serious journalism. There was the time a UNLV Athletic Director was using racist talk in open staff meetings. I uncovered the story and "broke" the story. Other media outlets followed but we reported this story first and did it under the risk of legal action. We were right and we broke a story that needed to be told. 


We made a lot of money with our sports department. I was trusted to produce and host hour-long shows that were highly profitable. We did NASCAR and IRL race shows, Thunder hockey shows, UNLV shows and there was the local sports show we did for 5 years following Monday Night Football, titled Monday Night Quarterback. How about this show from the late 80's that we did from Hawaii introducing a UNLV basketball team in embryo that would later win a National Championship?Aloha Rebels. These were the combined efforts of a lot of people who had passion in the projects. They were a lot of work, and a lot of fun and I believe were the essence of what a good sports department does.

What the future brings with local TV sports is hard to say. If media is one thing, it is chaning. UNLV basketball is making a comeback and Dave Rice is on his way to returning this program to national prominence. Las Vegas will have a major league professional sports team before this decade is out and viewers will want to hear from somebody who knows these sports. I thank my former station for giving me the resources and trusting me to cover sports as it deserved to be. It's also my opinion local TV news viewers (male and female) will seek stations that give them sports with flair, fun and accuracy. I'm guessing consultants don't want to hear me say that anymore.  

Las Vegas Events and 2012 Sports Travel Awards

2011 Wrangler National FinalsRodeo and 2012 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series Nominated for a SportsTravel Award

LAS VEGAS – July 27, 2012 – SportsTravel magazine has announced that the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and 2012 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series have each been nominated for a 2012 SportsTravel Award.

Events are nominated by the readers of SportsTravel magazine. Criteria for nomination and voting include superior organization of and attendance at the event, a superior experience for the competitors and/or spectators at the event, and how the site or venue served to enhance the event. Final balloting is open through August 15, 2012. Winners will be announced at the TEAMS '12 Conference & Expo, October 1-4, 2012, in Detroit.

"Since the location of the event is a major part of the criteria for being nominated, the people of Las Vegas should take great pride in knowing that events held in their city are being recognized for their excellence," said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravelmagazine, which organizes the TEAMS Conference &Expo. "SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry and they really know what it takes to execute a high-quality athletic event. The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for them tohonor their peers and the cities that host sporting events for a job well done."

Official ballots are available in the July and August issues of SportsTravel magazine. Readers may also vote online atwww.SportsTravelMagazine.com. The ballot includes nominees in amateur, collegiate and professional categories. Awards in those three categories will be given for best single-sport event, best multi-sport or multi-discipline event, and best sports event series or circuit. Voters will also pick the best new sports event and an overall Sports Event of the Year from among the nominated events.

Thrillseekers Unlimited, 20th Anniversary

Las Vegas, NV – THRILLSEEKERS UNLIMITED, Nevada’s ORIGINAL Stunt & Action Sports Company celebrates its monumental 20 year Anniversary!!

Thrillseekers Unlimited, owned and operated by action sports pioneer and professional Stunt Coordinator/ Stuntman, Rich Hopkins is proud to announce the 20 year anniversary of this stellar company. Established in June of 1992, Thrillseekers has employed some of the greatest extreme athletes and professional stunt people in the world. Covering all aspects through film and television work, world record stunts, and outstanding live shows, no job has ever been to BIG for Thrillseekers Unlimited!

Thrillseekers Unlimited, with their vast experience and talent have created and produced outstanding stunts for more than 200 Films, TV Shows, Commercials, Music Videos as well and  Corporate/Live Shows. Thrillseekers Unlimited has been called upon repeatedly to provide their expertise and talent for all stunt needs on countless productions and events. Services include: Extreme Sports/Stunt Engineering, Professional Rigging, 2^nd Unit Directing, Stunt Coordinating and most important safety control for the assurance of a perfect outcome. This includes providing all Equipment, Athletes & Stunt People, security measures, EMT’s and safety personnel. Thrillseekers has the reputation of being fully insurable and bondable and boasts a 100% industry wide Safety Record. 

Thrillseekers Unlimited has several feature films slated for this year including; The Glass Circle, Chupacabra Unleashed, Paradi$e, Killing the Hoffand Haunted High. Hopkins is very proud of these accomplishments and the opportunity provided to the film industry overall and states “Thrillseekers Unlimited is handling all aspects of direction for stunts and action.” He goes on to share, “I am even co-producing a few of the projects myself.”  Hopkinsshares that so far only two of the productions are being filmed in Nevada because we have not yet secured State Film Tax Incentives. Hopkins has been a diligent advocate in contributing his time and efforts to bring that change to fruition for Nevada and adamantly states that, “I have several projects ready to go, as we continue the fight for our incentive program, my intention is to allow the opportunity for myself and so many others to shoot here in our own Hometown!”

About Rich Hopkins & Thrillseekers | www.thrillseekersunlimited.com

Originally from San Diego, In 1987 Hopkins moved north to further his career and knowledge in the film and TV industry in Los Angeles.  Hopkins started at the bottom just like everyone else; first as an actor, then realizing that with his extensive action sports background he had found his passion; STUNTS! After five years of “getting his feet wet” in the business, he moved to Las Vegas in 1991, and a year later started the Nevada based, Thrillseekers Unlimited, creating a reputation as the LEADER in the Stunt & Extreme Sports Entertainment market in Nevada since 1992. 

Rich Hopkins and Thrillseekers have been featured in numerous national TV & print media stories. You will find coverage on Hopkins & Thrillseekers in multiple magazines such as Newsweek and Wall Street Journal as well as TV shows to include NBC’s Today Show and ESPN’s X-Games.  Hopkins works with many “A List” celebrities and major players in the film, TV and music industry and has brought with him mass media exposure to Las Vegas over the years. He Jokes, “After all these years, I am still waiting for MY Key to the City”.

For more detailed information on how Thrillseekers Unlimited can provide you the ultimate story about Extreme Sports and Stunts in the entertainment industry, visit our website for promotional materials, media coverage and client list. You will also find Rich Hopkins list of credits at the following link on IMDB -www.imdb.com/name/nm1049044

For interview and media opportunities contact: Thrillseekers Unlimited - 702-699-5550 or Shawn Lane / Cheyenne Marketing –Shawn@CheyenneMarketing.com

Iron Mike is Back

by Ron Futrell @RonFutrell

What Mike Tyson did throughout much of his boxing career, he is now doing on stage.

Punch, jab, and throw a devastating upper cut.

“I’m still afraid of him, and he’s dead,” Tyson on his mentor Cus D’Amato.

I went into Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth at the MGM Grand without expectations. I covered Mike’s career in Las Vegas from start to finish and found him both endearing and difficult. The “bipolar” news from years ago was no shock to me. I could interview Mike one day and he would invite my boys to watch his workouts at Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym (which he did,) and the next time he would lash out at my questions and call me a “smart ass” (which he did-and I was.)

Unlike others, I was not really surprised at Tyson’s ability to pull this off. I had seen a preview of this performance years earlier. In the late 80’s before a fight at the Las Vegas Hilton, Tyson invited the media to his hotel room for interviews. It was a different environment than a news conference and Tyson was much more comfortable. He sat there for an hour or so and talked boxing history. Before that, I was not aware of how much Mike had made himself a student of the sport, and I certainly had no idea how he could entertain a handful of crotchety writers and cynical TV guys. A sign of things to come.

“When I fought in this town it was shut down, it was a hoe-asis,” Tyson on fighting in Las Vegas.

Tyson speaks openly and honestly about his career, his many successes and his many mistakes. I guess the mistakes are always the most entertaining.

The shocking loss to Buster Douglas in Japan (Tyson was a 36-1 favorite) was due to Mike having sex early and often with Japanese maids that stopped by to “clean” his hotel room, so he says. On this one, I would’ve advised Tyson to look at the career of Marvin Hagler, who said he swore off sex for 6 weeks before a fight because it made his legs weak and he wanted to hate his opponent for keeping him away from his wife. Even if Mike knew the Hagler stories, it doesn’t seem he would’ve listened anyway.

“I never knew I had just met the devil,” Tyson on his alignment with Don King.

Perhaps Tyson’s biggest problem back then was his association with Don King, which he clearly acknowledges. Many of us in the media could see this trouble coming. I was outside the Indiana prison in 1995 on a cool morning in March when we were doing live coverage of Tyson’s release. Everybody was waiting to see who would pick Tyson up after his 3 years behind bars. There was a groan, but no surprise when the inverted mop-top of King emerged from the black limo to head inside the facility to pick up Indiana’s most famous inmate. From that point on Tyson's career fell faster than Marvis Frazier after the uppercut.

“She’s gonna use this show to re-launch her career,” Tyson on Robin Givens.

At times Tyson talks softly and quickly and is hard to understand, but those are the times when you get the impression that he is going off script and those are the best parts of the show.

Yes, he talks about the Ear Bite Fight, 1997 against Evander Holyfield, a fight that took place in the same casino as the current performance. He uses the same excuse he used that night; that he was being head butted by Evander (which he was) and that since he was in a fight, he just decided to take it to the next level. As crazy as that fight and that night was, it is amazing how Tyson has turned this around. He can laugh and joke about it now, in fact, Evander even came to one of his shows and heard him talk about it. Yes, I was there that night as well and remember when the Fight of the Century became the Bite of the Century. Just another chapter in Tyson’s recovery. In this case, Mike tries to play the victim, but for the most part, he takes blame for the bad things in his life.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Tyson on his drug rehab.

Certainly, much of the Mike Tyson story has been written, discussed, covered and examined, but after watching him perform for an hour and a half, you get the impression that there is much more ahead. He talks about his children as a loving father and as somebody who is involved in their lives. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I hope it is, and I want to believe it is.

“I don’t deserve to be their father,” Tyson on his children.

Through it all, I was happy to see Tyson make this leap and succeed on stage without an opponent that he could clobber, or eat for lunch. For much of the show it’s him and the audience. Telling stories, sharing tales, and feeling the emotion that a life like this brings.

“The way you fight your fights is the way you live your life,” Cus to Tyson.

Perhaps it’s the fighter in all of us that wants to see him succeed.

Las Vegas: Startup City

Great column from Business Week on the rebirth of Downtown Las Vegas and the role that Zappos is playing in the optimism.

By Brad Stone

The history of Las Vegas is full of determined men with outsize egos and grand plans. There was Bugsy Siegel in the 1940s, envisioning a gambling mecca in the desert, away from the reach of law enforcement. A half century later, developers like Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson added pomp, glitz, and more than a touch of excess to the area that has become known as the Strip.

Now there’s another resolute businessman who wants to bend Sin City to his vision. Tony Hsieh, the soft-spoken chief executive officer of shoe and apparel site Zappos.com (a division of Amazon.com) (AMZN) wants to turn the often overlooked and economically depressed downtown area into a dense urban neighborhood teeming with artists, entrepreneurs, and Internet workers. It’s one of the most unconventional redevelopment efforts in any American city, ever. Instead of soliciting public funds, Hsieh is spending $350 million of his own money to buy empty lots, seed new businesses, and subsidize schools. Next year he’ll move his company’s 1,400 local employees from suburban offices into the 11-story former City Hall (complete with jail cells on the second floor that may become meeting rooms). “What started out as a campus relocation project has evolved into a project to revitalize downtown Vegas,” Hsieh says.

Read the rest of the story here