LAS VEGAS (Sept. 24, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today seven matchups stacked with some of the sport’s most prolific, emerging talent for the star-studded “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami” world championship event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, live on NBCSN, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
A featherweight (145 pounds) contest between former World Series of Fighting champion Rick “The Gladiator” Glenn and aggressive-minded standout Adam Ward will headline the preliminary bout card that will stream live on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com before the live NBCSN telecast of the five-bout main card.
An eighth bout pitting heavyweight Juliano Coutinho (6-1) of Cape Cod, Mass. against an opponent to be determined, will be announced soon.
“We are set to unleash what could very well be our most exciting lineup of preliminary bouts yet, filled with a diverse group of hungry, up-and-coming talent, future superstars and even a former world champion in Rick Glenn,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.
The 26-year –old Glenn of Marshalltown, Iowa is looking to rebound after a hard-fought defeat at the hands of Lance Palmer that cost Glenn his World Series of Fighting featherweight title. The loss snapped Glenn’s phenomenal unbeaten streak that spanned 13 fights over the course of more than 4 years.
Heading into what will be his promotional debut under the World Series of Fighting banner, Ward of Chicago, Ill. is riding a five-fight win streak that began on September 27, 2013 when he submitted Pedro Velasco with a rear-naked choke just 42 seconds into the first round of battle.
In other featherweight preliminary bout action, Alexandre “Capitao” Almeida (16-5) of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil will square off with Saul “The Spider” Almeida (18-5) of Boston, Mass.
Alexandre, 27, will hunt for his fourth consecutive win. To date, 12 of his 16 career conquests have come by way of submission.
Saul, 26, is seeking his sixth straight win after earning a split decision victory over Chris Foster at World Series of Fighting’s debut event at Foxwoods Resort Casino on April 10.
Also at featherweight, Rodrigo “The Young Lion” Almeida (12-2) of Woburn, Mass. faces off with Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-8) of Bangor, Maine.
The 29-year-old Almeida is looking to notch his eighth consecutive win, while Boyington, 36, boasts an 80 percent finish rate.
In one of two middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary card fights, hard-hitting KO artist and Iraq war veteran Justin Torrey (7-1) of Springfield, Mass. will throw down with Rex “T-Rex” Harris (7-2) of West Pittston, Penn.
Six of Torrey’s seven wins to date have come by way of (T)KO, while all seven of Harris’ victories have come by way of (T)KO or submission.
In the second middleweight scrap, recent World Series of Fighting signee Louis “Handgunz” Taylor (11-3) of Chicago will make his promotional debut against unbeaten prospect Nicolai Salchov (5-0) of Dusseldorf, Germany.
In the midst of a four-fight win streak, Taylor has produced 10 of his 11 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission. Salchov has done likewise in 4 of his 5 starts.
Washington Nunes Da Silva (5-1) of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil will meet Colton Smith (5-4) of Manassas, Va. at welterweight (170 pounds).
The WSOF 24 preliminary bout card will kick off with a heavyweight affair pitting Pat Walsh (6-2) of West Bridgewater, Mass. against Tyler King (9-3) of North Attleboro, Mass.
Priced from $39.99, tickets for “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.
In the welterweight main event, Jon Fitch (26-7-1, 1 NC) of Fort Wayne, Ind. will face rival superstar and grappling technician Yushin “Thunder” Okami (30-9) of Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
In the co-main event, World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Champion Blagoy Ivanov (12-1) of Sofia, Bulgaria will put his coveted title on the line for the first time against seasoned contender Derek “Caveman” Mehmen (19-6) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Doors at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5:30 p.m. The card is subject to change.