Six New Bouts Complete Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus II Main Card On May 12

By Staff Report
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Updated: April 9, 2012

Lion Fight Promotions announced today that it has completed its Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus II main fight card at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday, May 12 with six additional full-rules Muay Thai bouts, which will lead up to the highly-anticipated main event grudge rematch between WBC Light Heavyweight (175 pounds) Champion Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling (12-2, 10 KO’s) of Los Angeles, Calif. and undefeated top contender Simon Marcus (23-0, 18 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Reserved ticket seats for Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus II, priced from $45, are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com.

In the co-main event and a second much-anticipated rematch, Filipino American Romie Adanza (16-3, 7 KO’s) of Irvine, Calif. will face off with Thanit “Boom” Watthanaya (45-12, 12 KO’s) of Vancouver, BC Canada via Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.in a super flyweight (115 pounds) matchup.

Thai superstar Mongkon “Malaipet” Wiwasuk (138-27-5, 26 KO’s), fighting out of Fresno, Calif. will put his WBC national welterweight (147 pounds) strap on the line against aggressive-minded counterpuncher and entertaining showman Justin Greskiewicz (17-8, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pa.

Fresh off his rubber match victory over “Coke” Chunhawat, seasoned technician and fast-rising contender Matt Embree (20-3, 9 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will return to Lion Fight action and face another tough, highly-experienced adversary in former world champion Nils Widlund (34-1, 12 KO’s) of Stockholm, Sweden.

In a matchup of two experienced, Las Vegas-based MMA competitors who have decided to test their combative skills in the Muay Thai ring for the first time in their respective professional careers, Javier Torres (0-0) will square off with Michael Madrid (0-0) in a 170 pound catchweight fight.

Scotty Leffler (5-2, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will take on upstart Artem Sharoshkin (3-1) of San Diego, Calif. via Penza, Russia in a welterweight (147 pounds) affair.

Undefeated rising star Tiffany Van Soest (2-0) of San Diego, Calif. will take on fellow prospect Heidi Otterbein (3-1, 1 KO) of Las Vegas via Vancouver, BC Canada. in a 125 pound catchweight bout.

Romie Adanza vs. Thanit “Boom” Watthanaya

The 32-year-old, 5-foot-4 Adanza, a protégé of famed trainer Colin Oyama, and the 26-year-old Watthanaya, better known by his nickname, faced off for the first time last May 28 in Pala,Calif. After two closely contested rounds that saw both fighters score with their attacks, Adanza stormed out of the gates in the outset of the third round, scoring a brutal KO on Watthanaya at the 18 second mark of the round with a knee strike to the head.

A quick and explosive fighter known for exciting audiences with his punching skills, Adanza is coming off a spectacular Feb. 18 second round TKO victory over Tomonori Sato in Tokyo, Japan.

“I think this is going to be a tough rematch,” admitted Adanza of his upcoming challenge. “He’s a strong fighter and we both know what to look out so I have my work cut out for me.”

To strengthen his training camp for the rematch, the 5-foot-6 Boom has brought in seasoned professional boxers to work with.
“This is going to be a great fight for the sport of Muay Thai,” said Boom. “I am concerned about Romie’s punches, but I feel that I have better kicks and clinching skills.”

Mongkon “Malaipet” Wiwasuk vs. Justin Greskiewicz

Wiwasuk, better known to fight fans as “Malaipet,” is a decorated champion of Bangkok, Thailand’s Rajadamnern Stadium, one of the country’s two most prestigious arenas for world-class Muay Thai competition. A practitioner of Muay Thai since the age of eight, he is known for his powerful kicks and clinch work.

Malaipet made his Lion Fight debut on just two days’ notice last Nov. 19 and, after tagging Jose Palacios with repeated body kicks for three rounds, emerged victorious by way of split decision.

The 5-foot-10 Greskiewicz is a 27-year-old product of Cool Hearts Muay Thai gym, who has been competing professionally for five years. Nicknamed “The Purple People Eater,” Greskiewicz’s fighting style is as flashy as his hair that he colors purple and has complemented his composed demeanor in the ring well enough to escalate him to title contention.

In his last start, Greskiewicz earned a decision over Bernie Mendietta in Bournemouth, England on March 3.

Matt Embree vs. Nils Widlund

Embree surprised many fans with his ability to dominate Chunhawat, a veteran of 170 professional Muay Thai bouts, in their third meeting, after earning a split decision win and losing a split decision, respectively, against Chunhawat in their two previous matchups. Embree used his slick defense to avoid Chunhawat’s punches and fed Chunhawat a steady dose of leg kicks and knee strikes from the clinch to earn the nod from all three judges and pick up his sixth consecutive victory.

Widlund is known for his mix of traditional Dutch style kickboxing, which utilizes level changes, and the explosive movements embraced by San Shou style kickboxing. He is a three-time Swedish champion under San Shou rules and a former WTKA world champion under Muay Thai rules.

Javier Torres vs. Michael Madrid

Both seasoned scrappers who bring tremendous intensity and MMA fight experience with them into the ring, Torres, a 26-year-old native of Mexico, and Madrid, a 26-year-old native of Anchorage, Alaska, both relocated to the fight capital of the world to hone their fighting skills.

Torres owns a 3-1 overall record in professional MMA and is a member of Team MICA. Madrid, who was victorious in his last start over Strikeforce veteran Waachiim Spiritwolf last Oct. 21, is a member of MMA legend Wanderlei Silva’s fight team and enters the ring with an overall 9-7 record in professional MMA competition.

Scotty Leffler vs. Artem Sharoshkin

Leffler will look for his second straight victory after earning a unanimous decision over Sheldon Gaines at the last Lion Fight Muay Thai event on Feb. 25. Despite sustaining a broken toe just two weeks before the bout, Leffler honored his commitment to the matchup.

After scoring a knockdown on Gaines with a sharp knee strike to the head in the first stanza, Leffler weathered a storm from his opponent and controlled the tempo for the remainder of the fight.

Sharoshkin is a 25-year-old native of Penza, Russia, whose family sent him to The United States when he was 18 years old in order to escape the perils of the underworld in his homeland that he was exposed to and leaning towards while growing up.

Initially frustrated with the language barrier and cultural differences he encountered, Sharoshkin was suddenly inspired while watching the famed MTV True Life episode “I’m A Muay Thai Fighter” that profiled Muay Thai stars Kit Cope and Ben Garcia. Soon after, Sharoshkin joined a local fight gym in San Diego and quickly gravitated towards fighting.

Following a successful amateur career, Sharoshkin was victorious in his professional debut in August 2010, by way of majority decision over Titus Holmes.

Tiffany Van Soest vs. Heidi Otterbein

The 23-year-old Van Soest is coming off a dominant performance against a previously unbeaten Vivian Leung, continually beating Leung to the punch and opening a cut around Leung’s eye before being awarded a unanimous decision.

The bout will represent the 30 year-old Otterbein’s debut for Lion Fight.

About Lion Fight Promotions
Lion Fight Promotions is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based world championship Muay Thai kickboxing promotion dedicated to producing matchups between the best Muay Thai fighters in the world in their respective weight classes. Led by former Las Vegas casino executive, Scott Kent, the promotional company has been developed in consultation with Christine Toledo, one of the sport’s most popular champions and star of the Oxygen Network reality television show Fight Girls. Both Kent and Toledo share a common passion for Muay Thai and are working together to promote the sport.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas’ off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport. The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II, a division of Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC. Built in 1995, the property completed a $750 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana and Motley Crue have all performed. Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 guest rooms, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites and the all-suite HRH Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 72,000 square feet of casino space; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $3 million in rare music memorabilia throughout the hotel; the luxurious Vanity Nightclub, home to SIN on Sundays industry party; Reliquary Water Sanctuary & Spa; Reliquary Salon; 4.5 acres of tropical pool paradise which houses the trendsetting pool parties including the famous REHAB Sunday party and RELAX Monday party as well as the new Summer Camp Fridays and Nectar Music Festival Saturdays; The Joint concert venue; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants including traditional steakhouse with an edge 35 Steaks + Martinis, Mexican cantina Pink Taco, and ‘round the clock diner Mr. Lucky’s Café; and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center. For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit www.hardrockhotel.com.

Contact
Mike Afromowitz (917) 566-8754, mikea@yourwitzend.com
Christine Toledo (702) 480-6799, christine@lionfightpromotions.com