FLOSPORTS PARTNERS WITH MMA LEGEND CHAEL SONNEN TO PRESENT “SUBMISSION UNDERGROUND” GRAPPLING EVENT

FloCombat.com To Provide Exclusive Live Stream Of July 17 Card In Portland, Ore.

Austin, TX (May 18, 2016) – FloSports today announced an agreement with former MMA star Chael Sonnen to create Submission Underground, a new submission-only grappling event that will determine the greatest submission fighters alive. FloCombat.com will provide live and archived coverage of the competition July 17 from Portland, Ore.

The main event features Jake Shields, one of the best grapplers in mixed martial arts, taking on recent Bellator MMA signee Benson Henderson. In the co-main event, a salivating clash of styles will unfold as world class wrestler “King” Mo Lawal faces 3rd degree BJJ black belt Vinny Magalhaes. 

“The mantra is: How do we figure out who the greatest alive is?” Sonnen said. “We’re going to bring in all the smoke and mirrors and the great production. After that, we’re going to let whoever wants to be a part of this, whoever thinks they could be the greatest alive, to come out and prove it. We’re not going to lobby people to participate, and it won’t be invite only. We’re simply creating the environment.” 

The matches will use modified Eddie Bravo Invitational rules, which Sonnen considers to be the best grappling rule set on the planet. 

For 8 minutes, a competitor can win only by scoring a submission. If there are no submissions, the match moves to an overtime period. The winner of a coin flip can elect to start the overtime period attacking from the back or from the “spiderweb” (arm bar) position. If one competitor scores a submission and his opponent does not, he is declared the winner. But if both competitors escape from submission attempts, the match moves to the next overtime round. After three overtime rounds, the competitor who escaped the quickest is declared the winner.

The event also will use a cage instead of a standard grappling mat to ensure the safety of the competitors involved by preventing them from tumbling from a raised platform or mat. 

“We’re always interested in seeing who the best of the best is, and this event answers that question,” FloSports co-founder and CEO Martin Floreani said. “The level of competition we have locked in for Submission Underground is world-class, and we’re pumped to showcase all the matchups on FloCombat.”

The card also includes former UFC heavyweight champion and 1997 ADCC champion Ricco Rodriguez facing 3rd degree BJJ black belt Fabiano Scherner. UFC veteran Kenny Florian meets Filipe Braga Costa, who won their last matchup in Florian’s return to competitive jiu-jitsu. Lastly, beloved MMA veteran Jens Pulver battles BJJ standout Nathan Orchard. 

In-cage announcing duties for the event will be handled by Bruce Buffer, the legendary “Voice of the Octagon.” The broadcast team features T.J. De Santis of Invicta Fighting Championships and the Sherdog Radio Network on play-by-play, with Sonnen handling color commentary.

Chael Sonnen's Submission Underground: Full Main Card

• Jake Shields vs. Benson Henderson
• King Mo Lawal vs. Vinny Magalhaes
• Kenny Florian vs. Filipe Braga Costa
• Ricco Rodriguez vs. Fabiano Scherner
• Jens Pulver vs. Nathan Orchard

ABOUT FLOSPORTS

FloSports is a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based sports media company based in Austin, Texas, that is unlocking a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Focused on three areas – live programming, original content, and owned and operated events – the company takes fragmented communities and provides them the platform to connect with the sports they love.

Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, weekly studio shows, branded entertainment, and event creation and execution, FloSports is growing the sports, the athletes and the fans.

FloSports owns exclusive broadcast rights to in-demand events, and broadcasts more than 25,000 hours of live sporting events each year. FloSports has 1M+ videos in their library. FloSports features the top webcasts per sport, high-quality, in-depth documentary series and 5M+ athletes ranked within their respective sports.

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