7/19/11 Cleveland, OH: NAAFS CEO, Greg Kalikas, confirmed that this year’s National Semi-Finals will once again return to Cleveland’s I-X Center on Saturday, October 15^th with what NAAFS fans are sure to consider a blockbuster and long-awaited main event at Caged Fury 15.  Following up on the success of a dynamic Fight Nite in the Flats VII show and the announcement of what promises to be an outstanding 5^th edition of Rock N Rumble, the NAAFS is showing no signs of slowing down.

Though the card is in its early stages of preparation, a title unification bout is already slated for the NAAFS Pro Series Lightweight division. Current NAAFS Pro Series Lightweight champion, Jason “Dynamite” Dent (21-11) will return to the NAAFS to take on Interim Lightweight Champion Daniel Straus (16-3) in what should be a high-paced, action-packed bout. Casual fans of the sport will recognize both Dent and Straus as both have competed on the national level recently. Dent was a participant on the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter 9 where he lost to the eventual champion in the semi-finals. Dent is a 4-time veteran of the UFC and an NAAFS legend but is also owner and head trainer at Mentor’s GriffonRawl MMA Academy. Dent won the NAAFS Lightweight belt in 2008 with a submission victory over Nick Sorg.

Squaring off against Dent will be MMA rising star Daniel Straus, who has burst onto the national scene in a big way. Straus made his NAAFS debut in December of 2009 with a win over undefeated Joe Heiland, then went on to capture the NAAFS interim Lightweight belt by defeating Frank Caraballo in February of 2010.From there Straus competed in the Bellator Season 4 Featherweight tournament and advanced to the finals where he lost a tough decision to champion Patricio “Pit-bull” Freire. Despite the loss, Straus is ranked sixth in the world in the latest FIGHT Magazine featherweight rankings. Both men are top-notch fighters and will be looking to take home the unified NAAFS world title on October 15^th.

“The I-X Center is committed to making this a one-of-a-kind experience for NAAFS fans,” said Robert Peterson, president of the I-X Center.  We will roll out our new  4,000 seat arena area featuring  2,600 theater seats that were custom made for our venue to ensure each event is top-notch.”

After the deal with the I-X Center was completed, Kalikas stated, “We are very excited to bring our national semi-finals back to the I-X Center this year and we are thrilled to be the first event in their new 4,000 seat arena. I hope this is the beginning of a long running partnership between the NAAFS and the I-X Center.” The I-X Center is one of the country’s largest and most recognizable entertainment venues which also played host to the NAAFS semi-finals in 2009. During the 09 event, NAAFS stars George Comer, Jessica Eye, Dan Spohn, and others put on an impressive show as amateurs; however Caged Fury 7 may pale in comparison to what’s in store for Caged Fury 15 which will not only feature the 2011 NAAFS amateur semis, but also a stacked professional card.

At this time, the rest of the card is not finalized, but several other blockbuster matchups are in the works. Stay tuned to NAAFS.tv for more details on the fight card and ticket information for this exciting event in the coming weeks. Tickets will go on sale soon at Northeast Ohio Discount Drug Mart locations and on NAAFS.tv. Caged Fury 15 is proudly sponsored by B3 Enterprises, Mr. John P Lennon, Intimidation Clothing, Tim Lally Chevrolet and Discount Drug Mart.

About the NAAFS

Established in 2005, The NAAFS is the fastest growing mixed martial arts organization in the sport and has produced over 90 live events in
the region. Fighters that have been featured by the NAAFS include Stipe Miocic, Chris Lozano, Jason Dent, Forrest Petz, Matt Brown, Ben Rothwell, Jessica Eye, Dave Herman, Nick Duell, Ryan Madigan, Paul Bradley, Sean Salmon, Jeff Cox, Josh Hendricks, Aisling Daly, Daniel Straus, Brian Rogers and Phil Davis among many others. The television program “NAAFS Cage Fighting” can be seen each week
domestically on the television home of the Cleveland Indians Sports Time Ohio, nationally via Direct TV and Dish Network. The NAAFS has been featured internationally via G-TV. Log on to the leagues official website at www.NAAFS.tv for additional information.

About the International Exposition Center

The I-X Center, located in the City of Cleveland, is one of the world’s largest convention centers.  The I-X Center’s
diverse show schedule includes public events, trade shows, meetings and conventions.  The facility attracts more than one million visitors annually through a combination of consumer and trade shows.  A full list of events at the I-X Center is available at ixcenter.com, updates on facebook.com and follow us on twitter.com.

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