Undefeated lightweight Justin Gaethje and Rich Patishnock headline World Series of Fighting 8 on Jan. 18 for inaugural lightweight belt LAS VEGAS (Jan. 6, 2014) – Justin Gaethje (10-0) will face one of MMA’s top prospects in Rich Patishnock (6-1) for the World Series of Fighting’s inaugural lightweight title in the Jan. 18 event titled “World Series of Fighting 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock,” which takes place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The co-main event features hard-hitting light-heavyweights Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (15-4) and Mike “MAK” Kyle (20-10-1) meeting in a bout that has been postponed twice due to injuries. The highly anticipated fight, now almost a year in the making, is sure to produce an absolute explosion in the decagon. “Injuries are an unavoidable aspect of MMA,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo. “I am very proud of my team here at WSOF for finding a very worthy opponent in Rich Patishnock to fight against Justin Gaethje for the title. I know that both of these guys have very crowd-pleasing fighting styles, and I can’t wait to see what happens when that cage door shuts.” The 25-year-old Gaethje is a member of Colorado’s Grudge Training Center and has already earned World Series of Fighting wins over Dan Lauzon, Brian Cobb and Cavalcante. Fighting professionally since 2011, Gaethje is undefeated in his first 10 career fights, and nine of those have ended via stoppage, including eight by knockout. Patishnock, a 26-year-old fighting out of Whippany, NJ has made a name for himself in his first two WSOF appearances by defeating two men with the name that is most synonymous with MMA: Gracie. Patishnock defeated Igor Gracie at WSOF 2, and followed that up with a victory over his brother, Gregor Gracie at WSOF 5. Patishnock’s original opponent, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (21-9) will now face a tough challenge in MMA veteran Jorge “Macaco” Patino (35-14-2-1). “Macaco,” a Brazilian MMA practitioner, began fighting professionally in 1995 and has had several historic fights including his victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and two epic battles with recently signed WSOF fighter Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons. The 40-year-old Patino has won both the lightweight and welterweight titles with the Legacy FC promotion, a lightweight title with Predator FC, and fought for UFC welterweight championship against one of the sports legends in Pat Milletich. The 33-year-old Palomino was born in Peru but now resides in Miami. A black belt in both capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Palomino is a force on the feet and the floor. A former Championship Fighting Alliance featherweight champion, Palomino recently moved up to lightweight and fell just short in a bid for the promotion’s lightweight title. Palomino also fought five times for Bellator MMA, including a slot on the promotion’s very first show. Tickets for “World Series of Fighting 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock,” start at just $29, and are on sale at Ticketmaster.com. The bout tops a five-fight card that airs live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The fights will also be broadcast on Brazilian television network, Esporte Interativo. A six-fight undercard, which will stream live at www.WSOF.com, will be announced shortly. With the addition to the card, World Series of Fighting 8 now includes: Justin Gaethje vs. Rich Patishnock for inaugural lightweight title Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Kyle Jessica Aguilar vs. Alida Gray for inaugural womens strawweight title Cody Bollinger vs. Tyson Nam Luis Palomino vs. Jorge Patino About “World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) “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 match-ups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit 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, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States. About Hard Rock Live Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena has attracted more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 2005, and has regularly hosted South Florida’s greatest variety of musical acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin and George Lopez; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFCmatches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade andmore. For additional information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com, facebook.com/MyHRL and twitter.com/hard_rock_live. About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida’s ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold ’em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, over 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player’s Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef’s Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Hard Rock hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold ’em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe - Hollywood, part of Hard Rock’s 138 globally recognized rock ‘n’ roll restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, Rock Spa, award-winning restaurants, high-energy nightclubs, lounges and bars, boutique retail shops, the 350- seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327- ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com, facebook.com/seminolehardrockhollywood, twitter.com/SHRHollywood, instagram.com/semhardrockhollywood and youtube.com/semhardrockhollywood..