Denis Smoldarev vs. Maro Perak added to M-1 Challenge 55 card Feb 21 in Georgia ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Jan. 15, 2015) – A potentially explosive heavyweight match between past M-1 Challenge title challenger Denis Smoldarev and veteran Maro “Man Machine” Perak has been added to M-1 Global’s 2015 season-opening event, February 21, at M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show in Tbilisi, Georgia. Former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner (14-8-0, 7 KO/TKO) versus Chechen prospect Aslambek “Titan” Musaev (5-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) was announced earlier this week. M-1 Challenge 55, honoring the memory of the first M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, will be streamed live in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets. The 24-year-old Smoldarev (9-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) and dangerous Perak (23-4-1, 12 KO/TKO, 7 SUB), ironically, are both coming off losses to reigning M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin “Tybur” Tybura (12-0-0, 3 KO/TKO, 7 SUB). Smoldarev, fighting out of Estonia, was choked into a submission by Tybura in the opening round of their title fight last November at M-1 Challenge 53: Battle in the Celestial Empire in Beijing, China. Despite getting in a few early shots on Tybura, Smoldarev allowed the defending champion to fight on the ground, resulting in a rear naked choke that halted the action. The invaluable experience he gained in his last fight, though, should enable Smoldarev to grow as an overall MMA fighter, something he desperately will need fighting a battle-tested opponent such as Perak. Perak, 32, is the lone fighter in M-1 Challenge competition to extend Tybura past the first round. The tough Croatian was stopped by Tybura’s punches in the third round of their fight this past April at M-1 Challenge 47: Battle in the Heart of the Continent in Orenburg, Russia. Perak also has revenge on his mind. Last year, Smoldarev defeated one of Perak’s students, Ante Delija, by second-round submission. The most impressive victory on the aggressive fighting Perak’s record, perhaps, is his stoppage of Bob Sapp in 2011. All fights and fighters are subject to change. Additional fights will soon be announced. Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 55 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, on Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Information www.M-1Global.com www.mixfight.ru www.WMMAA.org www.M1Global.TV Twitter & Instagram: @M1Global @VadimFinkelchteinM1 @M1GlobalNews Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244 ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko. ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!.