| 2011 M-1 Challenge season | |
|---|---|
| League | M-1 Global |
| Sport | Mixed Martial Arts |
| Duration | March 5, 2011 – December 9, 2011 |
The 2011 M-1 Challenge season was the fourth season of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting presented by the M-1 Global promotion. The season began on March 5.
The first M-1 Challenge event of 2011 took place on March 5, 2011, at the Crocus City in Moscow, Russia.
The second M-1 Challenge event took place on March 25, 2011, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. [1] This event marked the first M-1 show in the United States since 2009 and aired live on the Showtime cable network. [1] The event drew an estimated 189,000 viewers on Showtime. [2]
Due to problems with his visa Arthur Guseinov was unable to compete. Josh Bakkalao got injured during practice and was unable to face Alexander Sarnavskiy. He was replaced by Beau Baker.
28 April 2011 Ice Palace Saint Petersburg in St.Petersburg, Russia. Today it was announced that Dmitry Samoilov and Mike Guerin were injured during the training process and, unfortunately, will not be able to take part in the tournament M-1 Challenge XXV. Zavurov vs Magomedov. Rashid Magomedov was seriously injured and was out of title bout with Shamil Zavurov. M-1 Global has made every effort to in such a short period of time to find a worthy replacement, and literally a few minutes ago to sign the exclusive contract with M-1 Global has put Swiss welterweight Yasubi Enomoto, who last year was a finalist at the Grand Prix at Sengoku in his weight class.
June 4, 2011 ACCO International Center Kyiv, Ukraine
The second M-1 Challenge event to air on Showtime took place on July 8, 2011, in Costa Mesa, California. [3] Guram Gugenishvili was originally announced for the main event, but suffered a hand injury and was replaced by Garner. [3]
The third M-1 Challenge show on Showtime took place on October 14, 2011, at the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
Heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili was originally set to defend his title in a rematch against Kenny Garner, but pulled out of the bout due to an elbow injury. [4]
12 November, Star Centre, Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast
Shamil Zavurov was expected to defend his title against Rashid Magomedov on this card, but had to withdraw due to knee injury.
M-1 Selection: GP 84 kg
19 November, Ufa Arena, Ufa, Bashkortostan
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky again was traumatized in a hand and according to its command, doctors have forbidden it to act until January, 2012. [5]
M-1 Selection: GP +93 kg
| M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson | |
|---|---|
| Promotion | MMA-1 |
| Date | November 20, 2011 |
| Venue | Olympic Stadium |
| City | Moscow, Russia |
| Attendance | 22,153 |
M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson was a mixed martial arts event held by M-1 Global. The event took place on November 20, 2011, at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. [6] In the main fight Fedor Emelianenko defeated Jeff Monson via unanimous decision.
At the end of the heavyweight bout, Vladimir Putin entered the ring to congratulate the winner, Fedor Emelianenko, and gave a speech. The crowd booed during the speech; although some Russian media reports claimed that they had been booing the American loser, Jeff Monson, BBC News reported that several crowd members had stressed that they were booing Putin, and regarded Monson as an honorable loser. [7]
This event took place on December 9, 2011, at The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa, California. It aired live on the Showtime cable network.
Alexander Sarnavskiy was scheduled to face Francisco Drinaldo, but the bout was cancelled when Drinaldo suffered an injury. Sarnavskiy instead faced Sergio Cortez. [8]