World Series of Fighting Signs Jason High and Mike Ricci
Aug 22, 2015 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- LAS VEGAS – World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com)
announced today that it has signed two more marquee athletes –
lightweights (155 pounds) Jason High
and Mike
Ricci – to exclusive, multi-year fight agreements. The
promotional debut of each fighter will be announced soon.
“We are pleased to welcome Jason High and Mike Ricci, two extremely talented and exciting athletes, to our roster,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.
“Our lightweight division is expanding at an aggressive pace,”
continued Sefo, “and both Jason and Mike will surely add depth to
the competitive pool of athletes in this weight class, and provide
us with the means to create some highly compelling matchups with
potential title fight implications.”
The 33-year-old High (18-6) of Kansas City, Mo. earned the fight world’s attention for the first time six years ago during a stint at welterweight (170 pounds) with the Japan-based promotion Dream, where he notched a first round (:59) submission (rear-naked choke) victory over Yuya Shirai followed by a split decision win over Andre Galvao on April 5, 2009 and July 20, 2009, respectively.
High’s stock has continued to rise with successful performances in the now-defunct, former number two promotion in the world, Strikeforce, followed by his move to lightweight.
Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada is a 29-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt trained by famed Georges St. Pierre-mentor Firas Zahabi. Like High, he has faced and defeated stiff competition under some of the world’s top promotional banners.
When he makes his World Series of Fighting debut, Ricci will hunt for his third straight victory, following a first round (3:57) TKO (punches and elbows) of road warrior Jorge Gurgel on Feb. 28, 2014 and a unanimous decision over George Sotiropoulos on Aug. 22, 2014.
Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with the much-anticipated “WSOF 23: Gaethje vs. Palomino II” world championship doubleheader event that will be headlined by a world lightweight championship rematch between reigning kingpin Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (14-0) and hard-hitting rival Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-10).
About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
"World Series of Fighting" (WSOF.com) is a world wide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and "World Series of Fighting" President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
“We are pleased to welcome Jason High and Mike Ricci, two extremely talented and exciting athletes, to our roster,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.
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The 33-year-old High (18-6) of Kansas City, Mo. earned the fight world’s attention for the first time six years ago during a stint at welterweight (170 pounds) with the Japan-based promotion Dream, where he notched a first round (:59) submission (rear-naked choke) victory over Yuya Shirai followed by a split decision win over Andre Galvao on April 5, 2009 and July 20, 2009, respectively.
After an impressive, unanimous decision conquest of rival star
Jordan
Mein on U.S. soil on Aug. 26, 2010, High returned to Japan
where he edged out a split decision over all-time great Hayato
Sakurai on New Year’s Eve that year.
High’s stock has continued to rise with successful performances in the now-defunct, former number two promotion in the world, Strikeforce, followed by his move to lightweight.
Ricci (10-4) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada is a 29-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt trained by famed Georges St. Pierre-mentor Firas Zahabi. Like High, he has faced and defeated stiff competition under some of the world’s top promotional banners.
When he makes his World Series of Fighting debut, Ricci will hunt for his third straight victory, following a first round (3:57) TKO (punches and elbows) of road warrior Jorge Gurgel on Feb. 28, 2014 and a unanimous decision over George Sotiropoulos on Aug. 22, 2014.
Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with the much-anticipated “WSOF 23: Gaethje vs. Palomino II” world championship doubleheader event that will be headlined by a world lightweight championship rematch between reigning kingpin Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (14-0) and hard-hitting rival Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-10).
About World Series of Fighting (WSOF)
"World Series of Fighting" (WSOF.com) is a world wide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow "World Series of Fighting" on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and "World Series of Fighting" President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
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