CARLSBAD, CA — No Fear Energy will be watching the action this Sunday night as their sponsored mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Joseph Benavidez puts his undefeated record on the line at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Benavidez will square off in the cage against San Diego transplant Dominick Cruz, whose record (13-1) has only one blemish — a submission loss at the hands of Urijah Faber in March 2007. As the fight card’s co-main event, the Benavidez-Cruz bout will directly precede the World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®) bantamweight title fight between reigning champ Miguel Angel-Torres (36-1) and undefeated challenger, Brian Bowles (7-0).

The 24-year-old Benavidez (10-0) came to the WEC promotion in December 2008 with a lot of hype due to his raw talent and impressive previous performances, and he immediately lived up to the expectations with a big win over Danny Martinez. On April 5th of this year, Benavidez added Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran to his list of victims — by unanimous decision — in front of Curran’s home crowd in Chicago.

Benavidez trains at Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, California. Sunday night’s clash against Cruz should prove a pivotal step on his quest for a title fight. A win could garner a match-up with one of the other two top bantamweight (135 lbs.) contenders on Sunday night’s card — Brian Bowles or Japan’s Takeya Mizugaki, who proved to be a formidable opponent against Torres when the two warriors went the distance in Chicago in April. (more…)

May-6-2009

WEC featherweight star Urijah Faber is featured in a seven-page spread in this month’s edition of Fight! Magazine. In a piece penned by Fight! Editor Donovan Craig, Faber talks about life as one of Sacramento’s sports stars, as well as the camaraderie felt amongst members of the Faber-founded Team Alpha Male. Check out Faber in this month’s edition of Fight! Magazine on newsstands now.

WEC® ANNOUNCES REMAINING BOUTS FOR Brown Vs. Faber II JUNE 7 CARD IN SACARAMENTO

JOSE ALDO VS. CUB SWANSON
DONALD CERRONE VS. JAMES KRAUSE
JENS PULVER VS. JOSH GRISPI
MANVEL GAMBURYAN VS. JOHN FRANCHI
CHARLIE VALENCIA VS. KYLE DIETZ
MIKE CAMPBELL VS. ANTHONY PETTIS
SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. ANTONIO BANUELOS
EDDIE WINELAND VS. FRANK GOMEZ
ROLANDO PEREZ VS. SETH DIKUN

From ARCO ARENA in Sacramento, California,
Sunday, June 7; Tickets On Sale NOW

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® proudly confirms the remaining bouts for WEC: Brown vs. Faber II live from ARCO Arena in Sacramento, CA on Sunday, June 7.

Tickets for Brown vs. Faber II are on sale now and priced at $40, $75, $135, and $200. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting the ARCO Arena Box Office. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.

Presented by Bud Light®, Brown vs. Faber II will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

In addition to the featherweight title bout between champion Mike Brown (21-4) and Sacramento’s Urijah Faber (22-2), nine other bouts round out a stacked card in California.

Before Brown and Faber lock horns in one of the most anticipated fights in WEC history, featherweight contenders Jose Aldo and Cub Swanson do battle in a bout that may very well determine the next in line for a title shot. Undefeated in the WEC at 4-0 with four knockout victories, the Brazilian Aldo (14-1) has cemented himself as a rising star in the 145-pound division. In his last fight in March, the 22-year-old scored a menacing first-round stoppage victory over Chris Mickle. He’ll put his winning streak on the line against gifted ground expert Swanson. A winner of three out of his last four bouts, Swanson (13-2) is a gritty performer with a knack for submissions. No stranger to fighting through adversity, Swanson waged war with Hiroyuki Takaya in his last bout in December and earned an impressive, unanimous decision victory. The 25-year-old Californian will look to get one step closer to the featherweight title with a win over Aldo. (more…)

No Fear Energy Drink will be part of the party mix at Coachella.  91X will be broadcasting live and loud at Coachella all weekend long from the 91X No Fear Energy Drink Coachella Compound!  Listen for interviews from a slew of Coachella artists, and a number of special guests stopping by.

Before you head to the desert, visit Coachella.com for the latest updates. Check the line-up, get directions, camping info and buy tickets if you’ve been lagging on it.

“91X’s Last-Chance for Free Coachella!”

We’re in the final stretch until Coachella arrives, and 91X is going big with LOTS of tickets to give away.

Listen Monday through Thursday for the chance to win free Coachella tickets every 91 minutes, and one winner per day will be picked to win 3-Day Coachella tickets, Dragon Sunglasses, and weekend stay at the four-star Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa!!

WEC Chicago, JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. JEFF CURRAN, text courtesy of WEC®

Time to bury the hype: Joseph Benavidez is for real. The diminutive 5’3 fighter made that crystal clear when he produced the biggest win of his career Sunday night, outhustling veteran Jeff Curran en route to a unanimous decision win. With the fight on Curran’s home soil, disappointed local fans showered Benavidez with boos, though the verdict was well-deserved and beyond reproach. 

“I feel like I’m prepared for anyone,” Benavidez said afterward. “I’m not totally satisfied with my performance but I’m really happy to get the win over a great opponent like Jeff. I owe it all to Urijah Faber and the rest of my team.” 



Benavidez was busier and more aggressive than Curran for much of the contest, even dropping “The Big Frog” with a right hand in the first round that landed on the bridge of Curran’s nose (Curran seemed to have all of his mental faculties after the blow, and may have fell partially due to being off-balance). Curran was competitive throughout, tagging Benavidez with a beautiful straight right hand that stopped him dead in his tracks. But the speedy Benavidez scored several takedowns and controlled the action on top, occasionally landing some decent punches and elbows. 

The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Benavidez. Curran, meanwhile, dropped his third straight fight.

Benavidez Vs. Curran: Co-main Event at WEC BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
 MIGUEL ANGEL TORRES vs. TAKEYA MIZUGAKI

 Live From UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Sunday, April 5



Las Vegas, NV (USA) – When Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki (11-2-2) challenges Miguel Torres (35-1) for the WEC bantamweight title on April 5, he expects to be rudely welcomed to the United States by hordes of the hometown champion’s fans. However, when the 25-year-old steps inside the cage at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois, he plans on silencing the crowd the only way he knows how: by knocking Torres out.



 “Torres just keeps coming at you with almost no expression on his face so he is intimidating,” Mizugaki said. 

“But I’m not intimidated. He is a great fighter and awesome champion. But regardless of opponent, I’m going to stick with my style and strike. I’m honored and excited for this opportunity.”

In the co-main event, Island Lake, Illinois’ Jeff Curran looks to make his case for a shot at the belt when he battles undefeated phenom Joseph Benavidez.

 A longtime favorite of the Midwest fight scene, former WEC featherweight contender and title challenger Jeff “Big Frog” Curran (31-10-1) has long had his sights set on Miguel Torres, and he has even dropped down to the bantamweight division to chase his local rival.

There is business to take care of for both men first though, and for Curran, that means his clash with Joseph Benavidez on April 5th. So expect the 30-year old Curran to come out with guns blazing in order to move forward in the crowded bantamweight division.

 The 24-year old Joseph Benavidez (9-0) came to the WEC last December with a lot of hype due to his raw talent and impressive previous performances, and he lived up to the expectations with a big win over Danny Martinez.

Now the stablemate of former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber is ready for the next step in his career, and for him, there would be nothing better than to add the name Jeff Curran to his victims list.

 For more information about current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. All bouts live and subject to change. (more…)

The rematch between former WEC featherweight king Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver was, as some had feared, a mismatch.

The two traded blows during the opening minute, but a Faber left hook to the body changed the tone of the bout instantly. Pulver winced in noticeable pain and backpedaled against the cage. Faber sensed the end was near and pounced on the wounded veteran, buzzing him with punches before he locked in a seated guillotine choke for the tapout. All told, the fight lasted 1:34.

“I worked on my left for six months straight,” Faber said, “and it paid off tonight.”

Faber (22-2) rebounded nicely from his technical knockout defeat to Mike Thomas Brown three months ago and positioned himself for another run at the 145-pound crown. Brown will defend the belt against Leonard Garcia in March; Faber, who has won 14 of 15 fights, figures to draw the victor.

“I think I made a statement,” Faber said. “There’s no secret that I’m going to try my best to get that rematch [with Brown]. I want that belt.”

At 34, the future seems uncertain at best for former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. The popular and distinguished veteran suffered his third consecutive defeat. Neither of his past two losses has advanced beyond the second minute, leading many to wonder whether or not the time has come for “Little Evil” to call it a career. (more…)

CARLSBAD, CA — No Fear’s involvement in the booming sport of Mixed Martial Arts will draw attention to its retail apparel business this weekend. On Saturday, January 24, the final day of the Action Sports Retailer Expo at the San Diego Convention Center, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC®) Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit will be at the No Fear Booth signing autographs from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Condit has dominated the WEC’s 170 pound weight class with a professional fight record of 21 wins and only four losses.

On Sunday, January 25, the day after the ASR Expo wraps up, WEC® will host their first ever event at the San Diego Sports Arena. The lineup features two furious match-ups: A World Lightweight Championship fight between Jamie Varner and undefeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone as the main event, and the much anticipated rematch between No Fear Energy backed Urijah Faber and former UFC® champion Jens Pulver as the co-main event. Tickets are still available online via Ticketmaster or at the San Diego Sports Arena box office.

No Fear Energy to Host a Private Urijah Faber Party After the Fight
To close out a huge weekend of ASR and MMA, No Fear Energy will host a private “Urijah Faber After Party” at the Belo nightclub, located at 919 Fourth Avenue in downtown San Diego. The party is by invitation only, but fight fans can get a chance to be put on the guest list by sending an email to NFENERGYGUEST@NoFear.com The party will feature an open bar from 9:30 to 10:30, and DJ FishFonics of WildFish Entertainment will be spinning the decks and keeping the beat. (more…)

AS I LAY DYING, CHILDREN OF BODOM, GOD FORBID, AND MUNICIPAL WASTE TO SUPPORT

LOS ANGELES, CA January 14, 2009 Fresh off of their west coast run with Metallica and upcoming visits to Finland, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia, Lamb of God have teamed up with No Fear Energy for the North American tour in support of their fifth studio album “Wrath” which will be released by Epic Records February 24th. The tour commences in Phoenix, Arizona on April 2nd and covers 35 markets in the US and Canada, ending in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina May 15th.

“No Fear Energy is excited to be working with Lamb of God, Live Nation and the solid line-up of support bands for this upcoming tour,” said No Fear’s Vice President Of Marketing, Britt Galland. “The music on this Tour fits perfectly into the no-holds-barred lifestyle of those who buy No Fear Energy drinks and gravitate toward the action- sports properties associated with the No Fear brand image. We’re anticipating another popular metal tour, along with some unique product promotions and contests.”

Tickets and more information are available at www.livenation.com www.ticketmaster.com and www.Nofear.com.

Lamb of God has put together one of the strongest bills to come out of the metal community in recent times. As I Lay Dying and Children of Bodom are the main support acts on the tour, with the opening slot rotating between God Forbid and Municipal Waste. Lamb of God drummer, Chris Adler, commented “I cannot wait to begin the first North American run of the ‘Wrath’ world tour. The package we have lined up is guaranteed to leave sore necks and broken eardrums across the country. If you are into metal, there is something here for everyone; this is not a tour to miss. We are working up one hell of a show and can’t wait to play the new material. See you there!” (more…)