World Series of Fighting unveils inaugural championship belt
Oct 25, 2013 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- On Saturday night, World Series of Fighting
crowns its first-ever champion, and today the promotion revealed
the prize for which they'll be competing.
Custom-designed by A.J. LaFons, the World Series of Fighting championship belt features more than 43 carats of genuine ruby, diamond, emerald, sapphire and red garnet and weighs in at a total of 10 pounds, 7 ounces.
The two-tone effect on the plates was accomplished by
nickel-plating each layer of the details before gold-plating the
highlights by hand.
"We wanted to make sure our championship belt was reflective of our commitment to excellence," World Series of Fighting President Way Sefo said. "We've been working in the background for more than a year on the design of this belt, and we feel like we got it right. On Saturday night, I feel confident that either Josh Burkman or Steve Carl will be proud of the belt they receive as recognition of their accomplishment as our first-ever welterweight champion."
The live, two-hour NBCSN telecast of the evening's main card begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Preliminary bouts stream live on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6 p.m. ET, and venue doors open at 5 p.m. ET.
A former master model maker for Jostens, LaFons had never before designed a championship belt. However, a self-professed MMA fan, he lobbied World Series of Fighting executives for the opportunity to commission the company's first title. While he admits it it was even more of an undertaking than he initially imagined, LaFons said the opportunity to unveil the belt to the World Series of Fighting athletes made it all worthwhile.
"These fighters all tell me that the thing they live for is this belt, so I wanted them to all love it," LaFons said. "Every one of them that got to see it today loves it. They're all looking forward to winning one, so that made me feel good."
About World Series of Fighting World Series of Fighting 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 matchups 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 NBCSN NBCSN 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 BankUnited Center at UM The BankUnited Center, an 8,000 seat multipurpose entertainment facility located on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus, hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, sporting events and the University of Miami men's and women's basketball teams. For more information call 305-284-8686 or visit www.BankUnitedCenter.com. The BankUnited Center is located at 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146.
Custom-designed by A.J. LaFons, the World Series of Fighting championship belt features more than 43 carats of genuine ruby, diamond, emerald, sapphire and red garnet and weighs in at a total of 10 pounds, 7 ounces.
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"We wanted to make sure our championship belt was reflective of our commitment to excellence," World Series of Fighting President Way Sefo said. "We've been working in the background for more than a year on the design of this belt, and we feel like we got it right. On Saturday night, I feel confident that either Josh Burkman or Steve Carl will be proud of the belt they receive as recognition of their accomplishment as our first-ever welterweight champion."
Burkman and Carl's title bout headlines Saturday's "World Series of
Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl" event, which takes place at
BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Tickets for the event,
which start at just $29, are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster
locations, Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at (800)
745-3000.
The live, two-hour NBCSN telecast of the evening's main card begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Preliminary bouts stream live on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com, beginning at 6 p.m. ET, and venue doors open at 5 p.m. ET.
A former master model maker for Jostens, LaFons had never before designed a championship belt. However, a self-professed MMA fan, he lobbied World Series of Fighting executives for the opportunity to commission the company's first title. While he admits it it was even more of an undertaking than he initially imagined, LaFons said the opportunity to unveil the belt to the World Series of Fighting athletes made it all worthwhile.
"These fighters all tell me that the thing they live for is this belt, so I wanted them to all love it," LaFons said. "Every one of them that got to see it today loves it. They're all looking forward to winning one, so that made me feel good."
About World Series of Fighting World Series of Fighting 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 matchups 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 NBCSN NBCSN 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 BankUnited Center at UM The BankUnited Center, an 8,000 seat multipurpose entertainment facility located on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus, hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, sporting events and the University of Miami men's and women's basketball teams. For more information call 305-284-8686 or visit www.BankUnitedCenter.com. The BankUnited Center is located at 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146.
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