NEW YORK, March 31, 2008 – Two IFL stars, Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) and Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) will make their second respective title defenses and another, Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) will make his first when the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a minimum of nine bouts scheduled for Friday, May 16. HDNet will have live television coverage of the event.
Tickets are on sale beginning today via www.ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, and by telephone at 860-886-0070.

The night will also mark the IFL debuts for the Bomb Squad, a Northeast-based camp which will take on Mario Sperry’s World Class Fight Center from Las Vegas, and for Team Prodigy, an Ohio-based camp which will battle Matt Lindland’s Team Quest of Portland, Ore.

In the title bouts, Nelson will defend his heavyweight belt against UFC veteran Branden Lee Hinkle (Weirton, W. Va.). Nelson won the title in December at Mohegan Sun with a knockout of Antoine Jaoude, then defended with a decisive first-round TKO over Fabiano Scherner in Las Vegas in February. Schultz will battle Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) for the lightweight crown. Schultz also won his title in his last visit to Mohegan Sun in December, bouncing Chris Horodecki from the ranks of the unbeaten, then earned a decision win over John Gunderson in Las Vegas in February to defend. McGivern, one of the most improved fighters in the IFL, took the middleweight belt from Matt Horwich in February and has won three of his past four bouts.
Other bouts of note include the Bomb Squad’s John Howard (Boston) against WCFC’s Marcello Salazar (Brazil) and Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio (Paterson, N.J.).

Team Quest’s three competitors, who will take on three fighters from Team Prodigy to be announced, are all IFL veterans: Zac George (Norman, Okla.), Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) and Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.).

IFL Mohegan Sun
Friday, May 16, 2008 (order TBD)
World Class Fight Center vs. Bomb Squad
170 lbs.: Marcello Salazar (Brazil) (1-0 IFL, 7-1-2 MMA overall) vs. John Howard (Boston) (0-0, 8-3)
185 lbs.: Danillo Villefort (0-0, 6-2) vs. Mike Massenzio (Paterson, N.J.) (0-0, 10-1)
155 lbs.: TBD
Team Prodigy vs. Team Quest
155 lbs.: TBD vs. Zac George (Norman, Okla.) (1-1, 12-2)
185 lbs.: TBD vs. Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) (6-4, 21-10-1)
205 lbs.: TBD vs. Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.) (2-2, 5-4)
Championship Bouts
265 lbs.: *Roy Nelson (Las Vegas) (5-1, 12-2) vs. Branden Lee Hinkle (Weirton, W. Va.) (0-0, 13-9)
185 lbs.: *Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) (6-4, 12-5) vs. Dan Miller (Sparta, N.J.) (1-0, 7-1)
155 lbs.: *Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb. (6-2, 19-9-1) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) (3-0, 9-2)
*Current Titleholder