UNDEFEATED ANDERSON SILVA NEPHEW,
GUILHERME BERTHOLDO,
LEADS PACK OF UNDERCARD TALENT FOR
LION FIGHT MUAY THAI VI: SCHILLING VS. MARCUS II
AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO
LAS VEGAS MAY 12
LIVE STREAM OF 12-BOUT EVENT ON LIONFIGHTPROMOTIONS.COM
LAS VEGAS (May 8, 2012) – Undefeated 19-year-old prospect Guilherme Bertholdo (6-0), the nephew of UFC Middleweight Champion and pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva, will look to extend his perfect run in Muay Thai’s amateur ranks and move one step closer to turning professional when he faces off with Chris Lazaro (7-2) of Las Vegas, Nev. in a welterweight (147 pounds) matchup on the undercard of the Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus II full-rules Muay Thai event at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Saturday, May 12, live on LionFightPromotions.com.
“I am excited to finally test my skills against top level amateur opponents,” said Bertholdo, a member of Black House Team Nogueira, the famed training camp that is also home to Silva and is headed by MMA legends and twin brothers Antonio “Rodrigo” and Antonio “Rogerio” Nogueira in San Diego, Calif. where he trains under Kru (trainer) Alex Palma.
Guilherme Bertholdo
In Brazil, Bertholdo took up Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at an early age before relocating to San Diego with his family. While his father has schooled him Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and helped Bertholdo attain the rank of purple belt in the submission fighting discipline, Bertholdo has gravitated to the sport of Muay Thai due to his love for kicking and punching.
“Striking is my passion,” he said. “My Kru (trainer) has really taught me to use my hands and angles and, because of this, I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of Muay Thai. MMA is a sport that I eventually will focus on in the future but, for now, I want to sharpen my striking and compete in an all-striking sport.”
Bertholdo said he is knocking on the door of gaining his United States citizenship and would like to eventually represent America as a member of the U.S. National Muay Thai Team.
“I am learning from my senior (training partners) how to conduct myself and perform like a true fighter, I am not attending college. Black House Team Nogueira is my college.”
Bertholdo’s opponent, Lazaro, is a 24-year-old member of Hard Knocks Muay Thai gym and student of Renzo Asparria, whom Lazaro has been training with for the last two years. The matchup with Bertholdo will be Lazaro’s first since he sustained a broken thumb during training last year.
“I love this sport and I’ve been eagerly waiting to get back in the ring. That time has come now that I’m healed up and I’m looking forward to putting on a great show,” said Lazaro, a technical fighter known for staying in the pocket with his opponent and throwing hard uppercuts.
Reserved ticket seats for Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus II, priced from $45, are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com.
Doors at The Joint open at 4 p.m. and the first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m.
The live stream of the 12-bout card, which will be facilitated by Go Fight Live, will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on LionFightPromotions.com and can be purchased for a one-time credit card charge of $14.99.
In the highly-anticipated main event, WBC Light Heavyweight (175 pounds) Champion Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling (12-2, 10 KO’s) of Los Angeles, Calif. will face off with undefeated top contender and bitter rival Simon Marcus (23-0, 18 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario Canada in a grudge rematch after their first meeting on Feb. 25 ended in a controversial first-round TKO in Marcus’ favor.
In the co-main event and a second highly-anticipated rematch, Filipino American Romie Adanza (16-3, 7 KO’s) of Irvine, Calif. will face off with Thanit “Boom” Watthanaya (45-12, 12 KO’s) of Vancouver, BC Canada via Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.for the vacant WBC international super flyweight (115 pounds) championship.
Thai superstar Mongkon “Malaipet” Wiwasuk (138-27-5, 26 KO’s), fighting out of Fresno, Calif. will put his WBC national welterweight (147 pounds) strap on the line against aggressive-minded counterpuncher Justin Greskiewicz (17-8, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pa.
Fresh off his rubber match victory over “Coke” Chunhawat, seasoned technician Matt Embree (20-3, 9 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will return to Lion Fight action and face another tough, highly-experienced adversary in former world champion Nils Widlund (34-1, 12 KO’s) of Stockholm, Sweden.
Undefeated rising star Tiffany Van Soest (2-0) of San Diego, Calif. will take on fellow prospect Heidi Otterbein (3-1, 1 KO) of Las Vegas via Vancouver, BC Canada. in a 125 pound catchweight bout.
In a matchup of two experienced, Las Vegas-based MMA competitors who have decided to test their combative skills in the Muay Thai ring for the first time in their respective careers, Javier Torres (0-0) will square off with Michael Madrid (0-0) in a 170 pound catchweight fight.
Fresh off his fifth professional victory at Lion Fight Promotions’ last event on Feb. 25, Scotty Leffler (5-2, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will return to action against promising upstart Artem Sharoshkin (3-1) of San Diego, Calif. in a welterweight (147 pounds) affair.
LION FIGHT MUAY THAI VI: SCHILLING VS. MARCUS II
COMPLETE MAIN FIGHT CARD:
Joe Schilling (Los Angeles, CA) vs. Simon Marcus (Toronto, Ontario CANADA)
175 lbs / WBC Interim World Title
Romie Adanza (Irvine, CA) vs. Thanit Watthanaya “Boom” (Vancouver BC CANADA / THAILAND)
115 lbs / WBC International Title
Mongkon Wiwasuk “Malaipet” (Fresno, CA / THAILAND) vs. Justin Greskiewicz (Philadelphia, PA)
147 lbs / WBC National Title
Tiffany Van Soest (San Diego, CA) vs. Heidi Otterbein (Las Vegas, NV / CANADA)
125 lbs / no title
Nils Widlund (San Diego, CA / SWEDEN) vs. Matt Embree (Toronto, Ontario CANADA)
140 lbs / no title
Javier Torres (Las Vegas, NV / MEXICO) vs. Michael Madrid (Las Vegas, NV)
170 lbs / no title
Scotty Leffler (Las Vegas, NV) vs. Artem Sharoshkin (San Diego, CA / RUSSIA)
147 lbs / no title
COMPLETE UNDERCARD:
Jason Andrada (Las Vegas, NV) vs. Jessie Magusen (Fontana, CA) – 125 lbs
Josh Shepard (Las Vegas, NV) vs. Amir K Ansari (Shreveport, LA) – 160 lbs
Genesis Bravo (Las Vegas, NV) vs. Marie Choi (Irvine, CA) – 112 lbs
Chris Lazaro (Las Vegas, NV) vs. Guilherme Bertholdo (San Diego, CA) – 147 lbs
Brandon Ebert (Las Vegas, NV) vs. William Briones (Van Nuys, CA) – 135 lbs
