A challenger has been found for EFC Heavyweight Champion Gil "Blackout" Isabel's main event fight on Saturday, November 24 at Extreme Fighting Championship 5 "Undisputed" at the Police Athletic League of Parsippany, New Jersey.

The undefeated Isabel (4-0-0) will make his first title defense against the athletically gifted Demetrius Lindsey (1-1) of Northern Fist Southern Cross in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Known for his toughness, 22-year-old Lindsey is a superb grappler, and will have the size advantage over the champion. He stands 6 feet 4 inches and weighs in at 260 lbs.

The extremely popular Isabel, who stands 6 foot 1 inch, weighs in at 245 lbs., is an exceedingly agile and strong overall fighter. He has submitted his last few opponents, but also has the kind of punching power that gets people's attention.

"Both these guys are good on the ground and on their feet, so this fight could go a lot of ways," said event promoter Hani Darwish of Extreme Fighting Championship. "Plus at this size, either one of them could end it any second with a strike. It's a very strong matchup and we're proud to be able to bring it to the EFC fans in New Jersey. Not a lot of people will get in the cage with Gil Isabel, so I send my respect to Demetrius for his fighting spirit."

As has become the EFC hallmark, the undercard will feature many of the area's most talented warriors in bouts matched with an eye on maximizing excitement. The entire bout line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Extreme Fighting Championship 5 "Undisputed" are priced at General Admission (Standing Room Only): $35.00; General Admission Seating: $45.00; Cageside Seating: $65.00; and VIP: $100.00 and can be purchased directly from Extreme Fight Club (10 Squirrelwood Road Woodland Park N.J.), online at www.efcmma.com or by phone 973.653.5449.

WARNING: All EFC events sell out. Purchase your tickets now before it's too late.

On fight night, doors open at 6 pm and the first bout is at 7. The Police Athletic League of Parsippany is located at 33 Baldwin Road in Parsippany, NJ.

(Press Release)

The New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame is extremely proud to announce the inaugural class of inductees to the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

To see all of the inductees biographies and pictures, please visit our winners' bio page at www.njmmaawards.com.

This class will be honored at the Induction dinner gala to be held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Meadowlands on December 7, 2012.

Tickets to the awards dinner can be purchased by calling 201-538-4843 or online at www.njmmaawards.com

Discount hotel room rates at the Crowne Plaza can be also obtained by calling 201-348-6900 and mentioning the Hall of Fame dinner.

New Jersey has always been on the forefront of combat sports, and some of the biggest bouts in MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai history have taken place at various venues around the state.

We are very proud to announce the formation of the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame. New Jersey has had a boxing hall of fame since the 1960′s and, in a similar sense, we hope to recognize and honor those involved in combat martial arts such as MMA and Muay Thai. New Jersey is building a rich tradition in non-boxing martial arts and our goal is to recognize these individuals and entities.

Our goal is to honor those involved with New Jersey martial arts and to celebrate with them, at an evening with family and friends. Our focus is on those directly involved in New Jersey martial arts.

This truly is a historical moment in our State’s combat sports history as our intent is to have the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame continue for many years and serve as a record for those outstanding individuals involved in martial arts in our State.

We hope you will join us on December 7, 2012. Mark your calendars now and purchase your tickets early so you can be sure to be a part of New Jersey martial arts history. Call 201-538-4843 or visit www.njmmaawards.com and get your ticket and join us in a historic night for New Jersey and for martial arts. It is certain to be a terrific night with friends, fun, and music.

NOTE:  If you are planning to attend this historic event and want to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for the night, please note that they will hold a block of rooms at a special rate, but only until November 23, 2012.   Anyone interested please call 201-348-6900 and mention "New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame."

Please note that there will be tables of 8, 10 and 12 people.   Anyone wishing to reserve a table, please let the HOF know by calling 201-538-4843.  Otherwise seating is on a first come first serve basis.

Tickets are nearly gone for promoter Hani Darwish's next Extreme Fighting Championship event on November 24 at the Police Athletic League Hall of Parsippany, New Jersey.

EFC 5 "Undisputed" will feature fan-favorite EFC Heavyweight Champion Gil "Blackout" Isabel of New Jersey making his first title defense in the main event.

Although every EFC event has been a sellout by first bell, advance sales spiked this week with the news that Darwish would be donating $5 from every ticket sold to The Community FoodBank of New Jersey to help those in need after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the state.

"We made the announcement last week that we were going to do something to help out and the MMA community of New Jersey has responded. We're very proud to be part of this and want to thank everyone who picked up their tickets in advance. If you want to be part of this good cause and great show, grab your tickets soon while there are still some left."

Those wishing to purchase tickets are recommended to do so as soon as possible by visiting Extreme Fight Club (10 Squirrelwood Road Woodland Park, NJ), online at www.efcmma.com or by phone 973.653.5449. The remaining seats are priced at General Admission (Standing Room Only): $35.00; General Admission Seating: $45.00; Cageside Seating: $65.00; and VIP: $100.00.

The New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame is extremely proud of its inaugural class of inductees to the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame. This class will be honored at the induction dinner gala to be held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Meadowlands on December 7, 2012.

Longtime NJSACB official Nick Lembo has confirmed that he will attend the event, and be a presenter for certain awards.

Tickets to the awards dinner can be purchased by calling 201-538-4843 or online at www.njmmaawards.com. Discount hotel room rates at the Crowne Plaza can be also obtained by calling 877-227-6963 and mentioning the Hall of Fame dinner.

New Jersey is building a rich tradition in non-boxing martial arts and our goal is to recognize these individuals and entities. Our goal is to honor those involved with New Jersey martial arts and to celebrate with them, at an evening with family and friends. Our focus is on those directly involved in New Jersey martial arts. This truly is a historical moment in our State’s combat sports history as our intent is to have the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame continue for many years and serve as a record for those outstanding individuals involved in martial arts in our State.

We hope you will join us on December 7, 2012. Mark your calendars now and purchase your tickets early so you can be sure to be a part of New Jersey martial arts history. Call 201-538-4843 or visit www.njmmaawards.com and get your ticket and join us in a historic night for New Jersey and for martial arts. It is certain to be a terrific night with family, friends, fun, and music.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey to Receive $5 from Every Ticket Sold

To help out his community, friends and neighbors devastated by Hurricane Sandy, promoter Hani Darwish of Extreme Fighting Championship will be donating $5 from every ticket sold to his next event to The Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

According to their web site, The Community FoodBank of New Jersey has been working closely with New Jersey Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster (VOAD), the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army to respond to the needs of the many New Jersey Residents who have been affected by the devastation and is distributing over 100,000 lbs of food daily to families displaced by Hurricane Sandy.

EFC 5 "Undisputed" will be held on November 24 at the Police Athletic League Hall of Parsippany, New Jersey, and will feature fan-favorite EFC Heavyweight Champion Gil "Blackout" Isabel of New Jersey making his first title defense in the five-round main event.

Darwish himself is still without power in his home, but the lights recently went back on at his Extreme Fight Club gym in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

"It's the least I can do for the community. Many of my fighters have been harder hit than I have and I think it's important we all do what we can to keep Jersey Strong. I'm happy to be able to do this."

Darwish says donation boxes will also be set up for those wishing to give more than $5.

"It's a great cause and they're doing some of the most important work you can do right now, so if you've got a little extra, give a little extra. It all helps."

Tickets for Extreme Fighting Championship 5 "Undisputed" are priced at General Admission (Standing Room Only): $35.00; General Admission Seating: $45.00; Cageside Seating: $65.00; and VIP: $100.00 and can be purchased directly from Extreme Fight Club (10 Squirrelwood Road Woodland Park, NJ), online at www.efcmma.com or by phone 973.653.5449.

On fight night, doors open at 6 pm and the first bout is at 7. The Police Athletic League of Parsippany is located at 33 Baldwin Road in Parsippany, NJ.

About Extreme Fighting Championship:

Extreme Fighting Championship is owned and operated by CEO Hani Darwish.

Darwish has achieved a great amount of success in the fight game, as the founder of premier mixed-martial-arts facility, Extreme Fight Club, in Woodland Park, New Jersey, and, before that, half of the well-known fight promoting duo "The Darwish Brothers Knockout Promotions".

37-year-old Darwish found his way to combat sports starting in childhood when he began training with his four brothers under the direction of their father, a long-time veteran in mixed martial arts. He went on to win over 100 grappling tournament matches and also attributes some of his success to his private training under John Monaco, a three-time Division III All-American at Montclair State and perennial Greco-Roman Olympian wrestler, Momir Petkovic (1x Gold, 3x Silver, 1x Bronze), current coach of the USA Olympic Greco Roman wrestling team.

Darwish has studied in numerous styles of fighting and has an extensive background in Boxing, Submission/Freestyle/Greco Roman Wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Kung-fu, Muay Thai, Freestyle Fighting and mixed martial arts.

Along with his older brother Wally, Darwish promoted boxing cards in New Jersey from 2003-2009 (under the name The Darwish Brothers, Knockout Promotions) and also managed some high-profile boxers including 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist and WBA Junior Middleweight Champion David Reid and six-time super middleweight challenger Omar Sheika. He transitioned to full-time MMA and opened Extreme Fight Club in September 2009.

With such a wealth of knowledge and experience in the combat sports, Darwish is well known as one of the elite trainers in the New Jersey area, a hotbed for MMA.

With so many talented young fighters under his guidance at EFC Gym, Darwish says it was a natural progression to begin promoting events, so that he could test his fighters' skills inside the cage. Under the name Extreme Fighting Championship, Darwish promoted two sold-out shows in 2011 and two more, so far, in 2012.

The EFC organization has quickly established itself as the ultimate proving ground for young fighters whose drive to become the best meant they needed to face the best and EFC events have become the premier showcases for MMA in the Garden State.

Darwish also runs anti-bullying seminars at his gym and at schools in North Jersey.

For more information on Hani Darwish or the EFC organization, log onto www.EFCMMA.com.

Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat XLIII scheduled for November 16 at the Tropicana Casino Hotel in Atlantic City has been canceled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  This is the first Ring of Combat show that has ever been canceled and Lou Neglia has released a statement about the show:

I am announcing the postponement of my professional MMA event, Ring of Combat, which was scheduled for November 16 at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. I am looking to reschedule my event at the Tropicana to a date, at the same venue, in January 2013. The rescheduled date will be announced in the next week or so.

Karriem Abdallah and I are also announcing the postponement of our amateur MMA co-promotion, which was scheduled for November 17 at the City of Rahway's Recreation Center. We have secured the same venue in Rahway for our amateur event which will now be held on December 8, 2012.

While Ring of Combat has never canceled a show on its own volition, we feel that the month of November would be better spent focusing on relief efforts for the many in the New York and New Jersey area that have been negatively affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Ring of Combat has always been an organization whose focus is on the fighters and the fans. Now is the time for the MMA community to assist those in need and help rebuild our communities.

Jeff Blatnick, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and MMA pioneer, died yesterday from complications after heart surgery.  Jeff was a long time commentator for the UFC, and he was instrumental in helping to establish the unified rules of MMA, which enabled the sport to become sanctioned in most states.  Jeff was also a licensed judge and referee in New Jersey, and it was always a pleasure to work with him at shows there.

Amazingly, Jeff won his Olympic gold medal, after having his spleen and appendix removed due to cancer, which shows you how determined and talented he was.  He went on to commentate the 1988 Olympic games for NBC before becoming a major figure in the new sport of MMA.

I first met Jeff at the Kimbo-Mercer event in 2007, where I interviewed him using a loaf of French bread as microphone.  He looked at me like I was crazy, but graciously allowed the interview to take place.  After that, every time I'd see him, he'd ask me where my loaf of bread was.  He was a good sport and a good friend and will be sorely missed.

Rest in Peace, Jeff Blatnick.

Warriors Cup, the regions finest Muay Thai promotion, returns on Saturday, November 3 to the Rahway Rec Center in Rahway, New Jersey.  Each Warriors Cup event is a display of raw power and refined technique, and the fighters leave it all in the ring.  For MMA fans, it's a chance to see one of the major striking arts that MMA fighters use in its purest form.  I will be hosting the show from inside the ring once again, and I can't wait for this event.

Check out the Warriors Cup website for ticket info.  These events are always sold out, so get your tickets now.  See you in Rahway!