Marcos Oliveira and Shamil Abdurahimov will square off for a life changing AED 1,000,000 cash prize at Round 3 of the Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship; scheduled for March 11th 2011 at the Abu Dhabi Tennis Centre located in Zayed Sports City. Also on the line is ADFC history and personal bragging rights with the winner being crowned the first ever ADFC Champion and awarded the first ever ADFC Title Belt.

In the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters often struggle to make a living, this latest installment of the ADFC provides two fighters with the opportunity to change their lives forever with a cash prize that would rival any MMA promotion anywhere in the world.

Marcos ‘Santa Cruz’ Oliveria is an imposing figure standing at 6’1 and 120Kg. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and holds several world and national championships in various grappling arts including Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and Judo. What people here often don’t know is that Marcos is a resident of Abu Dhabi and currently works as a Jiu-Jitsu teacher in the Abu Dhabi government school system.

On the other hand, his challenger, quietly spoken Shamil ‘Rostov-on-Don’ Abdurahimov, stands at 6’3 and 105kg and is 5-time Russian Wushu-Sanda Champion (a sporting off-shoot of Chinese Kung-Fu). He is considered one of the top un-signed mixed martial artists in the world and made light work of widely recognized MMA journeyman Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at ADFC Round 2 and defeated UFC legend Jeff Monson in Round 1.

Oliveira Vs Adurahimov is set to be an explosive encounter as they both put it all on the line for what will be a life defining moment for both fighters.

ADFC has a stacked undercard leading up to the main event with both MMA legends and exciting local and international prospects. Headlining the undercard will be former NFL player and part-time actor Bob Sapp, who stands at 6’5 and 150kg. Sapp made his name fighting in K1, Dream, Pride and the Strikeforce promotions. Sapp won’t be having it easy though as he is set to face English-Cypriot knockout artist Stav Economou, who has only lost once in twelve professional fights.

Also on the card will be the youngest Emirati MMA fighter Ali Ahli who faces local Russian star Malik Omarov. Randall Yogachandra – the Chief Operations Officer of I SEE Entertainment and Events says “MMA is seeing a surge in popularity in the Middle-East and around the world. We are now starting to witness vast improvements in fighters from within the region as well as generating lots of interest from international MMA superstars that want to become part of the ADFC.”

The ADFC has gone from strength to strength and was recently voted by LowKick.com as the 4th largest non-US MMA promotion in the world. I SEE Entertainment and Events have a further commitment to developing the sport of MMA and are recently running what’s becoming a very popular series of Amateur MMA promotions in Dubai. ‘Top Fight’, provides amateur fighters the opportunity to test their will and get invaluable experience before moving onto the larger promotions. ‘Top Fight’ currently acts as a feeder system and pathway into ADFC proper, further highlighting I SEE’s commitment to developing the sport in the region.

Tickets for ADFC Round 3 on March 11 are now available and are retailing for AED: 150, 300, 700, and 1200. These can be purchased from the I SEE Entertainment and Events office located in the Royal Marina Villas (behind Marina Mall), Villa Number 23 or through www.boxofficeme.com, www.timeouttickets.com, www.ticketingboxoffice.com, www.ticketingco.com, Spinney’s Super Markets, ENOC & EPPCO stations, and at Virgin Megastores around the UAE.

I SEE Entertainment and Events has recently re-branded, re-charged and re-launched with ambitious plans to continue bringing to the region the most novel and exciting event experiences to its patrons. The official launch of the new brand will be at ADFC Round 3, on March 11, 2011.

For more information about the event, or to schedule an interview with the fighters or organizers, please contact Mr. Ahmad Dajani on +971 50 782 7575 or [email protected]