MMA World Expo Returns To Javits Center

Event To Host Muay Thai and Grappling Tournaments, Free MMA Superstar Signings, Business Seminars, Master-Level Training Seminars, And More

NEW YORK (CBS 2) — It’s the closest New Yorkers can get to the sport of mixed martial arts without crossing the Hudson.

This Friday and Saturday, the 2nd annual MMA World Expo returns to the Jacob Javits Convention Center (Hall 1C). This time around, the Expo will feature free MMA fighter autograph sessions, live Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai tournaments, training sessions, business seminars, and special events.

General Admission tickets for the Expo are $20 in advance and $25 at On Site Registration, on sale via Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster phone at 800-745-3000, and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Tickets to Friday’s one hour Training Sessions with Masters Phil Nurse, Marcelo Garcia, and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribiero, and Saturday’s one hour Training Sessions with Masters Renzo Gracie, Jimmy Pedro, and Ricardo Liborio are also on sale via Ticketmaster. A complete schedule of events is posted at www.MMAWORLDEXPO.com.

Leading the list of featured events is the live tournament action. Friday features the highly anticipated 4-Man Muay Thai Tournament plus 6 Super Fights from 6pm-10pm. Produced by Take On Productions in association with The WAT, the winner of the 4-Man Muay Thai will take home the grand prize of 2 round-trip tickets to Thailand, sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Saturday features the world-renown Renzo Gracie No-Gi Open 2010 tournament. With over 60 divisions, including a black and brown belt absolute division, the grappling event will run concurrently with the expo from 10am-7pm.

Free autograph sessions with MMA Superstars Strikeforce Heavyweight Fabricio “The Legend Slayer” Werdum, UFC Light Heavyweight (and Cortland, NY native) Jon “Bones” Jones, UFC Welterweight Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit, NJ-based brothers Dan (UFC Middleweight) and Jim (UFC Lightweight) Miller, Undefeated Strikeforce Heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, ATT’s Ben Saunders, and M-1 Global’s recent tournament winners: Kenny Garner, Tom Gallicchio, and Byron Byrd, and undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight, Shane del Rosario among others will take part in various presentations, signings and meet-and-greets with the fans. Fighter appearances are subject to change.

From aspiring mixed martial artists to interested beginners, athletes will hit the mats for 1-hour training seminars given by some of the legendary fighters and coaches including: Jimmy Pedro (current USA Judo Olympic Team Coach), Kru Phil Nurse (Muay Thai trainer to UFC Champions Frankie Edgar & Georges St-Pierre, Master Ricardo Liborio (American Top Team’s head instructor), Marcelo Garcia (BJJ Legend), Vitor “Shaolin” Ribiero (Strikeforce Lightweight & BJJ legend), and Renzo Gracie (World-Famous BJJ Master). Tickets are $30 to participate, and limited to 40 people per seminar. A free seminar with Rolles Gracie will take place on Friday evening from 8:00 pm-9:30 pm.

Several special events are also planned for the weekend including: live Capoeira performances, US Marine Corp Martial Arts Program presentations, Open Q & A with fight organization executives from M-1 Global, Team WAT Muay Thai and Boxing presentations, a new Take Down Tournament preview by Elite Plus MMA and fight film highlight reels will roll throughout the exhibit hall.

In addition, the show will also feature a panel discussion on the Past, Present, and Future of Mixed Martial Arts with MMA news reporter, Eddie Goldman, NY attorney and Combat Sports blogger Justin Klein, and MMA School owner, Edward Anthony.

Business seminars, sponsored by MMA Business magazine, are offered 2 hours each show day. The seminars are designed to teach MMA school owners new sales strategies, share best practices, and network with the leading MMA business owners in the northeast. Business-only expo hours run from 2pm-4pm on Friday, November 12th when wholesale buyers, school owners, and vendors will plan for high-volume deals.

For more information: www.MMAWORLDEXPO.com