Gugenishvili-Bennett Slated for July 8 M-1 Challenge on Showtime

Sherdog.com learned from M-1 Global President and Co-Founder Vadim Finkelchtein on Monday that the matchup will be part of M-1 Challenge 26, the promotion’s second outing on premium cable network Showtime. While a venue has yet to be finalized, Finkelchtein said the show will likely take place on the West Coast.

Headlining the bill will be a second title bout pitting newly crowned lightweight champion Jose Figueroa against dangerous German Daniel Weichel.

“The fight card is made up so that it will be very interesting for the audience,” said Finkelchtein. “Guram Gugenishvili is one of the most promising heavyweight fighters and will put on a spectacular performance, for sure.”

The 24-year-old Gugenishvili (Pictured) holds an unblemished record of 11-0, with 10 victories by way of submission. In 2010, the Ukranian steamrolled through five opponents and capped the year with a vicious guillotine-choking of M-1 Selections Americas heavyweight tournament winner Kenny Garner. On March 5, Gugenishvili made his first title defense, submitting challenger Maxim Grishin with a first-round rear-naked choke.

Bennett, who trains with New York’s Team Bombsquad, was involved in one of 2010’s most controversial bouts. Despite earning a clear-cut victory over Alexander Volkov at December’s M-1 Challenge 22, Bennett was robbed by the judges in what M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan deemed “possibly the worst decision of 2010.” The ruling was later overturned by the promoter, upping the former NCAA Div. III All-American wrestler’s record to 4-2.

M-1’s Showtime debut came on March 25, when M-1 Challenge 24 emanated from the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. Only one of the finish-filled card’s 11 bouts reached the judges’ scorecards, a trend which Finkelchtein hopes to see continue on July 8.

“The selection process is very hard, so we select only the best fighters,” he said. “It’s not the victory or the loss that is important, but the quality of the fight, the performance. That’s how we select the fighters for the show, and that’s the spirit in which we want to continue.”

Showtime is expected to air two additional “major” M-1 Challenge cards following the July show, likely in October and December. Meanwhile, M-1 Challenge 25 will stream live from St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 28 via M-1 Global’s official website (www.m-1global.com) and Facebook page.