M-1 Global looking for new location
M-1 Global may be ready for a “Breakthrough,” but California isn’t ready to host it. SI.com’s Josh Gross reported on…
M-1 Global may be ready for a “Breakthrough,” but California isn’t ready to host it.
SI.com’s Josh Gross reported on today’s edition of his podcast “Gross Point Blank” that the previously announced “M-1 Breakthrough” event will not take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center as was originally planned.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed Gross’ report, though a source close to the organization insists the event will still take place on Aug. 28, though a new location has yet to be determined.
M-1 Global announced in July that “Breakthrough” would take place in conjunction with IMMAE, an international MMA trade show, and that the show would be broadcast on HDNet. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and Don Frye were announced as the evening’s headliners, while Nick Thompson and Karl Amoussou were also slated to meet.
According to Gross’ report, the organization never approached the California State Athletic Commission about the event.
“According to Bill Douglas of the [CSAC], who I talked to on Tuesday, he said that they hadn’t heard a thing regarding the show,” Gross said. “The original party involved informed them that the event was not happening, and they could take it off the schedule.
“It was supposed to be done in conjunction with an MMA expo at the L.A. Convention Center. There had been some meetings and some deadlines set, but those deadlines passed.”
Gross’ report indicates that M-1 initially sought to relocate the show to Nevada, and Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director confirmed with MMAjunkie.com that he had been approached about the possibility of a switch to Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nev. – but not by M-1 Global.
“I’ve never talked to anyone at M-1,” Kizer said. “I know no one from M-1. But Roy Engelbrecht, he had contacted me about the possibility.”
Engelbrecht, a respected promoter who has held a number of events on Nevada, is the owner of Roy Engelbrecht Events and a former COO of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
“I said, ‘Roy, I know no one from M-1,'” Kizer said. “‘I know nothing about M-1. They need to get licensed.’
“Sometimes a promoter might have his application pending, but there’s not time to have him get licensed in time for the show, so he might have to turn the show over to a licensed promoter and let that licensed promoter be the promoter.”