Battlecade Extreme Fighting
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 1995 |
| Founder | Rick Blume |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
|
Key people
|
Rick Blume, president and CEO Donald Zuckerman, executive producer John Perretti, matchmaker |
Battlecade: Extreme Fighting, sometimes referred to simply as Extreme Fighting, is a now defunct mixed martial arts promotion which hosted four events in the United States and Canada between 1995 and 1997. Although few events were held, a number of well known fighters competed for the promotion. Battlecade CEO Rick Blume is credited with coining the phrase mixed martial arts and the promotion was the first to implement weight classes in MMA.
Despite the number of fighters which the promotion was able to attract, Battlecade struggled financially and had trouble with authorities over the sanctioning of MMA bouts. Following the fourth and final Extreme Fighting event, General Media International, Battlecade sponsor and publisher of Penthouse, withdrew their financial support of the promotion. Additionally, cable television providers Tele-Communications Inc. and Request TV refused to air further Extreme Fighting events.
The first Extreme Fighting event was planned to be held in Brooklyn, New York on November 18, 1995. Pressure from state politicians forced the event to be moved to Wilmington, North Carolina on a single day's notice. This event featured a four man heavyweight tournament which was won by eventual American Top Team co-founder Marcus Silveira. Silveira defeated Victor Tatarkin of Russia by submission via strikes in the semi-finals of the tournament, moving on to defeat Gary Myers via guillotine choke in the finals. With his victory over Myers, Silveira became the Extreme Fighting Heavyweight Champion.
This event also featured a four man middleweight tournament, showcasing judoka Igor Zinoviev and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Mario Sperry. Zinoviev defeated his first opponent, Harold German, an accomplished but notably outweighed New York-based boxer, by submission via strikes. Sperry won by the same means against his opponent, UFC 6 competitor Rudyard Moncayo. Zinoviev defeated Sperry in the finals by technical knockout to become Extreme Fighting Middleweight Champion.
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