More than 150 hopefulls tryout for Ken Shamrock’s fight team

RENO, Nev., November 29, 2006- The International Fight League, the
world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and MMA
legend Ken Shamrock, head coach of the new Nevada-based Lions team,
today conducted an open tryout, with more than 150 athletes vying for
spots on his eight-member 2007 squad. The event, held at the Stadium Sport
and Fitness Club lasted more than six hours, with athletes at all five
official weight classes going through numerous drills and sparring in
several mixed martial arts disciplines.

“I was impressed with not only the depth of talent in the attendees,
but also with how many of the guys showed the desire and ability to
learn and work within the team framework,” said Shamrock. “Skills and
talent are important, but I’m looking for those guys that will be
willing to do the things that make a team successful, while knowing that
they can be the best and aren’t afraid to go out and prove it. I saw
a lot of that in the gym today.”

Shamrock will be reviewing the grades and notes he and his coaches took
on each athlete, as well as video of the session. He noted that he
would be determining his roster in “about a week or two.”

While many of the athletes came from as far away as Honolulu and
Harrisburg, Pa., several of the Reno-based contenders also impressed.
“B” Niimi, 33, got a long look, continuing to be called late into the
lightweight division drills, and was excited for the chance to test his
mettle against top competition. “This was a great opportunity to come
out and train with some of the top fighters in the world,” he noted.
“It was a fun thing to do.”

Shamrock met with athletes at each weight class, first giving a
synopsis of how the tryout would be conducted, then emphasizing the importance
he placed on teamwork and always working hard in determining the best
candidates for him. That was not lost on veteran MMA athletes like John
Gunderson, 27, of Medford, Ore., or relative newcomers to the sport
like Herbert Goodman, 29, of Green Bay, Wis., a former running back for
the NFL’s Packers.

“Training under Ken Shamrock was exceptional because he is one of the
icons of this sport,” said Gunderson. “The training was stern and
he definitely wanted us to work hard. I think that’s what attracted
so many elite guys to an event like this.”

Goodman concurred. “[Shamrock] brings so much experience, he
instills such confidence, you know he can mold you into the kind of fighter he
wants, and that it will bring out the best in you.”

Shamrock will select five starters and three alternates to complete the
Lions squad. He indicated that spots will be contested each year at
similar tryouts, with those surviving the tryouts going up against the
incumbent Lions for spots on the team the following year.

Shamrock’s Lions, competing for the first time as one of 12 IFL teams
competing in the 2007 season, will open on January 19 at the ORACLE
Arena in Oakland, Calif., with a match against his brother Frank
Shamrock’s Razorclaws, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Each IFL team will compete in
three matches during the regular season (January through June); the four
with the best records advancing to the postseason (August, September).