MARSHALL VS McELFRESH FOR THE WEC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

LIVE FROM THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2007

Las Vegas, NV – With a title bout on tap and nine rousing matches on the card, World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC™) is proud to present its May 12 event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. With a reputation for delivering competitive matches and explosive action, the WEC offers mixed martial arts fans another quality night of mixed martial arts action, showcasing some of the best fighters in the world.

In the main event, Doug “Rhino” Marshall defends his 205-lb. belt against challenger Justin McElfresh, while in the co-main, lightweight contender Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton squares off in a title elimination bout against rising star Charlie Kohler.

"When you look at this card from top to bottom, you'll see why the WEC is quickly establishing itself as the premiere MMA event in the game," said Scott Adams, WEC Co-General Manager. "We've got seven unbeaten fighters on the card, and two matches with unbeaten fighters in both corners. The WEC is giving fans great fights, with tough matchmaking and top-level competition."

Marshall, 5-2, is fresh off a stoppage victory over veteran Lodune Sincaid in which he won the WEC Light Heavyweight title. A hard-nosed brawler based out of Visalia, California, Marshall turned pro at heavyweight and earned a reputation as an all-out battler, soaking up punishment before hammering his exhausted foes into surrender.

And now, in his first title defense, “Rhino” is prepared to charge.

“I’ve traded bombs with heavyweights, and have bled and sacrificed too much to let any light-heavy take this belt away from me,” Marshall said. “It really means a lot to defend the WEC title. You mess with the Rhino, you get the horn. Justin had better be prepared to leave it all in the cage because everybody knows that's the only way I roll."

Ohio-based McElfresh, 5-1, isn't swayed by Rhino's talk. He's won five straight, finishing each victim in two rounds or less.

"Doug's a tough fighter and everybody knows how he comes right after you. But he'll play right into my game by doing that, and I'm going to take the belt," he said. "It's gonna be a war, for sure."

In an exciting battle of high-energy lightweights, Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton originally hoped to face WEC 155-lb. champ "Razor" Rob McCullough on the card, but McCullough had to drop out due to a recent injury. Stepping in is young gun Charlie Kohler, a 7-3-1 scrapper with an all-out style that figures to test Crunkilton. With a sparkling 14-1 record, including a perfect 8 for 8 in WEC appearances, Crunkilton brings a well-rounded game along with imposing ground skills to wear out and submit opponents. It should be a compelling style clash as Kohler attacks from the opening moments of each fight, using an aggressive style to force his foes into a war.

"I'm unbeaten in the WEC and have always been willing to prove myself against the best guys in this weight class," said Crunkilton. "While McCullough's injury could be seen as a setback for me, I look at Charlie Kohler as just another opportunity to prove that I deserve a title shot. Everybody knows this guy is a quality fighter and by beating him that just eliminates another guy in line for a title shot. I'm going to get that title belt and nobody is going to stop me."

Kohler, meanwhile, is making his WEC debut, and knows what a win over the respected veteran would mean for his career.

"Rich better not be looking past me, because my wrestling and conditioning is getting better every day," said Kohler. "I don't want shortcuts and I don't want easy opponents, and Crunkilton is the kind of guy I want to make a statement with. We're going to give the fans an explosive match and I'm going to get the title shot, not him, because I'm going to win."

In a middle weight elimination bout, popular 185-pounder Jason "Mayhem" Miller, 18-5, tangles with Hiromitsu Miura, 6-3. Both have faced top-level competition and bring an impressive level of world-class experience into the match. Miller, one of the toughest fighters in mixed martial arts, brings charisma and a impressive grappling pedigree into the bout, and he'll need it against Miura, who fights with the Samurai spirit typical of battlers hailing from his native Japan.

The action doesn't stop there, either, as the card features a number of up-and-coming fighters whose WEC bouts may well be noteworthy early chapters in what appears to be careers destined for stardom. There's unbeaten welterweight Ed Ratcliff, a potent, quick handed striker fighting out of San Diego's tough North County Fight Club; Marcus "The Wrecking Ball" Hicks, a 4-0 fireplug grappler with a penchant for high-altitude slams, vicious bombs on the feet, and a punishing ground and pound assault.

Throw in several more unbeaten battlers, plenty of tough prospects and veterans, and it's more than a fight card. It's the WEC.

The full fight card -- all bouts are 3 rounds, except for the 5-round title match*

*Doug Marshall, 5-2, vs. Justin McElfresh, 5-1 (WEC 205-lb. title)

Richard Crunkilton, 14-1, vs. Charlie Kohler (155 lb. elimination bout)

Jason Miller, 18-5, vs. Hiromitsu Miura, 6-3 (185)

Gary Padilla, 7-1, vs. Ariel Gandulla, 3-0 (205)

Marcus Hicks, 155, vs. Sergio Gomez, 6-0 (155)

Tom Speer, 6-1, vs. Sidney Silva, 6-1 (170)

Brandon Foxworth, 15-2, vs. Manny Tapia, 8-0-1 (135)

Ed Ratcliff, 4-0, vs. Johnny Sampaio, 3-0 (170)

Eric Shambari, 5-0, vs. Art "Pachuco" Santore, 14-5 (185 lbs.)

Tickets for WEC are on sale now, and are priced at $250, $150, $75, $25 (not including applicable services or taxes).  Fans can purchase them at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office and all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.

The WEC will be televised on the Versus network beginning on June 3. As part of the preliminary coverage of WEC, VERSUS will air three live fights and six one-hour highlight shows.  Details about future matchups, as well as the announcing team will be released as they become available.

*All bouts subject to change

About World Extreme Cagefighting

The WEC brand is recognized as the best mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. Founded in 2001, the WEC features many of the most prominent athletes in the sport of mixed martial arts today, including Urijah Faber, Carlos Condit, Rob McCullough, Alex Karalexis, Richard Crunkilton, and other top fighters. The WEC has produced 26 professional mixed martial arts events with an impressive 24 total sell-outs.

World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.

About the Versus network

VERSUS (VERSUS.com) celebrates competition in all its forms. The network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events like The Tour de France, the America's Cup, the Dakar Rally, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), Professional Boxing, the Boston Marathon, AMA Motocross and Davis Cup. Now in more than 70 million homes, the network features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can't find elsewhere. The network offers unique, competition-themed original programming and is the exclusive home of Survivor in syndication. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, newly owned and operated under Morgans Hotel Group and equity partner, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, is a premier destination entertainment resort located on 16.7 acres situated strategically on Harmon Avenue, one of Las Vegas' fastest growing entertainment corridors. It was built in 1995 and expanded in 1999. The property offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property has also been a popular music scene destination where such acts as the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, David Bowie, Snoop Dogg, Nine Inch Nails and The Killers have all performed.  Features of the property include an 11-story Hard Rock Hotel tower with 647 guest rooms; a 30,000 square foot casino; a beach club with a swimming pool that was selected by the Travel Channel as one of "The Top 10 Pools" in the world; the Body English nightclub; "The Joint" concert hall; five restaurants, including the world famous Nobu, Simon Kitchen & Bar, Pink Taco, AJ’s Steakhouse; three cocktail lounges; several retail stores; and Rock Spa, an 8,000 square foot spa, salon and fitness center.  For room availability and additional information, call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit www.hardrockhotel.com.