Apr 29 2009

USA West M-1 Global Team owned by Roy Englebrecht Events and Beverly Hills Attorney Steve Bash with team match maker Arnold Berber defeats South Korea 5-0 and currently sits #1 in the M-1 Global rankings.

Tokyo, Japan -- After going winless in last year, Team USA West is now just one win away from clinching a post-season berth in the 2009 "M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction."

The Colin Oyama-coached team took sole possession of first place following Wednesday night's 5-0 shutout over South Korea during M-1 Challenge's "Third Edition," which emanated from Differ Ariake.

Lightweight David Jansen improved to 10-0 after utilizing his outstanding wrestling ability to grind out a unanimous decision victory over Nam Yui Chul (8-2), an impressive prospect who had been 8-1 coming into the fight.

The win marked Jansen's second consecutive M-1 Challenge victory following his unanimous decision victory over Brazil's Flavio Alvaro during the '09 opener on Feb. 21, 2009. In a field of 16 lightweight competitors involved with this year's M-1 Challenge, Jansen is well on his way towards establishing himself as the competition's top 155 pound fighter.

Jansen's fight vs. Chul marked his first time competing in Japan, however, Jansen expressed his desire to return and has issued a public challenge to DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

USA West then moved out to a 2-0 lead following Fabio Negao's (9-4) majority decision victory over the talented Myung Ho Bae (7-4). The fight was Negao's first bout since a unanimous decision loss to Matt Lindland at Affliction's "Banned" event last July.

Next it was time for the middleweights, with Giva "The Arm Collector" Santana (12-1) clinching the team victory for USA West following a armbar submission win over Min Suk Heo (4-8) at 4:05 of round 1. In an incredible statistic, Santana now has 11 career wins via tapout with all of them having come via armbar.

Despite having clinched the team win, Team USA still needed to rack up additional individual victories due to the fact that it competes in a deep Group B division that includes South Korea, Brazil, and the defending M-1 Challenge champions Imperial Team.

All eyes were on Jae Young Kim (12-7) in his return to the M-1 Challenge following his stunning upset over Imperial's Mikhail Zayats during the Feb. opener courtesy of a head kick. However, former IFL veteran and submission wrestling champion Raphael Davis (6-1) continued his evolution as a striker following a second round TKO over Kim.

Last for Team USA West was heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who entered the ring wearing his WBC Muay Thai championship belt. The blue chip prospect also entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record at stake but Del Rosario improved to 6-0 following a first round knockout over Doo Hee Lee (11-7).

The 5-0 shutout improved Team USA West's record to 2-0 with a combined individual record of 8-2. The team can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Team Imperial in its next matchup, with a date between the two juggernauts yet to be determined.

Official USA West vs. South Korea Results:

- Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) def. Yui Chul Nam (S. Korea) via unanimous decision.

- Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) def. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea) via majority decision.

- Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) def. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea) via submission (armbar) at 4:05 of round 1.

- Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West) def. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea) via TKO (punches) at 3:45 of round 2.

- Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West) def. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg) via KO (head kick) at 2:27 of round 1.

USA West Defeats South Korea via 5-0 score