Press Release

March 1, 2006; New York, NY…. Heavyweight contenders Krysztof Soszynski and Mike Kyle will lock horns with each other in a three round preliminary bout during Shamrock vs Gracie California’s historic first mixed martial arts fight card that will take place at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on Friday, March 10th. 


“This is definitely the biggest fight of my career.  I think its going to be a really good matchup and I think, whoever is able to withstand the longest, is going to win this fight,” said Soszynski, 28, who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and tips the scales at around 257 pounds.


“I look forward to fighting hard, fighting my fight, and leaving it all out there,” stated the 6 foot 4 inch, 240 pound Kyle.  Originally from Boise, Idaho, the 25-year-old found a new home in San Jose where he has become highly skilled in both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the help of specialists at American Kickboxing Academy.


Born in Poland, Soszynski, along with his family, fled his then-communist homeland for Canada when he was 10 years of age and has remained there since.  Soszynski dabbled in professional wrestling before being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, later, to kickboxing by Shawn Tompkins. 


“My standup game wasn’t anywhere near what it is now since I joined Team Tompkins,” said Soszynski.  It was a simple ground and pound strategy that carried him to victory during his first few mixed martial arts matchups.  “That’s the way I started and I’m still comfortable with that, but I’m also not afraid to stand up at all now.”


Soszynski’s improvement helped him earn the four-man International Cage Combat tournament championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 30, 2004. 


For both fighters, the meeting represents an opportunity to steer their careers back on track after suffering recent losses in fights that they accepted on short notice.  Kyle’s defeat came three days after he agreed to face Devin Cole on January 13th.  Five weeks ago, Soszynski suffered a loss at the hands of Brian Schall after the two engaged in a toe-to-toe war.


“He didn’t hurt me in any way,” commented Soszynski of his fight with Schall that was stopped at the three minute mark of the third round.  “It was just a matter of me being tired and that’s why the ref stopped it – not because he landed a really hard shot.”


Soszynski noted that he feels 100 percent refreshed since the mishap and will be at his best for the fight with Kyle.  “I know he’s got a really good right hand and a lot of power,” he said.   “His ground skills are okay, but I don’t know if they’re better than mine.  I feel really comfortable that, if I can take Mike Kyle down, I can definitely do some damage to him. 


The 13 bout Shamrock vs. Gracie card will be headlined by the long-awaited showdown between bitter rivals Frank Shamrock and Cesar Gracie as well the mixed martial arts debut of Cung Le, who will face seasoned veteran, Mike Altman. Rising stars and former collegiate wrestling standouts Josh Thomson and Clayton Guida will square off with each other while undefeated prospect, Gilbert Melendez, will do battle with David Padilla.  Fan favorite, Eugene Jackson, will make his long-awaited return to action when he meets Jorge Ortiz.  The star-studded card will also see former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar and “Tough Enough” reality show winner, Daniel Puder, make his return to the world of mixed martial arts.


Doors to the event will open at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time on March 10th.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 PM. 


The “Shamrock vs. Gracie” bill is being promoted and produced by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE, SVSE.com), a leading producer of major sporting and entertainment events and the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s largest entertainment arena, the HP Pavilion.  SVSE’s many properties include “Miller Lite Fight Night,” world championship boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and the annual ATP men’s professional tennis “SAP Open” event.