IFL Hires Don Frye And Marco Ruas For 2007 Season

September 25, 2006 – The International Fight League (IFL) today announced that world champions Don Frye and Marco Ruas have been added as coaches for the 2007 season, bringing to 10 the number of confirmed teams for the inaugural season. Frye will coach the Scorpions, based in Tucson, Arizona, while Ruas will mentor the Piranhas, based in Southern California. Two additional teams will be announced before the end of the year. The IFL will launch its first full season with 12 teams in the first quarter of 2007.

“We are very excited that Don and Marco have chosen to join us,” said Kurt Otto, IFL co-founder and commissioner. “Like our other coaches both are legends in the sport, expert instructors and quality people who will help us continue to grow mixed martial arts beyond its current boundaries. The addition of another team training in Southern California and one in an MMA hotbed like Arizona also will help to create a more consistent presence for the IFL in two key geographic growth areas.”

Don "The Predator" Frye is considered one of the original "cross-trained" MMA competitors. He was a collegiate wrestler at NCAA powerhouses Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University, holds a 2nd degree black belt in Judo and has fought as a professional boxer. He has held a championship belts for the UFC and is also a veteran of K-1 and PRIDE in a legendary career. He is also an accomplished actor, and will appear in the upcoming Rob Schneider film Big Stan.

Marco "The King of the Streets" Ruas is one of the most renowned tacticians in MMA, and is regarded as the founder of Ruas Vale Tudo, a hybrid of Brazilian submission fighting and kickboxing. He too is a former UFC champion and is currently training several of the sport’s rising stars in Southern California.