MONTREAL (CANADA), June 2nd, 2005 – Groupe TKO MMA would like to announce the postponement of TKO 21: COLLISION. Stephane Patry, TKO president, commented “TKO did everything in its power to provide an exciting card for its loyal fans. Unfortunately, it just did not seem to be in the cards this time. Robbie Lawler was forced to withdraw due to the same nagging elbow injury that prevented him from competing at UFC 51. We tried very hard to come to terms with Joe Riggs. Even though we had a verbal agreement and his manager advised us to start advertising, in the end Riggs felt that he could not accept the fight at this time. If that wasn’t enough, Serge Cloutier (Sam Stout’s opponent) and Peter Franchi (Fabio Holanda’s opponent) were also forced to withdraw from their fights because of injuries sustained while training. I was left with no choice.”

Postponing a fight card is an unpleasant task and TKO would like to apologize for any inconvenience that their fans may have experienced. In addition, Stephane Patry remarked “our fans have come to expect great things from us and therefore, we didn’t want to deliver an event that may have been considered less than TKO caliber.”

TKO will regroup and come back stronger than ever on July 15th, 2005 with a triple main event! TKO Lightweight Champion, DONALD OUIMET (10-3-0) will make his fourth title defense against the man who has the Canadian MMA scene buzzing, SAM STOUT (6-1-1). This is a long anticipated match-up between Canada’s best lightweights! Is it time for the torch to pass to the young phenom they call “HANDS OF STONE”? Or will Ouimet continue to show his unwavering resilience and possibly cement himself as the greatest TKO champion of all time?
PATRICK COTE (6-2-0) will go to war with UFC veteran GIDEON RAY (8-2-1). Ray is a very exciting fighter who generally overwhelms his opponents with sheer aggression and powerful striking. Cote is one of the most exciting fighters in Canada and one of the hardest punchers in the business. This fight promises to be a classic standup war that all fight fans enjoy watching.

MARK HOMINICK (7-4-0) will defend his Super Lightweight Championship against the undisputed number one contender, RYAN DIAZ (9-8-0). Those fortunate enough to have seen these young warriors in their most recent performances will attest to the fact that this match-up has candidate for fight of the year written all over it! This will also be a rematch between Hominick and Diaz; in their first encounter “The Machine” displayed his incredible hand speed and striking power in a 2nd round TKO victory.

This stunning fight card will also feature ICHO LARENAS (3-1-0) in his first Heavyweight title defense against the undefeated SERGE LAFOND (2-0-0). THIERRY QUENNEVILLE (6-3-0) will go to war with the newest member of Team Tompkins, JAMES HAOURT (0-0-0). Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master FABIO HOLANDA (1-3-0) will go head to head against Canadian lightweight contender BLAKE FREDRICKSON (7-2-0) as “The Snake” will try to avenge his teammate Kultar Gill. Canadian standout JASON MACDONALD (8-4-0) will finally make his long awaited TKO debut against an opponent to be announced shortly. The rest of the card will be announced in the next few days.

Considering the quality of the new TKO 21 fight card, one month seems a very short time to wait. Montreal is a beautiful place to visit in the heart of summer. There is no better time to enjoy a TKO show. On July 15th, the hardest hitters in Canada will take center stage intending to deliver a lot of jaw dropping and awe inspiring collisions!

TKO WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR TICKETS, all the fans who bought tickets for TKO 21 on June 11th – KEEP YOUR TICKETS for the show; they will be accepted at the door.

Order your tickets now through the TKO Ticket office (1-866-445-8886). All tickets will be sent by priority courier. Tickets are going at a swift pace, so please hurry and reserve your seats for this exceptional event!