Red Bears will live and train together in a renovated Fire HouseNEW YORK, November 27, 2006? The International Fight League (IFL) today announced that completion of its 12-team field for its 2007 season, adding a Chicago-based team of Russian fighters named the Red Bears. The inaugural IFL season will begin in the first quarter of 2007, with the 11 date full season schedule to be announced shortly.?We are very pleased that we have been able to add this group of up-and-coming athletes as the 12th team for our first full season,? said IFL Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto. ?Chicago is a hotbed for the sport and this will create a great natural rivalry with our Quad Cities team, as well as giving the strong Russian following of the sport a team to follow and connect with.?The Red Bears will be coached by MMA veteran Igor Zinoviev and will consist of a roster of athletes from Russia, who will live and train together in a renovated fire house in Chicago.The announcement of the Chicago-based team brings to 12 the final number for the IFL?s first season. Teams based in Reno, Nevada; Tucson, Arizona; and Orange County, California, were announced earlier in the fall, and will join with the original eight IFL teams who have competed in the IFL ?Legends? and ?World Team Championship? tournaments which were held this spring and fall. The final IFL event for 2006 will take place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday, December 29 between the Moline-based Silverbacks and the Portland-based Wolfpack.About the IFLFounded in 2005 by Kurt Otto, a real estate investor and a life-long martial arts participant and Gareb Shamus, chairman of Wizard Entertainment Group, the International Fight League? (IFL) was created to establish a centralized and structured organization that brings the power and influence of the mixed martial arts industry together. On August 25, 2006, IFL entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Paligent, Inc. (PGNT:OTCBB), pursuant to which IFL would emerge as the surviving entity. For further information regarding the merger, contact Paligent at (212) 755-5461. For more information on the IFL, go to www.IFL.tv.
