August 7th, 2013 (Tacoma, WA) - Northwest fight fans are in for a treat when two of the Northwest's most exciting heavyweights clash on August 24th at the Emerald Queen Casino to take what they believe is rightfully theirs, the CageSport Heavyweight Title. Current champion, Anthony Hamilton (9-2), earned the heavyweight title back in December of last year when he defeated Bill Widler via KO, 38 seconds into the match. Coming up, he'll have a fearless opponent in previous heavyweight champion, Matt Kovacs (8-11).

In the semi-main event, top northwest bantamweights and submission specialists, Jeff Hatton (7-3) and Josh Rettinghouse (8-2), will put on what is expected to one of the more action packed bouts of the night. Rettinghouse is coming off an impressive first round knockout victory over Zach Skinner at CageSport XXV.

Tickets for Halquist Productions' CageSport XXVI, set for Saturday, August 24th, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Emerald Queen Casino box office and through Ticketmaster. Prices range from $35 for general admission and up to $100 for VIP front row tickets.

Hamilton, the current CageSport heavyweight champion, is coming off three straight dominating victories giving him tons of momentum going into his first attempt at defending his title. All three of those victories have come in less than two minutes into the first round which includes two knockouts and one arm bar submission. Also on his resume is a 4-0 amateur record along with wrestling for Highline Community College and earning All American Honors for the program in 2000.

Kovacs will go into CageSport XXVI looking to earn the title that he once held. In 2010 he defeated a tough 19-5 Corey Williams via first round TKO to earn the vacant heavyweight title in dominating effort.

This will not be Kovacs' first time in the cage with Hamilton. In 2011, they faced each other in a title match on another northwest promotion where he came out on the losing side due to submission via strikes. When Kovacs enters the cage against Hamilton for the second time, he'll look to use his experience with high pressure fights to his advantage as he's been in seven professional title fights over his 19 fight career.

"We have an exciting card coming up with our heavyweight title on the line," said promoter, Brian Halquist. "Fight fans all across the United States will be able to watch CageSport events by the end of the month when the United Fight Alliance will syndicate our show to over 100 million homes, giving the northwest fight scene the attention that it truly deserves."

Halquist Productions' CageSport MMA continues to be the most prominent MMA series in the Northwest. UFC fighters: Miesha Tate, Bryan Caraway, Sam Sicilia, Mike Chiesa, and many more have all participated in past CageSport events, showcasing their abilities on their way to national stardom. For more information about Halquist Productions and CageSport XXVI including a full fight card, please visit HalquistProductions.com and the official Facebook and Twitter Pages of Halquist Productions, CageSport MMA, and Battle at the Boat.