Muaythai Premier League Releases Schedule, Total of Eight Dates Included

Roughly a week away from their inaugural event, the Muaythai Premier League has released the full schedule for their first season. Spanning eight events in three continents over the course of nine months, the MPL's opening season will feature five weight classes full of international Muay Thai competitors.

Per a press release sent out by the organization, the opening season schedule looks like this:

September 2, 2011 - Los Angeles, California
October 8, 2011 - Venice/Padova, Italy
November 5, 2011 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
December 5, 2011 - Bangkok, Thailand
January 17, 2012 - Los Angeles, California
February 20, 2012 - Marseilles, France
April 6, 2012 - Canada (Semi-Finals)
May 25, 2012 - Los Angeles, California (Finals)

Of course, the opening event is happening in Long Beach, California next week. The promotion's sophomore event on October 8th seems as though it will be held in northeastern Italy rather than the capital city of Rome, where earlier reports indicated it would take place.

Given the locations that the Muaythai Premier League is taking their brand to in the coming year, it is apparent that they are making a conscious effort to take the sport to well-developed and/or important markets early on. In addition to four events in North America, they'll be hitting the major spots in Europe - the Netherlands, France, and Italy - as well as the center of all things Muay Thai in Bangkok, Thailand.

Furthermore, the release of this full schedule is a sign that the Muaythai Premier League will honestly be sticking to their planned league format. With each of their five divisions including eight fighters split into two groups, a six-event regular season accounts for the round-robin stage just as it should.