Alex Karalexis, Josh Burkman, Nate Quarry, Chris Leben, Tyson Griffin, Forest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Amber Nicole Miller to Audition

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif./November 27, 2006/SportWire/Imperia Entertainment, Inc. (Pink Sheets: IPEI) President James Hergott announced today that the Xyience Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada will host open auditions for a movie about the sport of mixed martial arts entitled Never Submit on December 16th and 17th beginning at noon each day.

The Xyience Training Center is owned and operated by John Wood and is home to a number of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pride Fighting Championship and International Fight League (IFL) competitors, many of which are expected to audition for roles in Never Submit.

According to the movies producer, Cindy Ortiz, “The Xyience Training Center is one of the most popular MMA gyms in Sin City and came highly recommended as a place we should consider inviting to host one of the Never Submit open casting calls. There’s no denying the caliber of athletes associated with the XTC are some of the best in this sport and with Vegas being a hotbed for MMA talent, Imperia is making this stop a two day affair. John Wood runs a top-notch operation and I have no doubt we will be able to cast and fill a number of roles on our list.”

“Robert Roveta of Denaro Sports Marketing (www.denaroathletes.com) headquartered in Las Vegas, NV) and I have been in contact since April about the movie” explains Ortiz. “He is the Jerry Maquire of this sport and works with an impressive list of rising fighters he plans to have on hand to audition including TUF/UFC fighters Alex Karalexis, Josh Burkman, Nate Quarry, Chris Leben and Tyson Griffin. Jervis Cole sent a group of fighter’s to the San Jose auditions managed by his firm, Zinkin Entertainment (www.zinkin.tv), and a handful should expect to receive callbacks. I encourage other managers and agents to follow their lead as we continue our cross country talent search over the next few months.”

“Also slated to audition are TUF season one contract winner and UFC fighter Forrest Griffin, TUF season three contract winner and UFC fighter Rashad Evans, former Octagon Girl and current WFA Ring Girl Amber Nicole Miller and a plethora of IFL, Pride FC and UFC fighters. Top Hollywood casting agents are submitting requests for private auditions for name talent having graced the silver screen in recent years and a multitude of additional requests to host casting calls have been pouring in over the past two months” comments James Hergott, writer and director of Never Submit. “Our staff is working overtime trying to keep up but these are great problems to have.”

“Competing in combat sports is something these athletes choose to do…but it’s not the only thing they can do” adds Hergott. “Our recent open casting call in San Jose at American Kickboxing Academy turned out some of the biggest and brightest stars representing the sport of MMA right now and we were very pleased with the acting talent and physical skills many of these athletes possess. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what this sport has to offer in Las Vegas at the Xyience Training Center in a few weeks. Pride Fighting Championships superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua have already been cast.”

Inquiries pertaining to fighters interested in auditioning for roles, potential sponsorship opportunities available to companies/vendors and MMA media requests should be made via e-mail to “Never Submit” Producer Cindy Ortiz at cindy@imperiaentertainment.com.

Character descriptions and scripted scenes intended for audition preparation purposes are now available for distribution and may be requested via e-mail @ cindy@imperiaentertainment.com or downloaded directly from the movies website @ www.neversubmit.com.

“To most professional fighters in this sport, Never Submit is a metaphor describing the way they live their lives,” Hergott explains. “These athletes aren’t quitters. They have a discipline that runs deep that impacts most of what they do. They have something in their DNA that the rest of us do not. These athletes are competitive by nature and the will to succeed and be number one is always the goal.”

ABOUT NEVER SUBMIT

Never Submit is an inspirational tale similar to Rocky, but the lead character is an intelligent young man (as are most fighters competing in this sport) rather than a beaten-down punch-drunk fighter. An amazing cast of characters will round out this film; each from different walks of life; each with his own set of circumstances and motivating factors driving him to be the best. For some, their best won’t be good enough.

Different roads bring them all to the same intersection where the human spirit is put to the test. For these athletes, their hearts, physical skills and mental tenacity decides the victor… and there can only be one. Never Submit takes movie goers inside the methodical, fast paced, action packed, unpredictable and sometimes controversial world of mixed martial arts, deemed by many to be the most exciting sport on the planet.

Imperia Entertainment recently announced a partnership with TapouT Magazine (www.tapoutmagazine.com) as part of a cross-country tour to promote the publication as well as the movie. Stops at select dojos to hold auditions for Never Submit are being finalized. TapouT Magazine readers can expect to see the mixed martial arts movie prominently featured in the bi-monthly publication throughout the casting, filming and theatrical release stages, as well as enjoy behind the scenes details from Never Submit director James Hergott, one of TapouT Magazines newest contributors.