M-1 Global officials have formally announced that the second-ever finals for the “M-1 CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY AFFLICTION” has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Vying for the M-1 Challenge Championship Cup will be USA East and Russia Legion, with both having won their respective semifinal matchups last month in Rostov, Russia.

Legion recorded a decisive 4-1 victory over Team England in the semifinals while USA East pulled off a major upset in beating USA West by a 4-1 deficit.

Legion had been the heavy favorite against England after finishing the regular season with a 3-0 team record and 13-2 individual record en route to a Group D first place title. Meanwhile, USA East finished its regular season with a 2-1 team record and 10-5 individual record. It clinched its playoff spot on the final day of the M-1 Challenge regular season on Aug. 16 in spite of its 3-2 loss to Team Benelux. In comparison, USA West dominated the competition during the 2009 regular season with a 3-0 team record and 13-2 individual record.

When Russia Legion faces USA East, it will look to keep the M-1 Challenge Championship Cup in Russia. Known as Russia Red Devil at the time and now known as Russia Imperial, Fedor Emelianenko’s team of talented proteges won the first-ever M-1 Challenge last January in Amsterdam when it defeated Holland (now known as Team Benelux) by a 4-1 score.

In addition to the M-1 Challenge Championship Finals, the finals for the M-1 Selection will also be held as well. The M-1 Selection is a secondary fight series designed to determine qualifying teams in respective countries for the 2010 M-1 Challenge. The first-ever M-1 Selection finals on Dec. 3 will help determine which team from Russia will represent its home country next year.

Complete lineups for both finals will be revealed in the coming weeks on M-1Global.com.