Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live coverage for UFC International Fight Week™ in Las Vegas, the biggest week in UFC history, highlighted by a live broadcast of the main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday, July 7 at 10 p.m. ET, plus the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia on Friday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ main card across Canada on July 7 at 10 p.m. ET, preceded by a live Pre-Show at 9 p.m. ET.

In the main event, dominant UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (24-7) puts his championship on the line in a five-round barnburner against top contender Eddie Alvarez (27-4). In other featured bouts, Roy “Big Country” Nelson (22-12) throws down with Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (15-4, 1NC) in an explosive heavyweight collision, Alan Jouban (13-4) takes on undefeated Belal Muhammad (9-0) in a welterweight affair, plus “Irish” Joe Duffy (14-2) welcomes Canada’s Mitch “Danger Zone” Clarke (11-3) back to action in a lightweight matchup.

Live fight week coverage begins on Wednesday, July 6 at 2 p.m. ET with a live presentation of the final UFC 200 pre-fight press conference, featuring UFC president Dana White and main card superstars Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

On Thursday, July 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live broadcast of the official on-sale press conference for UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2, featuring Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor on the same stage for the first time since their heated encounter this past March.

Later, on July 7 at 6 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the live weigh-ins for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia, as headliners Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha weigh in ahead of their heated women’s strawweight championship rematch.

Following Thursday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ post-fight press conference in its entirety.

On Friday, July 8 at 6 p.m. ET, UFC 200 fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 weigh-ins, as all the stars from the biggest UFC event in history will tip the scale ahead of their highly anticipated clashes on Saturday night.

Fight Network will air the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia across Canada on July 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 10 p.m. ET.

In featured preliminary bouts, Joaquim Silva (8-0) faces Andrew Holbrook (11-0) in a clash of unbeaten lightweights, former title challenger Gray Maynard (12-6-1, 1NC) makes his first appearance at featherweight against Brazilian Fernando Bruno (16-3), fiery flyweight contenders face off when John Moraga (16-4) takes on Matheus Nicolau (11-2-1), inaugural TUF Brazil winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira (10-5) meets fellow middleweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (25-11), highly touted Australian prospect Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews (11-1) faces dangerous lightweight Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (12-2) and China’s Li Jingliang (10-4) takes on Australia’s Anton Zafir (7-2) in a welterweight bout.

Following Friday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia live post-fight press conference in its entirety.

Leading into Saturday’s blockbuster pay-per-view, Fight Network presents an encore of the first meeting between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, as UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier from January 2015 airs at 2 p.m. ET.

Later, on July 9 at 6 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 Pre-Show, featuring previews, predictions, analysis, exclusive interviews conducted on-site in Las Vegas and much more. Following Saturday’s event, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 post-fight press conference in its entirety.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, July 10 at 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents UFC 87: Seek and Destroy from August 2009 in Minneapolis, Minn., featuring Georges St-Pierre vs. Jon Fitch for the UFC welterweight title, plus Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring and Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

FEASTERVILLE, Pa. – UFC ® and Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. today announced a multi-year extension of their Pay-Per-View television distribution agreement. With the extension, UFC will maintain Joe Hand Promotions as its exclusive commercial distributor throughout the United States.

“UFC and Joe Hand promotions have been synonymous with Pay-Per-View success for nearly 15 years and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership,” UFC Vice President of Content David Shaw said. “It’s fitting that we announce this extension with one of our longest-tenured partners leading into our landmark UFC 200 event.”

“Our relationship with UFC is one of the longest and most valued in the history of Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC is the largest Pay-Per-View provider in the world with unparalleled leadership and we are proud to be their partners,” Joe Hand Jr. said. “We look forward to growing our customer base together and bringing the excitement of the UFC to even more commercial locations.”

UFC and Joe Hand Promotions began their commercial distribution rights partnership in 2001. With more than 45 years of experience, Joe Hand Promotions is the nation’s premier distributor of pay-per-view, closed-circuit sports and entertainment programming. Its growing customer base includes a network of more than 5,000 sports-oriented commercial establishments, such as bars, restaurants, military bases, casinos, universities, cruise ships and oil rigs.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in more than 156 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 29 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About Joe Hand Promotions
Formed by company chairman Joe Hand, Sr. and his family in 1970, Joe Hand Promotions’ size and reputation has grown in large part to Hand’s background, passion and keen foresight about the television distribution industry. Hand started his professional career as a Philadelphia Police Detective but always had an eye and passion for sports, particularly boxing. In 1967, Hand became a charter member of Cloverlay Corporation, the organization that helped guide Joe Frazier to the heavyweight championship. Hand became intrigued by the prospect of forming his own company specializing in sports promotions.

Today, Joe Hand Promotions’ main focus is promoting and distributing closed-circuit and pay-per-view TV sporting events and other entertainment broadcasts to commercial establishments. The company has promoted or broadcast many of the major championship fights nationwide, including UFC 94®: ST-PIERRE vs. PENN 2, UFC® 121: LESNAR vs. VELASQUEZ, UFC® 196: MCGREGOR vs. DIAZ, as well as boxing events such as Ali vs. Frazier, Ali vs. Holmes, Leonard vs. Hearns, Hagler vs. Hearns, Tyson vs. Lewis, Hopkins vs. Trinidad, and DeLaHoya vs. Mayweather. Joe Hand Promotions also works with DirecTV in bringing the NFL Sunday Ticket to hundreds of commercial establishments throughout the country.

Donald Cerrone stopped Patrick Cote at 2:28 of round three of their welterweight bout.

Cerrone got Cote down and landed some thunderous punches and the bout was stopped.

Cerrone, 171 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 30-7-1. Cote, 170 lbs of Montreal is 24-8.

Steve Bosse won a wild three round unanimous decision over Sean O’Connell in a wild light heavyweight bout.

Both guys landed plenty of shots and both were boody.

Bosse, 205 lbs is 12-2. O’Connell, 205 lbs of Salt Lake City, UT is now 17-8.

Olivier Aubin Mercier made Thibaukt Ghoti top out from a rear naked choke at 2:28 of round three of their lightweight bout.

Mercier, 155 lbs of Montreal is 9-2. Ghoti, 156 lbs is 11-2.

Joanne Calderwood stopped Valarie Latourneau in the 3rd round of their bantamweight bout.

Calderwood hit Latourneau with a body shot and was followed up by a lick kick and right to the face that sent Latourneal to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:51 of round three.

Jason Saggo won a 3-round split decision over Leandro Silva in a lightweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 for Saggo and 29-28 for Silva.

Saggo, 155 lbs is now 12-2. Silva, 155.5 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 19-3-1-1.

Misha Cirkunov made Ion Cutelabe tap out in the 3rd round of their light heavyweight bout.

Cirkunov got the victory with an arm triangle on Cutelabe, who had a bloody right ear and eye at 1:22.

Cirkunov, 205.5 lbs of Toronto, CAN is 12-2. Cutelabe, 202,5 lbs of Moldova is 11-2-1.

Kryztof Jotko stopped Tamden McCrory in the first round of their Middleweight bout.

Jotko drilled McCrory with a perfect left that sent him to the deck. Jotko landed two hard shots to a prone McCrory and the bout was stopped at 59 seconds.

Jotko, 184.5 lbs of Orienta, POL is 18-1. McCrory, 185 lbs of Binghimton, NY is 14-4.

Joe Soto made Chris Beal tap out in round three of their bantamweight bout.

Beal tapped after being caught in a rear naked choke at 3:39 of round three.

Soto, 135 lbs of Porterville, CA is 16-5. Beal, 134 lbs of Ventura, CA is 10-3.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents live coverage of the official prelims for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON from TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this Saturday, June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON prelims exclusively in Canada at 8:30 p.m. ET, preceded by a live pre-show at 7:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

In featured preliminary bouts, Toronto native Jason Saggo (11-2) takes on Brazil’s Leandro Silva (19-2-1, 1NC) in a lightweight matchup, Latvian-Canadian powerhouse Misha Cirkunov (11-2) welcomes Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba (11-1, 1NC) to the sport’s biggest stage for a light heavyweight showdown, slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Tamdam McCrory (14-3) faces Polish veteran Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) in a middleweight clash, plus bantamweights Chris Beal (10-2) and Joe Soto (15-5) will kick off the televised festivities with a bang.

Before all the action, the fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON weigh-ins on Friday, June 17 at 5 p.m. ET, as headliners Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson, plus co-main event stars Donald Cerrone and Patrick Cote, tip the scales ahead of their highly anticipated clashes.

Following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON post-fight press conference in its entirety.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, June 19 at 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents UFC 74: Respect from August 2007 in Las Vegas, featuring a heavyweight championship showdown between Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga, plus Georges St-Pierre battles Josh Koscheck and Patrick Cote collides with Kendall Grove.

The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN5, 10:30 p.m. ET):
-Rory MacDonald (18-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (12-1)
-Donald Cerrone (29-7, 1NC) vs. Patrick Cote (24-9)
-Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)
-Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-1)
-Valerie Letourneau (8-4) vs. Joanne Calderwood (10-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 8:30 p.m. ET):
-Jason Saggo (11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (19-2-1, 1NC)
-Misha Cirkunov (11-2) vs. Ion Cutelaba (11-1)
-Tamdan McCrory (14-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (17-1)
-Chris Beal (10-2) vs. Joe Soto (15-5)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 6:45 p.m. ET):
-Elias Theodorou (12-1) vs. Sam Alvey (26-7, 1NC)
-Randa Markos (5-4) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2)
-Colby Covington (8-1) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-0)
-Ali Bagautinov (13-4) vs. Geane Herrera (9-1)

But first, Fight Network gets the live action underway on Friday, June 17 with a mixed martial arts tripleheader, beginning with a live 9 p.m. ET broadcast of World Series of Fighting 31: Ivanov vs. Copeland from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., followed by Hard Knocks Fighting 50 live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Century Casino at 11 p.m. ET. Finally, RFA 39: Barcelos vs. Moffett will air via short tape delay from Indiana’s Hammond Civic Center at 2 a.m. ET.

All three cards will air on Fight Network across Canada and globally in over 30 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The live presentation of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 will also air on Fight Network in the U.S. on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, CenturyLink, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable, Armstrong Cable and other select carriers, as well as digitally on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Headlining the live World Series of Fighting lineup, reigning kingpin Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) defends the WSOF heavyweight title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1). In the lightweight co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with the No. 1 contender ranking at stake. Rounding out the star-studded main card, undefeated Jackson-Winkeljohn middleweight prospect Phil Hawes (3-0) makes his promotional debut against Joshua “The Prince of MMA” Key (6-11, 2NC), battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will face late replacement “Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight bout, plus Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) returns to the featherweight division for a scrap with former title challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).

The live broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 50 is topped by a bantamweight championship showdown pitting red-hot Jesse Arnett (10-4) against surging Michigan Top Team representative Mike Hernandez (10-2). In other action, Stephanie Essensa (2-1) battles Brazil’s Paula Baack (2-4) in a women’s strawweight tilt, Josh Griffin (3-4) meets Trenton Rowell (3-4) in a middleweight affair and Leo Xavier (3-0-1) takes on Thomas Richardson (3-0) in a clash of undefeated welterweights.

RFA’s first trip to Chicagoland will feature RFA featherweight champion Raoni Barcelos (9-1) defending his title for the first time against local favorite Bobby “The Wolfman” Moffett (8-1). The event will also feature a featherweight encounter between Luis Saldana (11-4) and Mike Santiago (17-9), a middleweight matchup pitting undefeated Joseph Gigliotti (7-0) against Daniel Vizcaya (9-3), a light heavyweight bout between Jordan Johnson (4-0) and Shaun Asher (11-2-1), a bantamweight fight between unbeaten prospects Ode Osbourne (3-0) and Antonio Sanchez (2-0), plus a welterweight homecoming for Deray Davis (7-2-1), as he welcomes Bobby Nash (7-1) into enemy territory.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

In a battle of previously undefeated bantamweights, Cody Grabrandt scored an explosive first round stoppage over Thomas Almeida at The Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Garbrandt landed a crunching right hand that crumpled Almeida to the canvas, Garbrandt landed two more shots while ALmeida was on the ground and the bout was stopped at 2:53.

Grabrandt, 135.5 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 9-0. ALmeida, 136 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 21-1.

Jeremy Stephens won a unanimous decision over former Bantamweight champion Renan Borao.

Borao was cut on the right side of his forehead in round two.

Stephens, 146 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is 25-12. Borao, 146 lbs of Rio di Jeneiro, BRA is 35-4-1.

Rick Story won a unanimous decision over Tarec Saffiedine in a welterweight bout.

Story, 171 lbs of Vancouver, WA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 19-8. Saffiedine, 170 lbs of Brussels, BEL is 16-5.

Chris Camozzi won a unanimous decision over Vitor Miranda in a middleweight bout.

Miranda was bleeding over his left eye in round two.

Camozzi, 186 lbs of Lakewood, CO won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 24-10. Miranda, 186 lbs of Rio di Jenairo, BRA is 13-5.

Lorenz Larkin won a split decision over Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight bout.

In round three, blood began to drip from the nostrils of Larkin.

Larkin, 171 lbs of Riverside, CA won two cards via 29-28 tallies. Masvidal, 170.5 lbs of Miami, FL won a card 29-28.

Larkin is 17-5-1. Masvidal is 29-11.

Paul Felder won a three round unanimous decision over Joshua Burkman in a lightweight bout.

Felder, 155 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 12-2. Burkman, 156 lbs of Draper, UT is now 28-13-1.

In round three, Burkman began to bleed from his nose.

Sara McMann won a three round unanimous decision over Jessica Eye in a Bantamweight bout.

McMann, 135.5 lbs of Gaffney, SC won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 9-3. Eye, 134.5 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 11-5-1.

Abel Trujillo won a 3-round unanimous decision over Jordan Rinaldi in a lightweight fight.

Rinaldi began to bleed under his left eye in round three.

Trujillo, 155.5 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 15-2. Rinaldi is 12-5.

Jake Collier came back to stop Alberto Uda in round two of their middleweight bout.

Early in round one, Collier had his nose broken when Uda landed a knee to the face. Collier was bleeding bad from his nose. In round two, Collier landed a knee that was followed by three punches that softened Uda up for a vicisous spinning back kick to the body and Uda fell to the canvas. Collier landed three more punches and the bout was stopped at 1:06 of round two.

Collier, 185.5 lbs of Cuba, MO is now 10-3. Uda, 185 lbs of Bluenman, BRA is 9-1.

Erik Koch made Shane Campbell tap out in round two of their lightweight bout.

Koch, 155.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI got the win with a rear-naked choke at 3:02 of round two and is now 15-4. Campbell, 156 lbs of Kelowina, BC, CAN is 12-5.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents live coverage of the official prelims for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALMEIDA vs. GARBRANDT from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this Sunday, May 29 at 7 p.m. ET.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALMEIDA vs. GARBRANDT prelimsexclusively in Canada at 7 p.m. ET, preceded by a pre-show at 6 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 9 p.m. ET.

In the featured prelim, top 10 women’s bantamweight contenders will collide when No. 6-ranked former Olympian Sara McMann (8-3) battles No. 7-ranked Jessica “Evil” Eye (11-4, 1NC). Meanwhile, Abel “Killa” Trujillo (14-6, 1NC) welcomes newcomer Jordan Rinaldi (12-4) to the sport’s biggest stage for a lightweight duel, Jake “The Prototype” Collier (9-2) meets undefeated Brazilian Alberto Uda (9-0) in a middleweight matchup and Erik “New Breed” Koch (14-4) makes his long awaited return to action opposite dynamic Canadian striker Shane “Shaolin” Campbell (12-4) in a lightweight bout.

Before all the action, the fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALMEIDA vs. GARBRANDTweigh-ins on Saturday, May 28 at 7 p.m. ET, as undefeated headliners Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt tip the scales ahead of their bantamweight main event showdown.

Following Sunday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALMEIDA vs. GARBRANDTpost-fight press conference in its entirety.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insiderand classic UFC PPV events.

The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALMEIDA vs. GARBRANDTincludes:

Main Card (Live on TSN5, 9 p.m. ET):
-Thomas Almeida (21-0) vs. Cody Garbrandt (8-0)
-Renan Barao (35-3, 1NC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (24-12)
-Tarec Saffiedine (16-4) vs. Rick Story (18-8)
-Chris Camozzi (23-10) vs. Vitor Miranda (13-4)
-Jorge Masvidal (29-10) vs. Lorenz Larkin (16-5, 1NC)
-Josh Burkman (29-12, 1NC) vs. Paul Felder (11-2)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 7p.m. ET):
-Sara McMann (8-3) vs. Jessica Eye (11-4, 1NC)
-Abel Trujillo (14-6, 1NC) vs. Jordan Rinaldi (12-4)
-Jake Collier (9-2) vs. Alberto Uda (9-0)
-Erik Koch (14-4) vs. Shane Campbell (12-4)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET):
-Aljamain Sterling (12-0) vs. Bryan Caraway (20-8)
-Chris De La Rocha (4-1) vs. Adam Milstead (7-1)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visitwww.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents live action beginning on Friday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET, as Cinco de Mayo weekend kicks off just one day ahead of the highly anticipated showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan.

At 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live three-hour broadcast of Golden Boy Promotions from Toshiba Plaza in Las Vegas, headlined by an NABF and NABA lightweight title unification between Russia’s Petr Petrov (36-4-2, 17 KO) and Tijuana knockout artist Marvin Quintero (28-6, 24 KO). In the televised co-main event, former WBA champion Pablo Cesar Cano (29-4-1, 21 KO) will take on resilient Californian Alan Sanchez (17-3-1, 9 KO).

Just two days later, Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: OVEREEM vs. ARLOVSKI prelims exclusively in Canada this Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m. ET, preceded by a pre-show at 11 a.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN2 at 2 p.m. ET.

In the featured prelim contested in the lightweight division, Dagestani Jackson-Winkeljohn student Rustam Khabilov (18-3) looks to put a stop to the six-fight winning streak of New York-based wrestler Chris Wade (11-1). In other action, Sweden’s Magnus Cedenblad (13-4) meets South African’s Garreth McLellan (13-3) in a middleweight bout, Jon Tuck (9-2) takes on undefeated late replacement Josh Emmett (9-0) in a lightweight pairing, plus Brazil’s Yan Cabral (12-2) throws down with Iranian Reza Madadi (13-4) in a lightweight clash.

Before all the action, the fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: OVEREEM vs. ARLOVSKI weigh-ins on Saturday, May 7 at 11:30 a.m. ET, as headliners Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski tip the scales ahead of their heavyweight main event showdown.

Following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: OVEREEEM vs. ARLOVSKI post-fight press conference in its entirety, featuring all the aftermath.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: OVEREEM vs. ARLOVSKI includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN2, 2 p.m. ET):
-Alistair Overeem (40-14, 1NC) vs. Andrei Arlovski (25-11, 1NC)
-Antonio Silva (19-8, 1NC) vs. Stefan Struve (30-8)
-Albert Tumenov (17-2) vs. Gunnar Nelson (14-2-1)
-Germaine de Randamie (5-3) vs. Anna Elmose (3-0)
-Nikita Krylov (19-4) vs. Francimar Barroso (18-4)
-Karolina Kowalkiewicz (8-0) vs. Heather Jo Clark (7-4)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 12 p.m. ET):
-Rustam Khabilov (18-3) vs. Chris Wade (11-1)
-Magnus Cedenblad (13-4) vs. Garreth McLellan (13-3)
-Jon Tuck (9-2) vs. Josh Emmett (9-0)
-Yan Cabral (12-2) vs. Reza Madadi (13-4)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 10:30 a.m. ET):
-Kyoji Horiguchi (16-2) vs. Neil Seery (16-11)
-Leon Edwards (10-3) vs. Dominic Waters (9-4)
-Ulka Sasaki (18-3-2) vs. Willie Gates (12-6)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Sergio Pettis won a unanimous decision over Chris Kelades in a Flyweight bout.

Pettis, 126 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 14-2.  Kelades, 126 lbs of Cole Harbour, CAN is 9-3.

Danny Roberts won a three round unanimous decision over Dominique Steele in a Welterweight bout.

Roberts won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 13-1.  Steele, 171 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 14-7.

Former Strawweight world champion Carla Esparza won a unanimous decision over Juliana Lima.

Scores were 30-27 on all cards for Esparza, 116 lbs of Irvine, CA and she is now 11-3.  Lima, 115 lbs of Brazil is 8-3.

James Vick remained perfect by winning a unanimous decision over Glaico Franca in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Vick, 155 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is 9-0.  Franca, 156 lbs of Brazil is 13-4.

Walt Harris scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Cody East in a Heavyweight bout.

Both guys landed hard shots until Harris landed a big left that sent East to the canvas.  Harris landed several flush blows and the fight was almost stopped several times until two more hard shots landed on the face of East and the fight was stopped at 4:35.

Harris, 255 1/2 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 8-4.  East 245 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 12-2.

Marcos Rogerio De Lima made Clint Hester tap in the first round of their Light Heavyweight bout.

De Lima landed hard shots before getting Hester in an arm triangle and he tapped at 4:35 of round one.

De Lima, 205 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 14-3-1.  Hester, 205 lbs of Atlanta, GA is 11-6.

Kevin Lee won a unanimous decision over Efarin Escudero in a Lightweight fight.

Lee, 156 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 12-2.  Escudero, 155.5 lbs of Tempe, AZ is 24-11.

Jon Jones 205 – Ovince Saint Preaux 205
(UFC Interim Light Heavyweight Title
Demetrious Johnson 125 – Henry Cejudo 125
(UFC FLYWEIGHT TITLE)
Anthony Pettis 156 – Edson Barboza 155
Robert Whittaker 185.5 – Rafael Natal 186
Yair Rodriguez 145.5 – Andre Fili 146
Sergio Pettis 126 – Chris Kelades 126
Danny Roberts 170.5 – Dominique Steele 171
Carla Esparza 116 – Juliana Lima 115
Glaico Franco 156 – James Vick 155
Walt Harris 255.5 – Cody East 245.5
Marcos Rogerio de Lima 205 – Clint Hester 205
Efrain Escudero 155.5 – Kevin Lee 156

Michael Chiesa scored a 2nd round chokeout over Beneil Dariush in a Lightweight bout.

The bout was stopped at 1:20 of round two.

Raquel Pennington scored a split decision over Beth Correia in a Bantamweight bout.

Pennington won two cards 29-28 while Correia won a card 29-28.

John Dodson made quick work of Manvel Gamburyan in a Bantamweight bout.

Dodson ran out and landed a hard left that rocked Gamburyan and he followed it up with a barrage of flush punches and the bout was stopped at 28 seconds.

Las Vegas – Following today’s landmark bill signing by Governor Andrew Cuomo to legalize and regulate professional mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York, UFC® announced that it will host a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 12.

Additionally, UFC will be adding another live event in Upstate New York before the end of the year. The organization has pledged four events per year for the first three years after passage of the bill. The events will be held in Upstate cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany, in addition to Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center.

Today’s bill signing and event date announcements cement mixed martial arts’ incredible future in the state of New York, and reaffirm UFC’s commitment to a market that is home to many top stars including former UFC champions Jon Jones, Chris Weidman and Rashad Evans, and countless other title contenders.

“I want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, Senator Joe Griffo and the many other leaders in the state of New York for legalizing and regulating the sport of mixed martial arts,” said UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta. “Our commitment to bringing incredible live events to New York starts immediately, as we’ve planned a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on November 12. It’s going to be a historic, monumental moment for this sport and our passionate fans when the Octagon finally arrives in New York.”

“Today marks a great day for both MMA fans and New York,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, Marquee Events and Operations, The Madison Square Garden Company. “We think it’s only fitting that the first UFC event is taking place at The World’s Most Famous Arena and look forward to these world-class athletes becoming part of The Garden’s storied history.”

Further information about the upcoming live event at Madison Square Garden will be announced in the weeks to come.

###

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents extensive live coverage of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS from Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia.

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS prelims exclusively in Canada this Sunday, April 10 at 12 p.m. ET, preceded by a pre-show at 11 a.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN2 at 2 p.m. ET.

In the featured prelim, Denmark’s undefeated Nicolas “Sharpshooter” Dalby (14-0-1) faces his toughest test to date against rugged American veteran Zak Cummings (18-4). Meanwhile, British bantamweight Ian Entwistle (9-2) throws down with Mexico’s Alejandro Perez (17-6), Russian lightweight Mairbek Taisumov (24-5) welcomes Bosnia’s Damir Hadzovic to the world-famous Octagon®, plus Croatia’s own Filip Pejic (10-1-1) welcomes Poland’s Damian Stasiak (9-2) into enemy territory for a bantamweight clash.

Before all the action, the fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS weigh-ins on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. ET, as headliners Ben Rothwell and Junior dos Santos tip the scales ahead of their heavyweight main event showdown.

Following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS post-fight press conference in its entirety, featuring all the aftermath.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, April 10 at 8 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the Episode 7 premiere of the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, featuring Roy Nelson, Kimbo Slice, Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione and many more. The episode will lead into a full encore presentation of UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar from Feb. 2, 2013 in Las Vegas, featuring the first encounter between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar ahead of their rematch for the interim featherweight title at UFC 200. In other featured attractions, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira meets Rashad Evans and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva faces Alistair Overeem.

The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN2, 2 p.m. ET):
-Ben Rothwell (36-9, #4) vs. Junior dos Santos (17-4, #5)
-Derrick Lewis (14-4, 1NC) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (17-10)
-Francis Ngannou (6-1) vs. Curtis Blaydes (5-0)
-Timothy Johnson (9-2) vs. Marcin Tybura (13-3)
-Igor Pokrajac (25-12, 1NC) vs. Jan Blachowicz (18-5)
-Maryna Moroz (6-1) vs. Cristina Stanciu (5-0)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 12 p.m. ET):
-Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1) vs. Zak Cummings (18-4)
-Ian Entwistle (9-2) vs. Alejandro Perez (17-6)
-Mairbek Taisumov (24-5) vs. Damir Hadzovic (10-2)
-Filip Pejic (10-1-1) vs. Damian Stasiak (9-2)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 10:30 a.m. ET):
-Rob Whiteford (12-3) vs. Lucas Martins (15-3)
-Jared Cannonier (7-1) vs. Cyril Asker (7-1)
-Alessio Di Chirico (9-0) vs. Bojan Velickovic (13-3)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

For More Information Contact:

Fight Network
Ariel Shnerer
Director, Programming & Communications
ashnerer@anthemse.com
www.fightnetwork.com

About Fight Network:

Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., all major carriers in Canada, Roku devices across North America, over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East and on TSN Radio in Canada via its program “Live Audio Wrestling.” Fight Network’s parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. launched Fantasy (FNTSY) Sports Network (www.fantasysportsnetwork.com) across North America in March 2014 and also holds a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel.

Albany –UFC® Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Fertitta applauded the overwhelming, bipartisan New York State Assembly passage of legislation to legalize and regulate professional mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York. The passage of A.2604-C, sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle and 72 other Assembly sponsors, means the bill has now passed both houses and will be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo for his approval.

Fertitta stated: “This has been a long time coming and on behalf of our New York UFC athletes and fans, I want to offer heartfelt thanks to Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Morelle and all the Members of the Assembly – Democrats and Republicans – who voted for this bill.

“Joe Morelle has worked tirelessly to educate his colleagues and build support for legalizing professional MMA and regulating both professional and amateur MMA. He has worked closely with Senator Joe Griffo, who has shepherded this effort in the Senate, where the bill has passed with strong bipartisan support for the last seven years, and MMA fans owe both a huge debt of gratitude,” Fertitta said.

Fertitta noted all the support the bill has garnered over the last several years.

“New York’s amazing arenas – upstate and downstate – have worked with us to advocate passage of this bill. So, too, have restaurants, hotels, businesses and others who recognize the economic value professional MMA can bring to New York,” Fertitta said. “Our athletes have been extraordinary. More than 20 have been to Albany to help educate legislators about the fastest growing sport in the world. And our fans have been phenomenal. Through letters and phone calls, rallies and social media, New York’s MMA and UFC fans have lent their voices of support. It took a while, but their voices have been heard.”

UFC has committed to holding at least four events per year in New York for the first three years after professional MMA is legalized and regulated in New York. Fertitta renewed that commitment.

“While there are still additional steps that have to occur before professional MMA becomes a reality in New York, I want to assure our fans that if Governor Cuomo signs the bill into law and the State Athletic Commission puts in place the appropriate regulations, we look forward to hosting our first New York event in the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden, home to so many epic sporting events throughout the decades,” Fertitta said. “We also look forward to scheduling events in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Albany, and Brooklyn. We are excited.”

# # #

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Mark Hunt scored a 1-punch, 1st round knockout over former Heavyweight champion Frank Mir in Brisbane, Australia.

Hunt landed a perfect right hand that crumpled Mir to the canvas and Hunt just walked away from a prone Mir and the fight was stopped at 3:01.

Hunt, 264 lbs id 12-10-1. Mir, 264 lbs from Las Vegas, NV is 18-11-1.

Neil Magny scored a 3rd round stoppage over Hector Lombard in a lightweight bout.

After a rough start, where he was almost knocked out in the first minute, Magny came back in round two to deliver some vicious ground and pound in round two. In round three, Magny landed an elbow that got Lombard to the ground and a few shots later the fight was stopped at 46 seconds.

Magny, 170 lbs of Denver, CO is 18-5. Lombard, 170 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 34-5-1-2.

Jake Matthews scored a 3rd round chokeout over Johnny Case in a Lightweight bout.

Matthews worked the body with kicks and punches and in round three made Case tap with a rear naked choke at 4:45.

Matthews, 155 lbs of Epping, AUS is 11-1. Case, 155 lbs of Jefferson, IA is 22-5.

In round two, Case began to bleed on the outside of his left eye.

Daniel Kelly scored a come from behind 3rd round stoppage over Antonio Castro Junior in a middleweight bout.

Kelly began to belled from the bridge of his nose in round two. In round three, Kelly was all over Junior and pounded him on the ground viciously until Junior’s nose bled and the fight was stopped at 1:36.

Kelly, 186 lbs of Melbourne, AUS is 11-1. Junior, 186 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 6-2-1.

Steve Bosse scored a devastating 1-punch knockout over James Te Huna in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Bosse landed a crushing short right to the jaw that dropped Te Huna cold and the fight was stopped at 52 seconds of round one.

Bosse, 204 lbs of St. Jean, QUE, CAN is 11-2. Te Huna, 205 lbs of Penrith, AUS is 18-9.

Bec Rawlings won a unanimous decision over Sohee Han in a flyweight bout.

Rawlings, 116 lbs of Brisbane, AUS won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 7-4. Han, 115 lbs of Buson, South Korea is 16-7.

Alan Jouban stopped Brandon O’Riley in the 1st round of their Welterweight bout.

Jouban dropped O’Riley with a double elbow and followed up with a flurry of punches and the fight was stopped at 2:15.

Jouban, 171 lbs of Los Angeles is now 13-4. O’Riley, 168 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is 6-2.

Dan Hooker scored a 1st round Guillotine choke over Mark Eddiva in a featherweight bout.

The end came at 1:24 for Hooker, 146 lbs of Auckland, NZ and is now 14-6. Eddiva, 145 lbs of Baguio City, PHL is now 6-3.

Leslie Smith won a 3-round unanimous decision over Rin Nakai in a bantamweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Smith, 134 lbs of Pleasant Hill, CA and is now 8-6-1. Nakai, 135 lbs of Japan is 16-2-1.

Viscadu Andrade won a 3-round unanimous decision over Rich Walsh in a welterweight bout.

Andrade, 170 lbs of Sydney, AUS won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 10-4. Walsh, 171 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 18-8.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 15, 2016 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced the official launch of EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2, available in retail stores and as a digital download on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game features the largest roster ever for an official UFC® game, boasting more than 250 athletes, including cover stars, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, as well as all-time fighting legends like Mike Tyson, UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Bruce Lee – all unlockable by making it to the UFC Hall of Fame in Career Mode. EA SPORTS UFC 2 also introduces a Knockout Physics System that, when paired with thousands of new animations and updated character likenesses, makes knockouts more dynamic and realistic than ever.

“By listening to fans, sharpening our fundamentals, focusing on areas of innovation in gameplay, and adding massive depth to modes, we believe we’ve taken the franchise and MMA games to the next level with this one,” said EA SPORTS UFC 2 Creative Director, Brian Hayes. “We’re excited that it’s finally time to ask fans to stare back at their opponent, bite down on their mouth piece, come out swinging and finish the fight.”

EA SPORTS UFC 2 delivers a mode for every fight fan, including the series introduction of Custom Event Creator, UFC Ultimate Team™, and Live Events which allow players to gain in-game rewards for playing out real-world fight cards before they happen. The game also features the brand-new Knockout Mode, which does away with clinches, grappling and submissions in favor of pure heart-pounding, stand-up fighting action. However, when fights do go to the ground, EA SPORTS UFC 2 gives fighters the tools to master mixed martial arts (MMA), including Grapple Assist, a new graphic overlay that helps fans dominate the clinch and find their next move on the ground.

“This game is an authentic representation of the UFC brand experience, bringing the excitement of the Octagon to life for all fight fans,” UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products, Tracey Bleczinski said. “From the walkout, incorporating the new UFC Fight Kit, to the intensity of being face-to-face with the top combat sports athletes in the world, this game has it all.”

Assets for EA SPORTS UFC 2 can be found here and game trailers can be watched here.

EA SPORTS UFC 2 is developed by EA Vancouver, and is available now in North America and will be available March 17 worldwide on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. EA Access* members can try the full game for a limited time and get 10% off the digital version of the game on Xbox One. Fans should keep an eye on the website, as well as the EA SPORTS UFC Facebook and Twitter pages to make sure they’re always up-to-date on the latest and greatest news.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS UFC®.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

*CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE EA.COM/EAACCESS/TERMS AND EA.COM/EAACCESS FOR DETAILS.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players around the world. In fiscal year 2015, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, Ultimate Team, SSX, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies and Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Octagon Girls®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, Octagon® and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and affiliated entities in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners. Any use of the preceding copyrighted program, trademarks, trade dress, or other intellectual property owned by Zuffa, LLC is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Zuffa. All rights are hereby expressly reserved. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas – UFC® and GuardLab® today announced a global licensing agreement to provide UFC athletes with custom mouthguards. GuardLab, a custom mouthguard company, will also offer UFC branded mouthguards for fight fans to purchase through GuardLab.com and certified GuardLab dentist locations.

“With the ever-changing landscape in professional sports, we’re always looking for the next cutting-edge technology and innovation to aid athletes that compete in the UFC,” UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski said. “We are excited to partner with GuardLab as they continue to develop products that help improve the overall performance and wellness of professional athletes.”

“UFC is an exciting world-class organization, and we are thrilled about our partnership to equip and offer their athletes with what we believe to be a transformative piece of sports technology,” GuardLab CEO Aidan Butler said. “We are committed to creating an engaging brand experience and delivering a superior product for athletes everywhere.”

UFC and GuardLab will work in conjunction to consistently educate athletes on general awareness and the overall benefits of wearing protective guards. A complimentary mouthguard will be made available to all UFC athletes beginning immediately at athlete summits and all events. All UFC athletes have the option of wearing this mouthguard during training and while competing at UFC events.

GuardLab is a custom mouthguard company using 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies, engineered with a proprietary Alignment Repositioning Cushion (ARC™). For more information about GuardLab, please visit http://www.guardlab.com/.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About GuardLab®
GuardLab, Inc. is a revolutionary custom mouthguard company headquartered in New York City with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on Long Island, New York. GuardLab is a custom mouthguard company using 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies, engineered with a proprietary Alignment Repositioning Cushion (ARC™). The neuromuscular mouthguards are designed to reduce the risk of injury from impact and enhance athletic performance through improved body alignment and increased airflow. Pioneered with two world-class dentists, GuardLab optimizes the bite of the individual athlete and captures the information digitally to create a bespoke neuromuscular mouthguard at a cost, quality and speed that truly disrupts the industry. GuardLab offers upper protection mouthguards for contact and combat sports, lower performance mouthguards for training and endurance sports and recovery guards for light clenching and grinding for sleep and post-training. GuardLab mouthguards are designed to benefit every type of athlete, from active individuals, high school and college players, as well as elite professionals. GuardLab mouthguards are available to consumers through events and a growing nationwide network of dentists found on Guardlab.com. For more information visit Guardlab.com and follow GuardLab on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Nate Diaz choked out Conor McGregor in round two in the headlining bout of UFC 197 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

McGregor came out in round one by peppering Diaz’ face in round one and Diaz became a bloody face. McGregor continued it round two until he got rocked hard with several punches. Sensing he was running out of gas, McGregor tried to shoot in for a takedown and that was his undoing as Diaz pounced on McGregeor and landed several ground shots and then gained the Irishman’s back and locked in the rear-naked choke and McGregor quickly tapped.

Diaz, 169 lbs of Stockton, CA is 20-10. McGregor, 168 lbs of Dublin, IRE is 19-3.

Meisha Tate won the UFC women’s Bantamweight title with a stunning 5th round chokeout of previously undefeated champion Holly Holm.

In round one, Tate started to have swelling on the left side of her face.

Tate was seemingly behind in the final round and got Holm to be choked out at 3:30 of round five.

Tate, 135 lbs of Las Vegas is now 18-5. Holm, 134.5 lbs is 10-1.

Ilir Latifi won a unanimous decision over Gian Vollante in a light heavyweight bout.

Latifi, 205 lbs of Sweden won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 13-4-1. Villante. 205 lbs of Bellmore, NY is 14-7.

Corey Anderson won a three round unanimous decision over Tom Lawlor in a welterweight bout.

Anderson won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28

Siyar Bahadurzaya made Brandon Thatch tap out in the 3rd round of their bout.

Bahadurzaya is now 21-7-1.

Nordin Taleb stopped Erick Silva in the second round of their Welterweight bout.

Taleb landed a hard perfect right to the face that dropped Silva. One ground punch later, the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Taleb, 170 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 12-3. Silva, 170 lbs of Huntington Beach, CA is 18-7-1.

Vitor Miranda stopped Marcelo Guimares in round two of their Middleweight bout.

Guimares tried to take Miranda down only to absorb elbows. Miranda landed a booming head kick that was followed by three vicious punches and the fight was stopped at 1:09 of round two.

Miranda, 185.5 lbs of Brazil is 10-1. Guimares, 185.5 lbs of Rio de jenairo is 12-5.

Darren Elkins won a unanimous decision over Chas Skelley in a Featherweight bout.

Elkins, 145.5 lbs of Portage, IN won by scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 and is now 21-5. Skelley, 145.5 lbs of Arlington, TX is 15-2.

For Immediate Release – March 2, 2016
Fight Network Presents UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz Pre & Post-Fight Coverage

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents extensive pre and post-fight coverage for UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz, which takes place on Saturday, March 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Fight Network is airing an original UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz Pre-Show all week leading up to the welterweight superfight between featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor and longtime lightweight contender Nate Diaz. A bonus live UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz Pre-Show will air at 7 p.m. ET leading into Saturday’s televised prelims.

In addition, Fight Network is airing the Zuffa LLC.-produced Countdown to UFC 196, an all-access look inside the lives of four fighters bracing for high-stakes showdowns in Las Vegas. Check listings for all airings of the UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz Pre-Show and Countdown to UFC 196.

Fight Network’s live fight week coverage kicks off on Thursday, March 3 at 4 p.m. ET from the David Copperfield Theater at MGM Grand, as the stars of the main and co-main event of UFC 196 meet for the final UFC 196 pre-fight press conference.

The next day, Friday, March 4 at 5 p.m. ET, Fight Network delivers live coverage from the MGM Grand Garden Arena as the UFC launches its new campaign for 2016 with the Unstoppable press conference featuring some of the biggest stars in the UFC, including UFC president Dana White, champions Daniel Cormier, Demetrious Johnson and Luke Rockhold, plus top contenders Jon Jones, Henry Cejudo, Chris Weidman, Junior dos Santos, Ben Rothwell, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Just two hours later on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network is the destination for the official live UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz weigh-ins, as headliners Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz tip the scales ahead of their main event welterweight showdown.

Immediately following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast a live UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz Post-Show, including reactions, highlights, analysis and the live post-fight press conference from Las Vegas.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter®, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the Episode 4 premiere of the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter®: Heavyweights, featuring Roy Nelson, Kimbo Slice, Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione and more. The episode will lead into a full encore presentation of UFC 135®: Jones vs. Rampage from September 2011 in Denver, Colorado, which featured a light heavyweight championship clash between titleholder Jon Jones and former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, plus Josh Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes, Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton and Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi.

The full card for UFC 196®: McGregor vs. Diaz includes:

Main Card (Live on PPV, 10 p.m. ET):
-Conor McGregor (19-2) vs. Nate Diaz (19-10)
-Holly Holm (10-0) vs. Miesha Tate (17-5) – UFC women’s bantamweight title
-Gian Villante (14-6) vs. Ilir Latifi (12-4, 1NC)
-Corey Anderson (8-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (9-5, 1NC)
-Amanda Nunes (11-4) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (12-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on TSN2, 8 p.m. ET):
-Brandon Thatch (11-3) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (21-6-1)
-Erick Silva (18-6, 1NC) vs. Nordine Taleb (10-3)
-Vitor Miranda (12-4) vs. Marcelo Guimaraes (9-1-1)
-Darren Elkins (20-5) vs. Chas Skelly (15-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET):
-Diego Sanchez (27-8) vs. Jim Miller (25-6, 1NC)
-Jason Saggo (10-2) vs. Justin Salas (12-6)
-Julian Erosa (15-3) vs. Teruto Ishihara (8-2-2)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Las Vegas – Two world titles will be on the line when UFC® returns to Las Vegas, as the only two champions in the light heavyweight division over the last five years will once again collide when champion Daniel Cormier defends his title against bitter rival Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 197®: CORMIER vs. JONES 2. The co-main event features the only champion in flyweight history, Demetrious Johnson, and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in a 125-pound title showdown. The event takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

When Cormier (17-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) and Jones (21-1, fighting out of Endicott, N.Y.) meet for the second time, there will be more than a world title on the line. Cormier is looking to cement his place as the undisputed light heavyweight champion in the world and avenge the only loss of his professional career. Jones makes his return with his sights set on the belt he never lost in the Octagon. The former champion, who is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the history of the sport, looks to prove he’s still the best in the world and take what he feels is rightfully his.

In the co-main event, Johnson (22-2-1, fighting out of Parkland, Wash.) will put his flyweight title on the line for the eighth time against undefeated No. 3 contender Cejudo (10-0, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.). “Mighty Mouse” is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, ranked No. 2 on the pound-for-pound list, and a win would tie him for third all-time with Jon Jones with eight consecutive title defenses. Cejudo became the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal at 21 years old at the 2008 Games in Beijing. A win against Johnson would cement his place as one of the best combat sports athletes in the world.

Also, two of the lightweight division’s most exciting athletes clash as former world champion and current No. 3 Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (18-4, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) meets No. 8 Edson Barboza (16-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The two striking sensations have combined for 20 knockouts and some of the flashiest and most lethal kicks in mixed martial arts. An early contender for Fight of the Night, both Pettis and Barboza are looking for a big win to put them closer to the top of arguably the most stacked division in the sport.

Additional bouts:
· One of the middleweight division’s top prospects, No. 8 Robert Whittaker (16-4, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) collides with seasoned veteran No. 13 Rafael Natal (21-6-1, fighting out of New York, N.Y.).
· Two of the featherweight division’s brightest young prospects meet as Yair Rodriguez (7-1, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) and Andre Fili (15-3, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) look to continue their climb up the 145-pound ladder.
· No. 13 Jessica Aguilar (19-5, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and No. 12 Juliana Lima (8-2, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, MG Brazil) meet in a battle of top strawweight contenders.
· Standout strikers Marcos Rogerio De Lima (13-4-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Clint Hester (11-5, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) clash in a middleweight bout.
· Undefeated lightweight prospect James Vick (7-0, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) meets versatile Brazilian Glaico Franca (14-3, fighting out of Balneario Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil).
· Submission specialist Efrain Escudero (25-10, fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) meets Las Vegas’ own Kevin Lee (11-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) in a 155-pound bout.
· Dynamic finisher Danny Roberts (12-1, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) and knockout artist Dominique Steele (14-6, fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio.) face off in a welterweight clash.

Tickets for UFC 197®: CORMIER vs. JONES 2 go on sale Friday, March 4 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $850, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 2 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 3 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC197®: CORMIER vs. JONES 2 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on Saturday, April 23 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Rogers, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High-Definition.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About MGM Grand

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is “The Entertainment Authority,” creating the ultimate Las Vegas experience. A variety of accommodations serve every need while guests discover signature dining by celebrity chefs including Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Michael Mina’s PUB 1842, Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill and Michelin three star restaurant, Joël Robuchon. The resort offers a wide-range of world-class entertainment at the MGM Grand Garden Arena; the epic KÀ by Cirque du Soleil; world-famous dance crew Jabbawockeez; master illusionist David Copperfield; Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club; and Hakkasan Las Vegas in addition to a pampering spa and salon and an elaborate 380,000-square-foot conference center. MGM Grand is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information and reservations, visit mgmgrand.com, call toll free at (877) 880-0880 or find us on Facebook and Twitter or follow our blog.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a blockbuster megafight this Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. ET, as the UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping main card emanates from the 02 Arena in London, England.

Fight Network will air the live UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping main card exclusively in Canada at 4 p.m. ET, preceded by a live pre-show at 3 p.m. ET.

In the main event, the most celebrated fighter in mixed martial arts history makes his long awaited Octagon return as former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva (34-6) looks to reestablish his foothold in the middleweight division when he enters enemy territory for a clash with popular British veteran Michael Bisping (28-7). In the co-feature attraction, top 10 contenders collide when former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2) tangles with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites (25-5) in a middleweight duel. Rounding out the star-studded broadcast, undefeated Englishman Tom Breese (9-0) takes on Japanese standout Keita Nakamura (31-6-2) in a welterweight pairing, while London’s own Brad “One Punch” Pickett (24-11) faces Californian Francisco Rivera (11-5) in a bantamweight bout.

Fight Network’s original one-hour UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping Pre-Show has been airing all week leading up to the event. Check listings for airings. A bonus live UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping Pre-Show will air at 3 p.m. ET leading into Saturday’s main card.

Before they enter the Octagon, Fight Network is your destination for the official live UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping weigh-ins on Friday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. ET, as headliners Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping tip the scales ahead of their salivating main event showdown.

Immediately following Saturday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast a live UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping Post-Show, including reactions, highlights, analysis and the live post-fight press conference from London.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

This Sunday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the Episode 3 premiere of the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, featuring Roy Nelson, Kimbo Slice, Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione and many more. The episode will lead into a full encore presentation of UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier from Jan. 3, 2015 in Las Vegas, which featured a light heavyweight championship superfight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, plus perennial contender Donald Cerrone looks to spoil Myles Jury’s perfect professional run.

The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Silva vs. Bisping includes:

Main Card (Live on Fight Network, 4 p.m. ET):
-Anderson Silva (34-6) vs. Michael Bisping (28-7)
-Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2) vs. Thales Leites (25-5)
-Tom Breese (9-0) vs. Keita Nakamura (31-6-2, 1NC)
-Francisco Rivera (11-5, 1NC) vs. Brad Pickett (25-11)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 12:45 p.m. ET):
-Mike Wilkinson (9-1) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (12-2)
-Davey Grant (9-2) vs. Marlon Vera (7-2-1)
-Scott Askham (13-2) vs. Chris Dempsey (11-3)
-Arnold Allen (10-1) vs. Yaotzin Meza (21-10, 1NC)
-Bradley Scott (10-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (16-1)
-Norman Parke (22-4-1) vs. Rustam Khabilov (17-3)
-Daniel Omielanczuk (17-5-1, 1NC) vs. Jarjis Danho (6-0)
-Teemu Packalen (7-1) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-0)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Las Vegas – Legends of mixed martial arts, as well as some of the sport’s brightest young stars will enter the Octagon® when UFC® returns to Tampa for the first time since 2009. With a potential shot at the world title on the line, top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson collide in the ultra-competitive 155-pound division live on FOX in the five-round main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: NURMAGOMEDOV vs. FERGUSON on Saturday, April 16 at Amalie Arena.

A world-class wrestler, No.2 Nurmagomedov (22-0, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) poses a serious threat for anyone in the division and boasts an undefeated record that includes a victory over current lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Looking to derail the Russian’s hype train is No. 4 Ferguson (21-3, fighting out of Ventura, Calif.), who has reeled off seven straight wins. With a resume that includes victories over Edson Barboza and Abel Trujillo, The Ultimate Fighter® season 13 winner hopes to take one step closer to joining Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Matt Serra and Carla Esparza as the only fighters to win The Ultimate Fighter as well as a UFC world title.

In the co-main event, No. 7 Rashad Evans (24-4-1, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) looks to climb back up the 205-pound ladder against No. 8 Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (23-10, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil). A former standout wrestler at Michigan State, “Suga” will have to utilize his wrestling pedigree to handle the strength and precision of one of the most aggressive Muay Thai practitioners in Shogun. The ultimate chess match will play out between two former light heavyweight champions finally go toe-to-toe.

Plus, dynamic striker and fourth-ranked Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (22-7, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) meets heavy-handed No.14 Dan “Hendo” Henderson (31-14, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) in a rematch of a 2013 showdown won by the Brazilian. Machida’s striking and creative angles have landed him the second most knockdowns in UFC history with 13 (A. Silva 17). Henderson has one of the most feared right hands in the sport which has led to knockouts of elite level fighters such as Shogun, Fedor Emilianenko, Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva.

Additional bouts:
· Two of the top strawweights in the world clash as No. 3 Rose Namajunas (5-2, fighting Denver, Colo.) meets No. 4 Tecia Torres (7-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a rematch that has both hoping for a shot at the world title with a win.
· Rising prospect and No. 8 Beneil Dariush (12-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.) returns to the Octagon to face the crafty No. 13 Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (12-2, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.), in a lightweight bout.
· No. 8 women’s bantamweight Bethe Correia (9-1, fighting out of Campina Grande, Paraiba Brazil) returns to the Octagon for the first time since her bout with Ronda Rousey to face No. 13 Raquel Pennington (6-6, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.).
· Knockout artist No. 6 Cub Swanson (21-7, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) clashes with jiu jitsu ace No. 10 Hacran Dias (23-3-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a featherweight bout.
· Brazilian jiu jitsu specialists Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira (9-5, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil) and Caio Magalhaes (9-2, fighting out of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil) meet in a welterweight showdown.
· Well-rounded wrestler Court McGee (17-4, fighting out of Orem, Utah) meets jiu jitsu ace Santiago Ponzinibbio (22-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a welterweight clash.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: NURMAGOMEDOV vs. FERGUSON go on sale Friday, February 26 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $225, $175, $125, $90, $75, $50 and $40 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Tickets are available at the McDonald’s Ticket Office at Amalie Arena, online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, February 24 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, February 25 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: NURMAGOMEDOV vs. FERGUSON will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 16, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

AMALIE Arena/Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC:
Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC is an entity established by Jeff Vinik in March, 2010 to manage the National Hockey’s League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm and the leasehold rights to AMALIE Arena, the 19,092-seat downtown Tampa home in which the teams play their games. The venue opened in 1996 and was named the Ice Palace at the time, but it became AMALIE Arena in September, 2014 when the family-owned, Tampa Bay-based AMALIE Oil Company elected to partner with Vinik and Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment. Since Vinik’s purchase in 2010, he has led a complete brand and business transformation of the Lightning, the Storm and the arena which was anchored by a mostly private $85+ million dollar renovation of the publicly owned facility. In 2014-15, the Lightning won the NHL’s Eastern Conference Championship, later appearing in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.

In the battle of Cowboys, Donald Cerrone forced Alex Oliveira in the first round of their scheduled five round Welterweight bout at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

Cerrone got Oliverira down and got him in a front triangle choke and Oliveira tapped immediately at 2:33.

Cerrone, 170 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 29-7-1.  Oliveira, 171 lbs of Rio de Jineriro, BRA is 13-3-1-1.

Derek Brunson stopped Roan Carneiro in the first round of their Middleweight bout.

Brunson had Carneiro on the ground and landed about 30 consecutive punches and the fight was stopped at 2:38.

Brunson, 186 lbs of Wilmington, NC is 15-3.  Carniero, 184.5 lbs of Atlanta, GA is 20-10.

Cody Garbrandt stopped Augusto Mendes in the first round battle of undefeated Featherweights.

Garbrandt dropped Mendes with an overhand right.  Garbrandt celebrated briefly but landed two more punches on the ground and the fight was stopped at 4:18.

Garbrandt, 140 1/2 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 8-0.  Mendes, 142 lbs of Glendale, AZ is 5-1.

Dennis Bermudez won a three round unanimous decision over Tatsuya Kawajiri in a Featherweight bpout.

Bermudez, 146 lbs of Lindhurst, NY won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 16-5.  Kawajiri, 146 lbs of Ibaraki , JP is 35-7-2.

Chris Camozzi stopped Joe Riggs in the first round of their Middleweight bout.

Camozzi landed a jab and he followed that up with five knees to the face and Riggs fell to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 26 seconds.

Camozzi, 185.5 lbs of Englewood, CO is now 23-10.  Riggs, 186 lbs of Glendale, AZ is 41-17-1.

James Krause won a unanimous decision over Shane Campbell in a Lightweight bout.

Krause, 155.5 lbs of Lee Summitt, MO won all cards 29-28 and is now 23-7. Campbell, 156 lbs of Kelowna, BC, CAN is 12-4.

Sean Stricland stopped Alex Garcia in the final round of their Welterweight bout.

Strickland bloodied Garcia around the eye. In round three, Strickland wobbled Garcia all over the Octagon until a huge right hand dropped Garcia and the bout was stopped at 4:25 of round three.

Strickland, 170.5 lbs of Corona, CA is 17-1. Garcia, 171 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 13-3.

Oluwale Bamgbose stopped Daniel Sarafian in round one of their Middleweight bout.

Bamgbose landed a big left kick to the head that knocked Sarafian down and two hard punches later the fight was stopped at 1:00.

Bamgbose, 185 lbs of New York is 6-1. Sarafian, 186 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 10-6.

Anthony Smith won a three round unanimous decision over Leonardo Augustu Leleco in a Middleweight bout.

In round two, Lelenco began to bleed from his forehead.

Smith, 185.5 lbs of Omaha, NE won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 25-11. Leleco, 184.5 lbs of Salvador, BRA is 11-2-1.

Nathan Coy won a three round unanimous decision over Jonivan Webb in a Welterweight bout.

Coy, 170 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 15-6. Wbb, 169 1/2 lbs of Marlton, NJ is now 8-2-1.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a trio of exciting live mixed martial arts events this weekend, beginning on Friday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. ET with RFA 35: Moises vs. Castillo from Orem, Utah. The following night, Saturday, Feb. 20 at 9 p.m. ET, World Series of Fighting returns with WSOF 28: Moraes vs. Barajas from Garden Grove, Calif. Finally, Fight Network presents live coverage of UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy, including the live prelims, which take place Sunday, Feb. 21 from Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Fight Network will air the live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy prelims exclusively in Canada at 7 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN2 at 9 p.m. ET.

In featured prelim action on Sunday night, Montreal-based “Dominican Nightmare” Alex Garcia (13-2) battles once-beaten American welterweight standout Sean “Tarzan” Strickland (16-1). Meanwhile, Brazil’s Daniel Sarafian (10-5) looks to make it two straight when he collides with Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1) in a middleweight matchup, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (24-11) makes his Octagon return against newcomer Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-1, 1NC) in a middleweight bout, plus Jonavin Webb (8-1) throws down with Nathan Coy (14-6) in the welterweight televised opener.

Fight Network’s original one-hour UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy Pre-Show, which premieres on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, will serve as a lead-in to the live prelims on Sunday night. Check listings for additional airings.

Before they enter the Octagon, Fight Network is your destination for the official live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy weigh-ins on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET, as headliners Donald Cerrone and Alex Oliveira tip the scales ahead of their anticipated welterweight showdown.

Immediately following Sunday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the official live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy post-fight press conference in its entirety.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN2, 9 p.m. ET):
-Donald Cerrone (28-6, 1NC) vs. Alex Oliveira (13-2-1, 1NC)
-Derek Brunson (14-3) vs. Roan Carneiro (20-9)
-Cody Garbrandt (7-0) vs. Augusto Mendes (5-0)
-Dennis Bermudez (15-5) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-8-2)
-Chris Camozzi (22-10) vs. Joe Riggs (41-16, 1NC)
-James Krause (22-7) vs. Shane Campbell (12-3)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 7 p.m. ET):
-Alex Garcia (13-2) vs. Sean Strickland (16-1)
-Daniel Sarafian (10-5) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1)
-Anthony Smith (24-11) vs. Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-1, 1NC)
-Jonavin Webb (8-1) vs. Nathan Coy (14-6)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 5:30 p.m. ET):
-Marion Reneau (6-2) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-1)
-Lauren Murphy (8-2) vs. Kelly Faszholz (3-0)
-Anthony Hamilton (14-4) vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov (15-3)

WSOF 28 on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET is headlined by reigning bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes (15-4-1) making the third defense of his coveted title against fast-rising star Joseph Barajas (12-1). In the bantamweight co-main event, Timur “Lucky” Valiev (10-1) will put his 10-fight winning streak on the line against fellow rising star Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez (8-1-1), who is unbeaten in his last seven fights. Rounding out the card, Jamie “The Chosyn 1” Yager (6-4) battles Greg Parker (5-1), while Ozzie Alvarez (6-3) meets Andrew “The” Ramm (4-3) in a pair of welterweight matchups.

The live festivities get underway on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET, as RFA 35 features a clash for the RFA lightweight championship with late replacement Thiago Moises (6-1) challenging regional standout Dave Castillo (19-7). In other action, Thiago Alves (9-3) meets David Putvin (7-1) in a 160-pound affair, welterweight sensation James Nakashima (4-0) risks his perfect record against fellow unbeaten Brad Darrington (4-0), Dervin Lopez (7-3) takes on Joe Rodriguez (7-3) in a middleweight pairing, Ricky Steele (4-0) faces Lynn Schulz (5-2) in a bantamweight bout, plus Curtis Blaydes (4-0) looks to stay perfect in a heavyweight slugfest with Luis “The Hulk” Cortez (3-2).

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Las Vegas, Nevada – The biggest month in the two-year history of UFC FIGHT PASS®, UFC’s over-the-top digital streaming service, has arrived.

On Saturday, February 27, former UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon to face elite contender Michael Bisping. The clash between two of the most established fighters in the 185-lbs division can only be seen exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.

UFC Senior Vice President and UFC FIGHT PASS General Manager Eric Winter said: “Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping is a can’t-miss match-up with huge implications for the entire division. UFC is underlining its commitment to FIGHT PASS – and our great FIGHT PASS customers – by making FIGHT PASS the only place you can see not only Silva vs Bisping, but the entire 13-fight card live from London.”

Click here for footage of Bisping video-bombing FIGHT PASS customers.

Winter announced a raft of exciting shoulder programming which will count down the weeks and days until Silva and Bisping square off in the center of the sold-out O2 Arena.

Winter added: “Silva vs Bisping is a huge fight, not just for FIGHT PASS but also on its own terms, and FIGHT PASS will present the definitive coverage of the build-up to the February 27 showdown. Coming later this month, the inaugural episode of the new UFC Battle Lines will focus on Silva and Bisping’s preparation going into the fight. Plus camera crews are already shadowing the London card fighters for a series of the critically acclaimed UFC Embedded.”

Both UFC Battle Lines: Silva v Bisping and the episodes of UFC Embedded: Silva v Bisping will drop during the final week leading to UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SILVA vs BISPING. Additionally, FIGHT PASS will present the following original programming supporting Silva vs Bisping:

Michael Bisping’s Greatest Feuds (premieres Feb 22)
Bisping has been known to talk a little trash from time to time and here “The Count” recalls all the incidents and insults of his most bitter feuds in the UFC.

Fightography: Ian Freeman (premieres Feb 23)
Before Michael Bisping, heavyweight Ian Freeman was the face of British MMA. The first Brit to compete in the UFC, “The Machine” scored the upset of 2002 when he blasted Frank Mir to defeat in the UFC’s inaugural event in the UK. For the first time, Freeman speaks openly about the family tragedy that struck just hours before the greatest fight of his career.

The Best of Cage Rage, Volume 1 – With Michael Bisping (premieres Feb 12)
Cage Rage was a British based MMA organization that enjoyed major successes during its 2002 – 2008 years of operation. A host of major names, and future UFC stars, completed in Cage Rage. In the first of a regular series, Bisping introduces eight of the biggest fights in the Cage Rage archive – including his own epic battles over the Cage Rage light heavyweight title and Silva’s first run as a middleweight champion.

FIGHT PASS has also resurfaced other great Silva v Bisping exclusive and Original Programming, including Greatest Hits: Anderson Silva, Main Event: Silva vs Belfort, Main Event: Silva vs Sonnen II, Fightography: Michael Bisping and Britain’s Ultimate Fighter along with presenting collections of all of Silva and Bisping’s greatest fights.

In addition to UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BISPING vs SILVA, three MMA events from around the world will live-stream exclusively on FIGHT PASS in February: Shooto Brazil 61 on February 13, Victory FC 48 on February 19 and EFN Moscow on February 26.

Winter said: “February is a huge month for FIGHT PASS. From Original Programming, to live MMA events from three continents to a must-see main event featuring the greatest UFC champion of all time – FIGHT PASS has it all this month.”

UFC FIGHT PASS is available now on personal computers, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV and Roku devices.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Stephen Thompson announced himself as a contender as he stopped former world Welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in the first round of their scheduled 5-round Welterweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Thompson landed a perfect right hand that hurt Hendricks and continued to land punched and a couple of massive kicks until Hendricks was on the ground. two punches later and the fight was stopped at 3:31

Thompson, 170 lbs of Simpsonville, SC is 12-1. Hendricks, 170 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is 17-4.

Roy Nelson won a unanimous decision over Jared Rosholt in a Heavyweight bout.

Nelson, 258 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 21-12. Rosholt, 245 lbs of Arlington, TX is 14-3.

Ovince Saint Preux won a unanimous decision over Rafael Feijao in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Saint Preux, 206 lbs of Knoxville, TN won by 30-27 scores on two cards & 29-28 and is now 19-7. Feijao, 205 lbs of Rio de Jineiro, BRA is 12-7-1.

Joseph Benavidez won a 3-round unanimous decision over Zack Makovsky in a Flyweight bout.

Benavidez, 125 lbs of Sacramento, CA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 24-4. Makovsky, 125 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is 19-7.

Misha Cirkunov choked out Alex Nicholson in round two of their Light Heavyweight bout.

Cirkunob locked in a rear naked on Nicholson who already had a jaw injury and he tapped out at 1:28.

Cirkunov, 206 lbs of Toronto, CAN is 11-2-1. Nicholson of Orlando, FL is 6-2.

Mike Pyle scored a 3rd round stoppage over Sean Spencer in a Welterweight bout.

In round three, Pyle landed a reverse punch and landed some vicious knees to the face until the bout was stopped at 4:25.

Pyle, 170 lbs of Las Vegas is 27-11-1. Spencer, 170 lbs of Dallas, TX is 12-5.

Josh Burkman won a 3-round unanimous decision over KJ Noons in a Welterweight bout.

Both guys had bloody noses but Burkman won by scores of 30-27 on all cards.

Burkmann, 156 lbs is 28-12-1. Noons, 156 lbs of San Diego is 13-9-1.

Derrick Lewis stopped Damian Grabowski in round one of their Heavyweight bout.

Lewis pounded Grabowski on the canvas that opened up a nasty cut on the top of the head. After more punishment the fight was stopped at 2:17.

Lewis, 263 lbs of Houston, TX is 14-4-1. Grabowski of Opole, POL is 20-3.

Justin Scoggins with a 3-round unanimous decision over Ray Borg in a Flyweight bout.

Borg was bleeding from the nose in the 2nd round.

Scoggins, 125 lbs of Spartenburg, SC won by scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26 and is now 11-2. Borg, 125 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 9-2.

Diego Rivas scored an explosive 2nd round knockout over Noad Lohat in a Featherweight bout.

Rivas caught Lohat with an explosive jumping kick on the jaw that slumped Lohat down to the canvas and after a couple punches the fight was stopped at 23 seconds of round two

Rivas, 144 lbs of Chile is 7-0. Lohat, 145 lbs of San Jose, CA is 10-1.

Las Vegas – UFC® today announced a five-year extension of its partnership with Cleveland Clinic, and its support of the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study. The multi-year commitment and one million dollar contribution to the clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas where the study is conducted, makes UFC the largest combat sport contributor to the study.

“Research and awareness are key in setting new standards for athlete health and safety,” UFC Chief Operating Officer Ike Lawrence Epstein said. “UFC is always looking for opportunities to invest in industry-leading health and wellness programs and providing resources to develop its athletes inside and outside the Octagon.”
“We have learned quite a bit in the first four years of the study about how repetitive head trauma affects the brain and how we can detect accumulating injury,” Charles Bernick, M.D., Associate Medical Director at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and principal investigator of the study said. “The involvement of the fighting community and organizations like UFC will only help us better understand the field and protect our athletes. Their support has helped sustain the infrastructure of this very large study and will allow us to follow the participants over longer periods of time and develop ways to improve safety in combat sports, along with others exposed to repetitive head trauma.”

Established in 2011, the Professional Fighters Brain Health study is focused on developing methods to detect the earliest and most subtle signs of brain injury in athletes exposed to head trauma, as well as determining which individuals may be more likely to develop chronic neurological disorders. Now in its fifth year, researchers are confident the findings will benefit the safety and health of professional fighters as well as those exposed to repetitive head trauma in other sports and activities.

UFC’s commitment to aid in the funding of the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study is provided in conjunction with other leading combat sports organizations. These funds will help provide the necessary support to continue the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study at Cleveland Clinic, with future plans to publish and advocate about the importance of this research to the sport.

To date, the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study has enrolled nearly 600 active and retired athletes. Participation is voluntary, and fighters in the study receive free, ongoing assessments of their brain health and function, including MRI scans. Individual tests will be repeated annually for a minimum of four years.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals, more than 90 northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 18 full-service family health centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2014, there were 5.9 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 152,500 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and 147 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

About Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health provides state-of-the-art care for cognitive disorders and for the family members of those who suffer from them. The physicians and staff at the Center for Brain Health continuously work towards the development of early diagnosis and the advancement of knowledge concerning mild cognitive disorders, which could one day delay or prevent their onset. Patients receive expert diagnosis and treatment at the Center for Brain Health, which offers a multidisciplinary patient-focused approach to diagnosis and treatment, promoting collaboration across all care providers, offering patients a complete continuum of care and infusing education and research into all that it does. The facility, designed by Frank Gehry, houses clinical space, a diagnostic center, neuroimaging rooms, physician offices, laboratories devoted to clinical research and the Keep Memory Alive Event Center. For more information, visit clevelandclinic.org/brainhealth.