Mexico City – After a successful inaugural event sell-out in November 2014, the UFC® heads back to Mexico today to kickoff ticket sales for UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM. The highly anticipated rematich is slated for Saturday, June 13 at the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City and will finally determine the true heavyweight champion of the world.

Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez, Augusto Montaño, Cathal Pendred, Yair Rodriguez, Charles Rosa, Tecia Torres and Angela Hill were present at the media day, which took place today at the Four Seasons in Mexico City.

Headlining the June card is the highly anticipated five-round main event featuring UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (13-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.), and interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (19-5-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of Porto Alegre, Brazil). The heavyweight clash marks the culmination of a rivalry that developed as coaches opposite each other on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America. Originally slated to clash at last year’s November event, Cain was removed from UFC® 180 in Mexico City due to injury.

In addition, fourth-ranked Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez (22-4, fighting out San Francisco, CA by way of Santa Ana, Calif.) goes up against no.10 Eddie Alvarez (25-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) in a lightweight showdown. Melendez, a former Strikeforce and WEC lightweight champion, will bring his black belt jiu-jitsu skills to the Octagon® against the freestyle striker Alvarez.

Other bouts for UFC® 188 include:
– Augusto “Dodger” Montaño (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) and Cathal Pendred (16-3, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) will collide in a welterweight battle
– The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America winner, Yair “Pantera” Rodriguez (5-1, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) will meet Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa (10-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a featherweight bout
– The Ultimate Fighter® 20 participant Tecia “Tiny Tornado” Torres (5-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) with fight her reality star counterpart Angela “Overkill” Hill (2-0, fighting out of Asheville, N.C.) in a fight with serious implication for the women’s strawweight division

Tickets for UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM go on sale Friday, March 20 and are priced at $7,490 zone Cancha, $4,815 zone Retractil Platino, $3,157 zone Superpalco (Club), $3,157 zone Retractil Oro, $2,408 zone Platea Platino, $1,873 zone Platea Oro, $1,391 zone Barrera, $1,043 zone Butaca, $910 zone Butaca 2, $650 zone Balcon, $482 zone Balcon 2, $375 zone Balcon 3 (prices listed in Mexican pesos and include taxes). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.superboletos.com, by phone at +52 (55) 15154100. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High -Definition.

Get your VIP package today! The UFC VIP Experience packages together your tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greet and autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, and photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon® and more!

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
Follow us on Twitter: @UFC and Facebook/UFC

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About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. In 2013, the UFC and Televisa Networks announced an exclusive deal for UFC content distribution in 20 Latin American countries with the launch of UFC NETWORK, a 24 hour channel, 7 days a week, dedicated to the UFC. The UFC NETWORK is available in Total Play, Megacable, Cablemas, Gigacable Cablevision and SKY (México); TuVes (Chile, Bolivia, and Peru); Tevecable (Ecuador); Gigared (Argentina); Tigo Star (Paraguay and Bolivia); Claro and Tricom (Dominican Republic); Inter (Venezuela), Cotas (Bolivia) and TCC (Uruguay). Additionally, UFC programing is available in TDN in Mexico, including transmission of select live events and free-to-air television in: Televisa Channel 5 (México), Telefuturo (Paraguay) ABC Surinam (Surinam), Viva TV Nicaragua (Nicaragua) Next (Panamá), Red Uno (Bolivia), America TV (Peru), Via X (Chile), Teleprogreso (Honduras), Teleamazonas (Ecuador) and Meridiano Television (Venezuela). The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFCNetwork.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com, Twitter and Instagram: @UFCNetwork.

About the Mexico City Arena
Zignia Live is part of Avalanz Group and is one of the main companies promoting shows in Mexico and Latin America, ranking in the “Top 20” as most active promoters in the world. Live Zignia is aprovider for venues in Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, Torreon, Tampico, Monterrey and offers unique and memorable experiences through the presentation of live world-class performances.

Las Vegas – UFC® today announced it is cooperating with law enforcement officials from the City of London Police and its Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) regarding an investigation into the illegal distribution of UFC programming.

On March 18, the PIPCU executed a warrant to search and seize computers and property suspected of being used for criminal activity. A 55-year-old suspect, believed to be one of the internet’s biggest illegal uploaders of mixed martial arts and wrestling content, was arrested and remanded into police custody following the execution of the search warrant for his alleged involvement into the illegal distribution of protected content. Authorities estimate the suspect’s operation may have shared files that led to more than 2 million downloads. The suspect has been taken in for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

In the course of the search of the suspect’s residence in Coalville, Leicestershire, PIPCU uncovered computers, electronic equipment, and other evidence to assist in determining the extent of the unlawful activity and the potential damages incurred as a result of these crimes.

UFC has assisted local law enforcement authorities around the world in identifying potential infringers of intellectual property laws relating to the illegal distribution of copyrighted broadcasts. The UFC is committed to providing any assistance to PIPCU’s investigation into the illegal distribution of the company’s content and will make records and documents available to investigators.

“The UFC organization hopes this investigation and arrest by PIPCU will result in a significant decrease in the illegal online distribution of our intellectual property and broadcasts,” UFC Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick said. “We take online piracy very seriously and will continue to work with law enforcement officials around the world to prevent illegal sharing of UFC content.”

About UFC®

UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas, Nev. – The UFC® today confirmed a new partnership with Monster Energy®, to be the official energy drink of the UFC. This new exclusive deal – which excludes Brazil – continues UFC’s approach of partnering with industry-leading companies that share the same values and vision to further maximize and expand branding opportunities worldwide.

“The UFC® is excited to partner with a category leader like Monster Energy and introduce them to our fans who embody the same enthusiasm and passion synonymous with their brand,” UFC Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships Michael Mossholder said. “This new multi-year deal will bring new and exciting experiential opportunities and unique in-market retail promotions.”

“We are excited to partner with the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization as the official energy drink of UFC as we expand our commitment into the MMA category,” said Sam Pontrelli, Monster Energy Senior Vice President of Marketing. “Through this partnership we will build a stronger brand position and expand our reach globally, thereby gaining exposure to a new audience while supporting the sport’s premiere athletes. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Monster Energy will also be sponsoring select athletes including UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, as well as UFC® lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and former UFC welterweight champion and current No.1 welterweight contender Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks, both of whom are competing at UFC® 185 in Dallas this coming Saturday.

Additional UFC athletes will be announced at a later date.

As part of this partnership, the Monster Energy logo has center placement on the canvas, as first witnessed at UFC® 184: Rousey vs. Zingano in Los Angeles. Monster Energy will also be promoted on various UFC® entities inside and outside the Octagon® and together with UFC they will execute distinctive retail promotions and contest opportunities such as:

· “Belt the Champ”: a promotion to give one lucky fan the opportunity to attend a title fight and step inside the Octagon to present the championship belt.

· The “Monster Experience”: an opportunity for fans to gain unparalleled access during a UFC fight week, including access to open workouts, the weigh-in, press conferences, and the chance to sit with UFC President Dana White at the live event.

For more information on UFC or current fight news, visit ufc.com. For more information on Monster Energy visit monsterenergy.com.

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About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About Monster
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

TORONTO | NEW YORK (March 12, 2015) – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents the return of ONE Championship live this Friday, March 13 at 8 a.m. ET, as ONE Championship: Age of Champions emanates from Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Airing live exclusively in Canada, the main event features a ONE FC flyweight championship clash pitting incumbent champion Adriano Moraes against Japanese stalwart Asuku “Riku Shibuya” Mikami.

In other featured bouts, Malaysian superstars Peter Davis and Ann Osman take on Rajinder Singh Meena and Walaa Abbas, respectively. Plus Thanh Vu moves down to flyweight to take on Malaysia’s Gianni Subba, Ev Ting battles Cary Bullos and Chan Rothana faces Ramon Gonzalez.

The live action continues on Saturday, March 14 at 4:30 p.m. ET, as Enfusion Live 25 invades Turnhout, Belgium for an exciting professional kickboxing card, featuring Hicham El Gaoui vs. Karapet Karapetyan for the -80 kg world title, plus Nordin Ben Moh vs. William Diender, Harut Grigorian vs. Marco Pique and Robbie Hageman vs. Engin Kutuk..

Fight Network’s live Enfusion broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET will air on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and in Turkey on D-Smart.

Then at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network will present its UFC 185 Pre-Show Live at7 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis ahead of UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos on pay-per-view. Immediately following the main card, Fight Network will also televise the live post-fight press conference from Dallas, Texas.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now and UFC Ultimate Insider. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

Post-fight coverage continues on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of Saturday’s event.

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

Singapore – The UFC® announced that its upcoming live event debut in Manila on Saturday, May 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena will be headlined by two former champions, as the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender Frankie Edgar comes head to head with Urijah Faber, who makes a long awaited return to 145 lbs. in a five-round battle sure to thrill the Filipino fans.

Riding a three-fight win streak, former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (17-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, New Jersey, USA) has proved his undeniable skills against Cub Swanson, BJ Penn, and Charles Oliveira. With his sights now set on another title shot opportunity, Edgar will be looking for a memorable finish at this highly anticipated event. Making a return to the weight class of his greatest triumphs in the WEC, Faber (37-7-0, fighting out of Sacramento, California, USA) has won six of his last seven fights and has never lost a non-title fight. His experience in the cage has seen him go the five round championship distance five times against Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Mike Brown and twice against Renan Barao.

The co-main event brings a middleweight bust-up between No. 8 ranked Gregard Mousasi (35-5-2, fighting out of Leiden, The Netherlands) and New York banger Costa Philippou (13-4-0, fighting out of Long Island, New York, USA). Mousasi holds 20 wins by KO and has defeated many seasoned fighters including Hector Lombard, Ovince St. Preux, Mark Munoz, ‘Babalu’ Sobral, and Ilir latifi. Mousasi will be looking to build on his last win over legend Dan Henderson as he meets former pro boxer Philippou, who has been victorious in six of his last eight bouts. Plus up and coming Brit Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt (8-2-0, fighting out of Cambridge, England) takes on “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (13-5, fighting out of Lake Forest, California, USA). Munoz comes to Manila to live out the dream of being able to fight in front of his fellow Filipinos for the first time in his long and distinguished career.

In addition, the Manila card will also feature a diverse mix of UFC fighters from the Philippines and China bringing fans a truly international event.

Other confirmed bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT® MANILA: EDGAR vs. FABER include:
· In a welterweight bout South Korea’s “The Ace” Hyun Gyu Lim (13-4-1, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) takes on hot prospect Neil Magny (14-4-0, fighting out of Denver, Colorado, USA) who is on a fierce five fight winning streak.

· The Philippines own Roldan Sangcha-an (4-1, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) will have the Mall of Asia Arena behind him when he takes on skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Jon Delos Reyes (7-4, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) in a flyweight tilt.

· The Ultimate Fighter China winner Zhang ‘The Warrior’ Lipeng (9-8-1, fighting out Beijing, China) takes on ‘Rajan’ Kajan Johnson (19-12-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a lightweight clash

· Korea’s ‘Supernatural’ Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, fighting out of Seoul, Korea) takes on rising prospect Jon ‘The Super Saiyan’ Tuck (8-2, fighting out of Hagatna, Guam) in a lightweight fight that highlights two emerging MMA markets in Asia.

· In another welterweight bout, Li ‘The Leech’ Jingliang (9-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) takes on The Ultimate Fighter: Edgar vs. Penn veteran Roger ‘Viva’ Zapata (4-1, fighting out of New York, New York).

· Another Ultimate Fighter China steps back in the Octagon when Yao Zhikui (1-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets dynamic Nolan Ticman (4-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) in the debut of both fighters at 125 pounds.

· Former The Ultimate Fighter finalist Phillipe Nover (6-3-1, fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, USA) returns to the UFC against “The Korean Bulldozer” Nam Yui Chul in a featherweight bout.

· Another Philippines national Mark Eddiva (6-1-0, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) squares off against Alex “The Spartan” White (10-2-0, fighting out of Farmington, Missouri, USA) in a featherweight match-up.

· Undefeated Singaporean Royston Wee (4-0-0, fighting out of Singapore) meets The Ultimate Fighter China winner Ning Guangyou (5-2-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) in a bantamweight bout

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT® MANILA: EDGAR VS. FABER go on sale Friday, Mar 13 at 10 a.m. Manila time and are priced at PHp13,250 (VIP), PHp10,600 (Patron), PHp7,950 (Lower Box A), PHp5,830 (Lower Box B), PHp3,710 (Upper Box), and PHp1,590 (General Admission) plus applicable service charges. Tickets are available in Mall of Asia Arena Box Office, SM Tickets outlets in all SM Cinema branches nationwide, select The SM Store branches, and online thru www.smtickets.com. For more information, call the Customer Care hotline at +63 (02) 470 2222.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Press Contacts:
Feryal Hemamda, UFC

+65 6635 1674

fhemamda@ufc.com

About Mall of Asia Arena
SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Incorporated or SMLEI is the lifestyle and entertainment solutions company of SM Prime Holdings Inc. that offers the best in movies, events and leisure. Mall of Asia Arena, one of the brands tucked under SMLEI, also known as the architectural “eyecon,” is the venue for international sports and entertainment events. Patterned after popular stadiums abroad, the Mall of Asia Arena is the only center in the Philippines that has a floor dedicated to the Corporate Suites. Concert House to Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Monster Jam, J.Lo, Aerosmith, and the like, as well as sports center to the NBA, IPTL, and One FC, the Mall of Asia Arena is not only a local stadium for international acts but is also a tourist destination.

Melbourne, Australia – The UFC® today applauded the State of Victoria Labor Government for executing a ministerial directive designed to increase safety within the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) by allowing the sport to be conducted in a much safer fenced-in enclosure. The directive was announced this morning at a press conference held by The Honourable John Eren, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events. “This is a major milestone for mixed martial arts in Victoria, which will allow the sport to flourish while at the same time better protecting its competing athletes,” said Tom Wright, UFC Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Prior to the passing of today’s ministerial directive, MMA competitions in the State of Victoria were required to be conducted in boxing rings which were never designed for MMA competitions. The UFC uses a unique, octagon-shaped enclosure which prevents fighters from falling out of the structure or becoming entangled in the ropes as could occur with a boxing ring. “The Octagon® is purpose-built for MMA competition and was designed and developed to optimize safety and to create a level playing field. The UFC thanks the Labor Party for spearheading this initiative and focusing on the safety of the competitors,” added Wright.

With this new ministerial directive in place, the UFC confirmed that it will bring a global pay per view event, UFC 193, to Melbourne on Sunday, November 15, 2015 locally, to be broadcast live in North America on Saturday, November 14.

Since 2010, the UFC has hosted six live events in Australia with each experiencing tremendous success. Collectively, the six events have seen more than 75,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on Pay-Per-View and broadcast television. The three host cities to date – Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane – have had a cumulative gross gate of more than $12 million and millions more in economic impact. The UFC will host its seventh Australian event, UFC® FIGHT NIGHTTM: MIOCIC vs. HUNT, at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on May 10.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com.

Quotes from some of Australia’s top mixed martial artists

No.5 ranked UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt (10-9-1, fighting out of Sydney)
“Just like a jockey needs a horse or a tennis player needs a racquet or a V8 driver needs a car – mixed martial artists, UFC fighters need the Octagon®. It’s our tool for competition – to make competition fair and safe. I’m excited that the UFC can now come to Melbourne and trust me, I want to be there competing to make sporting history.”

Robert Whittaker (13-4, fighting out of Sydney)
“This progress in Melbourne is an amazing opportunity for the Australian MMA community. The UFC is already bringing more events to Australia and this new destination opens up more opportunities for aspiring mixed martial artists. As a MMA fighter myself, it would be an honour and privilege to compete in Melbourne and make history!”

Vik Grujic (7-5, fighting out of Melbourne)
“MMA in Melbourne will no longer fall behind the rest of the world because of ignorance.”

Kyle Noke (fighting out of Albuquerque, USA via Dubbo, Australia)
“We now finally get the chance to fight in front of a home crowd in the sporting capital of Australia. This is a dream come true for me and the rest of the UFC competitors representing Australia around the world.”

Daniel Kelly (9-0 fighting out of Melbourne)
“It’s only fitting to have the fastest growing sport in the world in the sporting capital of Australia. Personally it would be a dream to compete in the UFC in my hometown.”

Brendan O’Reilly (5-1-1, fighting out of Brisbane)
“This is a momentous occasion for the sport of MMA in Victoria, Australia and the growth of the UFC worldwide. Melbourne has some of the most passionate sports fans in the world, and I can’t wait to fight in the UFC Octagon® in front of a live Victorian audience.”

Soa Palelei (22-4, fighting out of Perth)
“Being able to fight in the UFC is a dream come true. Being able to compete in Australia is the icing on the cake. I’m extremely proud to be Australian and being able to do what I love for my country is truly gratifying. With Melbourne now able to host the UFC, I can see MMA growing immensely and I cannot wait till Perth also gets on board.”

Richie Vaculik (10-4, fighting out Sydney)
“So good to hear that finally the Victorian government has come to its senses and allowed MMA to be performed in its safest environment: the Octagon®. I can’t wait to be a part of a spectacular UFC event in Melbourne.”

Alex Chambers (4-2, fighting out of Sydney)
“Fantastic news that the ban will no longer remain in Victoria for MMA bouts inside a fenced-in enclosure. There was a big misconception about what was actually banned, which I feel has hindered MMA in Australia although the sport was always legal. A really great day for all MMA athletes and fans, not just in Victoria but all of Australia”

About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. In Australia, the UFC has broadcast agreements with FOXTEL and MAIN EVENT, which includes live events broadcasts, The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit au.ufc.com and follow UFC on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/UFC, on Twitter @UFC_AUSNZ and Instagram @UFC.

Singapore – With the exponential growth of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Asia, a landmark announcement was made today by UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, displaying their continued commitment to the region.

The UFC has agreed to a significant new partnership with a leading digital sports platform in China, PPTV. The deal will allow Chinese UFC fans to access all UFC® events live and in local language in China for the first time, this localized content will be used to support UFC® promotions in the social media and digital marketing environment. The UFC® has grown its audience engagement across social media channels to the same levels as English Premier League football teams in the region*. The growing number of MMA and UFC® fans in China will have unprecedented access to all of the passion, excitement and top quality athletes that are the trademark of all UFC® events.

Ken Berger, EVP and General Manager UFC Asia, said: “This landmark deal displays the rapid growth and demand for premium MMA content in China. There is a real upward trend of MMA taking hold in the region with increased engagement amongst fans and more and more athletes dedicating their lives to becoming the best they can be. The UFC® recognizes that it really is only a matter of time before we start seeing champions emerge from China.” Ken continued, “PPTV have always been a valued supporter of the UFC, we couldn’t be happier to grow our partnership with them this year.”

PPTV Sports General Manger Li Dong says, “We hope PPTV will become the best partner of UFC; PPTV is going to be the home of UFC in China.”

China is emerging as a significant breeding ground for talented MMA athletes who are increasingly taking their place on the world’s MMA stage. With 14 Chinese fighters within the UFC® and an actively engaged fan base established in the country, the partnership will build upon the increasing demand for UFC® content in this market, strengthening the substantial growth seen within Asia over the last twelve months.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information about UFC, its events and programming, please visit www.ufc.com.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content.

The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas – On Memorial Day Weekend, two world title fights headline UFC® 187 as undisputed light heavyweight king Jon “Bones” Jones meets No. 1 contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the five-round main event. Plus, middleweight champion Chris Weidman puts his belt on the line when he faces former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort Saturday, May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The pound-for-pound king, Jon Jones (21-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) continues to smash records and make history as he goes for an unprecedented ninth successful UFC light heavyweight title defense. Undefeated in his last 12 bouts, Jones is currently tied for second place with Georges St-Pierre for the longest active winning streak, just behind former middleweight champion Anderson Silva with 17. Jones is on a path to become arguably the greatest fighter of all-time, having defeated both former legends and rising stars, with his most recent victory coming after a five-round war against U.S. Olympian Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. Looking to further etch his name in the record books, Jones gladly welcomes the challenge of facing the hardest-hitting opponent of his career at UFC 187.

Since making his UFC return in 2014, (No. 1) Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (19-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) has gone 3-0, collecting two first-round finishes over former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson (TKO at 2:15 of round 1 at UFC Fight Night® in Stockholm) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (KO at 0:44 seconds of round 1 at UFC on FOX in San Jose), while also delivering a masterful performance against seventh-ranked Phil Davis at UFC 172. A nine-fight win streak, coupled with dominant wins over top tier talent, has earned Johnson a chance to challenge the pound-for-pound king for the light heavyweight world title.

In what will be an electric co-main event, middleweight champion Chris Weidman (12-0, fighting out of Baldwin, N.Y.) will put his spotless record on the line when he faces the fourth-ranked Belfort, who has been anxiously awaiting his shot at the belt. After doing the seemingly impossible by beating former champion Anderson Silva twice, Weidman went on to defend his title in spectacular fashion against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 175. The five-round battle earned the pair a Fight of the Year nomination and cemented Weidman’s place in the pound-for-pound rankings (No. 4). With victories over many of the sport’s elite, the New Yorker looks to add another notable name to his resume when he takes on one of his most ferocious opponents to date.

Determined to hold titles in two weight classes, former 205-pound champ (No. 4) Vitor Belfort (24-10, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has been destroying his competition as of late, and at 37 years old, has never looked better. In his most recent outings, “The Phenom” defeated both Dan Henderson and Luke Rockhold in the first round following his incredible second-round TKO victory over Michael Bisping in January 2013. Weidman and Belfort have been slated to meet on three separate occasions, and the two will finally go to war on May 23.

Other bouts for UFC 187 include:
· Undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov returns from a lengthy layoff (22-0, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) to face No. 3 Donald Cerrone (27-6, 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.), a winner of seven straight.

· In a battle of heavyweights, third-ranked Travis Browne (17-2-1, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.) collides with (No. 7) Andre Arlovski (23-10, 1 NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.).

· Ninth-ranked welterweight Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim (19-3-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Busan, South Korea) meets Josh Burkman (28-11, fighting out of Draper, Utah).

· Former title challengers Joseph Benavidez (21-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) and John Moraga (16-3, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) hit the stage in a flyweight scrap.

· Plus, the flyweight division’s No. 1 contender and TUF season 14 winner John Dodson (17-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) makes his return against (No. 9) Zach Makovsky (19-5, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.).

· In their UFC debuts, newcomers Leo Kuntz (17-1-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and Islam Makhachev (11-0, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) square off in a 155-pound bout.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Tickets for UFC® 187: JONES vs. JOHNSON go on sale Friday, March 6 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $350, $225 and $125 (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. Beginning at noon, tickets also will be available for purchase in person at any MGM Resorts International box office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 4 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 5 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Get your VIP package today! The UFC VIP Experience packages together your tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greet and autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, and photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon® and more!

UFC®187: JONES vs. JOHNSON will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High -Definition.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About the MGM Grand Garden Arena

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar de la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, U2, Lady Gaga, Sting, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also is home to the annual Academy of Country Music Awards, annual Billboard Music Awards, annual iHeartRadio Music Festival and the Frozen Fury NHL pre-season game which features the Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche.

Today, Bellator MMA was compelled to go to court to stop Quinton “Rampage” Jackson from fighting in an April 25th bout promoted by Bellator’s competitor, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Jackson, who has completed only three fights of his exclusive six-fight contract with Bellator, is barred by contract from fighting for any promoter other than Bellator. Our lawsuit for an injunction and related relief – filed in the Chancery Division of the Superior Court in Burlington County, New Jersey – will compel Jackson to honor his contractual agreement. We look forward to having one of our MMA stars fighting for Bellator again.

Las Vegas, Nev. – Coming off a historic season that saw the crowning of the UFC’s first-ever women’s strawweight champion, the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter® looks to raise the stakes once again. For the first time in the show’s 10-year history, a gym versus gym format will be introduced pitting fighters from the famed American Top Team against those from Blackzilians, all while living together under one roof in South Florida.

It will be a monumental season, as $500,000, the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter Team Trophy and most importantly, ultimate bragging rights, are all up for grabs. The decisions and strategy determined by each team have never impacted the show as much as they will this season.

This season of The Ultimate Fighter®: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians premieres with a two-hour episode Wednesday, April 22, at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and will continue with 11 more one-hour shows Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. This is the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter to air on FOX Sports 1. The series is the network’s highest rated and most watched original program since the network’s inception in August 2013.

There’s no shortage of bad blood between these two camps. In 2001, the famed American Top Team gym was founded in Coconut Creek, Fla. by Dan Lambert. The gym has since been home to numerous champions and top contenders including current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, former title challengers Thiago Alves and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, former WEC® featherweight champ Mike Brown, Hector Lombard, Tyron Woodley and Dustin Poirier. However, in 2011 several members defected to start their own camp, the Blackzilians. Partnering with successful businessman Glenn Robinson, the fighters started their own training facility only 20 minutes away in Boca Raton, Fla., beginning one of the deepest rivalries in all of MMA. The Blackzilians camp is now home to former UFC light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort, as well as top contenders Anthony Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Michael Johnson and Matt Mitrione.

This season features eight rising welterweights from each team who will be selected by their respective gym owner to live in a South Florida house alongside their competition. The fighters will continue to train at their home gym with their own coaches and sparring partners. However, fights will no longer be held at a neutral site and now move to the teams’ respective gyms, always leaving one fighter to compete in enemy territory. Adding to the anticipation ahead of each bout, opponents won’t be known until the weigh-in. The culmination of the season will see two fighters meet at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in summer 2015, where the winning gym will be crowned.

This season’s cast includes:

AMERICAN TOP TEAM BLACKZILIANS
Marcelo Alfaya (16-7, 1NC) Porto Alegre, Brazil Valdir Araujo (14-5), Gama, Federal District, Brazil
Steve Carl (21-4), Belle Plain, Iowa Carrington Banks (3-0), Peoria, Ill.
Nathan Coy (14-5), Vallejo, Calif. Luiz Buscape (16-5), Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil
Michael Graves (4-0), Toledo, Ohio Jason Jackson (4-2), Kingston, Jamaica
Hayder Hassan (6-1), Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Vicente Luque (7-4-1), Westwood, N.J.
Sabah Homasi (8-4), New Brunswick, N.J. Andrews Nakahara (4-2-2), Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Uros Jurisic (5-0), Ljubljana, Slovenia Felipe Portela (8-2), Brasilia, Brazil
Steve Montgomery (8-2), Florence, S.C. Kamarudeen Usman (5-1) Auchi, Nigeria

Many of today’s most recognizable names in the UFC have emerged from The Ultimate Fighter® series, which also produced champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, TJ Dillashaw, Carla Esparza and Matt Serra, as well as season winners Michael Bisping, Ryan Bader and John Dodson.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @UltimateFighter or on Facebook.com/TUF.

About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is America’s new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17, 2013 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: UFC, college basketball and football, MLB, NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer, and Golden Boy boxing, and adds USGA events, including the U.S. Open, and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1’s flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER; NASCAR RACE HUB; AMERICA’S PREGAME; MLB WHIPAROUND; and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a new authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel’s digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1.

Ronda Rousey 135 – Cat Zingano 134.5
(Women’s bantamweight title)
Holly Holm 135.5 – Raquel Pennington 135.5
Josh Koscheck 170.5 – Jake Ellenberger 171
Alan Jouban 170.5 – Richard Walsh 171
Tony Ferguson 156 – Gleison Tibau 155
Mark Munoz 187.25 Roan Carneiro 184.5
Kid Yamamoto 136 – Roman Salazar 135
Dhiego Lima 170 – Tim Means 170
Derrick Lewis 263 – Ruan Potts 253
James Krause 155 – Valmir Lozaro 155.5
Masio Fullen 145 – Alexander Torres 145.5

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents an exciting international heavyweight showdown this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, as U.K.-based WBO International heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (23-0, 17 KOs) risks his perfect professional record against dangerous Romanian-born German foe Christian Hammer (17-3, 10 KOs).

Scheduled to air live in Canada from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, Saturday’s Frank Warren and Hennessy Sports-promoted event emanates from 02 Arena in London, England.

Should Fury emerge victorious in Saturday’s main event, he will be next in line to challenge reigning world champion Wladimir Klitschko in a highly anticipated championship showdown.

The co-main event is also expected to produce fireworks as undefeated Russian Dmitry Chudinov (14-0, 9 KOs) defends his interim WBA middleweight crown against highly touted British banger Chris Eubank Jr. (18-1, 13 KOs).

Leading into Saturday’s live broadcast, Fight Network will present live coverage of the UFC’s “Welcome to the Show” press conference from Los Angeles, as 20 top UFC fighters will join UFC president Dana White to promote upcoming events. Fighters scheduled to appear include champions Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Anthony Pettis, T.J. Dillashaw and Carla Esparza, plus top contenders Frankie Edgar, Urijah Faber, Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold. The live press conference kicks off at 2 p.m. ET.

Following Saturday’s live Fury vs. Hammer broadcast, Fight Network will present its UFC Pre-Show Live at 7 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis ahead of UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano on pay-per-view.

A UFC Post-Show Live will air on Fight Network immediately following the pay-per-view at approximately 1 a.m. ET, featuring highlights, recaps and the live post-fight press conference.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now and UFC Ultimate Insider. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

Post-fight coverage continues on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of Saturday’s event.

It all begins tonight, Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET with a broadcast of the UFC 184 Weigh-ins Live, as women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and unbeaten No. 1 contender Cat Zingano tip the scales before taking center stage on Saturday night.

Then, at 10:30 p.m. ET, Fight Network’s Golden Boy Live! boxing series returns to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., headlined by former world champion Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (28-4-1, 21 KOs) and the hard-punching Juan Carlos “Merengue” Abreu (18-1, 17 KOs), plus Diego De La Hoya (8-0, 6 KOs) battles Manuel “Suavecito” Roman (17-3-3, 6 KOs) and imposing Chinese heavyweight sensation, Taishan (2-0, 2 KOs) faces Roy McCary (3-2, 3 KOs).

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

Tomorrow, Feb. 28, marks one of the most highly anticipated MMA fights in UFC women’s history as MMA star Ronda Rousey defends her UFC bantamweight title against No. 1-ranked contender Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in Los Angeles. That event follows Invicta FC 11, an all-women’s fight promotion headlined by Cris “Cyborg” Santos.

Front Row caught up with Ryan Hockensmith, deputy editor, espnW and reporter Ramona Shelburne to discuss W’s in-depth coverage around the fights and the atmosphere in Los Angeles. Read full Q&A on ESPN Front Row.

More information on epnW’s week-long UFC 184 coverage:
espnW will look ahead to Saturday’s big UFC 184 bout between bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and top contender Cat Zingano. Ramona Shelburne will be covering the fight in Los Angeles, and W will have week-long coverage. Allison Glock will have an in-depth profile of Zingano, accompanied with video. Also, Michael Huang will explain “Why this Might be the Biggest Weekend in Women’s MMA History.” Additional pieces and all associated content will be located at: espnW.com/RondaRousey.

Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC FIGHT PASS®, the UFC®’s digital subscription service, has announced that the prelims for this Friday’s highly anticipated Invicta FC 11 event will be made available to fans around the world for free.

Invicta FC 11: Cyborg vs Tweet takes place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and kicks-off a huge weekend for female mixed martial arts.

UFC® 184, headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey vs No.1 contender Cat Zingano and co-headlined by Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington, also emanates from Los Angeles one day later, this Saturday, February 28.

UFC Chief Content Officer Marshall Zelaznik said: “This is arguably the biggest weekend for female MMA ever, and we’re excited to get things going by making the first half of a great Invicta card free to our fans. This will be the fourth Invicta FC event we have streamed on UFCFIGHTPASS.com in the last five months, and we invite fans who haven’t seen Invicta yet to check out the kind of great exclusive content we offer on UFCFIGHTPASS.com.”

The Invicta FC 11 prelims will begin steaming live at 7pm PT/10pm ET on UFC.tv here: http://www.ufc.tv/video/invicta-fc-11-prelims.

The main card – headlined by the long-awaited return to action for Invicta featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino taking on the surging Charmaine Tweet – will then stream exclusively live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com from 9pm PT/midnight ET here: http://www.ufc.tv/video/invicta-fc-11

Then, on Saturday, UFCFIGHTPASS.com will exclusively live stream the UFC 184 early prelims, featuring a featherweight fight between Masio Fullen and Alexander Torres and two-time performance of the night winner James Krause taking on lightweight Valmir Lazaro. Link here: http://www.ufc.tv/video/ufc-184-fight-pass-prelims

Here’s what the streaming schedule looks like for this weekend.

INVICTA FC 11 PRELIMS: FREE on UFC.tv starting FRIDAY 7pm PT, 10pm ET
Strawweight: Jamie Moyle (1-0) vs. J.J. Aldrich (1-0)
Strawweight: Brianna Van Buren (3-1) vs. Amy Montenegro (5-1)
Flyweight: Christine Stanley (3-1) vs. Emily Corso (4-0)
Flyweight: Kristi Lopez (2-0) vs. Aspen Ladd (0-0)

INVICTA FC 11 MAIN CARD: on UFCFIGHTPASS.com starting FRIDAY 9pm PT, midnight ET
Invicta FC 145lbs Title: Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino (12-1, 1 NC) vs. Charmaine Tweet (6-4)
Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (6-0) vs. Mizuki Inoue (8-3)
Strawweight: DeAnna Bennett (6-0) vs. Lynn Alvarez (6-3)
Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (4-1) vs. Melanie LaCroix (3-2)

UFC 184 FIGHT PASS PRELIMS: on UFCFIGHTPASS.com, starting SATURDAY 4pm PT/7pm ET
UFC featherweight: Masio Fullen vs Alexander Torres
UFC lightweight: James Krause vs Valmir Lazaro
UFC FIGHT PASS is available now at UFCFIGHTPASS.com on personal computers, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Chromecast, Android, Samsung, LG Smart TV and Roku. Subscriptions are $9.99 month to month, $8.99 per month for six months or $7.99 per month for a one-year subscription. Start your one-week free trial now.

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About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Beijing, Singapore and Sao Paulo, the UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries to 800+ million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S. which includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. UFC also owns over 100 UFC GYM® locations, UFC.TV (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC 360 (the internationally distributed magazine), a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, Octagon™ branded apparel and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.com and follow UFC at www.Facebook.com/UFC and Twitter: @UFC

Frank Mir knocked out Antonio Silva in the 1st round of their scheduled 5-round Heavyweight bout in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Mir landed a huge shot that knocked Silva to the ground and quickly landed two crushing shots while Silva was on the ground and the fight was stopped.

Mir, 261 lbs of Las Vegas is now 17-9. Silva 264 lbs of Brazil is now 18-7-1.

Michael Johnson scored a unanimous decision over Edson Barris Jr. in a Lightweight bout.

Johnson, 155 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 16-8. Barros, 156 lbs of Brazil is now 15-3.

Sam Alvey scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Cezar Ferreria in a Lightweight bout.

Alvey got hit with a back elbow but in the process he landed a perfect right and left that sent Ferreria to the canvas. He then landed two more shots on a prone Ferreria and the fight was stopped at 3:34.

Alvey, 186 lbs of Temecula, CA is now 25-6. Ferreria, 186 lbs is now 8-4.

Adriano Martines scored a 3-round split decision over Rustam Khabilov in a Lightweight bout.

Martines, 156 lbs of Brazil won by scores of 29-28 on two cards while Khabilov won a card 29-28.

Martines is now 2707. Khabilov, 156 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 17-3.

Santiago Ponzinibbo scored a 3-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sean Strickland in a Welterweight bout.

Both guys landed heavy blows and each had their nose bloodied.

Ponzinibbio, 171 lbs of Rio de Jeaneiro, BRA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 21-2. Strickland, 171 lbs of Corona, CA is now 15-1.

Marion Reneau scored a 1st round tap out over Jessica Andrade in a Bantamweight bout.

Andrade landed a right hand that sent Reneau to the ground but Reneau was able to get Andrade in a triangle choke. Reneau landed a few shots while on the ground that bloodied the nose of Andrade. Shortly after, Reneau was able to lock in the choke and Andrade tapped out at 1:54.

Reneau, 134 lbs of Visalia, CA is now 6-1. Amdrade, 135 lbs of Rio de Janiero, BRA is now 12-4.

Matt Dwyer scored a shocking 1st round stoppage over William Patolino in a Welterweight bout.

Dwyer landed a “Superman Punch” right hand on the temple and knocked off the equilibrium off of Patolino and he fell face first to the canvas and the bout was stopped after one landed punch by Dwyer at 3:14.

Dwyer, 170 lbs of Keloina, BC, CAN is now 8-2. Patolino, 168 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is 7-3

Mike De La Torre punched out Tiago Trator in the first round of their Featerweight bout.

De La Torre dropped Trator with a left hook and then connected with seven unanswered blows while Trator was on his back and the bout was stopped at 2:59.

De La Torre, 146 lbs of Glendale, AZ is now 13-4. Trator, 146 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is now 19-5-2.

Douglas Silva de Andrade won a unanimous decision over Cody Gibson in a Bantamweight bout.

Andrade, 135 lbs of Brazil won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 23-1-1. Gibson, 135 lbs of Visalia, CA is now 12-6.

Las Vegas, Nev. – Just hours before UFC® 184, UFC will unveil its second season of action-packed live events at The Event Deck at L.A. LIVE. Twenty top UFC fighters will join UFC President Dana White for the Welcome to the Show launch event at 11 a.m. PT. The Welcome to the Show launch event is free and open to public.

The following athletes will attend this can’t-miss event next Saturday:

UFC® 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS
Saturday, March 14 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
· Anthony “Showtime” Pettis – UFC lightweight champion

· Rafael dos Anjos – No. 1 lightweight contender

· Carla Esparza – UFC women’s strawweight champion

· Joanna Jedrzejczyk – No. 1 women’s strawweight contender

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MAIA vs. LAFLARE
Saturday, March 21 at Ginasio do Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
· Demian Maia – No. 7 welterweight contender

· Ryan LaFlare – No. 15 welterweight contender

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MENDES vs. LAMAS
Saturday, April 4 at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
· Chad Mendes – No. 2 featherweight contender

· Ricardo Lamas – No. 4 featherweight contender

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROCKHOLD
Saturday, April 18 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
· Lyoto Machida – former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 3 middleweight contender

· Luke Rockhold – former STRIKEFORCE® middleweight champion and No. 5 middleweight contender

UFC® 186: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO 2
Saturday, April 25 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
· TJ Dillashaw – UFC bantamweight champion

· Renan Barao – former UFC bantamweight champion and No. 1 bantamweight contender

· Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson – UFC flyweight champion

· Kyoji Horiguchi – No. 8 flyweight contender

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: EDGAR vs. FABER
Saturday, May 16 at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines
· Frankie Edgar – former UFC lightweight champion and No. 1 featherweight contender

· Urijah Faber – former WEC featherweight champion

UFC® 187: JONES vs. JOHNSON
Saturday, May 23 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
· Jon “Bones” Jones – UFC light heavyweight champion

· Anthony “Rumble” Johnson –No. 1 light heavyweight contender

· Chris Weidman – UFC middleweight champion

· Vitor Belfort – former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 4 middleweight contender

Following the event, the UFC invites fans to the UFC Fan Village at STAPLES Center. The UFC Fan Village will be set up outside STAPLES Center on Chick Hearn Ct. and feature a Bud Light® beer garden, MetroPCS interactive display, Interactive fan photo stations, UFC merchandise, autograph sessions with UFC stars and much more. The event is free and open to the public beginning at noon and concluding at 4 p.m. to coincide with the first bout of UFC 184: ROUSEY vs. ZINGANO.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About UFC®

UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

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UFC

Las Vegas, Nevada – The UFC® returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, April 18 with an exciting main event pitting former UFC champ Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida against former STRIKEFORCE® titleholder and fifth-ranked contender Luke Rockhold in a pivotal bout for the middleweight division.

Machida (22-5, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of Belem, Brazil) returns to action following a “Fight of the Night” performance against Chris Weidman and a recent first round TKO victory over CB Dollaway that also netted him a “Performance of the Night” award. Currently ranked No. 3, the Karate expert has become a fan favorite known for his unique counterstriking and lightning-quick speed. Having won three of four bouts since dropping to middleweight, Machida looks at home in his new division and is hoping to become just the third fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes.

Rockhold (13-2, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) has long maintained that he is one of the elite fighters at 185 pounds and just needed the opportunity to prove it. After winning the STRIKEFORCE middleweight title from “Jacare” following a year and a half layoff from injury in 2011, Rockhold went on to pick up dominant victories over current top 15 fighters Tim Kennedy, Costas Philippou, Tim Boetsch and most recently, Michael Bisping. The AKA-based fighter who routinely trains alongside Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier hopes that in 2015, he’ll add UFC champion to his resume.

Winner of his last seven bouts dating back to his STRIKEFORCE tenure, second-ranked “Jacare” Souza (21-3, 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has become one of the most feared men in the middleweight division. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who possesses knockout power, Souza has handily defeated Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, Kennedy, Francis Carmont and Yushin Okami throughout his recent career. The former STIRKEFORCE middleweight champ believes he’s the rightful owner of the next shot at UFC gold.

Standing in his way, is No. 6 contender and Cuban Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist, Yoel Romero (9-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.). Romero has been on a tear since entering the Octagon, defeating four of his opponents by devastating knockout and earning “Fight of the Night” on two occasions. With 2014 wins over Kennedy, Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson, Romero looks poised to take the next step in his already-impressive MMA career.

Also scheduled for the card:
· In a battle of top 10 women’s strawweights, The Ultimate Fighter® season 20 cast member Felice Herrig (10-5, fighting out of Crystal Lake, Ill.) squares off against 20-year-old prospect Paige VanZant (4-1, fighting out of Reno, Nev.) in a matchup sure to produce fireworks.

· Fifth-ranked contender Cub Swanson (21-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. by way of Palm Springs, Calif.) takes on No. 13 Max Holloway (12-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) in an explosive battle of featherweight strikers.

· New Jersey’s own Jim Miller (24-5, 1NC, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) puts his No. 11 ranking on the line against undefeated up-and-comer Paul Felder (10-0, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa.) in an exciting lightweight bout.

· Bantamweights collide as Long Island’s Aljamain Sterling (10-0, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y) looks to stay unbeaten against seventh-ranked Takeya Mizugaki (20-8-2, fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan).

· The Ultimate Fighter season 19 middleweight winner and Serra-Longo fighter Eddie “Truck” Gordon (8-2, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y.) faces wrestler Chris Dempsey (10-2, fighting out of Lower Burrell, Pa.)

· The Ultimate Fighter season 19 light heavyweight winner and Ricardo Almeida-trained prospect Corey Anderson (6-0, fighting out of Rockford, Ill.) squares off against Long Island’s Gian Villante (12-5, fighting out of Bellmore, N.Y.).

· Nick “The Jersey Devil” Catone (10-4, fighting out of Brick, N.J.) returns to action against Vitor Miranda (11-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at middleweight.

· New Jersey native George Sullivan (16-3, 1NC, fighting out of Belmar, N.J.) vs. Kenny Robertson (15-3, fighting out of Washington, Ill.) in a battle of welterweights.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROCKHOLD go on sale Friday, February 20 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $225, $150, $100, $75, $50 and $40. Tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will be available at Prudential Center’s box office beginning Monday, February 23 at 11:00 a.m. ET. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, February 19 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 20 starting at 10 am. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROCKHOLD will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

About Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, and over 200 concerts, family shows and special events each year. Prudential Center welcomes over two million guests annually and placed third on Venues Today’s 2013 ranking of national facilities and ninth worldwide. For more information about Prudential Center, visit www.PruCenter.com and Facebook, and follow @PruCenter on Twitter.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live programming for UFC Fight Night™: Henderson vs. Thatch this Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo.

Fight Network will televise the live prelims exclusively in Canada from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. The main card is scheduled to air live on TSN5 at 10 p.m. ET.

The prelims include a featherweight scrap as No. 8-ranked contender Nik Lentz (25-6-2, 1NC) welcomes newcomer Levan “The Hornet” Makashvili (6-1) to the UFC, The Ultimate Fighter® Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero (22-9) battles Rodrigo de Lima (8-2-1) in lightweight action, fast-rising featherweights Chas Skelly (13-1) and Jim Alers (13-1) put their identical records on the line, plus a fiery flyweight contest pits No. 10-ranked Georgia native Zach Makovsky (18-5) against No. 11-ranked Kansas native Tim Elliott (10-5-1).

Fight Network will also present a live broadcast of the official UFC Fight Night™: Henderson vs. Thatch weigh-ins on Friday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. ET as Benson Henderson tips the scales at welterweight for the first time in his UFC career opposite highly touted knockout artist Brandon Thatch.

Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the prelims on Saturday night with Fight Network’s UFC Pre-Show Live at 7 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.

A UFC Post-Show Live will air on Fight Network immediately following the main card at approximately 1 a.m. ET, featuring highlights, recaps and the live post-fight press conference.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now and UFC Ultimate Insider. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

Post-fight coverage continues on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of Saturday’s event.

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

Main Card (Live on TSN5, 10 p.m. ET):
-Benson Henderson (21-5) vs. Brandon Thatch (11-1)
-Max Holloway (11-3) vs. Cole Miller (21-8)
-Neil Magny (13-3) vs. Kiichi Kunimoto (18-5-2)
-Daniel Kelly (8-0) vs. Patrick Walsh (5-1)
-Michel Prazeres (18-1) vs. Kevin Lee (9-1)
-Ray Borg (7-1) vs. Chris Kelades (8-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 8 p.m. ET):
-Nik Lentz (25-6-2, 1NC) vs. Levan Makashvili (6-1)
-Efrain Escudero (22-9) vs. Rodrigo de Lima (8-2-1)
-Chas Skelly (13-1) vs. Jim Alers (13-1)
-Zach Makovsky (18-5) vs. Tim Elliott (10-5-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 7:30 p.m. ET):
-James Moontasri (7-2) vs. Cody Pfister (11-3-1)

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

Singapore – The UFC® makes its much anticipated live event debut in Manila when it brings the Octagon® to the Mall of Arena Asia on Saturday, May 16. The main event will see former lightweight champion and current No. 1 ranked featherweight mixed martial artist Frankie “The Answer” Edgar face fellow American Urijah “The California Kid” Faber in a five-round featherweight battle at 145 pounds.

At 33, Edgar (17-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, New Jersey, USA) is proving himself to be a force in the 145lb division. Ranked No.1 in the division, the former collegiate wrestler is currently riding a three-fight win streak and looking to get one step closer to another title shot opportunity.

Faber (37-7-0, fighting out of Sacramento, California, USA) will be making his inaugural featherweight debut. The California Kid, currently ranked No.3 in the bantamweight division, has won six of his last seven fights and has never lost a non-title fight. His experience in the Octagon has seen him go the five round championship distance five times against Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Mike Brown and twice against Renan Barao.

Faber comments: “I feel like it’s rare in this sport to have the ability, the opportunity and the fortune of having super fights at multiple weights. I started in this sport because I love it. I love the challenge and I love to perform. Fighting a guy like Frankie Edgar is exactly the reason I got into this sport. I’m a fan of the heart Frankie has as a fighter, something I’m known for as well. I was a 145 lb. champion and he was a 155 lb. champion so it’s cool for me to be able to make this fight, one for the history books. I plan on winning and putting on a show in the process.”

Other confirmed bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT MANILA: EDGAR vs. FABER include:
· The Philippines own Roldan Sangcha-an (4-1, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) will have the Mall of Asia Arena behind him when he takes on skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Jon Delos Reyes (7-4, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) in a flyweight tilt.

· The Ultimate Fighter China winner Zhang ‘The Warrior’ Lipeng (9-8-1, fighting out Beijing, China) takes on ‘Rajan’ Kajan Johnson (19-12-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a lightweight clash

· Korea’s ‘Supernatural’ Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, fighting out of Seoul, Korea) takes on rising prospect Jon ‘The Super Saiyan’ Tuck (8-2, fighting out of Hagatna, Guam) in a lightweight fight that highlights two emerging MMA markets in Asia

· In a welterweight bout, Li ‘The Leech’ Jingliang (9-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) takes on The Ultimate Fighter: Edgar vs. Penn veteran Roger ‘Viva’ Zapata (4-1, fighting out of New York, New York)

· Another Ultimate Fighter China steps back in the Octagon when Yao Zhikui (1-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets dynamic Nolan Ticman (4-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) in the debut of both fighters at 125 pounds

UFC Manila will be broadcast all over the world giving the UFC’s international fans a taste of the immense passion and support the Philippines fans have for MMA. Other bouts will be confirmed as they become available.

Tickets will go on-sale on March 13, launched in conjunction with SM Tickets at www.smtickets.com.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Toronto, Canada – The UFC® announced an updated fight card and released ticket prices for UFC® 186: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II at the Bell Centre on Saturday, April 25. The organization will be returning to Montreal with two championship title fights including the highly anticipated re-match between the world’s No.9-ranked pound-for-pound mixed martial artist, UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (12-2, fighting out of Sacramento, Ca., USA), and No.1 contender Renan Barao (35-2, 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The new co-main event will feature UFC flyweight champion and the world’s No.3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Demetrious Johnson (21-2-1, fighting out of Parkland, WA, USA) against No.8 ranked Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan). Tickets for UFC® 186: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, February 28 at 10 a.m. EST.

Dillashaw and Barao’s first bout earned “Fight of the Night” honours at UFC® 173 in May 2013. The 135-pound champion Barao entered the Octagon® with an impressive 32-fight unbeaten streak and three successful title defenses since becoming champion in 2012. However, Dillashaw dominated Barao throughout four rounds and earned a fifth round TKO victory. The two were slated for a re-match at UFC® 177 in August 2014, but Barao was forced to cancel due to issues with his weight cut. With Barao out, Joe Soto, who was originally scheduled to fight on the undercard, stepped in to challenge Dillashaw for the title. After four rounds, Dillashaw landed a head kick to earn another KO victory in the fifth round to defend his title for the first time. Dillashaw has won seven of his last eight, with three by submission and five by KO. Meanwhile, Barao was back in action in December 2014 and earned a “Performance of the Night” arm triangle choke submission victory over Canadian Mitch Gagnon. Barao is a dangerous submission specialist and has won 15 of 35 by submission and eight by knockout.

Johnson is the first and only flyweight champion in UFC history, winning the belt in 2012 against top competitor Joseph Benavidez. Currently on an eight-fight unbeaten streak, “Mighty Mouse” owns eight wins by submission and four by knockout, proving the range of his dangerous skill set. Johnson will look to defend his belt for the sixth time against rising contender Horiguchi, who is currently 4-0 in the UFC and on a nine-fight win streak. Horiguchi, who has five first-round finishes and nine wins by knockout, will be on a mission to bring UFC gold back to Japan for the first time. The UFC® 186 co-main event also marks the introduction of the 125-pound division to La Belle Province, as it will be the first UFC flyweight tilt ever to be held in the Province of Quebec. The Bell Centre faithful will see firsthand the speed and agility the flyweights bring inside the Octagon® as they demonstrate why the division is like no other in the UFC.

The previously scheduled bout between welterweights Rory MacDonald and Hector Lombard has been removed from the card and updates for both fighters will be provided when available.

The Ultimate Fighter® Nations winner Chad Laprise (10-0, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) has also been added to the card. Laprise will face American Bryan Barberena (10-2, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz., USA) in a lightweight bout.

Other confirmed bouts for UFC® 186: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II include:
· Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-10, fighting out of Irvine, Ca., USA) will make his return to the Octagon® after a two year absence. He will face No.13 ranked Fabio Maldonado (22-7, fighting out of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) in a battle of heavy handed strikers at 205 pounds

· No.9 ranked Englishman Michael Bisping (26-7-0, fighting out of Manchester, England) will face a tough test in finishing specialist and No.11 ranked C.B. Dolloway (16-7, fighting out of Tempe, Az., USA) in the middleweight division

· Veteran power-puncher Yves Jabouin (20-9, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) fights undefeated Thomas Almeida (18-0, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) in a bantamweight fight sure to produce fireworks

· Patrick Côté (21-9, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) will meet knockout artist Joe Riggs (40-15, fighting out of Glendale, Az., USA) in a welterweight showdown

· John Makdessi (12-3, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) will face 12-6 Abel Trujillo (12-6,1NC, fighting out of Boca Raton, FL., USA) in a lightweight bout

· In a battle of The Ultimate Fighter® alums, judo black belt Olivier Aubin-Mercier (6-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) clashes with David Michaud (8-1, fighting out of Glendale, Az., USA) in a lightweight tilt

· Welterweight Nordine Taleb (10-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) meets Brazil’s Claudio Silva (11-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

· World champion boxer Jessica Rakoczy (1-4, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nv., USA), originally from Hamilton, Ontario, makes her return to the Octagon® after becoming The Ultimate Fighter® runner-up in 2013. She will meet another striking specialist and fellow Canadian, Valerie Letourneau (6-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fl., USA by way of Montreal, Canada), in a strawweight bout. Both women have dropped a weight class and enter the newest division in the UFC

Tickets for UFC® 186: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II go on sale Saturday, February 28 at 10 a.m. EST at evenko.ca and the Bell Centre box office. Tickets are priced at $375, $250, $150, $100, $90, $75 and $50. Ticket sales are limited to eight per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, February 26 at 10 a.m. EST via the website www.ufcfightclub.com and are limited to six per person. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, February 27 starting at 10 a.m. EST with a limit of eight per person. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. In Canada, the UFC has broadcast agreements with TSN, RDS and Fight Network, which includes live events broadcasts, The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.ca and follow UFC on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/UFC, on Twitter @UFC_CA and Instagram @UFC.

Las Vegas – The UFC® announced today that Brazilian legend Rodrigo “Big Nog” Nogueira will join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil 4, the organization’s signature television reality series, as coach following the departure of UFC middleweight Anderson Silva.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which regulates The Ultimate Fighter series’ exhibition fights filmed in Las Vegas, requested that Silva cease participation in the series as a result of his temporary suspension following the recently announced preliminary results of his January 9 pre-fight drug test for UFC® 183.

The UFC and Globo, the show’s Brazilian broadcaster, respect the Commission’s decision, which will allow Silva to focus his attention on the matter before the Commission. Anderson Silva has been an amazing champion and a true ambassador of the sport of mixed martial arts and the UFC will continue to support him as this process unfolds.

The series, which began filming in Las Vegas on Monday, Feb. 2, originally featured Silva and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as head coaches. Rua will continue on as coach of Team Shogun versus the newly formed Team Nogueira, which will also include Big Nog’s twin brother Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira as an assistant coach.

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About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas – The UFC® returns to Fairfax, Va. on Saturday, April 4, as the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender Chad Mendes goes to head-to-head with fourth-ranked Ricardo Lamas in the five-round main event at the Patriot Center. Having both gone the distance in title bouts against champion Jose Aldo, these battle-tested 145ers will light up the Octagon® when UFC FIGHT NIGHT® takes center stage in the Greater Washington area.

Mendes (16-2, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.), one of the heaviest hitters in the featherweight division, has been taking out top contenders in dominant fashion with wins over Darren Elkins, Clay Guida, Nik Lentz and Cub Swanson. His back-and-forth battle with Aldo at UFC 179 went down as one of the greatest fights in 2014. Lamas (15-3, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) boasts an equally impressive resume that includes wins over Dennis Bermudez, Erik Koch and Swanson. With combined wins over the Who’s Who in the 145-pound weight class, Mendes and Lamas eye each other as their ticket to earning another shot at the title.

The co-main event will feature a staple in the lightweight division as (No. 13) Jorge Masvidal (28-6, fighting out of Miami) takes on rising contender (No. 15) Al Iaquinta (11-3-1, fighting out of Wantagh, N.Y.), a winner of three straight. Plus, The Ultimate Fighter® season 15 winner Michael Chiesa (11-2, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) takes on Canadian-born Mitch Clarke (11-2, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.).

In addition, former top featherweight contender Dustin Poirier (16-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) will test the 155-pound waters when he makes his UFC lightweight debut against Diego Ferreira (10-1, fighting out of Pharr, Texas). Also, in a crucial women’s bantamweight bout, former title contender and women’s MMA pioneer (No. 8) Liz Carmouche (8-5, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) makes her fifth UFC appearance against rising star Lauren Murphy (8-1, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.).

Additional bouts include:

· (No. 11) Julianna Pena (6-2, fighting out of Spokane, Wash.), the first female season winner to emerge from The Ultimate Fighter, returns after a 17-month layoff to take on rising women’s bantamweight Milana Dudieva (11-3, fighting out of Alagir, Russia).

· Former STRIKEFORCE lightweight champion and fan-favorite (No. 11) Clay Guida (31-12, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) takes on Robbie Peralta (18-5, 1NC, fighting out of Escondido, Calif.) in a featherweight bout.

· Former lightweight title contender Gray Maynard (12-5-1, 1NC, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) meets MMA veteran Alexander Yakovlev (21-6-1, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J.).

· Ron Stallings (12-7, 1NC, fighting out of Camp Spring, Md.) will make his second Octagon appearance when he meets middleweight Justin Jones (3-1, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.).

· The Ultimate Fighter season 17 alumnus Clint Hester (11-4, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) squares off against fellow season cast mate Luke Barnatt (8-2, fighting out of Cambridge, England).

· Plus, heavyweights Shamil Abdurahimov (15-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) and Timothy Johnson (8-1, fighting out of Fargo, N.D.) meet in their UFC debuts.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MENDES vs. LAMAS go on sale Friday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $179, $129, $94, $74 and $54 (plus applicable service charges). Tickets are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets including the Patriot Center box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or via Phonecharge at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Feb. 11 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, Feb. 12 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MENDES vs. LAMAS will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Saturday, April 4, with the prelims kicking off the morning on FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS™ at 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas, Nevada – The UFC®, along with UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, are happy to announce they have selected a winner for the Ronda Rousey Walkout T-Shirt Design Contest. In October 2014, the UFC called upon all fans, artists and designers to show off their creativity by submitting an original design to be worn by Rousey during her walkout at UFC® 184: ROUSEY vs. ZINGANO in Los Angeles.

Over 1,000 designs were submitted by UFC fans from all over the country. Rousey and the UFC panel of judges hand-picked the winning design based on two criteria: 50-percent creativity/originality and 50-percent on the submission that best captures Ronda Rousey’s personality.

“Thanks to everyone who submitted their designs for the contest. There were so many amazing options and I’m really excited to walkout wearing the winning design at UFC 184 because it perfectly represents my style and personality,” Rousey said.

Along with the recognition of being the creator of the official walkout shirt, the winning contestant receives the Ultimate UFC Pack. This prize pack includes an EA Sports™ UFC® VIP Kit (Sony PlayStation® 4 and controllers, a copy of EA SPORTS UFC, and Century UFC fight gloves in an Octagon™ container), Monster UFC Octagon™ headphones and earbuds, 10 walkout t-shirts with the winning design and one walkout t-shirt autographed by Ronda.

The undefeated Rousey (10-0, fighting out of Venice, Calif.) will be wearing the winning design as she enters the Octagon® to defend her title against fellow unbeaten and No. 1 contender Cat Zingano (9-0, fighting out of Broomfield, Colo.) at UFC 184 live at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Men’s, Women’s and Youth T-shirts, Unisex Zip Up Hoodies and Hats with the winning design will be available for purchase online starting today at the UFC Store.

Tickets for UFC® 184: ROUSEY vs. ZINGANO, presented by Bud Light, are on-sale now. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.staplescenter.com, via axs.com, or by phone at 888-929-7849, and are available at the STAPLES Center Box Office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC®184: ROUSEY vs. ZINGANO, presented by Bud Light, will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High -Definition.

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About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Singapore – The UFC® today announced their inaugural, and much anticipated UFC Fight Night Manila event in partnership with SM Lifestyle Entertainment inc. The first UFC event in Asia of 2015 will take place in Manila on the 16th May 2015 at the city’s destination venue, SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Executive Vice President and General Manager, UFC Asia, Ken Berger said: “We are thrilled to be kicking off our Asia event calendar in Manila this year. The UFC has a loyal and passionate fan base in the Philippines and we’re looking forward to bringing the very best of mixed martial arts (MMA) to Manila for the first time. We have found a great event partner in SM Lifestyle Entertainment inc. and are excited that the SM Mall of Asia Arena will be home to a historic UFC event that fans will remember for years to come.”

“We are really excited to have the first UFC event in the Philippines,” says President of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Mr. Edgar Tejerero, “We are happy to share that this is the only UFC event to take place in South East Asia this year.” He continues. “At SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., we are determined to bringing topnotch sports and entertainment events for the enjoyment of every Filipino. We have already introduced the first pre-season game of a globally-renowned basketball association, and have recently brought the world’s top tennis players into our venue. It is only fitting that SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. welcomes the MMA phenomenon which is UFC into the Philippines.”

The UFC is the fastest growing sports organization in the world and is viewed as the pinnacle of MMA by both athletes and fans. With close to 40 Asian fighters signed, the UFC in Asia is growing at an exponential rate. Previous events in the region have taken place in Macao, Singapore and Tokyo attracting tens of thousands of fans and millions of TV viewers. Last November, former UFC champion Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit was in Manila for a media tour and fan experience, hosting an open workout event which attracted over 4,000 fans.

The UFC Fight Night Manila event will be broadcast all over the world giving the UFC’s international fans a taste of the immense passion and support the Philippines fans have for MMA.

Tickets will go on-sale in March, launched in conjunction with SM Tickets at www.smtickets.com.

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About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Two world titles are on the line when the UFC® returns to the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday, March 14 as lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis defends his title for the second time when he meets No. 1 contender Rafael dos Anjos and newly-crowned women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza makes her first title defense against top contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The last UFC event in Dallas in 2014 saw Johny Hendricks defeat Robbie Lawler to claim the UFC welterweight title in front of a sold out crowd.

In his first title defense at UFC 181, Pettis (18-2, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wis.) submitted Gilbert Melendez to retain his title, capping off a stellar year that saw him sign with Reebok and become the first UFC athlete to ever grace the cover of the iconic Wheaties box. Known for his flashy fight style that’s seen him finish his last four opponents, Pettis is looking to further establish himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Riding a three-fight win streak that includes victories over Nate Diaz and former champ Benson Henderson, dos Anjos (23-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) hopes to become only the third man to ever defeat Pettis. A 17-fight veteran of the Octagon®, dos Anjos can add his name to the record books by becoming the first Brazilian UFC lightweight champion.

The co-main event will feature Esparza (11-2, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) in her first title defense since becoming the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion by defeating Rose Namajunas last month. Esparza will look to use her high-level wrestling to combat the striking prowess of undefeated No. 1 contender Jedrzejczyk (8-0, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland). A five-time Muay Thai world champion, Jedrzejczyk has never lost in the Octagon, compiling victories over 12th-ranked Juliana Lima and 2nd-ranked Claudia Gadelha to earn the shot at Esparza.

In addition, former UFC welterweight champion and Dallas resident Johny Hendricks (16-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) will meet sixth-ranked contender Matt Brown (21-12, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) in an exciting bout guaranteed to produce fireworks. Both men were involved in Fight of the Year candidates with current champion Robbie Lawler in 2014 and are hoping to secure another crack at the champ with an impressive win in Texas.

Also, ninth-ranked heavyweight Roy Nelson (21-10, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) will collide with No. 11 Alistair Overeem (38-14, 1 NC, fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands). The two fan favorites have no shortage of finishing power, as they’ve combined for 53 total finishes – 29 knockouts and 24 submissions. With the division wide open, these heavy hitters hope to take one step closer to a UFC title shot.

Other bouts for UFC 185 include:
· The Ultimate Fighter season 9 winner Ross Pearson (18-8, 1 NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif. by way of Sunderland, England) and Sam Stout (21-10-1, fighting out of London, Ontario, Canada) meet in a battle of lightweight strikers.

· Brother of main eventer Anthony Pettis, Sergio Pettis (12-1, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) moves to the flyweight division to take on Dallas’ own Ryan Benoit (7-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas).

· Former title challenger and ninth-ranked Chris Cariaso (17-6, fighting out of Tucson, Ariz.) collides with Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo (7-0, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) in a flyweight bout.

· The Ultimate Fighter: Nations winner Elias Theodorou (10-0, fighting out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada) takes on Texas’ Roger Narvaez (7-1, fighting out of Corpus Christi, Texas) in a middleweight matchup.

Tickets for UFC® 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS go on sale Friday, January 23 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $300, $225, $150, $100, $75 and $50 (prices do not include applicable service charges). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and will be available at the American Airlines Center box office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

Get your VIP package today! The UFC VIP Experience packages together your tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greet and autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, and photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon® and more!

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, January 21 at 10 a.m. CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, January 22 at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC®185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High -Definition.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

American Airlines Center
Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation’s top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001 American Airlines Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, the American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. In 2014, Venue’s Today Magazine named American Airlines Center the 4th busiest arena in the U.S. and the 10th busiest in the world.

NEW YORK, NY (January 20, 2015) – The statistics don’t lie. With more than 90 UFC athletes bred from his stable over the course of the last 15 years, former world champion and Ring of Combat (ROC) President Lou Neglia has proven, more so than any other Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promoter, that he has a keen ability to identify future fighting superstars and world champions.

Just days before the live pay-per-view telecast and GoFight Live (www.gfl.tv) stream of Ring of Combat 50, featuring seven championship bouts and four undefeated rising stars, including 2007 NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion and lightweight (155 pounds) finisher Gregor Gillespie (3-0); bantamweight (135 pounds) phenom and former Golden Gloves boxing champion Julio Arce (6-0) and brutal middleweight (185 pounds) KO artist Oluwale “Holy War Angel” Bamgbose (3-0) on Friday, Jan. 23 at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., a host of Neglia’s greatest discoveries reflected on their experiences in the promotion that catapulted their careers into the next stratosphere and that has been aptly dubbed the “American Idol of MMA” by MixedMartialArts.com.

Chris Weidman: Undefeated UFC Middleweight Champion and four-time ROC veteran

“Ring of Combat is the best fighting organization in the world at getting fighters ready for the UFC. I had some of the toughest fights of my career there, which gave me the experience of fighting the best, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without Lou Neglia and Ring of Combat.”

Frankie Edgar: Former UFC Lightweight Champion and two-time ROC veteran

“(ROC is) one of the premier organizations, not only across the country, but especially here in New Jersey. It’s been great for east coast fighters to showcase their talents, and a great platform for guys to make a name for themselves and get into the UFC.”

“Lou’s been a great guy and supporter of MMA. Being a former fighter himself, he knows what it takes to get guys to the top, and he’s helped a lot of guys out tremendously.”

Matt Serra: Retired, former UFC Welterweight Champion and four-time VATV (Neglia’s former promotion) veteran:

“Lou Neglia is a stand-up guy and a good friend of mine. Prior to the UFC, I only fought in Lou’s promotions. He always treated me great and has been a real solid guy with my fighters. He has the best up and coming show on the east coast.”

Costas Philippou: UFC middleweight and nine-time ROC veteran

“ROC is very organized. I knew in advance who I was fighting, when I should be in Atlantic City, and they even told me where to do my medicals, so I could do everything in one place.”

On the day he got the call from the UFC: “One day my manager called and offered me a short notice fight for the UFC. When I asked Neglia, he not only released me from my contract, but he was genuinely happy for me, that I was getting a shot at the big show.”

Al Iaquinta: UFC lightweight, The Ultimate Fighter: Live cast member and seven-time ROC veteran

“My overall experience was a great one fighting for Lou and Ring of Combat. I feel that I was brought along and matched fairly in my bouts. I had a few very tough fights, which prepared me for my future in the sport.”

On making it to UFC: “I tried out for The Ultimate Fighter, made it through the tryouts and was asked to be on the show. It was a great opportunity for me…Lou was very happy that I had been asked to be on TUF and was being given the chance to prove that I belonged in the UFC.”

Eddie Gordon: UFC middleweight, The Ultimate Fighter season 19 winner and nine-time ROC veteran

“I loved and still love ROC. It’s the best regional promotion out there and it prepared me for the UFC.”

“My best memory from ROC was winning that light heavyweight belt before walking out to the cage, feeling and feeding off the energy of the crowd. Team Truck always packed the house!”

On making it to the UFC: “While I was with ROC, I had a buzz that the UFC was interested in me mainly because of my great teammates Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta. They both were doing great. I had to keep winning and training, and then I got the call to be on The Ultimate Fighter, which I won.”

“Lou Neglia is the man. He always believed in me, and said (since) my first amateur fight for ROC that, if I kept working hard and listening to (trainer) Ray Longo, that I would make it to the UFC, and he was right.”

At a suggested retail price of $17.99, the live cable television pay-per-view broadcast and the live GFL.tv online stream of Ring of Combat 50 begins at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on Jan. 23.

Additionally, a live, free-of-charge preview show featuring two preliminary card bouts from the event begins exclusively on GFL.tv at 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST.

The 25-year-old Arce, who hails from Queens, N.Y., will put his title on the line in the co-main event against battle-tested Thomas Vasquez (7-2) of Horn Lake, Miss.,

Gillespie, a four-time All-American wrestler for Edinboro University, will square off with Justin Stewart (0=0) of Greene, N.Y.

Bamgbose of New York, N.Y. will battle Devon “Bam Bam” Morris (1-3) Niles, Mich. for the vacant Ring of Combat national middleweight title. To date, the 27-year-old Bamgbose has conquered all three of his opponents by way of first round TKO.

In the main event, 25-year-old Jeff Lentz (9-4-1) of Mays Landing, N.J. will square off with fellow up-and-coming finisher, 26-year-old George “Lights Out” Sheppard (15-9) of Newport News, Va., for the promotion’s vacant, national lightweight championship.

Lentz has earned 6 of his 9 career victories by way of (T)KO (4) or submission (2), while Sheppard has notched 11 of his 15 career wins to date via (T)KO (9) or submission (2).

Unbeaten Randy “Rude Boy” Brown (2-0) of Queens will lock horns with Mike Winters (7-4) of Cortland, N.Y. for the vacant Ring of Combat national welterweight (170 pounds) strap.

Ring of Combat flyweight (125 pounds) champion, Matt “Razor Sharp” Rizzo (7-2) of Levittown, Penn. will risk his title against Corey Simmons (5-6) Defiance, Ohio.

Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin” Nover (8-5) of Brooklyn, N.Y. will square off against Dan Cion (4-1) of Farmingdale, N.Y. for the Ring of Combat East Coast lightweight title.

Kenny Foster (11-8) of Selden, N.Y. will battle Mike Santiago (12-9) of Wood Dale, Ill. for the Ring of Combat East Coast featherweight (145 pounds) belt.

Tickets for Ring of Combat 50, priced from $55 to $135, can be purchased online at RingofCombat.com, the Tropicana Resort & Casino box office and Ticketmaster.com.

Doors at the Tropicana Resort & Casino showroom open at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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About GFL:

GFL (www.gfl.tv) is a fast-growing media and sports entertainment company that utilizes a proprietary technology to deliver the most exciting LIVE combat sports events worldwide and an incredible viewing experience to a global audience. With a diverse mix of combat sports properties, GFL is the premier online destination for live boxing, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu and more. Since its inception in 2007, GFL has streamed more than 2,500 live events with over 10,000 hours of combat sports content. In addition to its web platform, GFL is available on Roku, IPhone, IPad, as well as other internet ready devices, and broadcasts a weekly, two-hour, syndicated fight TV show on CSN, TCN and SNY, as well as live pay-per-view events directly to iN DEMAND.

About Ring of Combat:

Ring of Combat is one of the longest running and most successful MMA promotions in the country. More than 80 ROC fighters have moved on to the UFC and other top promotions, including former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and Matt Serra and current UFC Middleweight Champion, Chris Weidman. It is because of this success, finding great but unknown talent and preparing them for the world stage, that Ring of Combat has earned the reputation of being called the “American Idol” of MMA. Lou firmly believes that great fights make great fighters!

For more information about Ring of Combat, please visit their website at: www.ringofcombat.com

About Lou Neglia:

Louis Neglia is a three-time World Kickboxing Champion, a former U.S. Kickboxiing Champion, a Florida Karate Champion, New York State Champion, and an Eastern American Karate Champion. No opponent has lasted more than three rounds against Louis Neglia since he won his first World Championship in 1980. Lou is an eight-degree Black Belt, and retired from competition in 1985 with a career record of 34 wins and only 2 losses. He was named Fighter Of the Year in 1984 and was inducted into the Karate Hall of Fame. He starred in four motion pictures(“A Hard Way to Die”,”Super Weapon”,”Fist of Fear”,and “One Down”, “Two To Go”). Featured articles have been written about him in the top American and International magazines and newspapers.

For more information about Lou Neglia’s, please visit his website at: www.louneglia.com

LONDON – The UFC® today announced the appointment of David Allen as its Senior Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Allen first joined the UFC in December of 2013 as Director of Events, Marketing and Communications for EMEA. Throughout his 13 months with the organization, Allen has helped grow and develop the organization’s London office, and provided valuable leadership during a busy year for the region highlighted by sold out shows in London and Dublin in 2014.

Dublin born Allen kicked off his sports career with sportswear manufacturer Adidas in 1994. In 1998, he made the move to Nike where he held sales positions in the UK and EMEA business ahead of his promotion to General Manager of Nike Football EMEA in 2006. In this role, Allen led the team to over $1 Billion in sales and the market leader position in the critical markets of UK, Italy, France and Spain.

In 2010, Allen took on a new challenge within the Nike family and accepted the role of General Manager EMEA and USA for the UMBRO brand. He was responsible for creating the vision of the UMBRO brand, growing revenues, developing and delivering turnaround strategies to key markets.

In his new role, Allen will continue to be based in the London office overseeing the UFC’s business in the EMEA region and report to UFC Chief Global Brand Officer Garry Cook.

On the appointment, Cook said: “I have had the privilege of working with David over many years and his dedication, determination and drive will add great value. The UFC looks forward to the further growth of the brand in EMEA under David’s tutelage, as the organization targets new markets, partnerships and opportunities, including it’s largest European event to date in Stockholm next week.”

David Allen added: “”I am grateful for the confidence the company has placed in me and I look forward to working with a great team, both here in EMEA and in our Las Vegas office, as we work together to grow the UFC business across the region.”

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About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. 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, today announced extensive live programming for UFC Fight Night™: McGregor vs. Siver this Sunday, Jan. 18 in Boston, Mass.

Fight Network will televise the live prelims exclusively in Canada from 7 to 10 p.m. ET. The main card is scheduled to air live on TSN2 at 10 p.m. ET.

The prelims will feature a welterweight matchup between Irishman Cathal Pendred (15-2-1) and Virginia native Sean Spencer (12-3), as well as a welterweight bout pitting Boston’s own John Howard (22-10) against California native Lorenz Larkin (14-4, 1NC), who makes his first appearance in the welterweight division. Meanwhile, Chinese prospect Lipeng Zhang (9-7-1) clashes with once-beaten New Yorker Chris Wade (8-1) in lightweight action, Irish flyweight sensation Patrick Holohan (10-1-1) looks to return to the win column against debuting Oklahoma native Shane Howell (13-8), Iowa’s Johnny Case (19-4) attempts to extend his winning streak to 10 against New Jersey-based lightweight newcomer Frankie Perez (9-1), and Massachusetts native Charles Rosa (9-1) and Miami-based Sean Soriano (8-2) kick off the festivities at featherweight.

Fight Network will also present a live broadcast of the official UFC Fight Night™: McGregor vs. Siver weigh-ins on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. ET as Conor McGregor and Dennis Siver tip the scales ahead of their highly anticipated main event showdown, plus former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and red-hot contender Donald Cerrone take center stage before their third meeting in the co-main event.

Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the prelims on Sunday evening with a one-hour pre-show at 6 p.m. ET from Fight Network studios, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.

A live post-show will air on Fight Network immediately following the main card at approximately 12 a.m. ET, featuring highlights, recaps and the live post-fight press conference.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network will be airing two UFC specials throughout the week, which will also serve as the lead-in to the pre-show and prelims on Jan. 18. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

UFC Rising: Conor McGregor is a 30-minute special focusing on the brash Irishman, as he breaks down his best performances in the Film Room and his overwhelming athleticism in The Lab, then a look at what’s next for this featherweight supernova.

UFC Special: 2015 Preview is a one-hour preview show hosted by Jon Anik alongside Brian Stann and Dominick Cruz. Get an in-depth look at the UFC calendar with predictions, previews and analysis, plus an exclusive interview with UFC president Dana White.

Post-fight coverage continues on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of the event.

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

Main Card (Live on TSN2, 10 p.m. ET):

-Conor McGregor (16-2) vs. Dennis Siver (22-9)
-Donald Cerrone (25-6) vs. Benson Henderson (21-4)
-Uriah Hall (9-4) vs. Ron Stallings (12-6)
-Norman Parke (20-2-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (32-10)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 7 p.m. ET):

-Cathal Pendred (15-2-1) vs. Sean Spencer (12-3)
-John Howard (22-10) vs. Lorenz Larkin (14-4, 1NC)
-Lipeng Zhang (9-7-1) vs. Chris Wade (8-1)
-Patrick Holohan (10-1-1) vs. Shane Howell (13-8)
-Johnny Case (19-4) vs. Frankie Perez (9-1)
-Charles Rosa (9-1) vs. Sean Soriano (8-2)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET):

-Sean O’Connell (15-6) vs. Matt Van Buren (6-3)
-Joby Sanchez (6-1) vs. Tateki Matsuda (10-6)

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