UFC® 196: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ 2
PR AND EVENTS SCHEDULE
(ALL TIMES PACIFIC)
Wednesday, February 3
UFC® 196: ULTIMATE MEDIA DAY
MGM Grand Casino Floor (between Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill & KÀ Theatre)
MGM Grand
3799 S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, Nev. 89109
12:30 – 3:30pm
Participants:
Fabricio Werdum – UFC heavyweight champion
Cain Velasquez – No. 1 UFC heavyweight contender
Johny Hendricks – No. 3 UFC welterweight contender
Stephen Thompson – No. 9 UFC welterweight contender
Roy Nelson – No. 11 UFC heavyweight contender
Jared Rosholt – No. 12 UFC heavyweight contender
Ovince Saint Preux – No. 6 UFC light heavyweight contender
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante – No. 13 UFC light heavyweight contender
Joseph Benvidez – No. 1 UFC flyweight contender
Zach Makovsky – No. 8 UFC flyweight contender
Mickey Gall – UFC welterweight
Mike Jackson – UFC welterweight
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Thursday, February 4
UFC®196: OPEN WORKOUTS
MGM Grand Casino Floor (adjacent to TAP & the Race & Sports Book)
12:30 – 3pm
Participants:
Fabricio Werdum – UFC heavyweight champion
Cain Velasquez – No. 1 heavyweight contender
Johny Hendricks – No. 3 welterweight contender
Stephen Thompson – No. 9 welterweight contender
Details:
12:30pm: Media check-in
1pm: Cain Velasquez workout
1:30pm: Johny Hendricks workout
2pm: Stephen Thompson workout
2:30pm: Fabricio Werdum workout
· FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Friday, February 5
UFC® 196: WEIGH-INS
MGM Grand – Grand Ballroom
1:30 – 4:30pm
Details
1:30 – 3:45pm: Media check-in & doors open to the public
2 – 3pm: Q&A with UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold
4 – 4:30pm: UFC 196 weigh-ins
· FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Saturday, February 6
UFC® 196: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ 2
MGM Grand Garden Arena
2:30 – 11pm
2:30pm:
3:30pm: First bout
5pm:
7pm: UFC 196 live on Pay-Per-View
11pm:
11:30pm: UFC 196 post-fight press conference
UFC returns to Pittsburgh
#12) DEREK BRUNSON vs. (#14) ROAN “JUCAO” CARNEIRO
(#11) JOHN LINEKER vs. CODY GARBRANDT
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: COWBOY vs. MEANS
AT CONSOL ENERGY CENTER
ON SALE FRIDAY, JANUARY 22
Las Vegas – The UFC® returns to Pittsburgh for the first time in five years as one of the sport’s most successful and popular fighters makes his debut in a new weight division. Fresh off competing for the lightweight title, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will fight at welterweight for the first time in his UFC career when he takes on Tim Means, Feb. 21 at CONSOL Energy Center. The event will air on FS1.
Cowboy (28-6, 1 NC; fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico) will make his debut at 170 lbs. after competing at 155 lbs. and most recently challenging lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos for the title (Dec. 19, 2015). Cowboy has won eight of his last nine bouts, including eight consecutive victories over Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, Myles Jury, Benson Henderson and John Makdessi, dating back to Nov. 2013. He has won 15 fights by submission and five by KO during his career.
Will Cowboy be able to continue his success competing against bigger fighters? That will be the question that is answered when he goes up against the veteran Means. Also a native of Albuquerque, albeit a different gym, Means (25-7-1) has won four of his last five bouts, including an impressive second-round TKO of John Howard that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. At 6’2”, Means will be taller and have a longer reach than most of Cowboy’s past opponents, and his tremendous cardio and precise technique will make for an intriguing matchup against Cowboy’s outstanding Muay Thai and submission skills.
Two hard-hitting middleweights will set the table for the main event when #12 Derek Brunson (14-3; fighting out of Wilmington, North Carolina) squares off against #14 Roan Carneiro (20-9; fighting out of Atlanta, Georgia). Brunson is riding a three-fight winning streak and has won five of his last six bouts, with his last three victories coming over highly touted opponents Sam Alvey, Ed Herman and Lorenz Larkin. An impressive victory could propel Brunson into the top 10.
At 37, Carneiro is also focused on making a run for a top-10 ranking, coming off an impressive first-round submission win over Mark Munoz. Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Carneiro has nine career first-round finishes, and a resume that includes three wins by knockout and nine by submission. A second consecutive victory could earn Carneiro a shot against a top-10 opponent.
Additional bouts include:
· No. 11 bantamweight John Lineker (26-7; Paranagua, Parana, Brazil) takes on undefeatedCody Garbrandt (7-0; Sacramento, Calif.), who launched his professional MMA career while living in Pittsburgh
· No. 8 featherweight Dennis Bermudez (15-5; Lindenhurst, New York) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri(35-8-2; Ibaraki, Japan)
· A lightweight bout featuring James Krause (22-7; Lee’s Summit, Missouri) vs. Shane Campbell (12-3; Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada)
· Women’s bantamweights Marion Reneau (6-2; Visalia, Calif) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-1; Laguna Hills, Calif.)
· Trevor Smith (13-6; Tukwila, Wash.) vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes (11-1; Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
· A women’s bantamweight bout between Sarah Moras (4-3; Kelowna, BC, Canada) and Lauren Murphy (8-2; Glendale, Ariz.)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: COWBOY vs. MEANS will air live on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 21, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: COWBOY vs. MEANS go on sale Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $185, $125, $90, $75 and $50. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Box Office at CONSOL Energy Center. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Jan. 20 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, Jan. 21 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
MIKE TYSON MAKES HIS OCTAGON® DEBUT IN EA SPORTS UFC 2
Fans Can Pre-Order the Deluxe Edition to Get Day-One Access Starting March 15
Two Versions of the Iconic Fighter Will Be Unlockable In Game: ‘Iron Mike Tyson’ and ‘Legacy Mike Tyson’
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 20, 2016 – One of the most iconic athletes of all time is coming to EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that Mike Tyson will make his mixed martial arts debut as an unlockable fighter when the game comes out starting March 15, 2016. Fans who pre-order EA SPORTS UFC 2 will get instant day-one access to Tyson, and all players can unlock him by progressing in the game and making it to the Hall of Fame in Career Mode. The former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world packs the strongest punching power of any fighter in the game and will fight across two different weight classes: light heavyweight and heavyweight. For a first look at the former champ inEA SPORTS UFC 2, watch the Mike Tyson reveal video.
“When you think about the most devastating fighters of all time, Mike Tyson is either around, or at the top of everyone’s list. It’s fun to think that if MMA was as popular back when he was competing as it is today, you might have seen Tyson put on four ounce gloves and step into the Octagon®,” said Creative Director Brian Hayes. “This is one of those great ‘what ifs’ that we get to create when making a game like EA SPORTS UFC 2.”
Two versions of Tyson are coming to the game: “Iron” Mike Tyson based on his climb to stardom and string of invincible fights in the eighties; and “Legacy” Mike Tyson, developed with the end of his illustrious career in mind. Fans who pre-order the standard edition of EA SPORTS UFC 2 will get day-one access to “Iron” Mike Tyson. Those who opt for the Deluxe Edition will receive both “Iron” Mike as well as “Legacy” Mike Tyson. Both versions are available to unlock by progressing in the game.
“As a huge fan, I’m honored to be part of EA SPORTS and explore the world of mixed martial arts,” said Mike Tyson. “I follow UFC very closely and it’s going to be very cool to see how I would stack up against these amazing MMA athletes.”
EA SPORTS UFC 2 takes the franchise’s stunning character likeness and animation to another level, adds an all-new Knockout Physics System and authentic gameplay features, and introduces the biggest ever roster of real-world fighters in a MMA game who will step back into the Octagon on Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Full feature and mode details can be found at http://easports.com/ufc/
Fans excited to step into the Octagon® can pre-order EA SPORTS UFC 2 and get day-one access to three legendary fighters: UFC Hall of Famer and three-time King of Pancrase, Bas Rutten; Japanese MMA legend, “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba; and Mike Tyson.* The deluxe edition of the game also includes up to $60 of UFC Ultimate Team™ Premium Packs**. For pre-order information, visit http://easports.com/UFC/buy.
EA SPORTS UFC 2 is developed in Burnaby, British Columbia by EA Canada, and will be available on March 15in North America and March 17 worldwide on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. EA Access*** members can play the full game before it’s released for a limited time and get 10% off the digital version of the game on Xbox One. Fans should keep an eye on the website, as well as the EA SPORTS UFC Facebook and Twitter pages to make sure they’re always up-to-date on the latest and greatest news.
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, includingMadden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR®golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC®.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visitwww.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
* Internet connection and EA Account required. Must be 13+ to create an account. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-
**ADDED VALUE CALCULATED BASED ON AN UFC ULTIMATE TEAM PACK PRICE OF $2.00 AT GAME LAUNCH. PRICES MAY CHANGE. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-
***CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE EA.COM/EAACCESS/TERMS ANDEA.COM/EAACCESS FOR DETAILS.
UFC® CHAMPION JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK
AND TOP-CONTENDER CLAUDIA GADELHA COACH LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT AND STRAWWEIGHT HOPEFULS ON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®
New season debuts Wednesday, April 20 on FS1
Las Vegas – The Ultimate Fighter® will put mixed martial arts’ global dominance on display again as UFC® strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will coach opposite No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha. The coaches will lead a group of eight light heavyweights and eight strawweights who will compete for a UFC contract and the title of The Ultimate Fighter.
The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia will kick-off on FS1 on Wednesday, April 20 with a two-hour season premiere airing at 10 p.m. ET as 32 competitors fight for one of 16 slots – eight in each weight class – available to be coached by two of the sport’s best. The season will continue with 11 one-hour shows Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. The series is the highest rated and most watched original program since the network’s inception in August 2013.
Poland’s first UFC champion, Jedrzejczyk (11-0, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) stormed onto the scene in 2014 with her first Octagon® appearance. Since then, she’s gone on to win five straight, won the strawweight title, cemented her place on the top pound-for-pound list and is widely considered as one of the best strikers in the sport. She’ll now lend her expertise to the next generation of athletes who hope to follow in her footsteps and one day wear UFC gold themselves.
Gadelha (13-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) trains at the renowned Nova Uniao gym, home to former champions Jose Aldo & Renan Barao. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist hopes to get another crack at current strawweight champion, Jedrzejczyk, who provided Gadelha with the only blemish on her record – a three-round split decision loss in late 2014. Their contrasting styles should provide for an entertaining season between the two teams. The Brazilian’s comfort zone is on the canvas and will provide a stark contrast to the Pole’s highly skilled striking attack brings a completely different skillset to the show.
The series culminates on live on FS1 Friday, July 8 in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week and will be headlined by Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha in a championship bout for the strawweight world title.
UFC® FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION CONOR McGREGOR CHALLENGES LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION
RAFAEL DOS ANJOS AT UFC® 197 IN LAS VEGAS
PLUS:
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION HOLLY HOLM MAKES
FIRST TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST MIESHA TATE
Las Vegas – UFC® featherweight champion Conor McGregor will look to make history on Saturday, March 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he moves up to challenge UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos for the 155-pound title.
McGregor will look to become the first fighter in history to hold UFC world titles in two different weight classes simultaneously when he challenges the red-hot Brazilian champion.
Plus, women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm puts her world title on the line for the first time against second-rankedMiesha Tate in the co-main event. The undefeated Holm became a household name at UFC® 193 when she knocked out previously unbeaten Ronda Rousey. The former boxing champion looks to keep her perfect record intact when she meets Tate, who is riding a dominant four-fight win streak.
Tickets for UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR, presented by EA SPORTS UFC® 2, go on sale to the general publicon Friday, Jan. 22. Ticket information will be made available soon.
UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 5.
Nakisa Bidarian Named New UFC® Chief Financial Officer
Bidarian will oversee UFC’s finance, accounting and strategy teams
Las Vegas – UFC® today announced Nakisa Bidarian as the organization’s new Chief Financial Officer effective January 4, 2016. Formerly UFC’s Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Ventures, Bidarian will now focus on key financial initiatives, strategic goals, and supporting the organization’s overall growth by guiding business decisions and analyzing their financial components.
“Nakisa has been a key contributor to UFC’s success throughout the last four years since he joined the organization,” UFC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Fertitta said. “His diverse finance and strategy experience, coupled with the impact he has had with the organization, make him an ideal candidate for the CFO position.”
“I’m excited and humbled to accept this new opportunity with UFC,” Bidarian said. “The organization is coming off a record year in 2015, and I am confident that the finance, accounting and strategy teams will continue to deliver at the highest level and help to take the organization to new heights.”
Bidarian was formerly responsible for Group Strategy which includes Corporate Development, Strategic Planning, Research, Analytics, and several joint ventures, including UFC GYM. Under his leadership, UFC made significant strides in improving internal processes to improve its operating model. Bidarian has also championed the evolution of UFC’s people management practices, ensuring the organization continues to invest in its team members.
Prior to joining UFC, Bidarian led international real estate and hospitality investment and asset management for Mubadala Development Company, a multi-billion dollar sovereign investment company. Before Mubadala, he was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, specializing in merger and acquisitions. Beginning his career at Accenture, Bidarian advised global financial institutions on financial and performance management. Bidarian received a Bachelor of Arts degree in financial economics from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he graduated as a Tuck Scholar.
FINISH THE FIGHT WITH EA SPORTS UFC 2 STARTING MARCH 15
New Action-Packed Gameplay Trailer Highlights Big Moments From Recent Title Fights Fans Who Pre-Order Get Bas Rutten, Kazushi Sakuraba, and a Mystery Fighter*
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 5, 2016 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2 launches on March 15, 2016 in North America, and March 17, 2016 worldwide. In addition to the announcement, EA released a cinematic trailer for EA SPORTS UFC 2 featuring some of the biggest moments from recent bouts, showcasing authentic gameplay features, and highlighting new character visuals and signature animations. The trailer opens on EA SPORTS UFC 2 cover athlete and UFC® featherweight champion, Conor McGregor showing fans the all-new Knockout Physics System in his championship fight at UFC® 194. From there, fans will see Dynamic Grappling, and Next-Level Submissions while reliving some of the heart-stopping moments from recent fights, and speculating what could happen in upcoming contests. Watch the trailer here.
“Whether fans want to play upcoming cards, recreate the outcome of recent fights, or go back to fight with MMA legends, we’ll help them do that in the most authentic and exciting way ever in an MMA simulation,” said Brian Hayes, Creative Director. “Our first two pre-order fighters, Bas Rutten and Kazushi Sakuraba are perfect additions to what is already the biggest roster ever for an official UFC game. Adding them is huge, and fans are going to go nuts when we reveal who the mystery fighter is. I can’t wait.”
Fans excited to step into the Octagon® can pre-order EA SPORTS UFC 2 and get day one access to two legendary fighters: UFC Hall of Famer and three-time King of Pancrase, Bas Rutten; and Japanese MMA legend, “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba, with an additional mystery fighter who will be named later.* The deluxe edition of the game also includes up to $60 of UFC Ultimate Team™ Premium Packs**. For pre-order information, visit http://easports.com/UFC/buy.
EA SPORTS UFC 2 is headlined by five brand new game modes including KO Mode and UFC Ultimate Team, a revamped Career Mode that lets fans create female fighters for the first time ever in an official UFC game, and Grapple Assist, an integrated visual tool to help players learn and perfect takedowns, ground game transitions, and submissions. Full feature and mode details can be found at http://easports.com/ufc/
* Internet connection and EA Account required. Must be 13+ to create an account. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-
**ADDED VALUE CALCULATED BASED ON AN UFC ULTIMATE TEAM PACK PRICE OF $2.00 AT GAME LAUNCH. PRICES MAY CHANGE. Offer restrictions apply. Please see www.easports.com/ufc/game-and-
EA SPORTS UFC 2 is developed in Burnaby, British Columbia by EA Canada, and will be available on March 15in North America and March 17 worldwide on Xbox One and PlayStation®4. More information is available on the EA SPORTS UFC website, and in-depth feature details will be announced in the months leading up to launch. Fans should keep an eye on the website, as well as the EA SPORTS UFC Facebook and Twitter pages to make sure they’re always up-to-date on the latest and greatest news.
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, includingMadden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR®golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC®.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visitwww.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
