TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS HEADLINE THE UFC’S RETURN TO ATLANTA
(C) ROBBIE LAWLER vs. (#3) TYRON WOODLEY
(C) DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON vs. (#8) WILSON REIS
(#8) MATT BROWN vs. JAKE ELLENBERGER
(#3) ROSE NAMAJUNAS vs. (#6) KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ
TICKETS FOR UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY
AT PHILIPS ARENA ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Atlanta — Two world titles are on the line Saturday, July 30 at Philips Arena when the UFC® returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2012. One of the most exciting champions in UFC history returns to the Octagon® as welterweight kingpin Robbie Lawler looks to defend his title for the third time when he meets Tyron Woodley in the five-round main event. The co-main event of UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY features Demetrious Johnson, the only flyweight champion in UFC history, against Wilson Reis who looks to upset one of the most dominant champions in UFC history.
This showdown for the welterweight crown between Lawler (26-10, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and Woodley (15-3, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) pits two of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC against one another as they have combined for 20 first-round finishes. To raise the stakes, both men also train out of the American Top Team camp, widely considered one of the best gyms in the world. Lawler, who is coming off two of the best fights in division history against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit, packs a heavy punch and has finished 20 of 26 pro victories by knockout. A two-time NCAA Div. I All-American wrestler, Woodley will need to use his smothering ground attack to counter the world-class striking of the champion.
In the co-main event, Johnson (24-2-1, fighting out of Parkland, Wash.) will put his flyweight title on the line against No. 8 contender Reis (20-6, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.). “Mighty Mouse” is ranked No. 2 on the pound-for-pound list and his eight title defenses are tied with Jon Jones for the third most in UFC history (St-Pierre – 9, A. Silva – 10). He will be challenged by Reis who has nine wins by submission – six in the first round. The Brazilian moved to the flyweight division in the summer of 2014 and has won three of his last four fights.
Also, two of the welterweight division’s most experienced fighters collide when No. 8 Matt Brown (22-14, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) meets Jake Ellenberger (30-11, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.). These two dominant strikers have combined for 33 knockouts making this bout an early favorite for Fight of the Night.
Additional bouts:
· Electrifying No. 3 strawweight contender Rose Namajunas (6-2, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) fights the versatile and undefeated No. 6 Karolina Kowalkiewicz (9-0, fighting out of Lodz, Poland).
· Two striking specialists clash in a bantamweight bout when Francisco Rivera, (11-6, fighting out of Buena Park, Calif.) meets Erik Perez (15-6, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.).
· No.11 light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov (20-4, fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine) faces seasoned veteran Ed Herman (24-11, fighting out of Portland, Ore.)
· Knockout artist Anthony Hamilton (14-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) squares off against heavyweight finisher Damian Grabowski (20-3, fighting out of Opole, Poland).
· Undefeated American Top Team welterweight Michael Graves (6-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) meets submission specialist Bojan Velickovic (14-3, fighting out of Denver, Colo.).
· Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Claudio Silva (11-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on heavy-handed Siyar Bahadurzada (22-6-1, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) in a 170-pound bout.
· Paraguayan newcomer Cesar Arzamendia (7-3, fighting out of Asuncion, Paraguay) collides with well-rounded Damien Brown (15-9, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia) in a lightweight showdown.
Tickets for UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY go on sale Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $354, $254, $179, $129, $94, $79 and $54 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® LATIN AMERICA 3:
TEAM LIDDELL VS. TEAM GRIFFIN
FULL CAST REVEALED
The third season of The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America will premiere starting the week of August 20 through UFC FIGHT PASS® in the US, on UFC Network® in all Latin America and afterwards it will be premiere on Televisa Channel 5 in Mexico, and additional Free-to-Air Networks in Latin America
Team Liddell and Team Griffin composed of 16 lightweight Latin American fighters will challenge each other to find out who will be the Season 3 winner of The Ultimate Fighter®Latin America
Buenos Aires, Argentina – The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America is officially back and has been filming its new series in Buenos Aires, Argentina since May 16th. After reaching an average of 7 million viewers per episode in Mexico and millions more viewers around Latin America during season one, The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America is set to premiere starting the week of August 20 on UFC Fight Pass® for the US, UFC Network® in all Latin America, Channel 5 in Mexico and other free-to-air networks throughout Latin America. For 2016, UFC® has recruited talent from all over the region and divided them into two teams: Team Liddell and Team Griffin. Both teams will represent a combination of Latin American countries including: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.
For the first time, two Hall of Famers coach opposite each other as Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin will be the official coaches of the third Spanish speaking series of the reality show. In this tenth international edition of the most challenging sports tournament on television, Liddell will lead a team of eight lightweight (155lbs) fighters against Griffin’s squad of eight similarly divided fighters from Latin American countries.
Both Liddell and Griffin will have the assistance of six of the most important Latin American coaches in MMA to help out with the training sessions. The coaches are listed in alphabetical order (Name, city)
LATIN AMERICAN COACHES
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TEAM LIDDELL
Iván Ibérico, Lima, Peru
Raúl Salas, Mexico City, Mexico
Mike Valle, Chicago, Illinois
TEAM GRIFFIN
Raúl Arvizu, Tijuana, Mexico
Eduardo Duarte, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Francisco Grasso, Guadalajara, Mexico
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The list of competitors includes fighters hailing from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela. The competitors are listed in alphabetical order (Name, Professional MMA record, Age, Hometown):
LIGHTWEIGHT
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LIGHTWEIGHT
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John Bedoya (5-0-0), 25, Bogota, Colombia
Martin Bravo (11-0-0), 22, Rosarito, Mexico
Yasser Castillo (5-1-0), 32, Nagarote, Nicaragua
Santiago Cárdenas (4-2-0), 30, Castro, Chile
Ilianovich Chalo (11-0-0), 34, Maracay, Venezuela
José David Flores (5-1-1), 30, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Javier Ganin (10-5-0),30, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Alejandro Martínez (11-1-0), 25, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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Claudio Puelles (7-1-0), 20, Lima, Peru
Fabian Quintanar (13-2-0), 29, Tijuana, Mexico
Leonardo Rodríguez (11-2-1), 31, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
Marcelo Rojo (13-4-0), 28, Cordoba, Argentina
Pablo Sabori (5-0), 24, San Luis Río Colorado, México
Juan Villaseca (5-0-0), 24, Talagante Chile
Miguel Villegas (3-1-0), 21, Tijuana, Mexico
Walter Zamora (9-2-0), 26, San Jose, Costa Rica
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Fans, who do not have access to UFC Network, will have the chance to catch up on the following networks: Bolivia: Red Uno, Mexico: Channel 5, Nicaragua: Viva Nicaragua, Honduras: Teleprogreso, Panama: TV Max, Colombia: Win Sports, Costa Rica: TD+, Venezuela: Meridiano TV. The season will premiere on these networks the week after August 24th, though dates and weekly episodes will vary per country. Viewers should check their local listings for further information.
More networks will be confirmed prior to the series premiere and, additionally, subscribers to the UFC Network in Latin America will also get the chance to catch replays and watch exclusive content.
The season finale will be featured during Mexico’s fourth live event later this year. The card will host the final lightweight bout of the series, crowning the winner of The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America season 3. Further, event and ticket details will be released later this summer ahead of the scheduled pre-sale at the end of August.
More networks will be confirmed prior to the series premiere and, additionally, subscribers to the UFC Network in Latin America will also get the chance to catch replays and watch exclusive content.
The season finale will be featured during Mexico’s fourth live event later this year. The card will host the final lightweight bout of the series, crowning the winner of The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America season 3. Further, event and ticket details will be released later this summer ahead of the scheduled pre-sale at the end of August.
UFC® AND DGITAL MEDIA LAUNCH “UFC UNFILTERED WITH JIM NORTON AND MATT SERRA”
UFC and DGital Media Partner for Exclusive On-Demand Audio Series
Las Vegas – UFC® today announced its partnership with DGital Media to launch an exclusive on-demand audio series. “UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra” will be the primary podcast destination for fight fans as veteran comedian Jim Norton and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra serve as co-hosts for the global sports brand’s first-ever audio series.
Scheduled to debut on Tuesday, June 21, this series will publish two episodes per week, available each Tuesday and Thursday on-demand via multiple outlets and apps, such as UFC.com, iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and many others. This partnership also positions UFC as the first sports brand to collaborate with DGital Media.
“We are excited to partner with DGital Media and launch our new show for fight fans around the world,” UFC Executive Vice President of Operations & Production Craig Borsari said. “This podcast will serve as a new avenue for our fans to consume exclusive audio content at their convenience. We feel that Jim and Matt will provide both insightful fight analysis along with plenty of stories and observations surrounding UFC, sports and topics of general interest.”
“There is no fan base that craves and consumes insider content more than the loyal followers of UFC, and we feel this new partnership will help bring them even closer to the athletes and stories they love,” said Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer – DGital Media.
Norton, a comedian, radio personality, author and actor, most recently served as the co-host of the Opie with Jim Norton Show on Sirius XM Radio. He has also made appearances on Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, written two best-selling books and taped five stand-up comedy specials.
Serra, a longtime mixed martial arts practitioner and coach, currently co-stars with UFC President Dana White on “Dana White: Lookin’ For a Fight.” Serra also owns two SerraBJJ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy locations, where he trains former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, UFC bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and UFC light heavyweight Gian Villante.
The launch of the show leads into the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week™, which takes place from Tuesday, July 5 through Sunday, July 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world’s largest celebration of combat sports, UFC International Fight Week will feature the UFC Fan Expo®, 2016 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the Ulti-man 5k, and numerous fan activations throughout the week. The landmark week is highlighted by three events in three nights, culminating in the historic UFC® 200: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, on Saturday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena.
To purchase tickets for events during UFC International Fight Week, please visit UFCTICKETS. For additional information, please visit UFC.com and follow UFC Fight Week on Twitter @UFCFightWeek.
To purchase tickets for events during UFC International Fight Week, please visit UFCTICKETS. For additional information, please visit UFC.com and follow UFC Fight Week on Twitter @UFCFightWeek.
ACTION-PACKED JUNE ON UFC FIGHT PASS® FEATURES MORE THAN 90 LIVE FIGHTS
UFC FIGHT PASS® FEATURED PRELIMS:
SEAN STRICKLAND vs. TOM BREESE
ELIAS THEODOROU vs. SAM ALVEY
Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC FIGHT PASS® unveiled today its loaded lineup for the month of June, which includes eight live UFC preliminary bouts. The world’s greatest digital destination for fight fans will also boast additional live events from promotions around the world.
In a battle of welterweight prospects, Sean Strickland (17-1, fighting out of Corona, California, USA) takes on unbeaten Tom Breese (10-0, fighting out of Birmingham, England) in the UFC FIGHT PASS featured preliminary bout of UFC 199®: ROCKHOLD vs. BISPING 2 on Saturday, June 4. The Ultimate Fighter® Nations middleweight winner Elias Theodorou (11-1, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) faces knockout artist Sam Alvey (25-7 1NC, fighting out of Temecula, California, USA) atUFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON on Saturday, June 18.
“UFC FIGHT PASS continues to offer elite UFC athletes as part of our exclusive preliminary fights, as well as thrilling combat sports events from around the globe,” said UFC Senior Vice-President and UFC FIGHT PASS General Manager Eric Winter. “Each month we promise to deliver unbeatable value for fight fans.”
UFC FIGHT PASS will stream additional live events, including:
- EFN: Bratislava on Saturday, June 4
· A heavyweight clash between Slovakia’s Ilja Skondric and Russian Alexey Stoyan
- Cage Warriors 76 on Saturday, June 4
· Welshman Jack Marshman will lock horns with Ali Arish
- Titan FC 39 on Friday, June 10
· Titan lightweight title fight pitting Gesias Cavalcante against Pat Healy
- PANCRASE 278 on Saturday, June 11
· Hatsu Hioki takes on Yojiro Uchimura in a featherweight bout
- BRACE MMA 41 on Friday, June 17
· Kieran Joblin takes on Aussie standout Greg Atzori in a lightweight tilt
- Vale Tudo Japan on Sunday, June 19
· Vale Tudo Japan makes its first live appearance on UFC FIGHT PASS
- Victory FC 51 on Friday, June 24
· Victory FC returns to Iowa with two title fights
- GLORY 31 SuperFight Series on Friday, June 24
· Zack Mwekassa meets Mourad Bouzidi in a light heavyweight bout
UFC FIGHT PASS is available on personal computers, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV and Roku devices.
DON FRYE NAMED TO 2016 UFC® HALL OF FAME CLASS
Las Vegas – UFC® today announced that two-time UFC tournament champion Don “The Predator” Frye has been named to the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class as a Pioneer. The event will take place on Sunday, July 10, at 12 p.m. PT at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The ceremony will close out the UFC Fan Expo® during the final day of the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week™. The event will also be streamed live and available on-demand exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®.
"Don Frye is a legend in this sport and one of the toughest guys to ever compete," UFC President Dana White said. "He was known for putting on incredible fights like his one with Takayama in PRIDE, which is still to this day one of the craziest fights I've ever seen. Congratulations to Don Frye for being selected to the 2016 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame!"
Frye notched a 10-1 record during four events over a span of 11 months in 1996. His mixed martial arts career began atUFC® 8: DAVID vs. GOLIATH, where he defeated three opponents to capture the tournament title on February 16.
He then competed at UFC® 9: MOTOR CITY MADNESS on May 17, winning his fight on a non-tournament based card. Following his runner-up finish during UFC® 10: THE TOURNAMENT on July 12, he secured his second tournament championship at UFC®: THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATE 1996 on December 7.
During his tenure, Frye recorded a number of impressive firsts, becoming the first UFC athlete to finish three opponents in less than one minute, the first athlete to notch both a knockout and a submission in less than one minute, and the first to defeat five consecutive opponents by knockout.
Over the course of his 15-year career, Frye also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships®, earning wins over UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama at PRIDE 19 and 21, respectively.
A native of Sierra Vista, Arizona, he attended Buena Vista High School where he competed as a wrestler, earning a scholarship to Arizona State University. During his time as a Sun Devil, Frye was a member of three PAC-10 championship teams, including the 1988 club that captured the NCAA Division I championship.
After transferring to Oklahoma State University, he was a member of the Cowboys wrestling team that won the 1989 Big 8 conference title. Originally recruited by UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, Frye brought a well-rounded skillset to the Octagon®that included a black belt in judo and experience as a professional boxer.
The final inductees of the Class of 2016 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the landmark UFC® 200: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, on Saturday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
To view Frye’s UFC FIGHT PASS original series Fightography: Don Frye, please visit: http://www.ufc.tv/video/
Fans with tickets to the UFC Fan Expo will be able to attend the induction ceremony at no additional cost. Tickets for UFC Fan Expo will be offered in various packages, with three-day passes beginning at $75 online. Two-day passes begin at $65, while one-day passes are $45. Fans can also purchase VIP elite packages for $300 or VIP ultimate packages for $3,000.*Events are subject to change.
To purchase tickets, please visit UFCTICKETS.
To view the UFC Hall of Fame fight library, please visit UFCHOF. To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights currently enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOFFAQ. For additional information, please visit UFC.com and follow UFC Fight Week on Twitter @UFCFightWeek.
UFC FIGHT PASS is available on personal computers, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV and Roku devices.
