Press Release – Las Vegas – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) and Las Vegas team up for UFC Fight Week™, presented by Ultimate Poker®, beginning July 3 and culminating with one of the biggest sporting events of the year, UFC 162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN, at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, July 6.
The second annual UFC Fight Week™ will be the ultimate week-long experience for UFC fans. The celebration will feature the largest gathering of fighters and unprecedented access to UFC stars, the biggest UFC Fan Expo® to date, an Ultimate Poker® tournament, UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a free Three Days Grace concert presented by Bud Light®, Tuff-N-Uff MMA tournament, an exclusive UFC fan party, autograph signings, weigh-ins and UFC® 162.
Ultimate Poker®, the exclusive online gaming partner of the UFC, is making history as the first company in the United States to offer legal and secure online poker. During UFC Fight Week™, fans will have the opportunity to participate in exclusive UltimatePoker.com tournaments with special UFC guests and prizes. Details about the tournament will be announced shortly at UltimatePoker.com and UFC.com/FightWeek.
Several of the hottest locations in Las Vegas will host UFC themed events such as MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, The Palazzo Las Vegas, Golden Nugget Las Vegas, Fremont Street Experience, The D Las Vegas, Golden Gate Casino, El Cortez Hotel & Casino, South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, and more.
“The UFC has always done a big Vegas show around Fourth of July weekend. Fans from all over the country, tons of people from Brazil and Canada, and as far away as Japan and Australia, are coming to Vegas to see UFC 162 and take part in Fight Week,” said Dana White, UFC president. “Las Vegas is the UFC’s hometown, it’s the fight capital of the world, and we’re proud to contribute to the local economy. The annual Fight Week event in Vegas is the ultimate week-long celebration for UFC fans around the world!”
“Two of the world’s most recognizable brands, UFC and Las Vegas, have developed a strong and successful partnership that delivers unrivaled excitement to millions of loyal fans around the world,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “Fight Week provides fans with unprecedented access to UFC stars and no destination matches the passion and energy like Las Vegas.”
Events for UFC Fight Week™ are included in the attached poster. Highlights are listed below.
Wednesday, July 3
· UFC Community Day:
o UFC fighters will participate in events to support local Las Vegas charities
Thursday, July 4
· UFC Downtown
o Meet-and-greets and autograph signings with UFC fighters at select locations at Fremont Street Experience at Golden Nugget Las Vegas, The D Las Vegas, Golden Gate Casino, El Cortez Hotel & Casino
· Free Three Days Grace Concert at Fremont Street Experience, presented by Bud Light
Friday, July 5
· UFC Fan Expo from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mandalay Bay
o Autograph and Q&A sessions, meet-and-greets, grappling tournaments, seminars, UFC FIT demonstrations™, more than 150 exhibitors and more
· UFC® 162 Weigh-Ins at 4 p.m. at MGM Grand Garden Arena
· UFC Exclusive Party at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo Las Vegas at 8 p.m.
o UFC party for fans with DJ, food, beverages and special appearances by UFC fighters
· Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA Tournament at South Point Casino
Saturday, July 6
· UFC® 162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN at MGM Grand Garden Arena
· UFC Fan Expo from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mandalay Bay
*All times PST
UFC Fight Club® members will enjoy exclusive members-only benefits during UFC Fight Week™ including VIP access at select events, discount offers on UFC Fan Expo® tickets, UFC®162 pre-sale offers and more. For more information on becoming a UFC Fight Club® member visit www.ufcfightclub.com.
For more information or to purchase tickets to a Fight Week event visit www. lasvegas.com/ufc orwww.ufc.com/fightweek. Stay connected with Fight Week news on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/UFC) and Twitter (@UFC) using #UFCFightWeek.
Tickets for UFC®162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN, presented by BUD LIGHT®, are on sale now and are priced at $1,200, $850, $600, $400, $250 and $125. Tickets are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). 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 also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
About The UFC Fan Expo®
The UFC Fan Expo® returns to Las Vegas on Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Fans will have the chance to meet their favorite stars during autograph sessions, meet-and-greets, interactive Q&A sessions, grappling tournaments, training and development seminars, and much more. Over 50 UFC stars are scheduled to appear and more than 150 exhibitors will also be on hand, giving fans the opportunity to purchase and experience some of the best sports and lifestyle products on the market today. A special UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony will also take place. Tickets and VIP packages are on sale now at www.ufcfanexpo.com.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, moving to FOX Sports 1 in September 2013.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC FIT™, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC 360, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, over 90 UFC GYM® locations in 28 states, UFC Fight Club® affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
About The LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With more than 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 10.7 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA’s mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to LVCVA.com or LasVegas.com.