The UFC made the upcoming UFC light-heavyweight title bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and “Suga” Rashad Evans official on Tuesday. The promotion also made four other bouts official for the March 19th card including Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani, Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau and Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland.
Here is the full UFC 128 Press Release:
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A LONG-AWAITED TITLE BOUT PITS UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION MAURICIO ‘SHOGUN’ RUA AGAINST FORMER TITLEHOLDER ‘SUGA’ RASHAD EVANS
PLUS, ‘THE CALIFORNIA KID’ URIJAH FABER MAKES HIS UFC DEBUT
AGAINST FORMER WEC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION EDDIE WINELAND
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, March 19 with the long-awaited title fight between UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and former champion “Suga” Rashad Evans. Featuring two of the sport’s most accomplished stars, the main event of UFC 128: SHOGUN VS. EVANS has all of the makings of an absolute title war.
“This is the light heavyweight title fight that everyone has been waiting to see,” UFC President Dana White said. “Shogun has been on an absolute tear and proved that by knocking out Lyoto Machida to take the belt. Now he faces Rashad Evans, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Thiago Silva and Rampage Jackson and has never been hungrier to reclaim the title. With the main event and the other fights we’re putting together, we’re bringing another awesome card to New Jersey and I’m excited to get back to the East Coast.”
A bantamweight clash between former WEC champions “The California Kid” Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland will also be featured at UFC 128. Faber is considered one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the lighter weight classes, and once held the featherweight title for over two years. With a submission win over Takeya Mizugaki in his bantamweight debut in November, the 31-year-old has his sights set on Wineland, a former WEC bantamweight champion boasting four consecutive wins, including back-to-back Knockout of the Night victories.
“We are so pleased to welcome UFC back to Prudential Center for what I know will be another spectacular experience for fans,” Jeff Vanderbeek, Chairman and Managing Partner of Devils Arena Entertainment, said. “Each UFC event at the Rock has been a huge success and we know we will exceed the high standard that UFC expects for an outstanding evening.”
Tickets for UFC 128: SHOGUN VS. EVANS are priced at $500, $350, $225, $150, $100 and $60, not including applicable service charges, and go on sale Thursday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Prudential Center box office. 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.prucenter.com or ticketmaster.com.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Tuesday, Jan. 11 starting at 10 a.m. ET via UFCFightClub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Wednesday, Jan. 12 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC 128: SHOGUN VS. EVANS will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, 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.
One of the sport’s most feared strikers, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil/19-4) claimed the UFC light heavyweight crown by becoming the first man to ever defeat Lyoto Machida last May. Known for his outstanding Muay Thai and slick jiu jitsu, the 29-year-old also owns wins over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Quinton Jackson and Alistair Overeem.
This March at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., he meets Rashad Evans (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M./20-1-1), the former UFC light heavyweight champion who has scored victories over the likes of Liddell, Jackson, Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping in his career. A standout collegiate wrestler and winner of season two of The Ultimate Fighter®, the 31-year-old Evans seeks his second reign as UFC champion by knocking off Rua in New Jersey.
One of the most popular fighters in the history of the lighter weight classes makes his UFC debut on March 19. Former WEC featherweight champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (fighting out of Sacramento, Calif./24-4) brings his high-energy assault to the Octagon when he battles former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland (fighting out of Chesterton, Ind./18-6-1) in 135-pound action.
Wineland, the first-ever WEC bantamweight champion, has strung together consecutive wins over Manny Tapia, George Roop, Will Campuzano and Ken Stone, and believes a win over Faber will secure him a date with current champion Dominick Cruz.
Additional fights for the card will be announced at a later date. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com.