Author: Charttopper

Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – Former UFC® and PRIDE® champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) will meet controversial and charismatic light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen (28-13-1, fighting out of West Linn, Ore.) on Saturday, August 17 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The main event highlights an action-packed card that will serve as the inaugural live sports broadcast on the newly minted network, FOX SPORTS 1.

“We’re finally coming back to Boston and we’re bringing the most stacked card in UFC history,” UFC President Dana White said. “In the main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua takes on Chael Sonnen, who once again stepped up and asked for a big fight. Then we have Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne in a heavyweight fight. Both of those guys have heavy hands, so I expect someone to get knocked out! The rest of the card is loaded with exciting fights, including Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara, Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves, Boston’s Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson, Uriah Hall vs. Nick Ring, and Irish superstar Conor McGregor vs. Andy Ogle. Boston, we’re coming back on Aug. 17!”

In addition, Alistair Overeem (36-12-1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Netherlands) returns to the Octagon®to face Travis Browne (14-1-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) in a heavyweight showdown that is sure to deliver.

Also, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (28-6, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) looks for his third straight win as he meets dynamic Brazilian bantamweight Yuri Alcantara (27-4, Soure Para, Brazil).

Other bouts for UFC® on FOX SPORTS 1: SHOGUN vs. SONNEN include:
Resilient striker Matt Brown (19-11, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) vs. Brazil’s Thiago Alves (24-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.)
The Ultimate Fighter® 17 finalist Uriah Hall (8-3 fighting out of New York, N.Y.) vs. Canadian Nick Ring (13-2, fighting out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) in a middleweight battle.
Submission specialist Joe Lauzon (22-8, fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass.) vs. lightweight Michael Johnson (13-8, fighting out of Springfield, Mo.)
England’s Brad Pickett (24-7, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) vs. bantamweight contender Michael McDonald (15-2, fighting out of Modesto, Calif.)
· Former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (26-8, fighting out of Portland, Maine) faces Sweden’s Akira Corassani (13-4-1, fighting out of New York, N.Y.).
· The Ultimate Fighter® 14 season winner Diego Brandao (21-8, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) vs. featherweight Daniel Pineda (17-9, Houston, Texas).
· Ireland’s Conor McGregor (13-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) vs. England’s Andy Ogle (9-2, fighting out of Sunderland, England)
· Cody Donovan (8-2, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) vs. light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux (13-5, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.)
· The Ultimate Fighter® 13 season finalist Ramsey Nijem (8-3, fighting out of Orem, Utah) vs. lightweight James Vick (4-0, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas)

Tickets for UFC on FOX SPORTS 1: SHOGUN vs. SONNEN, go on sale Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $300, $225, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations. 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.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Tuesday, June 18 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Wednesday, June 19 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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

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®, which airs on FOX SPORTS 1.

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 and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

Press Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian discuss the lightweight title-fight situation, discuss Roy Nelson’s future and look ahead to UFC 162, while Ariel Helwani sheds light on the featherweight title-fight controversy and much more.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: UFC TONIGHT’s Chael Sonnen on the Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman bout: “I can’t wait for this fight. Let’s understand, if Anderson Silva wins this fight, the debate ends: He is the best fighter of all time.”

Sonnen on the rumors of the UFC ON FOX SPORTS 1 Boston fight getting canceled: “The fight has never been in jeopardy, and Shogun and I have already been cleared.”

Sonnen on if Anthony Pettis deserves to fight Benson Henderson: “I hate the word deserve. If you’re TJ Grant, you’re still the number-one contender. Will he fight in Milwaukee or will he get an extra few months to train and just take on the winner of Pettis vs. Henderson? That’s the only thing in dispute. Pettis was the number-one contender, he’s the last guy to beat Ben Henderson, and most importantly, from a geographical standpoint, Pettis would fight in his hometown of Milwaukee.”

UFC TONIGHT’s Kenny Florian on if Pettis or TJ Grant deserves to fight Benson Henderson: “On a merit basis, they both deserve it. I’ll be honest. I want to see Anthony Pettis fight. I love TJ Grant and he absolutely deserves a shot at Benson Henderson, but Anthony Pettis deserved this shot a while back.”

Florian on if Roy Nelson will return to the UFC after his loss to Stipe Miocic: “I absolutely want to see him back in the UFC. He ran into a tough matchup against Stipe Miocic. Stipe knew the right hand was coming from Roy and circled away from that, and scored combination after combination. Roy Nelson needs to change his training up. He needs to get something else besides that big right hand going and stay in the UFC. This is where he’s going to make an even bigger name for himself, he’s a big fan favorite, and he knocks people out.”

Sonnen on Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman: “Weidman is absolutely Silva’s toughest opponent. He was an underdog against Mark Munoz, he stepped into those lights, and he performed extremely well. He has a better top game, at least submission-wise, than I do and I had some success for several minutes with Anderson from that position. Weidman’s going to get on top, he needs this – he’s never tasted defeat.”

Florian on Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman: “A lot of people don’t realize this guy has a legit submission game and he’s got that great wrestling and conditioning. He’s a legitimate threat to Silva.”

Florian on Steve Mazzagatti: “Burkman choked Jon Fitch to sleep, and Steve Mazzagatti took too long to go over to see that Fitch was unconscious. Mazzagatti has been a problem for a very long time. Fitch could’ve been seriously injured.”

UFC TONIGHT Insider Ariel Helwani on Korean Zombie getting a shot at Jose Aldo: “I spoke to the Korean Zombie over the weekend. He said he feels bad for Ricardo Lamas. He thinks Ricardo should get the title shot first. But he’s not going to give it up now. He feels it was a shot that was promised to him after he beat Dustin Poirier last year. But he got out of the line because of an injury. But the bad news for Lamas is he’s off the UFC 162 card. I spoke to his manager and they’re hoping to fight the winner of The Korean Zombie vs. Jose Aldo.”

Helwani on Georges St-Pierre’s next fight: “It’s been reported that Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks will take place November 16 in Las Vegas. This will be the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.”

Helwani on Big Nog’s next fight: “Stefan Struve has called for a fight with Big Nog. Big Nog has made a statement to Struve: ‘The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Let’s get it on.’”

UFC TONIGHT
UFC TONIGHT is the official weekly news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The show is co-hosted by veteran UFC fighter and multiple title contender Kenny Florian and UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen. Leeann Tweeden contributes, while three-time World MMA Awards Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani adds insider news.

Follow FUEL TV and the talent on Twitter at: @FUELTV; @UFCTonight; @kennyflorian; @arielhelwani; @LeeannTweeden; @Sonnench;