Author: UFC News

A special UFC Rio: Aldo vs. Mendes press conference with UFC president Dana White was held on Tuesday, December 13 to announce details of the event, scheduled for January 14th at HSBC Arena.

In addition to announcing the complete fight card and ticket on-sale information for the event, White revealed that Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva would coach the two teams featured in the first Brazilian version of The Ultimate Fighter. White confirmed that the show will premiere on March 25th with a season finale scheduled for June.

The event marks the first Rede Globo broadcast of an edition of The Ultimate Fighting Championship held in Brazil. “We are very happy with the success of the event in Brazil, and that is why we knew we wanted to go back to Rio de Janeiro as soon as possible”, he concluded.

Attending the press conference were White, Lorenzo Fertitta, CEO of the
UFC, featherweight champion Jose Aldo and contender Chad Mendes, as well
as middleweights Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson.

UFC RIO: Aldo vs. Mendes
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Aldo (20-1) is undefeated in the
UFC; in January, he will put his belt on the line against the undefeated
Mendes. ““It’s a great emotion to be able
to defend my belt in Brazil,” said Aldo. “It will be a tough fight, but
the important thing is to do my
job.”

Born and raised in Leblon, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Belfort
(20-9) will finally fulfill his dream of fighting in his hometown. “I
have always believed in my sport, and it will be
an honor to fight in Rio de Janeiro with all my team,” said the former
UFC champion. “I really can’t
express my happiness.”

His opponent, Johnson (10-3), his known for his toughness. Coming off of
two resounding wins in the welterweight division, Johnson is now moving
up to fight middleweight to meet Belfort.

Brazilian fans will also be able to see nine more of their own in action
at UFC Rio: Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares (middleweight), Erick Silva
(welterweight) and Edson Barboza (lightweight),  Thiago Tavares
(lightweight), Paulo Thiago (welterweight), Yuri “Marajó” Alcântara
(featherweight), Fabio Maldonado (light-heavyweight), Ednaldo “Lula”
Olivera (heavyweight) and Felipe “Sertanejo” Arantes (featherweight)
will all defend the Brazilian flag in the HSBC Arena.

Ticket information
UFC Rio: Aldo vs. Mendes tickets went on sale Wednesday, December 14 at 11:30 pm (local), exclusively through www.ingresso.com website.

Sections and prices are as follows: Single Bleacher Sector (R$ 275 / R$ 137,50 – half-price ticket). North and South Special Chairs (R$ 1.000 / R$ 500 – half-price ticket), East and West Premiere Chairs (R$ 1.600 / R$ 800 – half-price) and North and South Premiere Octagon (R$ 1.600 – R$ 800 – half-price). There will also be sectors for People With Special Needs (R$ 137,50) and Premiere People With Special Needs (R$ 800).

Scheduled for January 14th at HSBC Arena, UFC Rio also had an HSBC
customer ticket pre-sale, which sold out in under four hours.

Also at the press conference, the UFC announced a partnership with the Ministry of Health to support the national campaign for the fight against dengue.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that two of the sport’s top welterweight contenders will vie for the interim 170-pound title. Nick Diaz, a fiery and unpredictable southpaw riding an 11-fight win streak, will battle the division’s most fearsome knockout artist, Carlos Condit, when the UFC returns to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 4.

“With GSP out for 10 months, we are going to have Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit fight to crown an interim welterweight champion,” UFC President Dana White said. “I’ve had my differences with Nick, but he is a fighter through and through. The one thing I can guarantee is that come fight night, he is going to throw down. We all saw that in his last performance against BJ Penn. Carlos Condit is no different. He’s knocked out his last three opponents and believes he is the best fighter in the division. I get goose bumps just thinking about this fight!”

Additional fights scheduled for this event include: welterweight bad boy Josh Koscheck vs. powerful wrestler Mike Pierce, as well as a pivotal featherweight bout pitting Erik “New Breed” Koch vs. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier.

Tickets for UFC®143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT, presented by BUD LIGHT®, go on sale TOMORROW, Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $750, $500, $350, $225, $125 and $75. Tickets will be 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.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC®143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, 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.

Official UFC VIP packages are also available at http://vip.ufc.com. These packages include tickets to UFC 143, official event merchandise, as well as special VIP experiences with backstage tours and meet and greets with top UFC stars. Get closer to the action than ever before with this unique UFC VIP opportunity.

During his reign as STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion, Nick Diaz (fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) defeated archrival KJ Noons and finished both Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley en route to  becoming the organization’s best 170-pound fighter. Returning to the UFC with his destruction of Penn last October, Diaz – whose brother Nate is also a UFC competitor – looks to knock off Condit and secure his first UFC world title.

“I wanted to fight Georges St-Pierre and I still want that fight when Georges comes back,” Diaz, who owns a record of 27-7, 1 NC, said. “Right now, I’m focused on beating Carlos Condit. He’s tough and he’s knocked a lot of guys out, but that doesn’t concern me. I know I’m a better fighter in all areas. I’m gonna win that belt on February 4.”

Nicknamed “The Natural Born Killer,” Carlos Condit (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
is a 27-year-old former WEC champion with four straight wins, three of which came by way of knockout. A pupil of renowned trainer Greg Jackson, Condit (27-5) now has the chance to fulfill a lifelong goal of winning the UFC welterweight title. He’s also motivated by the chance to fight one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound best.

“Ever since I began my career in mixed martial arts, it has been my goal to be a UFC champion,” Condit said. “Upon hearing the news that I would be fighting for the interim welterweight title, I cannot begin to describe the mix of emotion that came over me. I am thankful to have such an opportunity. This will be the biggest fight of my career and I am ready to show that I am deserving of it.

“Nick is a great fighter,” Condit added. “He’s also a hungry and motivated fighter. Both of us want to be the champion more than anyone could imagine. I look forward to training for the challenges that he will present in the Octagon. We both have aggressive styles, and that should provide for an entertaining fight for both the UFC and the fans.”

An elite competitor who has fought some of the division’s toughest names, Josh Koscheck (fighting out of Fresno, Calif.) is fresh off a knockout victory over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes in September. A member of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy and a former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler, “Kos” now turns his attention to ending the rise of Mike Pierce (fighting out of Vancouver, Wash.). Having won four of his last five fights, Pierce (13-4) is a hard-charging wrestler known for his ferocious ground and pound. He looks for the biggest win of his career when he meets Koscheck (18-5) on February 4.

A pupil of renowned striking coach Duke Roufus, Erik Koch (fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) has made an immediate impact since joining the UFC earlier this year, knocking out Raphael Assuncao in March and besting The Ultimate Fighter® season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins in September. To earn a crack at the featherweight title, the 23-year-old Koch (13-1) must defeat another surging prospect in 22-year-old Dustin Poirier (fighting out of Lafayette, La.).

With a perfect 3-0 mark since dropping to featherweight at the start of 2011, the gritty Poirier (11-1) has impressed many thanks to decision victories over Josh Grispi and Jason Young, as well as a dynamic submission win over Pablo Garza in November at UFC® on FOX. Eyeing his own shot at the 145-pound crown, Poirier is gearing up for what should be an incredible bout with Koch at Mandalay Bay.

Additional bouts will be announced at UFC.com in the weeks to come. All bouts live and subject to change.    
 

LOS ANGELES, CA – FUEL TV (www.fuel.tv), FOX Sports Media Group’s dynamic entertainment and sports network for males, officially kicks off the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) on FUEL TV January 1 with a 24-hour marathon of UFC programming featuring five show premieres. In 2012, FUEL TV telecasts more than 2,000 hours of UFC programming, with more than 100 hours of live fights, weigh-ins, preliminary bouts, and pre- and post-fight shows. In the New Year, FUEL TV offers more UFC programming than any network has ever offered.

“We’re beyond excited for the monster launch of the UFC on FUEL TV and can’t wait for the ball to drop on New Year’s so we can finally unveil all this incredible programming,” says George Greenberg, FUEL TV Executive Vice President and General Manager. “On January 1, FUEL TV becomes the number-one television destination for UFC fans. We’re going to deliver amazing live fights, FOX-style pre- and post-fight shows with expert commentary, insightful news shows with exclusive material and powerful documentaries that followers of the UFC have never seen before.”

“We’re excited that FUEL TV will become the ultimate destination for UFC programming in 2012,” says Dana White, UFC President. “We knew when we made the partnership with the FOX Sports Media Group that FUEL TV would allow us to put on more programming than every other network. If you’re a fan of the UFC, you’ve got to have FUEL TV.”

In addition to five shows premiering on January 1, FUEL TV launches “UFC Tonight,” the official news and information show of the UFC hosted by Todd Harris, on Tuesday, January 3 at 10:00 PM ET. The first Live UFC Weigh-in (UFC RIO™: ALDO vs. MENDES) is Friday, January 13 at 1:00 PM ET, followed by the first Post-Fight Show on Saturday, January 14 at 1:00AM ET. FUEL TV features the first Preliminary Bouts for UFC® on FX: GUILLARD vs. MILLER on Friday, January 20 at 6:00 PM ET.

For a complete listing of FUEL TV shows, go to: http://www.fuel.tv/schedule/. For more information, go to www.fuel.tv and www.fuel.tv/ufc

To find out FUEL TV on your television, go to www.fuel.tv/getfueltv, or call 877-4 FUEL-TV.

FUEL TV Schedule UFC 24-hour New Year’s Day Marathon

January 1, 12:00 AM ET
UFC Reloaded 1 (UFC 79 Nemesis)
Missed that one Pay-Per-View everyone’s always talking about? Not to worry because FUEL TV is bringing you some of the biggest and most memorable events in UFC history, featuring exclusive, never-before-seen, footage and much, much more. You may know the result, but the epic battles on “UFC Reloaded” will keep you on the edge of your seat. There will be 14 episodes in 2012.

January 1, 3:00 AM ET
UFC Bad Blood: Liddell vs. Ortiz
Once friends, now bitter enemies. UFC superstars Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz waged intense battles in and out of the Octagon. The 90-minute special “UFC Bad Blood: Liddell vs. Ortiz,” gives an all-access look at the epic feud forged in heated competition over the UFC Championship, and fueled by personal conflict outside of the cage. Through new, exclusive interviews, rare behind-the-scenes footage, and hard-hitting action from their historic fights, you can re-live the rivalry that helped launch the Ultimate Fighting Championship into the mainstream and made Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz household names that will be forever linked.

January 1, 4:30 AM ET
UFC Champion’s Roundtable with Jay Glazer
In this FUEL TV produced half-hour special, Jay Glazer chats all things UFC with current and past champions Jon “Bones” Jones, Frank Mir, Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Watch this intimate discussion about the UFC’s meteoric rise, what it means to be a champion and many other topics.

January 1, 5:00 AM ET
UFC Unleashed®
“UFC Unleashed®” features the best fights from the UFC vault! With 12, one-hour specials over 2012, “UFC Unleashed®“ brings viewers the big names and epic battles they want to see.

January 1, 6:00 AM ET
UFC Ultimate Knockouts™
“UFC Ultimate Knockouts™“ brings viewers the greatest knockouts in MMA history, delivered by fighters who refuse to leave results in the hands of the judges … or even allow their opponent a chance to tap out. In this two-hour special, these warriors seek not just to win, but to dominate … with one devastating strike!
(Note: The January 1 schedule repeats this eight-hour block the rest of the day.)

Other UFC Show Premieres in January:

January 3, 7:00 PM ET
Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships®
Peer into the PRIDE® vault as FUEL TV brings viewers some of the greatest mixed martial artists in history, featuring classic wars from Japan’s MMA glory days. In 12, one-hour shows, watch as many of today’s biggest UFC stars like Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Antônio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira first rose to prominence in the PRIDE ring. Viewers get to relive all of the classic battles in the “Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships®.”

January 3, 10:00 PM ET
UFC Tonight
“UFC Tonight” is the official weekly news and information show of the UFC. With in-depth event coverage and analysis, jaw-dropping highlights, exclusive fighter interviews before and after bouts, and segments unavailable anywhere else, “UFC Tonight” is a fan’s number-one source for the latest happenings in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This weekly, half hour show is hosted by Todd Harris, with analyst Kenny Florian, Insider Ariel Helwani and features from Jay Glazer.

January 10, 6:00 PM ET
UFC Best of 2011
Each year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship gets more exciting than the last. Re-live the thrilling action of the best bouts, the greatest knockouts and submissions, and other incredible highlights of the previous 12 months in this three-hour special, as we breakdown top contenders in each weight class, rising stars, and the warriors currently dominating the sport.

January 10, 9:00 PM ET
Countdown to UFC RIO™: ALDO vs. MENDES
“Countdown to UFC” sets the stage for the UFC’s biggest fights with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access to fighter training camps. Over 14 episodes of this series, witness the intense preparation, hear each fighter’s opinion of their opponent, and get expert analysis on the match-up – all leading up to the big fight.

LIVE UFC Programs on FUEL TV in January:
January 13, 1:00 PM ET
Live UFC Weigh-in: UFC RIO™: ALDO vs. MENDES
UFC’s biggest and baddest stars weigh-in and face-off live before a night of epic battles inside the Octagon.

January 14, 1:00 AM ET
UFC on FUEL TV: Post-Fight Show – UFC RIO™: ALDO vs. MENDES
Jay Glazer and today’s top MMA analysts recap the night’s bouts, serve up exclusive fighter interviews, and talk about ‘what’s next’ for the winners and losers after the big fight in this one-hour show.

January 19, 5:00 PM ET
Live UFC Weigh-in: UFC® on FX: GUILLARD vs. MILLER
UFC’s biggest and baddest stars weigh-in and face-off Live before a night of epic battles inside the Octagon®.

January 20, 6:00 PM ET
UFC on FUEL TV: Preliminary Bouts – UFC® on FX: GUILLARD vs. MILLER
Witness the next generation of UFC stars rise as FUEL TV kicks off a night of unforgettable action, featuring three hours of MMA’s hungriest and most promising fighters. If you want to see the battles that make up-and-coming fighters into household names, you don’t want to miss the prelims on FUEL TV.

January 20, 11:00 PM ET
UFC on FUEL TV: Post-Fight Show – UFC® on FX: GUILLARD vs. MILLER

January 27, 5:00 PM ET
Live UFC Weigh-in: UFC on FOX

January 28, 5:00 PM ET
UFC on FUEL TV: Preliminary Bouts – UFC on FOX

January 28, 10:00 PM ET
UFC on FUEL TV: Post-Fight Show – UFC on FOX

January 31, 9:00 PM ET
Countdown to UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT

FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports including MMA, surfing, motocross, snowboarding, skateboarding BMX, wakeboarding and more. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. With more hours of UFC coverage than any other network, FUEL TV is the place to be for live fights, weigh-ins, prelims, pre- and post-fight coverage, specials and events you won’t see anywhere else! See why adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 36 million U.S. homes. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4 FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching almost 30 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

“The rapid rise of an athletic icon is a wondrous thing to watch, and even more so when you never saw it coming. Albert Pujols going from 13th-round pick to the best hitter in baseball in just a few years. John Daly being the ninth alternate for the PGA Championship one day then a major champion and cult hero a few days later. Tony Romo, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner ascending from backups to the NFL’s elite over the course of a single season.

“And now Jon Jones, going from a fighter with potential to the face of the UFC.”

Read full article

Six fighters attended the UFC 140 post-fight press conference alongside company president Dana White: reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, his opponent Lyoto Machida, and main card winners Frank Mir, Rogerio Nogueira, Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ebersole.

The event’s Fight of the Night bonuses went to headliners Jones and Machida. Jones stopped Machida in the second, but was rocked by the former champ in the first, seemingly the first time in his young career that Jones has been in danger. White reminded the media that Jones is the first light heavyweight since Chuck Liddell to defend his belt and said he has no doubt that “Jon Jones is the real deal.”

The award for Submission of the Night went to Mir. White dubbed the brutal armbar of Minotauro Nogueira the “Submission of the Century.” KO of the Night went to Jung, aka the Korean Zombie, for tying the official UFC record for fastest knockout. Jung’s fight against Canadian favorite Mark Hominick ended in just seven seconds.

Each bonused fighter received $75,000.

At the press conference, White also announced the introduction of the UFC’s 125-pound flyweight division, beginning with the March 3 event.

Video highlights from the following fighters are linked below:
Jon Jones
Frank Mir

The UFC’s first event of March 2012 will be a historic one, as the organization introduces the 125-pound division with two bouts that will determine the contenders for the UFC’s first-ever flyweight championship.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement at Saturday night’s UFC 140 post-fight press conference.

In the two bouts, which are part of the March 3 UFC on FX card, former number one bantamweight contender Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson battles Ian McCall, and longtime 135-pound standout Joseph Benavidez will also drop to 125 pounds to face Japan’s Yasuhiro Urushitani.

Considered by many to be the best flyweight in the world today, California’s Ian McCall (11-2) has finally found a home at 125 pounds after competing against the best bantamweights in the world for years. A three fight alumnus of the WEC, where he won a stirring TKO over “Ox” Wheeler and went the distance with current 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz, the 27-year old McCall has won four in a row, a nice way to lead into his new career in the Octagon.

A 5-foot-3 ball of energy that has been tearing through the bantamweight division of the WEC and UFC, Demetrious Johnson (14-2) soared to the number one contender’s spot in 2011 with UFC wins over “Kid” Yamamoto and Miguel Angel Torres. And though he lost a tough five rounder against Cruz in his October title fight, the flyweight division allows “Mighty Mouse” to compete on a level playing field against fighters closer to his natural weight.

One of the top bantamweights in the world, Joseph Benavidez (15-2) is now looking to nab UFC gold at 125 pounds. Winner of seven of nine Zuffa bouts (WEC and UFC) with his only losses coming via close decision to Cruz, Benavidez has defeated the likes of Eddie Wineland, Miguel Angel Torres, Rani Yahya, and Jeff Curran. Now he’s got his sights set on taking out the flyweight elite.

A Shooto bantamweight (123 pound) champion, Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-4-6) is currently sporting a five fight winning streak that matches the best he’s had in his 10 year pro MMA career. Owner of wins over recent Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson, Mamoru Yamaguchi, and Daniel Lima, the 35-year old has ended his last two wins by knockout.