Leben Suspended After UFC 138

Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (“the UFC®”), today released information stating that middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5  loss to Mark Munoz in the mai…

Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (“the UFC®”), today released information stating that middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5  loss to Mark Munoz in the main event of UFC® 138 in Birmingham, England.

As a result of the positive test, Leben will be suspended from fighting for one (1) year.

“I like Chris and I want him to do well, but based on his actions, he’s been suspended for one year,” UFC President Dana White said. “If he needs professional help, we are going to be there for him. We want to see him succeed not only in the Octagon, but in his personal life.”

“I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts,” Leben said. “I’m learning that I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. I can’t succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. I’ve got to make some real changes over the next year and I’m going to focus on getting my life and career back on track. Again, I’m sorry to the UFC and fans that’ve supported me since my days on The Ultimate Fighter.”

The remaining 19 fighters on the UFC® 138 card all passed their post fight drug tests.
 

UFC Returns to Japan with a Championship Card

 The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced the full fight card today of the organization’s return to the birthplace of mixed martial arts.  This highly anticipated event, the first in Asia under Zuffa ownership, features an epic lightw…

 The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced the full fight card today of the organization’s return to the birthplace of mixed martial arts.  This highly anticipated event, the first in Asia under Zuffa ownership, features an epic lightweight title fight pitting champion Frankie Edgar against former WEC Champion Benson HendersonUFC® JAPAN: EDGAR vs. HENDERSON will take place at the Saitama Super Arena, in suburban Tokyo, on Sunday, February 26, 2012.
 
UFC Japan – or UFC 144 – will also feature the return to Land of the Rising Sun of  Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, one of the biggest stars in the sport, in a bout which will mark the 6th anniversary to the day of his last fight in Japan.  Jackson faces rising star Ryan Bader, whose most recent win came just two weeks ago at UFC 139 in San Jose.  Other key matchups feature Mark Hunt, a veteran of Japanese kickboxing, versus French heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo; and Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama dropping a weight division to meet the always dangerous Jake Shields at welterweight.  Rounding out the main card will be a lightweight bout pitting the underrated Joe Lauzon, coming off a stunning 67-second submission over Melvin Guillard, against former WEC champion Anthony Pettis.
 
The above-mentioned fighters Edgar, Jackson, Akiyama, Henderson, Bader and Shields, as well as Japan’s own top middleweight Yushin Okami, all appeared in the press conference at the Ritz Carlton Roppongi in Tokyo today along with other top Japanese fighters Hatsu Hioki, Takanori Gomi, “Kid” Yamamoto, Riki Fukuda and Takeya Mizugaki.  UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC International Managing Director Marshall Zelaznik, and Asia Managing Director Mark Fischer unveiled the complete card and discussed the upcoming event to be held at the Saitama Super Arena. 

Full fight card:
Main event – five rounds
Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Main card –
Rampage Jackson vs Ryan Bader
Mark Hunt vs Cheick Kongo
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Jake Shields
Anthony Pettis vs Joe Lauzon

prelims –
Yushin Okami vs Tim Boetsch
Takanori Gomi vs George Sotiropoulos
Hatsu Hioki vs Bart Palaszewski
Kid Yamamoto vs Vaughan Lee
Riki Fukuda vs Steve Cantwell
Takeya Mizugaki vs Chris Cariaso
Leonard Garcia vs Tiequan Zhang

“Japan is the spiritual home of martial arts – the world has learned from the Japanese many aspects of how to compete in hand-to-hand combat with respect and honor,” said Fertitta.  “But Japan also has a proud history of modern mixed martial arts and I am excited to bring the Ultimate Fighting Championship back here, and to begin the build-up today to one of the most highly anticipated events of the year — not just for Japanese UFC fans, but for sports fans all over the world.”

“To mark this historic occasion of UFC’s return to Japan and Zuffa’s first event in Asia, we are bringing a truly stacked card, topped with a World Championship title bout,” noted UFC Asia Managing Director Mark Fischer.  “Frankie Edgar is one of the top pound-for-pound and toughest guys in the sport, and Benson Henderson is a former WEC champion who earned his title shot with three consecutive wins including most recently over Clay Guida in one of the best fights of 2011”
 
Tickets for UFC® JAPAN: EDGAR vs. HENDERSON will be made available via pre-sale channels in Japan on November 28 and are priced at Japanese Yen (JPY) 100,000, 34000, 19000 9800, and 5800.  General availability begins December 10 in numerous outlets including Kyodo Promotion, E-Plus and Lawson Tickets.  
 
UFC® fans in Japan will have the opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets to this event starting today through UFC Mobile, and tomorrow through WOWOW and Nikkan Sports.
 
UFC® JAPAN: EDGAR vs. HENDERSON will be available live in the United States on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US for Standard Definition and $54.99 US for High Definition.

UFC 139 Post-Fight Press Conference Notes

UFC president Dana White announced the winners of the event’s bonuses of $70,000 each. Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua earned Fight of the Night honors for their five-round instant classic. Additionally, Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le were awarded Fight of t…

UFC president Dana White announced the winners of the event’s bonuses of $70,000 each.

Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua earned Fight of the Night honors for their five-round instant classic. Additionally, Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le were awarded Fight of the Night bonuses for their battle that ended in the second.

Twenty-year-old Michael McDonald took home Knockout of the Night for his laser-precise finish of newcomer Alex Soto, a fight that lasted less than a minute. Submission of the Night went to Urijah Faber, who choked out Brian Bowles in the second after punishing him on the feet.

Silva and Faber attended the press conference in addition to winners Martin Kampmann, Stephan Bonnar and Chris Weidman. Henderson and Rua did not attend; both men went to the hospital for routine checkups.

Click below to watch video highlights from the press conference:
Wanderlei Silva highlights
Urijah Faber highlights

UFC Mobile App for Android Platform

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) (UFC(R)) and NeuLion, Inc. (TSX: NLN), the true end-to-end technology service provider for delivering live and on-demand content to any Internet-enabled device, today announced the debut of UFC mobile app app for A…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) (UFC(R)) and NeuLion, Inc. (TSX: NLN), the true end-to-end technology service provider for delivering live and on-demand content to any Internet-enabled device, today announced the debut of UFC mobile app app for Android. Fans of the UFC can stream live Pay-Per-View events vía UFC.TV, Roku and now Android.

This announcement deepens the UFC’s partnership with NeuLion and extends the reach of the organization to the mobile marketplace and will enable the UFC to capitalize on the continued growth of the Android platform.  Android commanded 44 percent of mobile app downloads in 2010, according to a study released by ABI Research and Nielsen in September.  In addition, twice as many consumers in the U.S. purchased Android smartphones compared to Apple’s iPhone in 2011*.

“We’re always trying to stay ahead of the curve with technology and the UFC TV Android app is just another example of that,” UFC President Dana White said. “With our new UFC TV Android app, fans can keep track of their favorite fighters and watch UFC Pay-Per-Views live. We’re leveraging NeuLion’s streaming capabilities for live sports events and continuing to give our fans unique access to the UFC.”

Developed by NeuLion, the UFC TV Android app features:

•    Live streaming of Pay-Per-View events, weigh-ins and press conferences
•    Multiple live video and audio feeds during the broadcast: English, Spanish, Red Corner and Blue Corner
•    Ability to score the fight in real-time and get an aggregate of every vote
•    UFC fighter index sortable by weight class. Each fighter’s profile has key stats – wins/losses, height, weight, etc.
•    Access to the UFC Fight Library of video
•    Free videos including: event countdown shows, fighter interviews, press conferences, event previews, fighter workouts and other UFC free video content
•    TV schedule
•    Video highlights and VOD events
•    Constantly updated news section featuring articles about the latest UFC fighters, events, interviews and profiles of fighters

“Major sports brands and sports leagues understand that delivering mobile access for their content is key towards continued growth,” said Marc Sokol, Executive Vice President at NeuLion. “The new UFC TV Android app showcases how a dynamic sports brand can utilize mobile to further their relationship with their fans.”

Visit the Android Market to download the UFC app for your Android device today.

*For the three months leading up to the study.

Fertitta Discusses NY Lawsuit

Capital Tonight – Ultimate Fighting is going mainstream. They recently aired their first fight on network television. And now, they are working toward overturning New York’s ban on the sport. Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Lorenzo Fertitta explai…

Capital Tonight – Ultimate Fighting is going mainstream. They recently aired their first fight on network television. And now, they are working toward overturning New York’s ban on the sport. Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Lorenzo Fertitta explains why the next round could be fought in the courtroom. See the interview…

Jake Hecht Steps in to Complete UFC 140 Card

Jake “Hitman” Hecht has been signed to the UFC; his first bout will be on the UFC 140 card against Rich Attonito. The Missouri welterweight has won 10 of his last 11 bouts and will look to extend his win streak against The Bull December 10th. Injur…

Jake “Hitman” Hecht has been signed to the UFC; his first bout will be on the UFC 140 card against Rich Attonito. The Missouri welterweight has won 10 of his last 11 bouts and will look to extend his win streak against The Bull December 10th.

Injury Removes Rory MacDonald from Toronto Card updated November 8
Rising Canadian star Rory MacDonald has been injured and forced off the UFC 140 card in his home nation, UFC president Dana White reported today. His original opponent, Brian Ebersole, will instead face Toronto’s own 14-1 Claude “The Prince” Patrick.

Patrick was previously booked to battle Rich Attonito in Toronto; a new opponent for Attonito is expected to be named soon.

Hamman vs. Philippou Completes UFC 140 Card updated October 25
Verbal agreements are in for a brawling fan’s dream bout pitting hard-hitting Constantinos Philippou versus two-time Fight of the Night winner Jared “The Messenger” Hamman in Toronto. The middleweight matchup rounds out the UFC 140 fight card.

Tiger Going After Gazelle Next in Toronto updated October 21
Canada’s own Yves “Tiger” Jabouin will be taking on Walel “The Gazelle” Watson in a bantamweight battle on December 10th at UFC 140 in Toronto. “Jabouin is looking to stay undefeated since moving into the weight division and Watson is coming off a spectacular KO win,” said UFC president Dana White today. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout.

Jones vs. Machida to Headline UFC 140 in Toronto updated October 6
Owners of the most unique styles in mixed martial arts today, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former titlist Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will meet in the Octagon in the main event of December 10th’s UFC 140 card at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.

The verbally agreed to bout was announced by UFC President Dana White on Twitter Thursday.

“Alright Toronto!!! Dec 10th UFC 140 tix go on sale next weekend and ur main event is Bones Jones vs Machida!!!” tweeted White.

Jones is coming off his first successful title defense, as he scored a submission win over “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 in September. Machida is fresh from a UFC 129</a> knockout of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture in April.

Detailed ticket information for UFC 140 will be announced shortly. Bouts already announced for the event are Frank Mir vs. “Minotauro” Nogueira, Tito Ortiz vs. Rogerio Nogueira, Brian Ebersole vs. Rory MacDonald, Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung, Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski, Nik Lentz vs. Mark Bocek, Dannis Hallman vs. John Makdessi, Rich Attonito vs. Claude Patrick, and John Cholish vs. Mitch Clarke.

Croatian vs. Polish Experiment in Toronto
An explosive light heavyweight showdown has been verbally agreed to for December 10 in Toronto as Igor “The Duke” Pokrajac takes on Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski.

Korean Zombie vs. Hominick at UFC 140 updated September 17
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Mark Hominick have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 140 in Toronto on December 10th. Jung is coming off a Submission of the Year win and Hominick’s last outing had him pushing featherweight champion Jose Aldo to the limit in one of the best performances of his career.”

Toronto to Host Bocek vs. Lentz updated September 13
Two lightweight grappling specialists have verbally agreed to face off December 10 in Toronto as Nik “The Carny” Lentz takes on Canada’s Mark Bocek, confirmed UFC president Dana White today. The bout will mark Lentz’ return to action after an injury sustained in his UFC on Versus 4 Fight of the Night against Charles Oliveira.

Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz Set to Fight in Toronto updated September 9
Verbal agreements are for a match between two of the most accomplished light heavyweights in the sport as Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira will face the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz December 10th at UFC 140 in Toronto.

Nogueira and Ortiz were originally set to meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night in March, but an injury sidelined Ortiz, and Phil Davis fought in his place. (Trivia time: Five months later, Ortiz repaid the favor by stepping in for an injured Davis at UFC 133, an from which Nogueira was also forced to withdraw due to injury.)

Hallman Returns to Lightweight; Faces Makdessi at UFC 140 updated September 8
Verbal agreements are in for a lightweight showdown between Dennis “Superman” Hallman and Canadian John “The Bull” Makdessi at UFC 140 in Toronto, UFC president Dana White confirmed today.

Hallman’s most recent bout was at welterweight against Brian Ebersole at UFC 133; Makdessi is coming off a spinning back fist knockout at UFC 129. “John Makdessi, thank you for choosing me. I always wanted to visit Toronto,” tweeted Hallman.

What’s Next for Big Nog? Mir in Toronto
updated September 7
A heavyweight standoff between two big names has been booked for December, as former UFC heavyweight champions Minotauro Nogueira and Frank Mir have verbally agreed to rematch at UFC 140 in Toronto.

“Both men are known as two of the premiere submission specialists in the division but have shown dangerous striking skills as well,” said UFC president Dana White.

MacDonald, Ebersole Make UFC 140 Roster updated September 6
“Two of the welterweight division’s most promising contenders have verbally agreed to fight as Brian ‘Bad Boy’ Ebersole takes on Rory ‘Ares’ MacDonald December 10 in Toronto,” said UFC president Dana White.

Also on tap for Toronto, “Raging Bull” Rich Attonito and Claude “The Prince” Patrick have accepted a welterweight matchup.

Two strong lightweight prospects have verbally agreed to make their UFC debuts that night as 7-1 John Cholish will face 9-0 Canadian Mitch Clarke.

More information on UFC 140 will be available soon on ufc.com.