Author: UFC News

Las Vegas, Nev. (USA) – When the overwhelming demand for event tickets for UFC® 137: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT resulted in an immediate sellout, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Mandalay Bay needed to create the next best thing to being inside the Events Center. Thus, the companies announced today that they will host a closed circuit viewing event with large projection screens in the South Seas Ballroom at Mandalay Bay on Saturday, Oct. 29.

UFC® 137: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT features the can’t-miss welterweight title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and knockout artist Carlos Condit, as well as former two-division champion BJ Penn battling the fiery and unpredictable Nick Diaz. With action inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center, as well as in the South Seas Ballroom, the resort now has become the ultimate destination for fight fans to witness this epic card.

Tickets for the closed circuit viewing party are $50 and go on sale TODAY at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, www.mandalaybay.com or the Mandalay Bay box office.  Doors for the viewing party will open at 4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary fights being aired on SPIKE TV at 5 p.m. PT. At 6 p.m. PT, the live UFC 137 Pay-Per-View card will be televised.

For more information on UFC 137, or additional UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

PLUS, BANTAMWEIGHT AND FEATHERWEIGHT BOUTS TO DETERMINE WINNERS OF SEASON 14 OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®

From the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.
Saturday, Dec. 3

Tickets Go On Sale Friday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. PT

Las Vegas – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort on Saturday, Dec. 3 just in time for Michael “The Count” Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller to settle a feud that has been spilling over for months. The middleweights, who traded verbal barbs for months as coaches on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter®, will meet in a long-awaited five-round main event in Las Vegas. Plus, the first-ever bantamweight and featherweight winners of The Ultimate Fighter® will be crowned.

“Bisping and ‘Mayhem’ spent the last few months as TUF coaches and they really got on each other’s nerves,” UFC President Dana White said. “On Dec. 3, the talking finally ends and these two will go at it inside the Octagon. There’s a lot at stake in this fight. Not only do they get to settle their feud, but they get to prove that they belong in the mix to fight Anderson Silva.”

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter® Finale go on sale Friday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. PT and will be priced at $450.00, $350.00 and $200.00. Tickets will be available at the Pearl box office, online at ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Ticket prices do not include service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. PT via the website ufcfightclub.com. Non-members may take advantage of the pre-sale by joining at Ticketmaster. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, Oct. 6 starting at 10 a.m. PT.

The Ultimate Fighter® Finale will be televised nationally live on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Winner of season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter®, Michael “The Count” Bisping (fighting out of Manchester, England) is one of the most successful products of the longest running sports reality show on television. Riding consecutive wins over Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jorge Rivera, the 32-year-old now has his sights set on dominating his opponent on Dec. 3. Knowing a win puts him in contention for a title shot, the motivated Brit Bisping (22-3) seeks his fourth straight against a foe who has pushed his buttons for the last time.

“Jason is one of those guys that you either love him or you hate him,” Bisping said. “I definitely don’t like him. I think most people around him find him very, very annoying. I know people on The Ultimate Fighter did and I was no different. On Dec. 3, I’m going to kick his ass.”

A charismatic performer in and out of the Octagon®, Jason “Mayhem” Miller (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) returns to the UFC on a two-fight winning streak. The 30-year-old’s next task is besting Bisping, and after months of trading verbal jabs on TUF, he’d like nothing more than to shut him up when the two collide at the Palms.

“I definitely got under his skin during the season,” Miller, who owns a record of 34-8 with one no contest, said. “We hate each other’s guts at this point and on Dec. 3, we’re going to get in the cage across from each other and settle it. I’m excited for this fight.”

To find out which bantamweight and welterweight competitors reach The Ultimate Fighter® Finale, tune in to The Ultimate Fighter® Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SPIKE.

Remaining bouts for the card will be released at a later date. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the world.  UFC programming is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and on Comcast, Inc.’s VERSUS network.  Beginning November 12, 2011 FOX will broadcast four fights annually. In spring 2012, The Ultimate Fighter®, UFC’s signature weekly reality TV show debuts on FX. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 132 countries and territories, reaching 597 million homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.

UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over six million fans on Facebook and over 300,000 followers on Twitter.  In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with over 1.6 million followers on Twitter.  On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.

Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, a bimonthly magazine, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gym™, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo™ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards,and articulated action figures.

About the Pearl
The Pearl is Las Vegas’ premier concert theater boasting accommodations for up to 2,500 ticket holders. Featuring a stage just four feet from the floor and the farthest seating area being a mere 120 feet from the stage, the Pearl offers the utmost in intimate viewing of your favorite acts. Private and semi-private skyboxes are located on each side of the venue offering private bars, lounges and restrooms. The Pearl is a marvel of modern technology using only top quality sound and video equipment throughout. Hard wired to Studio at the Palms, the Pearl allows artists to create a cost-effective live album with efficiency and without additional venue set-up. For more information, please visit www.palms.com.

About The Palms:
The Palms Casino Resort, heralded as one of Las Vegas’ hippest resorts, is an all-encompassing, one-stop destination. The boutique property boasts three distinct towers and a diverse mix of bars and restaurants across a 95,000-square-foot casino. Amenities include the legendary Playboy Club; Ghostbar; Rain Nightclub; the Pearl Concert Theater; Moon Nightclub; N9NE Steakhouse; Nove Italiano; Little Buddha; Simon Restaurant & Lounge; The Palms Pool & Bungalows; Palms Spa and AMP Salon; Drift Spa & Hammam; LA Sunset Tan; Brenden Theatres, a 14-theatre Cineplex; Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge; the Fantasy Suites, including the Hardwood Suite, the only hotel room in the world with its own basketball court; and over 60,000 square-feet of meeting space. The Palms has played host to MTV’s Video Music Awards, Real World: Las Vegas, Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown and E!’s Girls Next Door and Sunset Tan feature the resort on a regular basis. The Palms Casino Resort is located just west of the Las Vegas Strip and I-15 on Flamingo Road. For room reservation information, call toll free at (866) PALMS-RES, (866) 725-6773, or visit www.palms.com. For groups of 15 rooms or more, contact the Sales Department at (866) PALMS-MTG or (866) 725-6768.

After an incredible night of finishes, submissions and two all-out wars, the nights standouts spoke to the media in Washington, DC. * Read main card results * Read prelim results

Dana White announced the winners of the $65,000 post-fight bonuses.

Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig earned Fight of the Night for their lightweight rematch. Wiman again took home the win, but this time after fifteen minutes of nonstop action rather than a controversial stoppage.

Knockout of the Night went to Anthony Johnson for his first-round finish of Charlie Brenneman. Stefan Struve scored Submission of the Night for his triangle choke win over Pat Barry, cinched up after a PRIDE-style power bomb from Barry.

Video highlights of the following fighters are linked below:
Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson
Stefan Struve and Pat Barry

Fresh off his submission victory over Mike Stumpf at UFC® Fight Night Live on Sept. 17, UFC welterweight and Texas native TJ Waldburger will compete in a grappling superfight at the UFC FAN EXPO® in Houston on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Grapplers Quest announced today that the 23-year-old of Belton, Texas will meet The Ultimate Fighter® season 12 veteran Marc Stevens as a part of two grappling superfights set to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

“It means a lot to represent Texas in the grappling superfight at the UFC Fan Expo,” Waldburger said. “My opponent is tough and has competed at a high level before. It’s going to be a great matchup for the fans.”

Waldburger, who has scored 11 of his 14 professional mixed martial arts victories by submission, will battle Stevens at 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday. Meanwhile, Wesley Gann of Nova Uniao Dallas will meet ADCC North American champion Justin Rader on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT in a grappling superfight between two of the best ground practitioners from the southwestern United States.

The superfights headline a stacked weekend of competitions being held by Grapplers Quest at the UFC FAN EXPO®. For more information or to register in Grapplers Quest events, visit www.grapplersquest.com.

For more information on UFC FAN EXPO® and to purchase tickets to the event, visit www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. Standard VIP packages and general admission tickets are also available online at www.ufcfanexpo.com. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets now and save, as ticket pricing will increase at the door.

All the UFC FAN EXPO® activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC® 136: EDGAR vs. MAYNARD 3 event, which takes place at Toyota Center on Saturday, Oct. 8. Headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, UFC 136 also features Jose Aldo defending the featherweight crown against the always-dangerous Kenny Florian. Tickets are still available at ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at select Houston area Randalls locations, and the Toyota Center Box Office.  Tickets are subject to applicable service charges and event time and date are subject to change.
 

Fresh off his submission victory over Mike Stumpf at UFC® Fight Night Live on Sept. 17, UFC welterweight and Texas native TJ Waldburger will compete in a grappling superfight at the UFC FAN EXPO® in Houston on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Grapplers Quest announced today that the 23-year-old of Belton, Texas will meet The Ultimate Fighter® season 12 veteran Marc Stevens as a part of two grappling superfights set to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

“It means a lot to represent Texas in the grappling superfight at the UFC Fan Expo,” Waldburger said. “My opponent is tough and has competed at a high level before. It’s going to be a great matchup for the fans.”

Waldburger, who has scored 11 of his 14 professional mixed martial arts victories by submission, will battle Stevens at 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday. Meanwhile, Wesley Gann of Nova Uniao Dallas will meet ADCC North American champion Justin Rader on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT in a grappling superfight between two of the best ground practitioners from the southwestern United States.

The superfights headline a stacked weekend of competitions being held by Grapplers Quest at the UFC FAN EXPO®. For more information or to register in Grapplers Quest events, visit www.grapplersquest.com.

For more information on UFC FAN EXPO® and to purchase tickets to the event, visit www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. Standard VIP packages and general admission tickets are also available online at www.ufcfanexpo.com. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets now and save, as ticket pricing will increase at the door.

All the UFC FAN EXPO® activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC® 136: EDGAR vs. MAYNARD 3 event, which takes place at Toyota Center on Saturday, Oct. 8. Headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, UFC 136 also features Jose Aldo defending the featherweight crown against the always-dangerous Kenny Florian. Tickets are still available at ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at select Houston area Randalls locations, and the Toyota Center Box Office.  Tickets are subject to applicable service charges and event time and date are subject to change.
 

With Dave Herman forced to withdraw from his UFC 136 bout against Mike Russow, the long-awaited rematch between featherweight standouts Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan has been bumped to the main card on October 8th in Houston, making this Pay-Per-View event one of the most stacked and action-packed of 2011.

Red Schafer Returns Against Aaron Simpson at UFC® 136 in Houston
With Nick Catone injured, UFC veteran Eric “Red” Schafer has been tapped to return to the Octagon against Aaron Simpson next month. Former light heavyweight Schafer made a successful middleweight debut and will re-test his new weight class against the always-tough Simpson at UFC 136 in Houston.

Grice Injured, Garcia and Phan Get Rematch updated September 7
Matt Grice is out of his scheduled UFC bout on October 8th with Nam Phan due to injury, but Leonard Garcia has quickly stepped in to fill the spot and verbal agreements are in place, confirmed UFC president Dana White today.

Garcia and Phan previously battled to what many considered the most controversial decision of 2010, with Garcia taking home the W at the TUF 12 Finale last December. Their first rematch was postponed due to Phan’s injury. Now, they will finally meet once again to settle the score.

It’s the second change to the featherweight bout – Grice was originally slated to face Josh Grispi at UFC 136, but Grispi was forced to withdraw, sending Phan into the Houston lineup. 

The Wolf Faces The Damage in H-Town updated August 18
Verbal agreements are in for a third featherweight scrap on the stacked Houston fight card. “China’s best prospect, Tiequan Zhang, makes his return to the Octagon vs. the always-tough Darren Elkins at UFC 136,” said UFC president Dana White.

Elkins most recently scored a hard-fought decision over Japanese judoka Michihiro Omigawa. Zhang’s last bout was a first-round submission of Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127.

Tickets for UFC 136 may be purchased today using the pre-sale password HOUSTON at ToyotaCenterTickets.com.

Grispi Out, Phan in for Grice at UFC 136 updated August 12
Fresh from his exciting UFC 133 scrap with Mike Brown, The Ultimate Fighter’s Nam Phan is back in October, replacing Josh Grispi against always tough Matt Grice.

“Josh Grispi had to withdraw from UFC 136 in Houston, but the always ready Nam Phan is stepping up and taking his place vs Matt Grice on October 8th,” said UFC President Dana White. “Both fighters have verbally agreed to the featherweight matchup.”

Massenzio and Cantwell to meet in Houston

Mike Massenzio and Steve Cantwell will look to get back to their winning ways this October at UFC 136

“Verbal agreements are in for a middleweight match between two former light heavyweights, Mike ‘The Master of Disaster’ Massenzio and Steve ‘The Robot’ Cantwell at UFC 136 October 8,” said UFC President Dana White.

Beltran to Welcome Newcomer Miocic at UFC 136
Following his impressive third round TKO of Aaron Rosa at UFC 131 in June, “The Mexicutioner,” Joey Beltran, will look to spoil the debut of another newcomer, as he has agreed to face off against unbeaten prospect Stipe Miocic in UFC 136 action in Houston on October 8th.

Miocic comes to the UFC with a 6-0 record that includes five knockouts and one submission. A former Division I wrestler for Cleveland State and a Golden Gloves champ, Miocic will be put to the test by the heavy hands, granite chin, and relentless pressure of Beltran,who is 3-2 in his UFC stint thus far.

Wrestlers Catone and Simpson Meet in Houston
Two of the middleweight division’s finest wrestlers, New Jersey’s Nick Catone and Arizona’s Aaron Simpson, will try to keep their winning streaks intact when they meet at UFC 136 on October 8th.

Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis at UFC 136 updated July 16
Two of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division will face off as verbal agreements are in for Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens VS Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 136, UFC president Dana White confirmed today.

Two Title Fights in Texas This Fall updated July 15
The featherweight world title will be on the line October 8th at UFC 136 in Houston, TX with Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian.

Reigning champion Jose Aldo looks to continue his incredible six-year unbeaten streak and total divisional dominance.

Coming off his featherweight debut in June, KenFlo has already taken out one of the division’s absolute best, Diego Nunes. In his fourth weight class since joining the UFC, Florian is gunning for the pound-for-pound contender. Both fighters have verbally committed to the bout.

UFC President Dana White has also made another title bout official for that same event – Frankie Edgar has verbally agreed to defend his UFC lightweight title against the only man to beat him, as well as the number one contender who held him to a classic draw in January, Gray Maynard. The bout will be the main event at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas on October 8th.

Also on that card, lightweight fan favorites and TUF alumni Joe Lauzon and Melvin Guillard have verbally agreed to meet.

Both men scored blitz first-round wins in the last month – Guillard via
KO over Shane Roller at UFC 132 and Lauzon via kimura over Curt Warburton at UFC Live.

“One way or another, someone is getting hurt,’ said Lauzon in a blog post about the matchup.  “I’m sure he will be looking for the knockout bonus, and I will be looking for the submission bonus. This fight is guaranteed excitement.”

Maia vs. Santiago in Houston Battle of Brazilians
Fight fans in Texas will get to see two of the
best ground specialists in the world at work in October.

“Two top Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts go to war in order to move back up the middleweight rankings as Jorge Santiago and Demian Maia have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 136 in Houston, TX,” said Dana White today.

Heavyweights, Featherweights Booked for UFC 136 updated July 14
21-2 Dave ‘Pee Wee’ Herman and 14-1 Mike Russow have verbally agreed to a heavyweight showdown at UFC 136 in Houston this fall, confirmed UFC president Dana White today.

Both men are unbeaten inside the Octagon. Herman made his UFC debut in June with a Fight of the Night win over John-Olav Einemo at UFC 131. Russow’s most recent victories were a TKO over Jon Madsen and a memorable third-round comeback KO of Todd Duffee.

Also on that card, featherweights Josh Grispi vs Matt Grice have verbally agreed to fight each other.

Sonnen vs. Stann Coming in October updated July 6
At UFC 136 in October, middleweight contender Chael Sonnen will return to the Octagon for the first time since his epic 2010 battle with Anderson Silva to take on the “All-American” Brian Stann in a bout verbally agreed to Wednesday.

Sonnen
was less than two minutes away from defeating Silva and winning the
185-pound title at UFC 117 last August before being submitted by the
champion. Stann is on a 3-0 run at middleweight, with a submission of Mike Massenzio and knockouts of Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago.