Author: UFC News

Las Vegas, Nevada – Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, announced today that nearly 350 UFC® and STRIKEFORCE® independent contractor athletes will now be eligible for customized accident insurance coverage. The coverage will be underwritten by Houston Casualty Insurance Company and complement existing event coverage the company already provides its athletes. Never before has a combat sports promoter provided coverage to nearly 350 athletes, and this unprecedented policy will cover accidental injuries suffered by athletes while training, as well as non-training incidents such as automobile accidents.

To date, Zuffa event-related insurance has always met or exceeded Athletic Commission requirements and has covered all injuries sustained during competition. After exploring the purchase of “training insurance” for its athletes for several years – much of which was met with difficulty in finding an insurance company willing to insure mixed martial artists – Zuffa officials were able to secure a comprehensive plan through A+ rated Houston Casualty.

The new policy adds 24-hour worldwide medical life insurance and dental coverage, as well as emergency medical evacuation. Zuffa will pay 100 percent of the premiums for its athletes and have an employee dedicated to handling and filing all claims.

“Our athletes are some of the very best in the world and we’ve committed significant financial resources to provide them with insurance that complements the gold standard we have set for event-related coverage,” UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. “We’re pleased to provide coverage that enables our athletes to seek and receive treatment for injuries sustained while preparing for bouts.”

“As this sport continues to grow, we have been working hard to secure additional insurance coverage so that our athletes can perform at the highest levels,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’re proud to give our athletes access to this type of insurance.”

For more information, or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com.

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.  UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 135 countries and territories, reaching 597 million homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.

UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over six 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 five million fans on Facebook and over 250,000 followers on Twitter.  In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with over 1.4 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 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, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a bimonthly magazine.

Corona, Calif. (USA) – UFC® GYM™ will celebrate the opening of its third facility by holding the official Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Expo in Corona on Saturday, May 14 beginning at 10 a.m. PT. The Grand Opening celebration will feature special appearances by UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, who was recently named UFC Executive Vice President of Business Development, as well as New Evolution Ventures (NeV) founders and UFC Gym partners Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley.

UFC superstars Urijah Faber, Phil Davis, Donald Cerrone and Leonard Garcia are also scheduled to attend. In addition, the festivities will feature appearances by UFC Octagon Girl® Arianny Celeste and Best of PRIDE® host Kenda Perez.

The UFC Gym Grand Opening celebration will include the ultimate fan experience with autograph signings, live fitness demonstrations, meet-and-greets and other exciting activities.

WHERE:
UFC GYM
470 MCKINLEY STREET
CORONA, CA 92879

WHEN:                    
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011 – 10 A.M.
*UFC FIGHTER AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS TO TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT THE DAY   

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Over four years removed from their first clash, UFC® stars Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are set to meet again – this time for the UFC bantamweight championship. Ultimate Fighting Championship® officials announced today that on Saturday, July 2 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Cruz will defend the UFC bantamweight title against his heated rival Faber in one of the most anticipated title bouts of the summer. The 26-year-old Cruz is out to avenge a 2007 featherweight title loss to “The California Kid” and now looks to settle the score in the highly-entertaining 135-pound division.

UFC® 132: CRUZ vs. FABER will also feature an outstanding middleweight clash between Chris “The Crippler” Leben and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, a lightweight contest pitting rising contender Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman, a light heavyweight bout between Ryan Bader and former champion Tito Ortiz, and an explosive welterweight bout between Dong Hyun Kim and Carlos Condit.

“There is no love lost between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber and they are both fired up to not only fight again, but to fight for the UFC bantamweight title,” UFC President Dana White said. “The bantamweight division is one of the most exciting weight classes in this sport and Dominick and Urijah will both bring it for five rounds.

“Wandy came and asked for this fight and Leben wanted it just as bad,” White continued. “This is gonna be fun! When you add in the Siver-Wiman and Kim-Condit fights, and the fact that Tito will be fighting Ryan Bader to keep his career alive, it’s hard not to get excited for UFC 132.”

Tickets for UFC® 132: CRUZ vs. FABER go on sale Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125, and $75. Tickets are 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.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are subject to convenience and service fees.

UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, May 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 Friday, May 6 starting at 10 a.m. PT.  To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com by entering their email address where it says “Join Newsletter” at the very top of this page.

UFC® 132: CRUZ vs. FABER, which is presented by Bud Light Lime®, will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 9 p.m. ET/6 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.

Undefeated in the bantamweight division, Dominick Cruz (fighting out of San Diego, Calif./17-1) offers one of the most complete skill sets in all of mixed martial arts. With unorthodox footwork, precision striking and tremendous wrestling, “The Dominator” has defeated the likes of Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez (twice) and Scott Jorgensen. Now, the champion sets out to prove that his loss to Faber in 2007 was nothing more than a minor hurdle on the path to becoming the best 135-pound fighter in history.

“This fight is going to be different because I’ve become a complete fighter,” Cruz said. “Before, it was my very first training camp. He’s made some changes since that fight, but I’m a completely different fighter. The bottom line is all of Urijah’s losses have come from guys that he can’t take down and guys who out-strike him. He can’t take me down and he can’t out-strike me. I win this fight.”

A former featherweight champion who has since won back-to-back fights at his new weight of 135 pounds, Urijah Faber (fighting out Sacramento, Calif./25-4) is a pioneer in the lighter weight classes. “The California Kid” holds victories over the likes of Eddie Wineland, Takeya Mizugaki and Jens Pulver (twice), and believes he’ll score a second victory over his bitter rival on July 2. By doing so, he hopes to earn his second title in two different weight classes.

“I’m super excited for my UFC title shot,” Faber said. “I’ve been waiting my entire career for this and I’m not going to let Dominick get in my way. It’s a great matchup for me and I’m taking the UFC belt back to Sacramento!”

Known for his warrior spirit and heavy hands, Chris Leben (fighting out of Oahu, Hawaii/21-7) has been vocal in his desire to fight Wanderlei Silva (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev./33-10-1, 1 NC). On July 2, the man who holds wins over notables such as Yoshihiro Akiyama, Aaron Simpson and Jorge Santiago finally gets his date with “The Axe Murderer.” No stranger to all-out wars, the 36-year-old Curitiba native will look to add to his impressive resume with a win over “The Crippler.”

Riding a three-fight winning streak, Matt Wiman (fighting out of Denver, Colo./13-5) looks to climb one step closer to a shot at the lightweight title with a win this July. To do so, the gritty 27-year-old must best fierce kickboxer Dennis Siver (fighting out of Mannheim, Germany/18-7). The 32-year-old, who defeated the fast-rising George Sotiropolous at UFC 127 in February to extend his win streak to three, is a devastating body striker and can finish fights in a hurry. Expect an exciting bout when he meets Wiman in Las Vegas.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz (fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif./16-8-1) returns to Las Vegas hoping to keep his illustrious career alive when he meets wrestling powerhouse Ryan Bader (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz./12-1). A vicious ground and pound artist, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” owns wins over some of the sport’s all-time best, including Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin. To fuel another run in the UFC’s talented 205-pound division, the 36-year-old finds himself in a must-win situation against the heavy-handed Bader, a two-time Division I All-American.

Welterweight standout Dong Hyun Kim (fighting out of Busan, South Korea/14-0-1, 1 NC) battles Carlos Condit (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M./26-5) in a pivotal 170-pound collision at UFC 132. The 29-year-old South Korean remains unbeaten in his UFC career and holds wins over the likes of Nate Diaz and Amir Sadollah. He’ll be in for his toughest bout yet when he meets Condit, a winner of three straight who most recently knocked out Dan Hardy at UFC 120 last October.
 

NEW YORK, May 4, 2011 – Spike TV has announced the nominees for the boys’ biggest night of the year, the fifth annual “Guys Choice” awards.  The one night only event returns to celebrate the Kingdom of Guydom.  Voting opens today to determine “Who is the Most Dangerous Man?” “Who is the Most Unstoppable Jock?” and “Who is the Holy Grail of Hot?” and lets fans settle it like men – mano a mano.  Set to tape Saturday, June 4 at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, CA,  “Guys Choice” will premiere Friday, June 10 at 9 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.

May 3, 2011  – Pepper & Bones announced today that Showtime Networks Inc. has acquired their latest documentary, FIGHTVILLE, for U.S. exhibition. The premium network closed a deal on the film, directed by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker, shortly after its rousing world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX last month.

 “We are thrilled to have SHOWTIME as our partner for FIGHTVILLE,” says co-director Petra Epperlein.  “Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world and SHOWTIME is a major force in combat sports and truly represents the best in original programming,” adds Epperlein.

FIGHTVILLE chronicles the story of a minor league Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion run by Gil “The Thrill” Guillory in Lafayette, Louisiana–a place where, for many, fighting is as much ritual as it is sport. In FIGHTVILLE, life is a contest, and the area around Lafayette, which includes a neighborhood that is the namesake of the film, has no shortage of up-and-coming fighters willing to fight their way out of the dusty rodeo arenas of Louisiana to the big lights of Las Vegas. Many of them train with veteran UFC fighter “Crazy” Tim Credeur at his Gladiators Academy, where he seeks to “build better men,” while developing champion fighters.

One of those fighters, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, quickly became the focus of the film after a series of dramatic victories.  His story forms the backbone of the film.   “The first time we saw Dustin fight, we were immediately taken with him,” states co-director Michael Tucker.  “You could tell that the kid was going places.”  “More than just fighting, FIGHTVILLE is about what it takes to be the best at anything,” adds Tucker. “We hope that FIGHTVILLE will introduce a wider audience to the beauty and passion of MMA while elevating the mainstream perception of the sport.”

Submarine Entertainment’s Josh Braun negotiated the deal with Showtime Networks Inc., and a US theatrical and DVD distribution deal is planned as well.  FIGHTVILLE had its international premiere on April 28th at Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, Canada on the eve of UFC 129, the biggest fight in UFC history.

Dana White announced the winners of the $129,000 bonuses. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick received Fight of the Night honors for their crowd-wowing five-round war. Pablo Garza scored Submission of the Night for the flying triangle that tapped out Yves Jabouin in the historic evening’s first fight. And Lyoto Machida earned knockout of the night for his Seagal/Karate Kid style crane kick that ended the retiring Randy Couture‘s run inside the Octagon.

Ben Henderson, Jake Shields, Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida and Vladimir Matyushenko attended the press conference. Mark Hominick, Georges St-Pierre and Randy Couture were all unavailable, having been taken to the hospital for routine testing following their bouts.

Video highlights from the press conference are linked below:
Jake Shields
Jose Aldo
Lyoto Machida