Author: UFC News

The UFC 134 fight card has added a high-profile heavyweight battle, Dana White confirmed today. The 8-1 Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub and former Pride and UFC champion Minotauro Nogueria have verbally agreed to the August 27 bout in Rio.

Schaub is coming off a UFC 128 knockout of the night performance against another Pride legend, Mirko Cro Cop. The summer bout will be Nogueira’s first return to the Octagon in 18 months after an injury took him out of his planned headlining bout last October.

It’s Official – Silva vs. Okami in Rio on August 27 updated May 9
It’s official. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will look to successfully defend his title for the ninth time when he faces the last man to beat him, number one contender Yushin Okami, at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 27th.

Barboza to Face Pearson in Rio
Verbal agreements are in for another big bout on the Brazil card. “Undefeated 8-0 Brazilian sensation Edson Barboza takes on Ultimate Fighter 9 winner Ross ‘The Real Deal’ Pearson,” said Dana White. Barboza is coming off a Fight of the Night win in his second UFC outing at UFC 128; Brit Pearson last defeated Spencer Fisher at UFC 127 in Sydney.

UFC 134 in Rio Fight Card Takes Shape updated April 17
After months of anticipation and speculation, the fight card for UFC 134 – the UFC’s first return to Brazil since 1998 – has begun to take shape, featuring several of the country’s most talented fighters.

Dana White today announced several bouts that have been verbally agreed upon for the momentous event.

Forrest Griffin shocked the world when he spoiled the heavily-favored Pride legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua‘s UFC debut in 2007. Now Shogun will have the chance for revenge in his home country as the two will rematch August 27. “These two former world champions always give it their all and this could be one of the most exciting fights of the year,” said White.

In a dynamic lightweight matchup, Spencer Fisher is slated to take on Thiago Tavares. In light-heavyweight news, undefeated Stanislav Nedkov will take on devastating Brazilian striker Luiz “Banha” Cane.

Saturday, May 21, 2011 – Salt Lake City, UT
Jeremy Horn’s Elite Performance Gym
11 am – 2 pm
*Special appearance by UFC® welterweight DaMarques Johnson
7932 South 1530 West
West Jordan, UT 84088

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Fight Shop
11 am – 3 pm
* Special appearances by UFC fighters TBA
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood
3663 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Thursday, May 26, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
Town Square Las Vegas
3 pm – 7 pm
* Special appearance by UFC 132’s Urijah Faber for the world preview of THQ’s UFC Personal Trainer Xbox Kinect game, 4 – 6 pm
6605 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89119-3240

Friday, May 27, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
MGM Grand Garden Arena
noon – 6 pm
* Special appearances by UFC 132’s Urijah Faber, featherweight contender Chad Mendes and UFC on Versus 4’s Tyson Griffin from 1 – 3 pm
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Saturday, May 28, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
MGM Grand Garden Arena
* Fighter autograph signing TBA
1 pm – 6 pm
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Sunday, May 29, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
Town Square Las Vegas
* Fighter autograph signing TBA
1 pm – 5 pm
6605 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89119-3240

Future stops – check back often for updated details and additional tour dates
June 4 – Las Vegas, NV
June 26 – Pittsburgh, PA
July 2 – Las Vegas, NV
August 14 – Milwaukee, WI
September 14 – New Orleans, LA

*dates, locations, appearances and Mayhem Miller’s hair color subject to change

Past stops
May 16 – Buffalo Wild Wings, Ft. Collins, CO
May 15 – Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, Denver, CO
May 14 – Outlaws Lacrosse, Denver, CO
May 5 – Cleveland Gladiators, Cleveland, OH
May 4 – Bada Bing Bar and Grill of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
April 30 – Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
April 29 – Ricoh Coliseum, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON
April 28 – Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, ON
April 27 – Heritage Court, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON

Continuing to impact the way people approach fitness, giving individuals the opportunity to achieve results they never thought possible, UFC® GYM™ is unveiling a third location in Corona, Calif., this Saturday, May 14, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

UFC superstars Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, Urijah Faber, Donald Cerrone, Phil Davis, Leonard Garcia, UFC Octagon Girl® Arianny Celeste and Best of PRIDE® host Kenda Perez will be in attendance.  UFC® executives and officials from the city of Corona will kick off the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m, followed by a special announcement.

GRAND OPENING FULL SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 14th
*times subject to change

10:00AM        GRAND OPENING EXPO Officially Begins

10:15-10:30AM    OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING featuring Chuck Liddell, Reed
Harris                                                 NeV Executives,
Adam Sedlack and Corona City Officials

10:30-10:35AM    EXPO KICK OFF featuring Reed Harris & Chuck Liddell

11:30-11:50AM    Q&A – STAGE: Urijah Faber

12:00-1:45PM                 AUTOGRAPH SIGNING I BEGINS:
    INSIDE: Chuck Liddell, Arianny Celeste
    OUTSIDE: Urijah Faber & Leonard Garcia

1:00-1:20PM    Q&A – STAGE: Phil Davis   

1:35-2:00PM    Q&A – STAGE: Donald Cerrone & Kenda Perez   

2:15-4:00PM    AUTOGRAPH SIGNING II BEGINS:
    INSIDE: Phil Davis
    OUTSIDE: Donald Cerrone & Kenda Perez

3:10- 3:30PM    Q&A – STAGE: Leonard Garcia & Arianny Celeste

5:00-10:00PM             Music – Food & Fun!

The day-long festivities will be action-packed and feature autograph signings and Q&A sessions with some of the biggest names in the UFC. In addition, there will be exciting activities, including class demonstrations and participation from local vendors and partners such as the U.S. Marine Corps. To top it all off, UFC Gym will hold a raffle at 8 p.m. in which attendees will have the chance to win tickets to UFC 130 in Las Vegas and other great prizes. Individuals are invited to RSVP to the Grand Opening Celebration beforehand by visiting Ufcgymcorona.eventbrite.com.

“We’re excited to open our third UFC Gym in Corona and continue to raise the bar in the fitness industry,” UFC President Dana White said. “With the success of our first two gyms in Concord and Rosemead, we have proven that the UFC Gym experience is second-to-none. Now, we’re creating the ultimate fitness destination for residents of the Inland Empire.”

“Corona is our biggest gym yet, fusing together the best of fitness and MMA in one location,” Adam Sedlack, UFC Gym Senior Vice President, said. “We look forward to highlighting the innovative features of our facility with this Grand Opening celebration where families, local businesses and the entire community can experience what UFC Gym is all about. We are not what you expect, and more than you could imagine!”
 
The 45,000 square-foot facility offers everything you would find in a traditional fitness club plus cutting-edge training techniques including progressive group fitness classes, Muay Thai, kickboxing, jiu jitsu, self-defense instruction, and offerings such as a 32-foot Octagon®, UFC Kids’ Gym, youth training, and High-Octane Conditioning. The Corona facility features over 5,000 square-feet of space dedicated specifically to kids, bringing families together in a fun atmosphere. With a wide range of activities for youth, from MMA classes, to birthday parties, UFC Gym makes health and fitness fun for the whole family.

For more information on the latest UFC Gym, please visit UFCgym.com.

New York, NY, May 11, 2011 – Spike TV will debut UFC® In The Moment: Rampage Jackson on Wednesday, May 25 at 10 PM ET/PT.  This half-hour special chronicles 32-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s life as he prepares for his headlining bout with Matt Hamill at UFC 130.

Jackson, a Memphis, TN native, has become one of the preeminent superstars in the UFC due to his powerful strikes and takedowns inside the Octagon®, and larger than life personality outside of it.  In this all-access program, fans can follow him every step of the way as he gears up for his encounter with Hamill.  From his training sessions, to his media appearances, to his everyday life at home, viewers get an inside look at the Jackson’s life as he prepares to take the next step in reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight championship.

The show is produced in near real time, from the subject’s point-of-view, with no narration.  
UFC® 130: RAMPAGE VS. HAMILL airs LIVE on UFC.TV and Pay-Per-View on Saturday, May 28 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT.

Stephan Bonnar will put his two fight winning streak on the line this August when he battles European standout Karlos Vemola on that month’s UFC on VS Event.

“Verbal agreements are in for an August matchup between Karlos Vemola and Stephan Bonnar,” said UFC President Dana White. “Vemola is an extremely powerful wrestler with heavy hands while Bonnar is very well rounded and known for his incredible ability to take punishment and keep coming forward.”

Two Announced for UFC on VS Event in August
This August’s UFC on Versus event is starting to take shape, with UFC President Dana White announcing two bouts that have been verbally agreed to for the show, which will take place on a date and at a venue to be announced.

“A match that has a shot at being ‘Fight of the Night’ has been verbally agreed to for UFC On Versus this August, as Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig and Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah will throw down,” said White. “Verbal agreements are also in for a battle of submission specialists as ‘The Spider’ TJ O’Brien will face Cole ‘Magrinho’ Miller.”

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.