Author: UFC News

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

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – How will the main event of the largest UFC® card in history play out? That is the question many fans across the world are pondering at this very moment. In anticipation of the historic welterweight title bout between champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Jake Shields on Saturday, April 30 from Rogers Centre in Toronto, some of the world’s most recognizable figures gathered to offer their opinions on the outcome of the UFC 129 championship clash.

Below are some of the thoughts and predictions for the main event of UFC® 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS:

SHANE VICTORINO, Gold Glove Centerfielder from the Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“I’m gonna have to say ‘Rush’ is the favorite, but I won’t put it past Shields for an upset victory. Shields by submission!”

ARIEL HELWANI, MMA reporter, MMAFighting.com and Versus.com
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“Shields is as tough as they come, but I just can’t see him taking this fight to the ground, which is where he needs it to be. Even if he does score the odd takedown, he won’t be able to dominate GSP on the mat like he has against his previous opponents. GSP wins all five rounds due to superior striking and his solid takedown defense en route to a unanimous decision victory.”

DAVID HAYE, WBA Heavyweight boxing champion
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“Shields is the underdog, but believe me, this is the year of the underdog. Just like when I KO Wladimir Klitschko in July, an underdog could send a stadium full of fans home very unhappy at UFC 129.”

MARK LA MONICA, Newsday (New York)
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“Picking GSP to win a fight is like picking all the favorites in March Madness. You may get sneered at for picking the obvious, but you usually finish in the money in your office pool.”

KEVIN IOLE, Yahoo! Sports
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“I think Shields will take this. The fight will go to the ground at some point, and I think Shields has an advantage there. Jake is a different sort of fighter, a different sort of grappler, to the ones Georges has been beating. I think Georges is going to try to do what he did to Josh Koscheck and use his jab and strike from a long range, but I think at some point it will go to the ground and Shields will win.”

TABOO, Black Eyed Peas
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“GSP and Shields are both on top of their games, but I would have to give the edge to GSP. He’s got the Canadian home field advantage and I feel like it’s GSP’s time right now, but I gotta feeling that night’s gonna be a good night for the UFC.”

GARETH A. DAVIES, Daily Telegraph and ESPN
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“All champions have to lose at some point and I think Shields has a style that makes him a serious threat to GSP. Shields was immense against Henderson but I’m hearing St-Pierre has been magnificent in training, which makes me hesitate to pick against him. I think this really could go either way; it is certainly the most intriguing GSP fight in years. I may change my mind once I see them at the weight-in but, right now, I am feeling the upset.”

J.S. GIGUERE, Goaltender, Toronto Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup winner
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“I have to go with GSP, he’s just too well rounded. Plus I have to go with the Quebec guy.”

NEIL DAVIDSON, The Canadian Press
PREDICTION: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“The champion is a savvy fighter with a lot of weapons. Some say he plays it safe, but he wins fights and dominates opponents. Shields is tough and durable but he does not have GSP’s arsenal. One mistake could cost the champion, but otherwise look for a comprehensive GSP victory by decision.”

SERGIO NON, USA Today:
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“Jake Shields’ advantage is his top game in grappling, but to use it, he’ll need to keep GSP on his back. He won’t. St-Pierre wins by third-round TKO.”

CHUCK LIDDELL, UFC Hall of Famer
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“Jake Shields is a bad man. He’s a tough guy, he’s awkward to deal with and he uses stuff that is so different to other guys that he catches opponents off guard. He’s got awkward takedowns that are hard to defend. So it’s going to be an interesting fight for St-Pierre. But I do think that Jake will need to get it to the ground to win. I’m picking Jake to submit him.”

CHEF MICHAEL SYMON, Food Network’s Iron Chef America and host of Food Feuds
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“I’m saying St-Pierre. He is technically just too good.”

MATT HUGHES, UFC Hall of Famer and former two-time UFC welterweight champion
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“GSP will win fairly easy. I think this fight will go much the same way the GSP-Koscheck fight went. GSP is the better wrestler, the better striker, and he will be able to control and dominate wherever the fight goes. I really just don’t see any way that Shields is going to be able to win this fight.”

NOEL CLARKE, BAFTA-winning film director and actor
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“I’m gonna go out on a limb and pick Shields. GSP has all the tools to beat him, but for me, he is at a psychological disadvantage. He hasn’t finished anyone in a while and he showed that frustration after the Koscheck fight. If Shields can take the early onslaught, GSP will get more desperate to finish, make a mistake and Shields will get him.”

CLARKE MACARTHUR, Left Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“I think GSP will win by first round submission. He’s way too well rounded a fighter. Shields is tough and dangerous on the ground, but I think GSP is on another level.”

JEREMY BOTTER, Heavy.com
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS
“It’s very difficult to pick against a fighter who will go down as one of the greatest this sport has ever seen, but I have to. Simply put, Jake Shields is a winner. When faced with insurmountable odds, he excels. Few gave him a chance in the world against Dan Henderson. He was supposed to be a stepping stone, a guy to give Henderson a nice win in his Strikeforce debut, and Shields spoiled everything. He’s going to do the same thing to St-Pierre, and it won’t matter that 55,000 people are rooting against him.”

DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON, star of the hit movie Fast Five
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“I think it’s going to be a five round epic war that redefines both fighters. I respect Shields too damn much to say it’ll end any other way. GSP, the best fighter on the planet, wins in the 5th.”

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, NBA superstar, Boston Celtics
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

BRIAN DAWKINS, NFL Pro Bowl Safety, Denver Broncos
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE
“I believe St-Pierre will be too much. He has all around talent, striking power and he’s a ground technician. He has no true weakness!”

UFC® 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS, which is presented by TapouT®, 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.

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