Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship is once again taking over Fourth of July weekend in Las Vegas. The organization formally announced today that UFC® middleweight champion and undisputed pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon® on Saturday, July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to face undefeated No. 1 contender Chris Weidman. That’s not all: this week in July also marks the return of the UFC Fan Expo®, as well as Fight Week, a series of fan events, concerts, and appearances featuring your favorite UFC fighters and personalities.
“The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, defends the middleweight title for a record 11th time on July 6 when he takes on unbeaten Chris Weidman,” UFC President Dana White said. “Weidman is 9-0 in his pro career and has incredible wrestling and power. He said he will shock the world at UFC 162 and end Anderson’s reign atop the middleweight division. With UFC 162, the UFC Fan Expo and Fight Week, this is going to be an amazing week for fight fans. You have to be in Las Vegas this Fourth of July weekend!”
In addition to the Silva-Weidman showdown, Frankie Edgar (15-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.), a former lightweight champion and currently the third-ranked featherweight in the world, battles Brazil’s Charles Oliveira (16-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Guaruja, Sao Paulo, Brazil), while former Strikeforce middleweights make their UFC debuts as Tim Kennedy (15-4, fighting out of Austin, Texas) takes on Rio de Janeiro’s Roger Gracie (6-1).
In addition, fourth-ranked “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung (13-3, fighting out of Po-Hang, South Korea) returns from a yearlong layoff due to injury to meet second-ranked Ricardo Lamas (13-2, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) in a fight that could determine the next challenger for the featherweight title, while fifth-ranked featherweight Cub Swanson (19-5, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) faces Germany’s sixth-ranked Dennis Siver (21-8).
Other bouts for UFC 162 include:
• Seventh-ranked middleweight star Mark Munoz (12-3, fighting out of Lake Forrest, Calif.) vs. heavy-handed 10th-ranked contender Tim Boetsch (12-3, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.).
• 185-pound fan favorite Chris Leben (22-9, fighting out of Oahu, Hawaii) vs. Andrew Craig (8-1, fighting out of Houston, Texas).
• Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke (17-2) vs. Japan’s Kazuki Tokudome (12-3-1) in a lightweight showdown.
• Brazil’s Edson Barboza (11-1) challenges Montreal’s John Makdessi (11-2).
• Heavyweights Shane Del Rosario (8-1, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) vs. Dave Herman (21-5, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.).
• Welterweights Seth Baczynski (17-7, fighting out of Apache Junction, Ariz.) vs. Houston’s Brian Melancon (6-2).
• Portland’s Mike Pierce (16-5) vs. David Mitchell (12-2, fighting out of Santa Rosa, Calif.) in a welterweight contest.
Tickets for UFC®162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN, presented by BUD LIGHT®, go on sale Friday, May 10 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $1200, $850, $600, $400, $250 and $125. Tickets will be 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. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 9 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC®162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on 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.
About The UFC Fan Expo®
The UFC Fan Expo® returns to Las Vegas on Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Fans will have the chance to meet their favorite stars during autograph sessions, meet-and-greets, interactive Q&A sessions, grappling tournaments, training and development seminars, and much more. Over 50 UFC stars are scheduled to appear and more than 150 exhibitors will also be on hand, giving fans the opportunity to purchase and experience some of the best sports and lifestyle products on the market today. Tickets and VIP packages are on sale now at www.ufcfanexpo.com.
About UFC Fight Week
The UFC and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) are partnering to make Fourth of July week not just a Las Vegas tradition, but the ultimate week-long celebration of the UFC for fans around the world. Some of the biggest properties in Las Vegas will be hosting UFC themed events, including the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mandalay Bay, Lagasse’s Stadium at the Palazzo, Fremont Street Experience, Golden Nugget, South Point, and more. The signature sporting occasion will feature the largest ever gathering of fighters, unprecedented access to UFC stars, exclusive pool parties hosted by Octagon Girls™, a concert, UFC Fan Expo®, charitable events in the community, Tuff-N-Uff amateur MMA tournament, official UFC parties, and, of course, the week will culminate with one of the biggest sporting events of the year, UFC® 162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN. For more information, visit http://www.visitlasvegas.com/ufc and http://www.ufc.com/fightweek.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.