ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE UFC® OCTAGON NATION TOUR™
INTERACTIVE NATIONWIDE TOUR GIVES FANS THE UFC EXPERIENCE AND ACCESS TO TOP UFC FIGHTERS
Press Release – May 26, 2011: The Ultimate Fighting Championship® officially announced today the launch of the UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™, a multi-stop, nationwide tour happening throughout the summer. Utilizing a new, fully-customized 18-wheeler truck and two Octagon-sized tents containing the UFC’s ultimate fan experience, the UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ will be present at this summer’s top events, including the Bonnaroo Music Festival, Summer X Games and the Quicksilver Pro.
It will also hit major cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. The Octagon Nation will make a special stop at Times Square, where special activities and surprise fighters will be making appearances to celebrate UFC’s visit to the intersection of the world.
The tour, which kicked off in April prior to UFC’s first-ever event in Toronto, features autograph signings with top UFC stars, a UFC Xbox station, and a pop-up retail store where fans can purchase the latest UFC merchandise. In addition, fans have the opportunity to visit an exhibition truck dedicated to showcasing rare UFC memorabilia such as Royce Gracie’s autographed Gi and Georges St-Pierre’s fight shorts.
What’s more, UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ hosts physical fitness tests for fans (weigh-in, high jump, pull-up bar and a punch strength station) where each visitor receives a fight card with their results which can be instantly shared on their Facebook page. Participants achieving top results will be posted to UFC.com/tour following each stop, making UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ one of the most interactive of its kind.
“I’ve always said that the UFC live experience is the best in all of sports,” UFC President Dana White said. “With the Octagon Nation Tour, we are going to bring the fastest-growing sport in the world to some of the best events of the summer. We’re excited to hit the road and give fans the opportunity to check it out.”
To find out when the UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ will be hitting your town, visit to www.ufc.com/tour. To track the tour and to get the all of the latest news and stops, follow the UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ on Twitter at www.twitter.com/octagonnation.
MAY
Thurs 5/26 Las Vegas, NV Preview of UFC Personal Trainer at Fry’s Electronics
Fri 5/27 Las Vegas, NV UFC 130 at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sat 5/28 Las Vegas, NV UFC 130 at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sun 5/29 Las Vegas, NV Miller’s Ale House
JUNE
Wed 6/1 Phoenix, AZ Tilted Kilt
Fri 6/3 Las Vegas, NV Weigh in @ Palms
Sat 6/4 Las Vegas, NV TUF 13 Finale – Buffalo Wild Wings
Thu 6/9 Chattanooga, TN Bonnaroo
Fri 6/10 Chattanooga, TN Bonnaroo
Sat 6/11 Chattanooga, TN Bonnaroo
Sun 6/12 Chattanooga, TN Bonnaroo
Sat 6/18 Waldorf, MD Country ThrowDown Tour
Mon 6/20 Washington DC Marine Week
Tue 6/21 Baltimore, MD Marine Week
Sat 6/25 New York, NY Times Square
Sun 6/26 Pittsburgh, PA UFC Fight Night Arena Tailgate
Thu 6/30 Las Vegas, NV Vans Warped Tour
*All dates and stops 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. 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.