Press Release – June 02, 2011: The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to Philadelphia this summer with a loaded card sure to leave the City of Brotherly Love buzzing. On Saturday, Aug. 6 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, former UFC® light heavyweight champion “Suga” Rashad Evans takes on rising star and former Penn State wrestling standout Phil Davis.
In addition, UFC fans in Philly will be treated to an exciting light heavyweight battle between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former PRIDE® star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, as well as a 185-pound clash pitting former UFC world champion Vitor Belfort against Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama.
“The last time we were in Philly, the fans were incredible so we are excited to head back there with a card that features three former world champions,” UFC President Dana White said. “Phil is undefeated at 9-0 and has never been more motivated for a fight, and he wants to prove that he belongs atop the light heavyweight division. Rashad is on fire. He wants his title back so badly he can taste it, but he knows before he can get his title shot he has to get through Phil. He wants to win and he wants to win impressively. This is a great fight.”
Tickets for UFC® 133: EVANS vs. DAVIS go on sale exclusively through ComcastTIX on Saturday, June 11 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $500, $350, $225, $150, $100, and $50. Tickets are available on line at ComcastTIX.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the Wells Fargo Center Box Office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Tickets are subject to convenience and service fees.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Wednesday, June 8 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, June 9 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.
UFC® 133: EVANS vs. DAVIS, which is presented by Boost Mobile, 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.
“Suga” Rashad Evans (fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) has defeated some of the sport’s most recognizable names, including Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. Along the way, Evans (20-1-1) has captured UFC gold and the coveted title of season two winner of The Ultimate Fighter®. On Aug. 6, the 31-year-old hopes a win will put him in line for a shot at champion Jon Jones.
“My road back to the title continues in Philadelphia against Phil Davis and I expect this to be one of the best fights of the year,” Evans said. “Phil is on the rise in this sport and it’s my job to put an end to that. He’s a former national champion wrestler and he’s been impressive thus far in the UFC, but my experience in big fights gives me the edge. I want another shot at the belt and I’ve got to beat Phil to earn it.”
Undefeated rising star Phil Davis (fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) returns to his native Pennsylvania with plans to score the biggest win of his career. A Division I National wrestling champion in 2008, the former Nittany Lion Davis (9-0) has torn through the UFC’s light heavyweight division. With wins over the likes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Brian Stann, “Mr. Wonderful” believes he’ll cement his place among the 205-pound best with a huge victory over Evans at Wells Fargo Center.
“I’m definitely glad to be back in Pennsylvania for the biggest fight of my life,” Davis, a Harrisburg native, said. “It’s going to be good to be able to fight in front of all my family and friends. I feel like I can take this fight wherever I want. I can wrestle with Rashad, I can strike with him, and I feel confident wherever this fight goes. Rashad Evans is the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever faced, but I don’t think for a minute that I’m outmatched. I’m going to take care of this fight and do whatever I have to do to beat Rashad.”
Former middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin (fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio) brings his versatile game and supreme conditioning back to the Octagon® for a highly-anticipated clash with former PRIDE® star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in light heavyweight action. The 36-year-old Franklin (28-6, 1 NC) holds key victories over Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Matt Hamill and will be put to the test against the 34-year-old Nogueira (19-5), a crisp boxer and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has posted wins over Vladimir Matyushenko, Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson.
Proven knockout artist and former UFC champion Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) has long been touted as one of the most devastating and explosive strikers in history. Owner of wins over the likes of Rich Franklin, Randy Couture and Gilbert Yvel, the 34-year-old Brazilian Belfort (19-9) now gears up for a bout with Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama (fighting out of Osaka, Japan). Three straight “Fight of the Night” awards dot the record of the 35-year-old Akiyama (13-3, 2 NC) and he expects to earn a fourth when he meets Belfort in Philadelphia. The talented judoka, who trains alongside number one middleweight contender Yushin Okami, has defeated notables such as Alan Belcher and Melvin Manhoef.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and 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.
About Comcast-Spectacor and Wells Fargo Center
Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the home for both teams, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 100 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.