UFC on FOX SPorts 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen Tickets Go On Sale This Thursday

Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – Former UFC® and PRIDE® champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) will meet controversial and charismatic light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen (28-13-1, fighting out of West Linn, Ore.) on Saturday, August 17 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The main event highlights an action-packed […]

UFC on FOX Sports 1 Shogun vs SonnenPress Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – Former UFC® and PRIDE® champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) will meet controversial and charismatic light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen (28-13-1, fighting out of West Linn, Ore.) on Saturday, August 17 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The main event highlights an action-packed card that will serve as the inaugural live sports broadcast on the newly minted network, FOX SPORTS 1.

“We’re finally coming back to Boston and we’re bringing the most stacked card in UFC history,” UFC President Dana White said. “In the main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua takes on Chael Sonnen, who once again stepped up and asked for a big fight. Then we have Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne in a heavyweight fight. Both of those guys have heavy hands, so I expect someone to get knocked out! The rest of the card is loaded with exciting fights, including Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara, Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves, Boston’s Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson, Uriah Hall vs. Nick Ring, and Irish superstar Conor McGregor vs. Andy Ogle. Boston, we’re coming back on Aug. 17!”

In addition, Alistair Overeem (36-12-1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Netherlands) returns to the Octagon®to face Travis Browne (14-1-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) in a heavyweight showdown that is sure to deliver.

Also, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (28-6, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) looks for his third straight win as he meets dynamic Brazilian bantamweight Yuri Alcantara (27-4, Soure Para, Brazil).

Other bouts for UFC® on FOX SPORTS 1: SHOGUN vs. SONNEN include:
Resilient striker Matt Brown (19-11, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) vs. Brazil’s Thiago Alves (24-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.)
The Ultimate Fighter® 17 finalist Uriah Hall (8-3 fighting out of New York, N.Y.) vs. Canadian Nick Ring (13-2, fighting out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) in a middleweight battle.
Submission specialist Joe Lauzon (22-8, fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass.) vs. lightweight Michael Johnson (13-8, fighting out of Springfield, Mo.)
England’s Brad Pickett (24-7, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) vs. bantamweight contender Michael McDonald (15-2, fighting out of Modesto, Calif.)
· Former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (26-8, fighting out of Portland, Maine) faces Sweden’s Akira Corassani (13-4-1, fighting out of New York, N.Y.).
· The Ultimate Fighter® 14 season winner Diego Brandao (21-8, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) vs. featherweight Daniel Pineda (17-9, Houston, Texas).
· Ireland’s Conor McGregor (13-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) vs. England’s Andy Ogle (9-2, fighting out of Sunderland, England)
· Cody Donovan (8-2, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) vs. light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux (13-5, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.)
· The Ultimate Fighter® 13 season finalist Ramsey Nijem (8-3, fighting out of Orem, Utah) vs. lightweight James Vick (4-0, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas)

Tickets for UFC on FOX SPORTS 1: SHOGUN vs. SONNEN, go on sale Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $300, $225, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations. 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.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Tuesday, June 18 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Wednesday, June 19 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FOX SPORTS 1.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

UFC Tonight Show Quotes – Chael Sonnen Talks UFC 162

Press Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian discuss the lightweight title-fight situation, discuss Roy Nelson’s future and look ahead to UFC 162, while Ariel Helwani sheds light on the featherweight title-fight controversy and much more. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: UFC TONIGHT’s Chael Sonnen on the […]

UFC Tonight logoPress Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian discuss the lightweight title-fight situation, discuss Roy Nelson’s future and look ahead to UFC 162, while Ariel Helwani sheds light on the featherweight title-fight controversy and much more.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: UFC TONIGHT’s Chael Sonnen on the Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman bout: “I can’t wait for this fight. Let’s understand, if Anderson Silva wins this fight, the debate ends: He is the best fighter of all time.”

Sonnen on the rumors of the UFC ON FOX SPORTS 1 Boston fight getting canceled: “The fight has never been in jeopardy, and Shogun and I have already been cleared.”

Sonnen on if Anthony Pettis deserves to fight Benson Henderson: “I hate the word deserve. If you’re TJ Grant, you’re still the number-one contender. Will he fight in Milwaukee or will he get an extra few months to train and just take on the winner of Pettis vs. Henderson? That’s the only thing in dispute. Pettis was the number-one contender, he’s the last guy to beat Ben Henderson, and most importantly, from a geographical standpoint, Pettis would fight in his hometown of Milwaukee.”

UFC TONIGHT’s Kenny Florian on if Pettis or TJ Grant deserves to fight Benson Henderson: “On a merit basis, they both deserve it. I’ll be honest. I want to see Anthony Pettis fight. I love TJ Grant and he absolutely deserves a shot at Benson Henderson, but Anthony Pettis deserved this shot a while back.”

Florian on if Roy Nelson will return to the UFC after his loss to Stipe Miocic: “I absolutely want to see him back in the UFC. He ran into a tough matchup against Stipe Miocic. Stipe knew the right hand was coming from Roy and circled away from that, and scored combination after combination. Roy Nelson needs to change his training up. He needs to get something else besides that big right hand going and stay in the UFC. This is where he’s going to make an even bigger name for himself, he’s a big fan favorite, and he knocks people out.”

Sonnen on Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman: “Weidman is absolutely Silva’s toughest opponent. He was an underdog against Mark Munoz, he stepped into those lights, and he performed extremely well. He has a better top game, at least submission-wise, than I do and I had some success for several minutes with Anderson from that position. Weidman’s going to get on top, he needs this – he’s never tasted defeat.”

Florian on Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman: “A lot of people don’t realize this guy has a legit submission game and he’s got that great wrestling and conditioning. He’s a legitimate threat to Silva.”

Florian on Steve Mazzagatti: “Burkman choked Jon Fitch to sleep, and Steve Mazzagatti took too long to go over to see that Fitch was unconscious. Mazzagatti has been a problem for a very long time. Fitch could’ve been seriously injured.”

UFC TONIGHT Insider Ariel Helwani on Korean Zombie getting a shot at Jose Aldo: “I spoke to the Korean Zombie over the weekend. He said he feels bad for Ricardo Lamas. He thinks Ricardo should get the title shot first. But he’s not going to give it up now. He feels it was a shot that was promised to him after he beat Dustin Poirier last year. But he got out of the line because of an injury. But the bad news for Lamas is he’s off the UFC 162 card. I spoke to his manager and they’re hoping to fight the winner of The Korean Zombie vs. Jose Aldo.”

Helwani on Georges St-Pierre’s next fight: “It’s been reported that Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks will take place November 16 in Las Vegas. This will be the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.”

Helwani on Big Nog’s next fight: “Stefan Struve has called for a fight with Big Nog. Big Nog has made a statement to Struve: ‘The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Let’s get it on.’”

UFC TONIGHT
UFC TONIGHT is the official weekly news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The show is co-hosted by veteran UFC fighter and multiple title contender Kenny Florian and UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen. Leeann Tweeden contributes, while three-time World MMA Awards Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani adds insider news.

Follow FUEL TV and the talent on Twitter at: @FUELTV; @UFCTonight; @kennyflorian; @arielhelwani; @LeeannTweeden; @Sonnench;

Bellator 96: Lawal vs. Petruzelli Weigh-in Results

Press Release – Thackerville, O.K. (April 18, 2013) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from Mist Night Club at the WinStar World Casino in preparation for Bellator MMA’s June 19th event, which will showcase the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Tournament. Bellator MMA will take place at WinStar World Casino on Wednesday, June 19th […]

Bellator 96 - Petruzelli vs Lawal
Press Release – Thackerville, O.K. (April 18, 2013) – The Bellator MMA weigh-ins have been completed from Mist Night Club at the WinStar World Casino in preparation for Bellator MMA’s June 19th event, which will showcase the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Tournament.

Bellator MMA will take place at WinStar World Casino on Wednesday, June 19th with the first fight taking place at 5 p.m. CST and streaming live on Spike.com The televised portion of the night will begin at 7 p.m. CST and will air live on Spike TV.

MAIN CARD:
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (205.2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (204.8)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (204.4) vs. Jacob Noe (206)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Ryan Martinez (263.8) vs. Rich Hale (240.1)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (246) vs. Ron Sparks (264.6)
Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (170) vs. Blas Avena (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD:
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (135.4) vs. Steven Artoff (135.6)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (155.7) vs. Derek Campos (157.2)*
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (205) vs. Joe Yaeger (205.5)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah O’Neal (260.5) vs. Raphael Butler (261)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (155.8) vs. Damon Jackson (154.8)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (135.8) vs. Chavous Smith (135.9)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (186.4)** vs. Cortez Coleman (185.6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jarrod Card (145.7) vs. Chas Skelly (145.9)

*Campos was unable to make weight and will forfeit a portion of his purse to Girtz
** Berry was unable to make weight and will forfeit a portion of his purse to Coleman

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide in over 107 countries, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top mixed martial artists. Bellator’s founder & CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator’s core philosophy is that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the subjective side of fighting sports found in organizations that utilize a matchmaking/casting formula. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Newport Beach, California.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About mun2

mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34. From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform. Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.

UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson Postfight Fuel TV Quotes

Press Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC 161 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV for UFC 161: EVANS VS. HENDERSON. The show was hosted by Karyn Bryant, with UFC bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, light heavyweight Chael Sonnen and heavyweight Daniel Cormier offering analysis. Ariel Helwani conducted interviews on-site. UFC […]

UFC on FUEL TVPress Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC 161 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV for UFC 161: EVANS VS. HENDERSON. The show was hosted by Karyn Bryant, with UFC bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, light heavyweight Chael Sonnen and heavyweight Daniel Cormier offering analysis. Ariel Helwani conducted interviews on-site.

UFC 161 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Daniel Cormier on Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson decision: “I think Rashad won the fight. I thought it was a close fight and it came down to the third round. Rashad Evan showed what he didn’t show in his last fight: determination and the will to win that fight. In the third round he really did take it to Dan and that was the clearest round on the entire fight.”

UFC 161 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Dominick Cruz on why Henderson couldn’t fight Evans just anywhere: “Rashad’s an analyst. He understands you can only fight certain people in certain areas because you want to keep away from their strengths. Evans made Dan Henderson fight his fight, and that’s why he won tonight.”

UFC 161 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen on Evans’ win: “Even when he wasn’t successful in taking him (Henderson) down, even when he went for those shots and failed, he kept Dan on the defense and that’s a clock running in your favor when you’re a judge that’s going to a decision. You’re looking at who’s controlling the cage, who’s pressing the pace. It was Rashad Evans. You’ve got to give that to Rashad.”

Cruz on Henderson’s career thus far: “Dan Henderson is far from done. There are guys who fight tooth and nail to just get in the top ten. Dan Henderson will be in the top ten for a long time in my opinion. He’s not going anywhere. The guy’s got the mind for it, he still wants to fight and he still has the heart for it. He didn’t get killed by any means in this fight, and that’s against a guy like Rashad Evans – a former champion who is in his prime.”

Evans on if he’s happy with the win: “I’ve learned in this game, be happy with the win because they don’t always come. But the critic in me says I didn’t do everything I wanted to.”

Evans on if he felt he needed the win: “I did need to get that win, desperately. I wanted to perform well. I wanted to execute.”

Evans on if he was rocked by Henderson in the fight: “He rocked me good enough that I don’t know what punch he hit me with. I didn’t see the jab.”

Evans on who he wants to fight next: “I heard Glover Teixeira wanted the winner. I’m not turning anyone down.”

Dan Henderson on why he can stomach this loss more so than his last: “He stood there and fought me. He didn’t run away. It was a close fight. I thought I won. He kept the pressure on in the third round and never let me get a little breather. He did a great job fighting tonight.”

Henderson on if he’ll fight again: “Absolutely. I’m just a little more pissed off now than before. More pissed at myself than anyone else. I’ve got no one else to blame.”

UFC President Dana White on if he thought Evans beat Henderson: “Yes. It was one of those fights that was close. If it went either way, I wouldn’t have said what I said during the Woodley fight.”

White on if he thinks Evans proved he’s back with tonight’s performance: “There’s no doubt. Beating a guy like Dan Henderson means something. Rashad needs to get that killer instinct back. He got his head back, physically came back, and he looked great tonight.”

White on if Henderson still has what it takes to compete with the best at 205: “I don’t know. Like I said, this fight could have gone either way tonight. You never know. Dan Henderson lands that right hand on anybody, anybody can go out.”

White on whether he was surprised by the Nelson vs. Miocic result: “I was surprised by how tired Roy was, but no, Stipe’s a good fighter. He’s nine and one. The kid’s a talented heavyweight.”

White on whether Anthony Pettis will be ready for UFC 164 on August 31: “He will not be ready by that date. The doctor, whom I respect and listen to, says that he won’t be. I’m going to fly him in to Vegas this week and have him looked at again for a second opinion. I don’t want this kid to rush it. There’s no rush for him to fight.”

Cormier on how Stipe Miocic beat Roy Nelson: “This was a big fight for Nelson who was at the end of contract. Stipe fought the fight that he had to. He used his range, and sharp, clean boxing. He circled away from the big right hand and got his jabs in there and wore him down. When Roy finally did get it going, there wasn’t much left on it.”

Stipe Miocic on what helped him get the victory: “I have the best coaches in the world. My coaches make the best game plan for me and I felt confident every time coming in. I wobbled him in the early round, and then I thought: ‘I belong here’ and I kept going.”

Nelson on why he lost the fight: “Stipe was just a better man. I gave 110 percent for two weeks’ notice. I mean, you gotta do what you’ve gotta do, but the good thing is the fans in Winnipeg got their money’s worth.”

Nelson on if he thinks he’ll be back in the UFC: “That’s really up to the UFC – Lorenzo and Dana. I know I’m in the business of fighting, so I fight. If they want me, I’m more than happy to be where I’m wanted.”

Shawn Jordan on finishing Pat Barry so quickly: “It’s always surprising to finish them that fast. We always train for a long fight. It’s bittersweet because he’s a friend of mine. It’s not tough to fight the guy. It’s tough to have a winner or loser.”

Jordan if he’s redeemed his last loss in Canada: “It’s always hard to come off a bad showing. They pay us to do put on a good show. It’s great to give something for the fans to cheer for. I always train to finish someone. I don’t want to fight a full 15 minutes. I don’t get paid by the minute.”

For a complete listing of FUEL TV shows, go to: http://www.fuel.tv/schedule. For more information, go to www.fuel.tv/ufc and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/fueltv. Follow @FUELTV on Twitter for all things #UFC161.

Follow the talent on Twitter at: @KarynBryant; @thedomin8r; @sonnench; @dc_mma; @arielhelwani

To get FUEL TV, go to www.fuel.tv/getfueltv, or call 877-4 FUEL-TV.

TUF: Canada vs. Australia Official Press Release

TPress Release -Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) confirmed today the next international installment of its famed reality show will feature two leading Commonwealth mixed martial arts countries, as Canada meets Australia in The Ultimate Fighter Nations™. Series veterans Patrick Côté (20-8) and Kyle Noke (20-6-1) were officially named coaches of the […]

TUF LogoTPress Release -Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) confirmed today the next international installment of its famed reality show will feature two leading Commonwealth mixed martial arts countries, as Canada meets Australia in The Ultimate Fighter Nations™. Series veterans Patrick Côté (20-8) and Kyle Noke (20-6-1) were officially named coaches of the 22nd edition of the show, which will feature welterweight (170lbs) prospects.

UFC President Dana White’s exclusive announcement: http://www.ufc.com/media/tuf-nations-can-au-dana-white-announcement

A nine-year veteran of the UFC, Côté appeared on the reality series in 2006 when he joined a cast of UFC alumni in The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback. Originally from Rimouski, Quebec, the bilingual fighter was the first Canadian to reach the series final, and remains only one of two Canadian fighters’ to have done so. Côté then went on a five-fight win streak in the UFC, and earned a shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title.

Noke, a native of Dubbo, New South Wales, joined the reality series ranks when he fought his way onto season 11, The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. He was Hall of Famer Liddell’s No.1 pick, and reached the quarterfinals. He has since gone 4-2 in the UFC, including an impressive Submission of the Night win over Chris Camozzi and a devastating KO last time out over Charlie Brenneman.

Tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter Nations™: Canada vs. Australia will begin in September. Both countries will host casting opportunities, the first in Sydney and the second in Toronto. Further details and registration forms will be available as of July 1st at http://www.ufc.com/TUFNations.

The Ultimate Fighter Nations™ is expected to debut in early 2014. It will air nationally in Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports and on FX in Australia. A complete broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Matt Serra. This will be Australia’s second participation in the series, having taken part in the second international edition battling the U.K. in The Ultimate Fighter The Smashes: U.K. vs. Australia. Welterweights were most recently featured on The Ultimate Fighter 16 and The Ultimate Fighter Brasil 2, when Colton Smith and Leonardo Santos emerged as season winners.

###

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually. The UFC is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world with events distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and FX and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, UFC FIT®, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club® affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

Patrick Cote & Kyle Noke To Coach Next International TUF Series; Canada vs. Australia Welterweights

Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) confirmed today the next international installment of its famed reality show will feature two leading Commonwealth mixed martial arts countries, as Canada meets Australia in The Ultimate Fighter Nations™. Series veterans Patrick Côté (20-8) and Kyle Noke (20-6-1) were officially named coaches of […]

Patrick Cote

Patrick Cote

Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) confirmed today the next international installment of its famed reality show will feature two leading Commonwealth mixed martial arts countries, as Canada meets Australia in The Ultimate Fighter Nations™. Series veterans Patrick Côté (20-8) and Kyle Noke (20-6-1) were officially named coaches of the 22nd edition of the show, which will feature welterweight (170lbs) prospects.

UFC President Dana White’s exclusive announcement: http://www.ufc.com/media/tuf-nations-can-au-dana-white-announcement

A nine-year veteran of the UFC, Côté appeared on the reality series in 2006 when he joined a cast of UFC alumni in The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback. Originally from Rimouski, Quebec, the bilingual fighter was the first Canadian to reach the series final, and remains only one of two Canadian fighters’ to have done so. Côté then went on a five-fight win streak in the UFC, and earned a shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title.

Noke, a native of Dubbo, New South Wales, joined the reality series ranks when he fought his way onto season 11, The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. He was Hall of Famer Liddell’s No.1 pick, and reached the quarterfinals. He has since gone 4-2 in the UFC, including an impressive Submission of the Night win over Chris Camozzi and a devastating KO last time out over Charlie Brenneman.

Tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter Nations™: Canada vs. Australia will begin in September. Both countries will host casting opportunities, the first in Sydney and the second in Toronto. Further details and registration forms will be available as of July 1stat http://www.ufc.com/TUFNations.

The Ultimate Fighter Nations™ is expected to debut in early 2014. It will air nationally in Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports and on FX in Australia. A complete broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Matt Serra. This will be Australia’s second participation in the series, having taken part in the second international edition battling the U.K. in The Ultimate Fighter The Smashes: U.K. vs. Australia. Welterweights were most recently featured on The Ultimate Fighter 16 and The Ultimate Fighter Brasil 2, when Colton Smith and Leonardo Santos emerged as season winners.