Modern Fighting

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Toronto and Honolulu get ready, UFC® President Dana White is coming to town along with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn to formally announce UFC 94: ST-PIERRE vs. PENN 2 – the incredible rematch that fans have been waiting for. UFC 94, the battle for the World Welterweight Championship, will take place Saturday, January 31, 2009 live from MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On Tuesday, November 18, St-Pierre, Penn and White will head to downtown Toronto for a public press conference and autograph signing at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto (formerly Paramount Theatre). Doors will open at 9am ET and the press conference will start at 10am ET. Fans in attendance will receive UFC T-shirts, and immediately following the press conference, St-Pierre and Penn will sign autographs from 11am to 1pm ET. (Seating is limited; first come, first served).

On Friday, November 21, the trio will land on the Big Island and hit Honolulu for a public press conference and free viewing party at the Waikiki Shell. Doors will open at 4pm HT, with a live musical performance by J-Boog and Fiji talking place from 5 to 6pm HT. The press conference will begin at 6:15pm, followed by a free large-screen viewing from the Shell of classic St-Pierre and Penn fights. UFC T-shirts will be given free to the first 2,000 fans in attendance.

In March 2006, top welterweights Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn fought for the division’s No. 1 contender spot. St-Pierre earned a razor-thin split decision and a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship® welterweight title. Now the two are about to do it again. But this time, there’s much more at stake.

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to become the first fighter in history to hold two UFC championships at the same time when he faces Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2.

Tickets for UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2 priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50, are on sale now. Tickets are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Tickets also are available for purchase at ufc.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) - In March 2006, top welterweights Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn fought for the division’s No. 1 contender’s spot. St-Pierre earned a razor-thin split decision and went on to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship® welterweight title. Penn dropped to the lightweight division and won the organization’s 155-pound title.Now they’re about to do it again. But this time, there’s much more at stake.

UFC® lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to be the first fighter in history to hold two UFC championships at the same time when he faces Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

Two champions, two of the best in the world, pound-for-pound, and this time - two more rounds for the welterweight championship.

“This may be the most anticipated rematch in UFC history,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Their first fight was an epic battle of two of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. After that fight, St-Pierre would go on to win the UFC World Welterweight title and Penn would go on to win the UFC World Lightweight title.

Now these two champions meet again with a lot of pride and St-Pierre’s title on the line. This fight will be talked about for years to come.”

Tickets for UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2 priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Sunday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.ufc.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

UFC® Fight Club^TM members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, November 13 at 10 a.m. PT via the website ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Saturday, November 15 starting at 10am PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.

UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2 will be available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

One of the sport’s most dynamic athletes, Georges St-Pierre (17-2) will be prepared to go five rounds to defend his UFC welterweight championship. The Montreal, Canada native has won his last four fights and nine out of his last 10. Most recently, the popular champ defeated number one contender Jon Fitch in a five round war, and at 27, he is in the prime of his brilliant fighting career and looking to send Penn back to the 155-pound weight class.

“I’m very honored to fight BJ Penn and very excited because it’s the fight that everybody wants to see, including myself,” said St-Pierre. “It will be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history, and I’m glad and humbled to be a part of it.”

The welterweight division is old hat for Hilo, Hawaii’s BJ Penn (14-4-1). The current UFC lightweight champion earned the welterweight title in 2004 with a submission victory over UFC legend Matt Hughes. But Penn has been even more untouchable since moving back to the lightweight division. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has won his last three fights against three world-class foes in Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk. But the only thing on Penn’s mind right now is a return to the welterweight division for a healthy dose of revenge.

“For that fight, I was at a point in my career where I didn’t prepare as well as I should have,” Penn said. “During the second and third round I realized that I ran into someone that wanted it more than I did…Now, I’m very prepared to go five rounds.”

Mike Brown (145**) vs Urijah Faber (144.5)
Chael Sonnen (184.5) vs Paulo Filho (189***)
Leonard Garcia (145.5) vs Jens Pulver (144)
Nissen Osterneck (184.5) vs Jake Rosholt (185.5)
Donald Cerrone (156) vs Rob McCullough (155.5)
Steve Steinbeiss (202) vs Carmelo Marrero (206)
Rani Yahya (137*) vs Yoshiro Maeda (135)
Aaron Simpson (184.5) vs David Avellan (185)
Jonathan Brookins (146) vs Jose Aldo (146)
Rafael Dias (155) vs Danny Castillo (156)

* Maeda has agreed to fight Yahya at 137 pounds.
** Brown made weight on his second attempt - he initially weighed in at 145.5
*** Filho initially weighed in at 192.  On his second attempt he came in at 189, still four pounds over the middleweight limit.  The fight against Sonnen will go on as a three round non-title fight, and Sonnen will be awarded 25% of Filho’s purse.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) - The fights are on! World Extreme Cagefighting® presents WEC: FABER vs. BROWN, live on the VERSUS network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Nov. 5 from The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.The card that was originally postponed in September due to Hurricane Ike is back, finalized and better than ever. On November 5, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1) defends his WEC Featherweight championship against Coconut Creek, Florida’s Mike Brown (19-4).

Tickets for WEC: FABER vs. BROWN are on sale now and are priced at $175, $125, $100, and $50 (not including applicable services or taxes). Tickets are available at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office and all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (954) 523-3309. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.

Read the rest of this entry »

Boston, Mass. - On Nov 14, 2008 UFC Veteran Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon makes his much anticipated return to World Championship Fighting when he takes on Justin “Sledge” Hammerstrom at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. Lauzon has been on an absolute tear in the last eighteen months, having won six fights in a row, three of them in the WCF. His recent winning streak was enough to earn him a fight with fellow prospect Chris Horodecki on a pay-per-view event in January of 2009. When asked why he’d take a fight in the WCF when he has a Pay-Per-View fight lined up for early 2009, Lauzon responded “I really wanted to stay sharp and keep my momentum. I’ve fought for them [WCF] three times now and they take great care of me, and I love fighting for them in front of their fans and my friends and family. These (Boston) fans really are the best sports fans in the world.” He then acknowledged his opponent by saying, “Justin is a really tough veteran, and a former champion. It would be a huge mistake for me to look past him. He’ll see the best Dan Lauzon on November 14.”

Hammerstrom has been fighting professionally since late 2005, is a veteran of fourteen fights and has held and fought for several local welter-weight titles. He is coming off a first round submission victory at WCF 4, and is excited to fight the younger Lauzon who still holds the distinction of being the youngest fighter to ever compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). WCF Promoter Joe Cavallaro is expecting fireworks and when asked about the fight he replied, “I’m really excited to get this fight booked, especially when you add it to the rest of the card. The card is stacked from top to bottom, and to be able to add a fight like this between two exciting fighters is huge.” Between Lauzon and Hammerstrom, they have 26 fights with only one fight going the distance.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) — Fighting with a truly meaningful purpose in front of some real American heroes, The Ultimate Fighter® alums Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Matt Wiman will be featured on Spike TV’s telecast of UFC Fight For The Troops™ live from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.

The special live UFC® fight card will raise funds to build a hospital for traumatic brain injuries for the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of soldiers from nearby Fort Bragg, the proud home of the U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Forces, will be in attendance.

Read the rest of this entry »