Modern Fighting

LAS VEGAS, November 3 - Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), today released information stating that middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for the anabolic agent stanozolol following his October 18th loss to Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.

As a result of the positive test, Leben will be suspended from fighting for nine months and must forfeit one-third of his fight purse.

“I am obviously disappointed with Chris, who has made great strides getting his life back on track,” said UFC President Dana White. “To his credit, he has taken responsibility for his actions and is accepting the punishment that has been handed down. But as always, the UFC puts the safety of its athletes first and foremost, and we won’t tolerate anyone using performance enhancing drugs in our organization.”

Leben said, “I’ve really done everything I can to turn my life around, and this is a huge setback for me, but it is something I will have to deal with. During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life. Of course this is a hard hit for me monetarily, but more so this is embarrassing for me and for all of my fans. I apologize to the UFC and everyone who supported me in my fight in England. I hope to work through this and get back to fighting soon.”

The remaining 21 fighters on the UFC 89 card all passed their pre and post fight drug tests.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) brand, today
announced it has launched into the video on demand (VOD) spectrum of entertainment with Verizon FiOS TV.

“As UFC continues to thrive in sports, we constantly look for new ways to deliver the UFC experience to our loyal fans around the world,” said Dana White, UFC President.  “The VOD program will provide more information on the UFC, training techniques, and some of the greatest fights in history available 24/7 through UFC On Demand.”

“Verizon’s FiOS TV customers are getting the ultimate entertainment experience with our industry-leading video-on-demand library,” said Terry Denson, vice president – FiOS TV content and programming.  “And now our FiOS TV customers have access to all of the best ultimate fighting action from UFC, available at any time.”

UFC On Demand is a unique and innovative VOD program designed to educate new and casual fans about the sport, while giving hard-core fans access to “MORE UFC!” content they’ve been clamoring for — at price points accessible to everyone. The service consists of a triple-tiered offering of three distinct services, with UFC Free Zone, UFC Fight Zone and UFC Event Zone:

UFC Free Zone is an on-demand free service offering informative and entertaining short features on mixed martial arts rules, fighting disciplines, styles and techniques. The highly popular Countdown UFC shows and UFC event previews are also available via UFC Free Zone.

UFC Fight Zone offers single UFC library fights in their entirety, at $2.99 per fight with a 24-hour viewing period. UFC Fight Zone features fighters who will be competing in an upcoming UFC pay-per-view event, offering fans the opportunity to see these champions and challengers in some of their most legendary fights and prior matchups.

UFC Event Zone offers full UFC events and specials, starting at $4.99 per title for a 24-hour viewing period. Offerings include recent UFC pay-per-view events that feature fighters who will be competing in an upcoming UFC event, as well as the original and rarely seen “UFC Classics” from 1993-1998, along with UFC’s hottest selling full-length DVDs, UFC compilation specials and video-on-demand replays of current pay-per-view events.

For scheduling and programming information, UFC fans can visit ufcondemand.com.

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.

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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.

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