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BITTER RIVALS AND FORMER CHAMPIONS CLASH
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- Finally, these two former Ultimate Fighting
Championship® light heavyweight champions get a chance to let their
fists do the talking. After multiple back-and-forth verbal exchanges
on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter®, former UFC® light
heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Suga” Rashad
Evans are set to headline UFC 114: JACKSON vs EVANS, presented by
THQ’s “UFC Undisputed 2010” and live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena
in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 29.
“It’s no secret that Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans don’t like
each other, and this rivalry has gotten more and more intense in the
last few months,” said UFC President Dana White. “I can guarantee
you that neither one of these guys wants to lose to each other, this
fight is going to be insane.”
Tickets for UFC 114: JACKSON vs EVANS are priced at $650, $450,
$300, $200, $125 and $75, not including applicable service charges,
go on sale Saturday, March 27 at 10 a.m. PT at all Las Vegas
Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and
Ritmo Latino). 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 UFC.com,
www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase
tickets to this event Thursday, March 25 at 10 a.m. PT via the
website UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be
available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, March 26 starting at
10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC
newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC 114 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND,
DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s
Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard
definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).
As quick with his fists as he is with his wit, former UFC light
heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (fighting out of
Irvine, Calif., 30-7) hammered the competition on his way to the
title with a stunning KO victory over then champion Chuck “The
Iceman” Liddell at UFC 71. With knockout wins over Wanderlei Silva,
Liddell and Marvin Eastman and a decision victory over Dan
Henderson, the 31-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native has picked up
wins against some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. Most
recently earning a unanimous decision win over Keith Jardine at UFC
96, Jackson has won two in a row and now faces Jardine’s friend and
training partner.
“I really want to knock this guy out,” Jackson said. “I’ve never,
ever wanted to knock someone as cold as I want to knock Rashad Evans
out. He’s disrespected me so much, for so long. I am so motivated to
train my ass off. I’ve moved my coaches into my house already -
Rashad should be prepared to see a brand new Rampage in May. I saw
him in Sydney a few weeks back and we picked up right where we left
off. I can’t stand him. He’s a disrespectful person and I didn't
even want to beat Wanderlei as much as I want to beat this guy.”
A former All-American college wrestler turned successful mixed
martial artist, “Suga” Rashad Evans (fighting out of Albuquerque,
N.M., 19-1-1) put himself back on the championship track with an
impressive decision victory over knockout artist Thiago Silva at UFC
108. With an outstanding 9-1-1 record in the UFC, Evans has fought
and beaten the best, including wins over former UFC champions Chuck
Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Now the 30-year-old former Michigan
State wrestler and Niagara Falls, New York native will get his
chance to exchange blows with the man he’s been exchanging words
with.
“I don’t like all the pre-fight talking, so I can’t wait until I
finally get my chance to shut him up,” said Evans. “There were a lot
of times on the show when I wanted to hit him right there. When
Keith [Jardine] was training for his fight with Rampage, I had to
mimic Rampage’s style. I can probably beat Rampage as Rampage now.
Plus, he’s gotten fat. He needs to get in shape just to get in
shape. I may come to the Octagon with Mr. T just to get in his
head.”
Second Annual UFC Fan Expo Taking Place During Fight Weekend
This past July, the first-ever UFC Fan Expo took the sports world by
storm, as fans celebrated the past, present, and future of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. So by popular demand, the UFC, in
partnership with Reed Exhibitions, has announced that the second UFC
Fan Expo will take place May 28-29 back in Las Vegas at the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center.
The jam-packed two-day event, occurring during Memorial Day Weekend
2010, will provide fans with the opportunity to experience a number
of special events, fighter appearances, autograph signings, and
training & development sessions with elite fighters and industry
leaders.
Over 200 leading companies are expected to exhibit, covering 200,000
gross square feet of space, and will feature apparel, electronic
gaming, food & beverages, fight gear, fitness equipment and
supplies, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much
more.
"I was blown away by the response to the first UFC Fan Expo. We have
the greatest fans in the world," said UFC President Dana White. "Our
next Fan Expo is going to be another incredible event, we are taking
it to the next level, and offering even more exciting ways to
experience UFC."
“We’re excited to be coming back to Vegas and next year’s event is
going to be bigger and better than the first time around,” said Ed
Gallo, Event Director for UFC Fan Expo.
The inaugural UFC Fan Expo took place in July 2009 during the
historic UFC 100 weekend, providing more than 15 hours of keynote
addresses, special events, and training & development sessions. It
was also the site for the first Grappling Tournament ever held in
conjunction with a UFC event. With so much in store for the second
UFC Fan Expo, organizers expect the event to be taken to the next
level.
For more information on UFC Fan Expo and to purchase tickets, visit
www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo
newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. For companies
interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed
Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com,
UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All
bouts live and subject to change.
Ultimate Fighting Championship® - www.ufc.com
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas,
Nev., UFC® produces over twelve UFC live Pay-Per-View events
annually and 30 live arena events around the world. UFC programming
is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and
on Comcast, Inc.’s Versus network. Globally, UFC programming is
broadcast in over 130 countries, territories and jurisdictions,
reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 20 different languages.
Ancillary businesses now include UFC.com with over 5 million unique
visitors per month, 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 U.S. bimonthly magazine.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The
Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, The
Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are
registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade
dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and
licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the
United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced
herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other
respective owners.
About Reed Exhibitions
The UFC Fan Expo is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s
leading events organizer, with over 470 events in 37 countries. In
2008, Reed brought together over seven million industry
professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars
in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the Americas,
Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 38 fully
staffed offices.
Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions,
conferences, congresses and meetings. Its portfolio of over 470
events serves 44 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation,
automobiles, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics,
energy, oil & gas, engineering, manufacturing, environment, food
service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT &
telecoms, jewelry, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery,
medical education, printing & graphics, property & real estate,
security & safety, sports & recreation, and travel. Working closely
with professional bodies, trade associations and government
departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and
relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market
leaders in their field.
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