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UFC DEBUTS live ON THE BIG
SCREEN NATIONWIDE
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- For the first time in UFC® history, UFC fans can head to
their local movie theater and take in all the action in the
Octagon™, live and broadcast in high definition on the big screen
starting with UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy on Saturday, March 27 at
10:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Pacific.
Dana White, UFC President, today announced the UFC has closed a deal
with NCM Fathom to present a series of live UFC fights in more than
300 select movie theaters nationwide, as well as plans to have UFC
fighters host screenings in various markets. Tickets are available
to this special in-theater event at www.FathomEvents.com and
presenting theater box offices. For a complete list of theater
locations and prices, please visit the web site (theaters and
participants are subject to change).
“This is an opportunity to provide our fans with another cool way to
watch UFC programming on the big-screen, live, in high-def and in
surround sound,” said White. “UFC 111 has a stacked undercard and
St-Pierre vs. Hardy and Mir vs. Carwin are both title fights, so
this is the perfect event to kick off our new deal with NCM Fathom.”
UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy features reigning UFC welterweight
champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre vs. British bomber Dan “The
Outlaw” Hardy and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir vs. number
one contender Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight title. In
addition, theater-goers can watch the entire UFC 111 live card,
including welterweights Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves, lightweights Jim
Miller vs. Mark Bocek and welterweights Ben Saunders vs. Jake
Ellenberger.
“Fathom audiences have long been waiting to see UFC events in their
local theaters around the country and now, for the first time, fans
can experience the action-packed excitement of the UFC on the big
screen in pure high definition,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of
NCM Fathom. “Teaming up with the UFC for this series is a major
milestone for our alternative program schedule in movie theaters and
promises to give fans an intense opportunity to cheer on their
favorite fighters, front row center.”
Broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, UFC 111:
St- Pierre vs. Hardy will be shown in more than 300 select movie
theaters including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema,
Cinemark USA Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Goodrich
Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres,
Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group
movie theaters, as well as the Carolina Theatre (Asheville, NC),
Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) and Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA),
through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s
largest cinema broadcast network.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (fighting out of
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 19-2 professional record) has been
unstoppable since regaining the title in 2008. The 28-year-old
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt holds two career wins a piece over
the legendary Matt Hughes and current UFC lightweight champion and
former welterweight champion BJ Penn. The 170-pound champ defended
his crown most recently against feared striker Thiago Alves at UFC
100 last July, and now St-Pierre makes his fourth title defense
against one of the fiercest threats to his crown in UK superstar Dan
Hardy.
Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (fighting out of Nottingham, England, 23-6 1
NC) is unbeaten in the UFC and fresh off wins over Marcus Davis and
Mike Swick. A black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a purple belt in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the brash 27-year-old is looking to extend his
seven-fight win streak as he becomes the first British fighter to
contend for a UFC title. With 11 wins by KO/TKO and three by
submission, the UK fighter with the 4-0 mark in the UFC always looks
for the finish.
Winner of four of his last five fights, former two-time heavyweight
champion Frank Mir (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., 13-4) has put
on the necessary muscle and weight to face the biggest challengers
in the heavyweight division, and he is refocused on earning back the
world title. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with immensely
improved striking, the 30-year-old knocked down feared striker
Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 and then proceeded to submit the French
contender with a guillotine choke, putting him firmly back in the
title picture.
Originally scheduled to face UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar,
No. 1 contender Shane Carwin (fighting out of Denver, Colo., 11-0)
has been on a tear ever since he stepped foot into the Octagon. A
former national wrestling champion with dynamite in his fists,
Carwin has made quick work of all three of his UFC opponents,
finishing Christian Wellisch, Neil Wain and Gabriel Gonzaga within
91 seconds each. Now he takes the next step in his career against
Frank Mir.
About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company
reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile
technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema
advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital
in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment
Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group
(NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s
theater network covers 171 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top
50) and includes approximately 16,800 screens (15,400 digital).
During 2009, approximately 680 million patrons attended movies shown
in theaters currently included in NCM’s network (excluding
Consolidated Theatres). The NCM Interactive Network offers
360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with
cinema, encompassing over 35 entertainment-related web sites, online
widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:
NCMI) owns a 41.5% interest in and is the managing member of
National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or
www.fathomevents.com.
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.
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