*FLASH QUOTES, OFFICAL WEIGHTS AND PIC*
The Ultimate Fighting Championship®organization returns to Pay-Per-View tomorrow when the world’s greatest martial artist – long-reigning UFC middleweight king Anderson “The Spider” Silva – steps up to light heavyweight to face Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar. The three-round special attraction is the main event of the six-fight UFC 153 event.
This afternoon in Rio, the fighters hit the scales for the official weigh-in.
Official weights were:
UFC 153 Pay-Per-View (7pm/10pm PT/ET)
Light heavyweight: Anderson Silva (202 pounds) vs. Stephan Bonnar (205 pounds)
Heavyweight: Minotauro Nogueira (243 pounds) vs Dave Herman (244 pounds)
Light heavyweight: Glover Teixeira (204 pounds) vs Fabio Maldonado (203 pounds)
Welterweight: Jon Fitch (170 pounds) vs. Erick Silva (169 pounds)
Light heavyweight: Phil Davis (206 pounds) vs. Wagner Prado (204 pounds)
Welterweight: Demian Maia (170 pounds) vs. Rick Story (170 pounds)
FX Prelims (live on FX in USA, 5pm/8pm PT/ET)
Welterweight: Rony “Jason” (145 pounds) vs. Sam Sicilia (146 pounds)
Lightweight: Gleison Tibau (155 pounds) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154 pounds)
Featherweight: Diego Brandao (144 pounds) vs. Joey Gambino (146 pounds)
Welterweight: Sergio Moraes (169 pounds) vs Renee Forte (169 pound)
Facebook Fights (4pm/7pm PT/ET)
Middleweight: Luiz Cane (184 pounds) vs Chris Camozzi (185 pounds)
Lightweight Cristiano Marcello (155 pounds) vs Reza Madadi (155 pounds)
Flash quotes:
Anderson Silva, UFC middleweight champion, fights at light heavyweight tomorrow: “I owe this fight to all my fans and I can’t wait to fight.”
Stephan Bonnar, UFC light heavyweight: “I always fight my ass off and tomorrow is going to be no different. I’m a gritty son of a bitch and I won’t give up.”
Minotauro Nogueira, UFC heavyweight: “Herman said he wants to retire me. Thank you, but that’s going to happen for a while.”
Dave Herman, UFC heavyweight: “I’m looking to submit him and retire him. BJJ is a joke.”
Glover Teixeira, UFC light heavyweight: “Nothing personal, but I waited too long and worked too hard to get to the UFC for anyone to stop me now.”
Fábio Maldonado, UFC light heavyweight: “I respect Glover as an athlete but I am going to go after him. I really am. ”
UFC® 153: SILVA vs. BONNAR will be available live on Pay-Per-View this Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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 organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.
In 2011, 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 includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. 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 two million followers on Twitter.
Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed UFC magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.