UFC® & WTA COLLIDE AS EVANS MEETS AZARENKA
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship® light heavyweight champion and current No. 1 contender, “Suga” Rashad Evans took time from training for UFC® 145: JONES vs. EVANS to meet Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1 superstar Victoria Azarenka. The top athletes visited the MMA Masters facility in Miami and traded tennis and UFC gifts and expertise. Evans showed Azarenka some moves in the cage while Azarenka shared a few tennis tips with Evans. The Belarusian beauty is currently in Miami playing in the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament.
The footage of their experience can be viewed and downloaded here: http://video.ufc.tv/145/145-EVANS-VIKA-MEET-UP.mov
In a few weeks, the most bitter and long-running UFC feud since perhaps Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz II in 2006will come to a dramatic conclusion. In the main event of UFC 145, undefeated UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones collides with former friend turned bitter rival ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans. UFC 145 goes down on April 21, live on Pay-Per-View from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Evans and Azarenka had the following to say about their experience on Wednesday:
“Suga” Rashad Evans, former UFC light heavyweight champion and current No.1 contender, said:
“This was a nice break from training. It lets your mind go free and gives you a chance to not think about the fight. It was cool that she’s another pro athlete, one who goes out there and competes, mano-a-mano. It was fun.”
“I can tell she’s genuinely interested in MMA – it was impressive how she grasps the concepts. I didn’tshow her too much except for kicking, but she knew a lot more than I thought she’d know. There were times she really looked like she knew what she was doing.”
“I love women’s tennis. It actually dominates men’s tennis in my opinion. You know they’re out there giving it everything they’ve got. They go through the same anxiety we do of not wanting to lose, and I respect that a lot.”
“I’d be alright in a tennis match because I’m pretty agile – I’m not too fast, but I’m very agile, so I mighthave a better chance at winning in a tennis match, but she might win in MMAbecause I don’t hit women.”
Victoria Azarenka, WTA’s World No. 1, said:
“It was a great experience to meet Rashad. He seems really nice – I’m sure he’s a little bit meaner in the cage, but he’s a great guy and it’s always great to meet somebody from a completely different field. I love to follow UFC. I invited him to tennis so I hope he can come cheer me on.”
“I wish I had time to train more. I’m curious about how these athletes train. I could pick up something interesting for myself.”
Pictured above: Top athletes “Suga” Rashad Evans and Victoria Azarenka exchange gifts and expertise at MMA Masters Facility in Miami, FL.
Tickets for UFC®145, presented by MetroPCS, are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone (800) 745-3000, at all Ticketmaster Outlets, and the Philips Arena Box Office.
UFC®145 will be available live on Pay-Per-View 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.
About 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 air on FX in an exciting new live format.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, tonearly 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 offans 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 magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed byTHQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.