UFC® RIDES INTO SOUTH FLORIDA FOR HARLEY-
DAVIDSON ‘HOMETOWN THROWDOWN’ EVENT ON JUNE 8
FLYWEIGHT MAIN EVENT
DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON vs. IAN MCCALL
Plus, Fans Will Vote to Decide One Main Card Bout to Air Live on FX!
UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown on FX
Friday, June 8
BankAtlantic Center – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 13
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Harley-Davidson® ride in to the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Friday, June 8 with an outstanding UFC® event headlined by flyweight rivals Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ian McCall. The winner of the fight will go on to fight Joseph Benavidez for the first-ever UFC 125-pound title later in the year.
UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event will air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Southern Florida was selected for this event as a part of the UFC, Harley-Davidson “Hometown Throwdown” program. The program allowed fans to visit the UFC, Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown website and submit a city for consideration for a future event.
In addition to helping choose the city, fans will also play a key role in determining a main card bout on the card. UFC fans can go to ufc.com/hometownthrowdown to vote for which bout will make it onto the main card and be the first fight shown on the FX telecast.
Fans can choose between the following three bouts: Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland in bantamweight action; Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Mike Pierce in a welterweight bout; Lance Benoist vs. Seth Baczynski at 170-pounds.
Fans can also enter to win the UFC experience of a lifetime at the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event and their own custom Harley® motorcycle through a sweepstakes that runs through April 28, 2012. See full sweepstakes information and rules at ufc.com/hometownthrowdown.
The main event of Johnson versus McCall comes in high-demand. The two first squared off in an action-packed bout last month in Australia, with Johnson initially being declared the winner. However, it was revealed shortly thereafter that the judges’ scorecards were calculated incorrectly by the local athletic commission and the actual decision was a draw. Thus, Johnson and McCall will extend their rivalry on June 8 in a three-round rematch. If the fight is a draw after three rounds, the competitors will go to a sudden victory round to determine which man will earn the right to compete for the UFC world title.
“I’m excited to bring the UFC back to Florida!” UFC President Dana White said. “The first fight between Johnson and McCall was incredible, and on June 8, they will finally finish the fight to determine who is going to fight for the first-ever flyweight title.”
“We are thrilled and honored to welcome the UFC to the BankAtlantic Center for the first time in our history,” said SSE President & COO Michael R. Yormark. “The UFC represents the pinnacle of mixed martial arts and one of the greatest live sports spectacles in the world, so it is fitting that South Florida’s premier entertainment destination – the BankAtlantic Center – will now be hosting a UFC event for the first time.”
Tickets for UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown go on sale Friday, April 13 at 10 a.m. ET. Ticket prices will be announced in days to come. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, as well as the BankAtlantic Center Box Office.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 12, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
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 an exciting new live format.
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.
About Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson’s Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.
About FX
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with the UFC and college football. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.
About BankAtlantic Center
Sunrise Sports & Entertainment is the premier company of its kind in South Florida. Home to the Florida Panthers hockey club and internationally recognized concerts and events, the Broward County-owned BankAtlantic Center is one of the top ranked venues of its kind in the world.