THREE HISTORIC FIGHTS ANNOUNCED FOR UFC 92

[keithlewis]

THREE HISTORIC FIGHTS ANNOUNCED FOR UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008

FORREST GRIFFIN vs. “SUGAR” RASHAD EVANS
ANTONIO RODRIGO “MINOTAURO” NOGUEIRA vs. FRANK MIR
WANDERLEI SILVA vs. QUINTON “RAMPAGE” JACKSON

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27
LIVE FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA – LAS VEGAS, NV

Tickets Go on Sale Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10am PT

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization is proud to announce three classic bouts on the historic final card of the year – UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, December 27, 2008. The stacked fight card will be headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion and the original Ultimate Fighter® Forrest Griffin as he defends his belt against The Ultimate Fighter® Season 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans, who is fresh off a devastating knockout win over former UFC champion Chuck Liddell.

“We are ending 2008 with a fight card like no other,” said UFC President Dana White. “One for every fight fan out there.”

Tickets for UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008 will go on sale Saturday, October 25 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $150, $75. Tickets will be available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, Charge-By-Phone at (702) 474-4000 or online at ticketmaster.com.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, October, 22 at 10a.m. PT via the website ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, October 24 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.

UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008 is available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

Not one, but two titles are on the line on December 27th as former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir continues his pursuit to regain the belt when he meets Interim UFC Heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a showdown between the two coaches of this season’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter®. Also on tap is a grudge match between two former champions, as MMA legend Wanderlei Silva takes on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Who is the greatest champion to ever come out of The Ultimate Fighter? That question could very well be answered as Forrest Griffin (16-4) meets the red-hot Rashad Evans (17-0-1) for the 205-pound crown. Las Vegas, Nevada’s Griffin has won three in a row, including a submission victory against former PRIDE® champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and a stirring decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Niagara Falls, NY native and former national junior college champion wrestler Evans is starting to compile quite a highlight reel with knockout wins over Jason Lambert, Sean Salmon and most recently UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.

“Forrest fights from the heart just like me, and everyone underestimates Forrest until they get in there with him, like me,” said Evans. “I think he and I are going to be like Ali vs. Frazier – this will be the first time we meet, but it won’t be the last, so I want to set the precedent. Fighting Forrest for the title is a dream come true; it’s crazy to think about how far I’ve come, but I’m going to treat this like every other fight. And like I’ve shown time and time again in my fights, opportunity is all I need.”

As always, Griffin remains focused and humble.

“I’m happy that the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 gets to fight the winner of Season 2,” Griffin said. “I think that’s great for a couple of reality show guys. Rashad has a great wrestling background, he has a lot of power and explosiveness, and he doesn’t just knock guys out, he knocks them out for quite a while. But I know a lot of people will be watching this fight. This is a great fight card, I’m honored to be on it, and I’m definitely not going to let anything slide.”

It’s almost time for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir coaches to step from the Octagon™ apron to inside the cage and decide who deserves to be the heavyweight champion. Las Vegas’ Frank Mir (11-3) will meet the only man ever to hold the PRIDE and UFC heavyweight titles, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (31-4-1). The matchup features two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts that seem to enjoy high-profile matches.

“I’m excited to get back in the Octagon December 27th and finish off what was started on The Ultimate Fighter Season 8,” said Nogueira. “I’m the Interim Champion, I’m fired up to fight Frank Mir. He’s one of the best ground guys in America and I’m looking forward to testing my skills against him.”

As former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir readies himself for his greatest test yet, he appreciates the fact that he’s about to lock horns with an MMA legend.

“It’s a huge honor fighting Nogueira,” Mir said. “No matter what happens at the end of the night, I’ll be a better fighter for it. I’m looking ahead; I’m not looking back at where I came from. I’m going to keep pushing forward, and getting my title back is just another step forward for me.”

In what has “fight of the night” written all over it, former PRIDE champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva faces a man who he has beaten twice before in Memphis, Tennessee native Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Both of these fighters have dynamite in their fists, and Rampage (28-7) is looking to prove that he is a different and greatly improved fighter.

“Wanderlei is an exciting fighter with awesome skills,” said Jackson. “I think this is going to be the fight of the year. Don’t miss it.”

But Curitiba, Brazil’s Silva (32-8-1), who is coming off a vicious KO win over Keith Jardine, didn’t return the compliment.

“I’m not fighting him for money – I’m fighting him for pure pleasure,” Silva said. “He talks bad about me on the Internet, yet he won’t talk bad to my face. I don’t like him and I can’t wait to beat him down at UFC 92.”

For more information on UFC 92 and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, visit UFC.com.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, Bell ExpressVU, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.

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, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.