(Macao, November 8, 2012) – With greater China’s first Ultimate
Fighting Championship®
(UFC®) event just
days away from its debut at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel’s
CotaiArena™, Macao and Hong Kong media were given an up-close look at the massive
MMA firepower that will be on display, at a press conference Wednesday at Harbour
City Mall in Hong Kong.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich “Ace”
Franklin and middleweight contender and former Strikeforce®
middleweight champion Cung Le performed open workout routines with their
respective trainers, after a media question and answer session facilitated by Mark
Fischer, Executive Vice-President & Managing Director of UFC Asia, which
also included welterweight contender “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim and China’s own
lightweight contender “The Wolf” Zhang Tiequan.
The five-round title bout between Franklin
and Le has all the makings of an epic showdown. A champion in six different
martial arts, Le has one of the most unique fighting styles in the UFC,
throwing completely different strikes – and from different angles – than his
fellow UFC competitors, baffling previous opponents with his unique rhythm and
timing. Franklin, ever the professional, is taking the upcoming challenge
seriously, and has been preparing diligently for Le's unique style. As he did prior
to the fight’s original July date, Franklin has been in Singapore over the last
few weeks to spar with fighters who compete using the same techniques Le will
deploy in the Octagon™ on November 10. Says Franklin confidently, “I'll be
ready for whatever Cung throws at me.”
“Since opening our Beijing office in 2010, UFC has grown by leaps and
bounds and has taken a strong foothold in China,” said Fischer. “The UFC is the most programmed combat sports property in the
country, and UFC
fighters are some of the most followed athletes on Chinese social media sites. With
over 21 million fans of the sport in China, it’s only a matter of time before
we start seeing more home-grown Chinese MMA talent joining the world’s most
elite fighters at future UFC events. Saturday’s event is sure to be the first
of many for UFC in China – this is history in the making.”
Events like UFC Macao are a specialty for Sands China, which strives to
bring the world’s absolute best entertainment events to Macao – often the
first-of-their kind for Macao, China and even Asia. They make up a big part of
the company’s push to strengthen Macao’s position as one of the top entertainment
hubs in Asia. It’s fitting then, that UFC has partnered with Sands China to
bring this historic event to China. Two leaders in their respective industries have
come together to host a spectacular event – the ultimate in MMA at Asia’s
ultimate destination for tourism and leisure.
Fans new to MMA can still get a preview of this exciting combat sport ahead
of the November 10 event by visiting the UFC
Experience zone at The Venetian Macao, which features exhibition panels
introducing the origin of MMA and the game rules, free MMA video games and
other interactive games, and a kiosk selling UFC signature merchandise such as
t-shirts, caps and boxing gloves.
An autograph session from 2:30 to 3:30 pm on Friday at the CotaiArena
will feature Chuck Liddell, former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC hall
of famer; Urijah Faber, UFC bantamweight contender and former WEC featherweight
champion; “The Korean Zombie” Jung Chan-Sung, UFC featherweight contender; and
the event’s two Octagon Girls®: Hong Kong-based celebrity model
Jessica Cambensy (better known as Jessica C) and Korea’s first Octagon Girl,
Kang Ye-bin. The official weigh-in follows from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Both events
are free and open to the public.
Universally recognized for its action-packed, must-see events that have
sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, UFC, the
world’s premier MMA organization, brings its phenomenal event to greater China
– and to Macao – for the first time at The Venetian Macao’s 15,000-seat CotaiArena,
the top live entertainment destination in southern China, on November 10. In
addition to the headline match between Franklin and Le, the 10-bout event
includes fighters like the only Chinese UFC fighter – Zhang Tiequan, Korea’s Dong
Hyun Kim, Brazil’s Paulo Thiago, Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov, and Brazilian
Thiago Silva.
UFC® MACAO: FRANKLIN vs. LE will air live on numerous
UFC broadcast partners across Asia and globally, as well as on FUEL TV in North
America on Sunday, November 11.
The first bout of “UFC®MACAO: FRANKLIN vs. LE” kicks off at 8 pm on November 10, with the
main card scheduled to start at 10 pm. Tickets are on sale now at all Sands
China box offices* and can be booked online
at www.CotaiTicketing.com, or by
phone at +853 2882 8818 (Macao) / +852 6333 6660 (HK). Tickets are also
available at Tom Lee Outlets and through Hong Kong Ticketing (customer service
fee applies) at www.HKTicketing.com, or
by phone at +852 3128 8288. Tickets are available in seven categories:
HKD/MOP 3,880 (Silver), 2,280 (Bronze), 1,280 (A Reserve), 980 (B Reserve), 880
(C Reserve), 680 (D Reserve) and 380 (E Reserve).
Visitors from mainland China can purchase tickets through one of two
participating travel agents: China International Travel Service (CITS), via
phone at 400-600-0853 and online at www.cits.mo/ufcmacao;
and Yong Le, via phone at 4006-228-228 and online at www.228.com.cn/ufcmacao. The booking
deadline for both is Monday, November 5.
For more information about the event, including the full fight card, visit
http://www.ufc.cn/macao2012/.
Photo caption: Media were given a sneak
peek at the talent that will be on display this Saturday at greater China’s
first-ever UFC event, at a press conference Wednesday at Hong Kong’s Harbour City Mall, which included
a Q&A session and open workouts featuring the title bout’s contenders. The
10-bout main event takes place November 10 at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena.
###
About 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 (MMA) organization. Owned and
operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London,
Toronto and Beijing, 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 in the USA. 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 also 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. 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 over two million followers on Twitter.
Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally
distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand
around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game
franchise distributed by THQ and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC
GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo®
festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
Entertainment at Sands China Ltd.
Properties
Sands
China Ltd. has as a clear vision to establish Macao as Asia’s top entertainment
destination.
The
15,000-seat CotaiArena™ is the only venue in Asia ranked in Pollstar’s Top 100
Worldwide Arena Venues based on ticket sales. It is the top entertainment
destination in southern China,
hosting the world’s and the region’s biggest names in music, sports and awards
shows. Superstars frequently choose the venue as the starting point of their
Asian tours.
The
1800-seat, multi-purpose Venetian Theatre is one of the most luxurious
entertainment venues in greater China.
Featuring ushers in black-tie, champagne service, gourmet food and beverage
items and other unique, premium amenities, it offers an intimate, luxurious and
exclusive venue experience. The Venetian Theatre is playing a key role in
bringing the best in international and Chinese entertainment to Macao, with a
luxury theatre experience like no other in the region.
The
650-seat Sands Macao Hotel theatre regularly features internationally-renowned
singers, performers and artists of the highest calibre. From traditional
Chinese-costumed dancers to modern performances, and from singing troupes to
contemporary bands, everything from Western rock to Cantonese pop is covered.
With
an unbeatable diversity, the entertainment offering of Sands China Ltd. is
ushering in a new era of entertainment in Macao.
For more information, please visit www.cotaiticketing.com.