Press Release from the UFC:
For
Immediate Release:
February 20, 2009
UFC® 97: REDEMPTION IS SOLD OUT;
UFC IN MONTREAL,
2-FOR-2 WITH SELL OUTS
ANDERSON SILVA vs.
THALES LEITES
CHUCK LIDDELL vs.
MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA
Live from the Bell Centre, Saturday April 18, 2009
Las
Vegas, NV (USA)
– For the second time in a row, the UFC® has sold out the Bell
Centre in Montreal, Canada. Tickets for UFC 97: REDEMPTION are no longer available less than one week after they
went on sale to the public. Now the only place to watch this star-studded event
on Saturday, April 18 is on pay-per-view.
“I knew going back to
Montreal would be another homerun,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our
Canadian fan base is incredibly strong and continues to grow even in these hard
times. UFC events continue to bring a substantial economic impact to the city
of Montreal - tickets for this fight sold out faster than UFC 83 did last
year.”
For
the UFC’s last trip up to Montreal for UFC 83, more than 13,000 tickets were
sold the first day through the UFC® Fight Club™ Presale.
The eventual sellout last year and this year’s record sellout cement Montreal
as a true hub for mixed martial arts and the UFC.
Unstoppable
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
will meet his toughest test to date when he faces submission specialist Thales Leites. Also on the card, former
UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck
“The Iceman” Liddell will trade punches with another dangerous striker when
he takes on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
UFC 97: REDEMPTION, presented by TapOut®
will be
available live on pay-per-view 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).
In
the world of mixed martial arts there is not a more feared striker than Anderson
Silva (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil). While posting an amazing eight fight
win streak in the UFC, the 33-year-old champion has stopped seven of those
eight fights within two rounds, with only Patrick Cote seeing daylight in Round
3 before the champion earned the TKO victory at UFC 90. With two impressive
wins over former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, one over Nate
Marquardt and a submission victory against former Pride® champion Dan
Henderson, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is riding high heading into his
match with Thales Leites.
“I’m
looking forward to fighting in Montreal,” Silva said. “I have a lot of Canadian
fans. Thales is a very tough opponent, and it’s going to be a great fight.”
Winner
of his last five UFC matches, 27-year-old Thales Leites (fighting out of Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil) is truly hitting his stride in the world of mixed martial
arts. With a split decision victory against Marquardt, submission victories
over Ryan Jensen and Floyd Sword and most recently Drew McFedries, the
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt could be Silva’s greatest test on the ground to
date.
“I feel great about this fight and I will be one hundred
percent for sure.” Leites said. “I did my job to get recognized by the UFC, and
this will be the fight of my life. I know Anderson Silva is a very, very tough
guy, but I know that I can do it.”
There are a few names that are
synonymous with the UFC and Chuck Liddell (fighting out of San Luis Obispo) is
one of those. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is coming off a loss to
the division’s present title holder Rashad Evans and is looking to recapture
the magic that saw him win an amazing 14 of 15 UFC matches from 1999-2006. The
39-year-old is now focused on getting back on another winning streak.
“I’m very excited about fighting
Shogun,” Liddell said. “It’s another step in getting back my title. I’m going
to hit him hard and I plan on knocking him out. The Canadian fans have been
great for years. They are some of the most exciting fans in the world.”
With an impressive resume overseas,
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) is starting to make a
name for himself in the UFC. The 27-year-old is coming off a TKO victory
against former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman at UFC 93 and is excited
at the opportunity to fight a legend.
“It
is an honor to fight Chuck Liddell, one of the greatest light heavyweights ever
in the UFC,” Rua said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I am very excited
to fight him. I like to keep myself challenged, and this fight with Chuck is
definitely a big fight for me and for UFC fans.”
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.
Press
Contact:
Jennifer
Wenk, UFC Public Relations