Attendees Have First Chance at Numbered Series with Personalized Features, Packaging; Couture, 'Shogun,' Wanderlei Silva To Appear Live at Round 5 Booth
Mixed martial arts fans and other collectors attending UFC Fan Expo on Friday and Saturday at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas will be first in line as Round 5 unveils its premiere "Limited Edition," individually numbered figurines, featuring MMA stars Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson. Available for the first time at the Round 5 booth (#427), the Rua collectible includes his signature Bad Boy Walk Out t-shirt while Henderson's comes with an American Flag, and both come in packaging that is distinct from the standard Series 4 issue, also debuting at Fan Expo.
Rua will also join Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva at the booth as they meet fans and sign autographs during the two days. On Friday, "Shogun" will sign from 3 - 5 p.m., while Couture will be there from 6 - 7 p.m. On Saturday, Silva will be available from 2 - 3:30pm and "Shogun" from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Only 2,548 of the Limited Edition 'Shogun' and Henderson collectibles will ever be made, and just 252 - in numerical order beginning at Fan Expo opening at 10 a.m. on Friday - will be available each day at Expo.
"The UFC Fan Expo is a unique opportunity for us to connect with fans who have enjoyed the first three Series, and we're pleased to reward them with the advance availability of the Limited Edition and Series 4 as well as the meet-and-greets with three of our stars," said Damon Lau, Round 5 president.
The first shipments of Series 4, which includes "Shogun," Henderson, Gina Carano, Cung Le and Matt Serra, are going to Las Vegas. They are expected to be available at retail locations across North America and online at www.Round5MMA.com later this month or in early August.
Round 5 plans to release collectibles of two additional series of athletes later in 2009, one during each quarter. Athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced.
It's the Ultimate gig in the world of sports modeling, and when The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) decided to search for potential new Octagon Girls, it reached out to the only magazine devoted to discovering new beauty around the world: Maxim, the largest young men's lifestyle magazine in America. The result? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for attendees of the UFC Fan Expo to be on hand when the winner of the first-ever Maxim UFC Octagon Girl Search is chosen at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 11th, just hours before the lights go down for the biggest event in mixed martial arts history, UFC 100.
During the two-day Fan Expo, the Octagon Girl Search will culminate with a live voting phase at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, on the main stage of Bayside Hall B. The event will feature UFC fighters and Maxim editors selecting the winner in a runway-style pageant during the UFC Fan Expo. The winning model will receive a UFC Octagon Girl contract and will be featured throughout the Maxim properties, including Maxim magazine and on Maxim.com.
Girls interested in entering the Maxim UFC Octagon Girl Search will need to pre-register at Maxim.com or at one of Maxim's upcoming casting events. Details on the casting events will be listed at Maxim.com. Participants must be 18 years of age.
Tickets for the first-ever UFC Fan Expo -- which leads up to the historic UFC 100 event that takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, July 11th -- are limited, but are still on sale and can be bought exclusively at www.ufcfanexpo.com. V.I.P. Passes for this event are already SOLD OUT, but Customers that purchase Expo tickets in advance will receive $10 off the two-day pass.
The UFC® Fan Expo features an unprecedented lineup of UFC, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and former PRIDE fighters, and already confirmed to be in attendance are UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy "The Natural" Couture, and former world champions Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, "Suga" Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.
Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan's classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by "The Texas Crazy Horse", Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
And if that's not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, and Jamie Varner sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.
Among the UFC Fan Expo's two-day roster of activities will be the aforementioned meet and greets with legendary UFC, WEC, and PRIDE fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100, including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July 10th.
Top UFC fighters and MMA fans will get the first look at the official Ultimate Fighting Championship action figures from leading U.S. toy maker JAKKS Pacific, Inc at UFC Fan Expo for UFC 100 in Las Vegas. The first two series of the line, Wave 0 and Wave 1 include some of the best and well known UFC fighters such as heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell, middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, Rampage Jackson, and Royce Gracie. Several of the fighters will be in attendance to view their new figures before they hit retail shelves this Fall, and are expected to meet and greet with fans at the JAKKS UFC Fan Expo booth (#427).
To help celebrate UFC 100 and the first ever UFC Fan Expo, JAKKS will also have Limited Edition UFC Fan Expo Platinum Chuck Liddell figures available for purchase by fans in attendance at the JAKKS booth while supplies last. The exclusive Limited Edition Platinum figures will be sequentially numbered 1:500 and will only be available at the UFC Fan Expo. The first 250 units will go on sale at 10:00 am on Friday with the next 250 units available Saturday starting at 10:00 am as well.
Where: JAKKS Booth #427 Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Bayside Hall B Located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Las Vegas, Nevada
Rumina Sato. Fredson Paixao. Joe Stevenson. Vinicius Magalhaes. Jeff Glover. Ulysses Gomez. Bill Cooper. To those in the grappling world, the names represent the best of the best. To have them in the same hall together at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center is electrifying enough. To see them competing against each other in four Superfights that cap off the largest Submission Grappling tournament in history is something that could only be held at the UFC Fan Expo on Friday, July 10th and Saturday, July 11th, just hours before the lights go down for the biggest event in mixed martial arts history, UFC 100.
In the headline Superfight on Friday, July 10th, mixed martial arts pioneer Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato faces Ulysses "Useless" Gomez. Also in action on Friday, July 10th, against an opponent to be determined, will be The Ultimate Fighter 8's Vinicius Magalhaes. On Saturday, July 11th, the action continues with a match pitting four-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and WEC contender Fredson Paixao against 22-time Grapplers Quest champ Jeff "Pipelayer" Glover, and an intriguing showdown between UFC lightweight contender Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and Bill "The Grill" Cooper. The Superfight doubleheaders on both days begin at 1pm.
"For fans of the ground game, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the world's premier grapplers in one place competing against each other," said UFC President Dana White.
Tickets for the first-ever UFC Fan Expo -- which leads up to the historic UFC 100 event that takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, July 11th -- are limited, but are still on sale and can be bought exclusively at www.ufcfanexpo.com. V.I.P. Passes sold out quickly, but fans can still buy tickets to the Expo, and Customers that purchase in advance will receive $10 off the two-day pass.
About The Competitors: Perhaps Japan's most influential mixed martial artist ever, Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato has inspired countless fighters to not only take up the sport, but to take it to new levels. A pro since 1994, Sato has fought the world's best, including John Lewis, Yves Edwards, Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi, Javier Vazquez, Alexandre Nogueira, Joachim Hansen, and Gilbert Melendez. And when it comes to his grappling prowess, suffice to say that the Shooto legend and master of the flying armbar can do it all on the mat, making this rare United States appearance a must see for fight fans.
A native of Los Angeles who now makes his home in Las Vegas, Ulysses "Useless" Gomez has been training in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2001, and this purple belt has learned his lessons well, winning championships in Grapplers Quest, Desert Quest, IGJJF, NAGA, and the Mt. Sac Submission Open. Gomez was also the first American to win a Gold medal in the FILA Pankration World Championships. Currently 3-1 in MMA, this member of Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai team is eager to perform on the big stage against the world-renowned Rumina Sato.
If you wanted to list Fredson Paixao's accomplishments in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you would probably need at least this entire page. Suffice to say that the 30-year old from Parintins -- a four-time world champion -- is one of the best grapplers of this era. Now competing in MMA for the WEC, Paixao -- who is only the second person in the world to go from purple to black belt in just four years -- will get back to his roots by grappling competitively during the UFC Fan Expo.
With 22 Grapplers Quest titles to his name, California's Jeff Glover has taken the jiu-jitsu world by storm. Add in accolades as a 2008 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship-Silver Medalist, 2008 PacSun Hawaii Absolute/No-Gi/Gi Champion, 2007 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship-Gold Medalist, and it's clear why seeing Glover's name on the marquee means some high-level jiu-jitsu. Rated to have the number one rated guard in the United States by Gracie Magazine, Glover will put all his skills to the test against world champion Fredson Paixao.
Winner of 35 MMA fights, including a recent victory over Nate Diaz, UFC lightweight contender Joe Stevenson is one of the top fighters in the world, but what some may not know is that he's also a skilled grappler. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under BJJ superstar Robert Drysdale, Stevenson has ended four MMA fights with his devastating guillotine choke, and he will be looking to test it against Bill Cooper on July 11th.
22-year old jiu-jitsu phenom Bill "The Grill" Cooper earned his black belt from Ricardo Miller at the age of 20, and he's done his teacher proud to the tune of 24 Grapplers Quest titles from around the country. Now teaching in Thousand Oaks, California, Cooper will face one of the toughest tests of his young career in Joe Stevenson this July.
Rio De Janeiro's Vinicius "Pezao" Magalhaes first came to the attention of UFC fans in 2008, when he finished three opponents in the first round en route to a spot in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter's eighth season. But to those in the jiu-jitsu community, Magalhaes' reputation was already rock solid. Winner of eight medals at the BJJ World Championships (four Gold, one Silver and three Bronze), this black belt under Vinicius Aieta and Royler Gracie will show UFC fans even more dimensions of his game when he steps on the mat on July 10th.
Please note that all rings of the UFC Fan Expo tournament will be stopped during these Superfights, and that while fans will get to see all the tournament and Superfight action, seating will be limited and handled on a first come, first served basis.
Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship will officially reveal the full cast of the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, dubbed "The Heavyweights," on Friday, July 10 at the UFC Fan Expo.
According to representatives of Spike TV all 16 fighters will be available for autographs from 11 a.m. until noon at UFC Fan Expo Booth #149 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Aside from a load of rumored participants, the only fighter officially revealed thus far has been Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson.
The UFC and Inspirit are proud to announce the participation of Shooto legend Rumina Sato at the UFC Fan Expo on July 10 and 11 in conjunction with UFC 100. Sato will be participating in a grappling superfight against seven-time Grapplers Quest champion Ulysses "Useless" Gomez on July 10. On July 11, he will be conducting a once in a lifetime seminar at the UFC Fan Expo.
Sato is known as one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts in Japan, captivating fans with his relentless submission attacks. Whether it is in Shooto or grappling events around the world, Sato has developed a reputation as one of the best lock flow submission fighters in the world. Now on July 11 at the UFC Fan Expo, he will teach his techniques and secrets to a small group of lucky fans that will be amazed by his precision and expertise on submission grappling.
"Rumina Sato is not only one of the legends of mixed martial arts, but he's been an inspiration to a whole generation of fighters. I think it's safe to say that without Sato, you wouldn't be seeing fighters like Caol Uno or Yushin Okami today. So it's an honor for us to have him participating in the UFC Fan Expo, and I'm positive that taking part in his seminar and watching him grapple will be something our fans won't ever forget," said UFC President Dana White of Rumina Sato's participation at the UFC Fan Expo.
Sato will also be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans throughout the UFC Fan Expo on both July 10 and 11 at the Rumina Sato/Inspirit booth. Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one of the true pioneers of mixed martial arts and submission grappling in Japan.
ESPN 1100's Steve Cofield talks with UFC president Dana White about a number of subjects, but notably about the "he is, he isn't" situation around Chuck Liddell retiring from mixed martial arts, the Cro Cop situation, Roger Huerta's return, and Vitor Belfort's prospects in the UFC.
Liddell has been mum on the retirement talk, but the UFC has said they will induct someone into the Hall of Fame at UFC 100. Are they just waiting for the Hall of Fame ceremony to make a dual announcement out of Chuck's retirement and then subsequent induction into the Hall of Fame or are they inducting someone else entirely?
UFC on Saturday announced that the Limp Bizkit concert event planned for Friday, July 10 at the Mandalay Bay Beach has been cancelled. Tickets will be refunded at place of purchase.
As part of the UFC 100 event weekend, the concert was to be the first Limp Bizkit show in the United States with the original line-up in eight years. The band was also planning to attend the UFC Fan Expo to sign autographs.
The history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is filled with stories of legendary fights and athletes who built a sport behind skill, heart, and determination. On July 10th and 11th, just before the lights go down and the first bell rings for July 11th's historic UFC 100 event, fans will have the opportunity to meet and greet the fighters who made mixed martial arts what it is today, as well as the ones carrying the flag for the next generation, all under one roof at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center during the UFC Fan Expo.
Tickets for this fight fan's dream event, which features an unprecedented lineup of UFC, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and former PRIDE fighters, are limited, but are still on sale and can be bought exclusively at www.ufcfanexpo.com V.I.P. Passes for this event are already SOLD OUT, but Customers that purchase Expo tickets in advance will receive $10 off the two-day pass.
Already confirmed to be in attendance during the UFC Fan Expo are UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy "The Natural" Couture, and former world champions Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, "Suga" Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.
Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan's classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
And if that's not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, and Jamie Varner sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.
Among the UFC Fan Expo's two-day roster of activities will be the aforementioned meet and greets with legendary UFC, WEC, and PRIDE fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100, including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July 10th.
Expected to attract over 100 companies and brands, UFC Fan Expo will span more than 200,000 gross square feet of space exhibiting apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear and fitness equipment, MMA training and development, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much more.
Las Vegas, NV (USA) -- The most historic event in UFC history just got bigger with the announcement that rap-metal pioneers Limp Bizkit are bringing the only performance in the U.S. of their "Unicorns N' Rainbows" tour to Mandalay Bay Beach on Friday, July 10th to perform in their first North American concert in eight years as a part of the UFC 100 weekend. The multi-platinum-selling group has picked the perfect time to return to North American stages, and you can be sure that once their hits "Break Stuff," "Rollin'" and "My Way" start blasting through the speakers, you'll have all the adrenaline you need for UFC 100 the next night on Saturday, July 11th.
"Music is one of the things that make the UFC experience so exciting, and I've always been a big fan of Limp Bizkit, so we are excited to have the group perform at UFC 100 event weekend," said Dana White, UFC President.
"We are proud that our first show in the USA with the original line-up in eight years will be in Las Vegas at UFC 100. The ultimate fighting music has finally found its home with the Ultimate Fighting Championship," said Fred Durst.
Tickets for Limp Bizkit, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Friday, May 29 at 10 a.m. for $35 at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com, or www.ticketmaster.com.
Doors will open at 7pm, BoneyB will perform at 8 p.m. and Limp Bizkit will go live at 9 p.m. The concert also will be streamed live on UFC.com.
As part of UFC Fan Expo, Limp Bizkit will appear and sign autographs on the UFC Fan Expo main stage Friday, July 10th from 2pm - 3pm, just hours before their U.S. concert premiere. Fred Durst, Wes Borland, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and DJ Lethal are gearing up to record their first new studio album with the original line-up since 2000's worldwide 12x-platinum Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. Flip/Interscope Records will announce more details and a release date in the coming months. The band's first three albums have sold more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone, and another 13 million in the rest of the world.
In celebration of UFC 100, the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, along with Reed Exhibitions, today announced the launch of UFC Fan Expo, a two-day fan exposition of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) activities starting Friday, July 10th and leading right up to the start of the historic fights on Saturday, July 11th. UFC Fan Expo will take place inside the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and will be the first event of its kind for UFC fans.
Among the UFC Fan Expo two-day roster of activities will be meet and greets with legendary UFC and WEC fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100, including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July 10th.
Expected to attract over 100 companies and brands, UFC Fan Expo will span more than 200,000 gross square feet of space exhibiting apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear and fitness equipment, MMA training and development, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much more.
Currently seen on television in over 120 countries and territories in 17 different languages, UFC is the world's largest pay-per-view content provider, and is the fastest-growing sports franchise in history. UFC programs are often the highest-rated television sports shows among the coveted male 18-34 and 18-42 demographic. UFC Fan Expo and UFC 100 are expected to attract tens of thousands of sports fans from throughout North America and abroad.
"We are pleased to work with Reed Exhibitions to present UFC Fan Expo in conjunction with UFC 100," said UFC President Dana White. "The UFC 100 event is a milestone for us, for the sport of mixed martial arts, and for fight fans around the world, this will be an amazing weekend for UFC fans."
"Reed Exhibitions is the largest global producer of high-profile and highly targeted events," said Ed Gallo, event director of the UFC Fan Expo. "Drawing on our experience in pop-culture inspired events such as New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival, the UFC Fan Expo will deliver an unprecedented all-access pass to loyal UFC fans around the world, and new fans discovering their passion for mixed martial arts."
For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
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