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UFC INVADES SEATTLE WITH AN EPIC FIGHT BETWEEN TWO LEGENDS

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The quest of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz to return to the top of the UFC® light heavyweight division brings him to KeyArena in Seattle, Wash., on Saturday, March 26 for a clash with a fellow legend. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that Ortiz will battle former PRIDE® star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in an explosive 205-pound bout in the Emerald City.

“This is a must-win fight for Tito Ortiz,” UFC President Dana White said. “Everyone knows that Tito and I have had a rocky relationship, but he’s been with us since we started this company and we’re on good terms now. This is the biggest fight of his career. ‘Lil Nog’ is ranked in the top 10 in the world and a win puts Tito back in the mix.”

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If the Ortiz-Nogueira fight wasn’t enough, the UFC also confirmed two volatile welterweight collisions pitting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah, as well as the highly-anticipated rematch between featherweights Nam Phan and Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia.

Tickets for UFC®Fight Nightâ„¢ Live will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50. Tickets can be purchased at the KeyArena Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone toll free at (800) 745-3000. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees.

UFC® Fight Clubâ„¢ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. PT via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, Jan. 28 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.

UFC®Fight Nightâ„¢ Live will be broadcast on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Once one of the most dominant light heavyweight champions of all-time, Tito Ortiz (fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. /16-8-1) finds himself in a must-win situation on March 26 in Seattle. Having made a name for himself with victories over the likes of Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Ken Shamrock and the late Evan Tanner, the charismatic Ortiz is gearing up for the most pivotal fight of his career.

“I’m ready to get back in there and kick some ass,” Ortiz, who will be in Seattle on Thursday, Jan. 27 for a media day, said. “‘Lil Nog’ is one of the best fighters in the world. He’s dangerous on the feet and on the ground; that’s why you won’t hear me talking any smack. I have a lot of respect for him and I can’t wait to get back in there and give the fans in Seattle a great show.”

A feared Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and former Pan American Games bronze medalist in boxing, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out of Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil/19-4) possesses one of the most dangerous arsenals in all of mixed martial arts. Since launching his career in Japan in 2001, “Lil Nog” has scored wins over Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson and Vladimir Matyushenko. Nogueira, whose twin brother “Minotauro” is a top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, has since made an immediate impact in the UFC with wins over Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz. The 34-year-old realizes that a victory over Ortiz would go a long way toward his ultimate goal of wearing a UFC title.

“Tito Ortiz is a former champion and I’m excited to get the chance to fight him in the main event in Seattle,” Nogueira said. “I’m training hard and expect a difficult fight. Tito’s ground and pound is really good and he is a talented athlete. This should be a great fight for the fans.”

UFC®Fight Nightâ„¢ Live also features the explosive welterweight contest pitting Anthony Johnson (fighting out of San Jose, Calif./8-3) against Dan Hardy (fighting out of Nottingham, England/23-8, 1 NC). The fight will feature two competitors who like to trade leather, as Johnson has won three out of his last four by knockout, while Hardy has engaged in standup wars with the likes of Mike Swick and Marcus Davis in recent outings.

Another entertaining 170-pound fight matches heavy-handed Duane Ludwig (fighting out of Denver, Colo./28-11) with The Ultimate Fighter® Season Seven winner Amir Sadollah (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev./5-2). A product of Grudge Training Center in Denver, Ludwig is a tested veteran who trains alongside the likes of UFC stars Shane Carwin and Brendan Schaub. He’ll be in for a stern test when he meets the scrappy Sadollah, a balanced Muay Thai striker who likes to push the pace of a fight.

The highly-anticipated rematch between featherweights Leonard Garcia (fighting out of Lubbock, Texas/19-6-1) and Nam Phan (fighting out of Orange County, Calif./16-9) will also take place on March 26 in Seattle. The duo put on an incredible display in their first bout in December, with Garcia taking home a controversial split decision victory. Phan looks to settle the score when he meets the “Bad Boy” at KeyArena.

Additional fights for the card will be announced at a later date. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship® - www.ufc.com Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually and 30 live arena events around the world. UFC programming is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and on Comcast, Inc.’s VERSUS network. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, reaching 354 million homes worldwide, in 19 different languages. Ancillary businesses now include UFC.com with over 5 million unique visitors per month, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gymâ„¢, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expoâ„¢ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a U.S. bimonthly magazine.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, The Octagonâ„¢ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

About KeyArena at Seattle Center

Opened in 1995, KeyArena at Seattle Center is Seattle’s premier venue for sports, concerts and family entertainment. The facility has entertained over 15 million guests and is home to 2010 WNBA champions Seattle Storm, Division One Seattle University Men’s Basketball and flat track Rat City Rollergirls. The venue, ranked among the top 100 venues in the world, provides a broad range of live music, entertainment, family shows and community programming for the City of Seattle.

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