For Immediate Release: Dec. 5, 2007 ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP & MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TEAM UP TO BRING UFC EXPERIENCE TO NYC Matt Serra to Host UFC 79 Viewing Party Live Dec. 29th
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization fans will have a special New Year’s opportunity to watch one of the biggest events of the year UFC 79: NEMESIS and meet New York’s own Matt “The Terror” Serra at an exclusive UFC 79 viewing party held inside the world-famous Madison Square Garden Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007.
“When I found out that Matt Serra was injured and couldn’t fight at UFC 79, I knew there would be a lot of fans on the East Coast who would be disappointed,” said Dana White, UFC President. “So we are holding a UFC 79 viewing party at Madison Square Garden for all those fight fans, so they can watch UFC 79, meet UFC Champion Matt Serra, and find out who he’s going to fight next – Georges St-Pierre or Matt Hughes.”
“Madison Square Garden is thrilled to bring the excitement of the UFC to its New York fans with this special viewing," said Joel Fisher, senior vice president, Madison Square Garden Sports Properties. “The next best thing to seeing the event live in person is to watch with passionate fans at Madison Square Garden.”
The UFC 79 VIP Viewing Party, hosted by UFC Welterweight Champion Matt “The Terror” Serra starts at 8:30pm. Serra will hold a question-and-answer session for guests, and then host the viewing party starting at 10pm EST. Tickets will be available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster by calling 212-307-7171 and online at www.thegarden.com. Tickets are priced at $25.00 through Dec. 21 and $30.00 after Dec. 22 and will go on sale beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 8. (more) UFC 79 Viewing Party…Page 2 of 3
® ™ UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event starting Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 10am ET. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, Dec. 7 starting at 10am ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through www.ufc.com.
When Matt Serra was forced to withdraw from the UFC 79 card due to injury, Georges St-Pierre stepped up as the main event opponent for Matt Hughes for a five-round Interim UFC Welterweight title fight.
St-Pierre and Hughes are no strangers to one another, having fought twice with vastly different results. In their first bout at UFC 50 in October of 2004, Hughes won the vacant welterweight crown with a first round submission victory. In their November 2006 rematch, St-Pierre evened the score with a second round TKO of Hughes to win the 170-pound title. On December 29th, the two will settle matters once and for all.
“I’m so excited to get this fight,” said St-Pierre. “I’m fighting Matt Hughes for the interim title right now, and then after that I’m going to go after Serra. I’ve wanted that rematch against Serra, and this is the best scenario that can happen.”
Waiting in the wings will be the champion, Serra, who will be watching UFC 79 with great interest that night.
“I can’t believe the position this puts me in,” said the New Yorker, who won the title from St-Pierre and was looking forward to settling the score with the man he has been coaching against and trading barbs with on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter® Hughes. “I’m actually rooting for Matt Hughes so I can beat his ass.”
UFC 79 also features the long-awaited mega-fight between the two greatest 205-pound fighters of all-time, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, as well as an intriguing bout between Lyoto Machida and PRIDE® star Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, who will be making his UFC debut.
MSG Sports Properties is part of Madison Square Garden, L.P., owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, which includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the Beacon Theatre; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and FSN New York; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.
For more information about The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale, UFC 79, UFC 80, UFC 81, or any upcoming UFC event, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
(more) UFC 79 Viewing Party…Page 3 of 3
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand 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., the UFC® organization produces approximately twelve to fourteen live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on MAIN EVENT in Australia, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo and Setanta PPV in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or www.ufcespanol.com.
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