Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Mike Brown has built a reputation as a hard-hitting, gritty fighter capable of breaking down his opponents. Similarly, top-ranked contender Jose Aldo has established a name for himself by steamrolling the opposition with explosive punches and devastating knees. On Wednesday, Nov. 18 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV, one of these men will leave the cage as the undisputed featherweight champion of the world.
World Extreme Cagefighting officially announced today that the long-awaited title clash between champion Mike Brown and fierce challenger Aldo will take place in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV. What’s more, Brown vs. Aldo kicks off one of the biggest fight weeks ever in Las Vegas, as Brock Lesnar will defend the UFC heavyweight championship against Shane Carwin at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Saturday following WEC’s historic event.
“This fight is for more than just the featherweight title,” WEC GM Reed Harris said. “For Mike Brown, a win establishes him as the best featherweight fighter in the history of the sport. For Aldo, who is just 22 years old, this fight could mean the start of an Anderson Silva-like dominant reign.”
Tickets for Brown vs. Aldo go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 12 p.m. PT and will be priced at $175, $100, and $50. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Sunday, Sept. 20 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets will be available at The Pearl box office, online at ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Brown vs. Aldo will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
Riding a four-year, 10-fight unbeaten streak than includes wins over Urijah Faber (twice), Leonard Garcia, Jeff Curran, and Yves Edwards, featherweight champion Mike Brown (22-4) has cemented his place as the top 145-pounder in the world. Boasting a devastating right hand and slick submission skills, the American Top Team-trained Brown is gearing up for volatile collision with the young Brazilian challenger.
“He’s really, really good for a young kid,” Brown, who defeated Faber via unanimous decision in June, said of Aldo. “I’m 12 years older than him, so I’m going to have to use my experience and my ‘old man strength’ to take him out.
“I hear a lot about how explosive Aldo is and how hard he hits,” Brown continued. “We’ll see how he does when I control the fight and push him like he’s never been pushed before.”
Perhaps no fighter instills as much fear in opposing fighters as Aldo. A vicious striker from the renowned Nova Uniao fight team in Brazil, Aldo (15-1) scored one of the best knockouts in history in his last fight in June. In just eight seconds, the 22-year-old landed two, mid-air flying knees to the head of Cub Swanson, ending the bout in dramatic fashion. Also owning wins over Rolando Perez, Chris Mickle, and Jonathan Brookins in his WEC career, Aldo is confident that he’ll win his first world title in Las Vegas.
“I’m so happy to get this shot at such a young age,” Aldo said. “Mike Brown is a nice champion. His wrestling and boxing are really good, but his ground game is not the same. Like all of my other fights in WEC, I’m trying to finish this one as fast as I can and become world champion.”
Remaining bouts for WEC: Brown vs. Aldo will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit www.wec.tv. Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.
About World Extreme Cagefighting
The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. WEC, founded in 2001, is the sister organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and today features the most prominent light weight fighters in the world. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network.WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on the TSN network in Canada, Setanta Sports in Australia, and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.
About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 75 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as Sports Soup and The Contender that audiences can’t find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About The Pearl:
The Pearl is Las Vegas’ premier concert theater boasting accommodations for up to 2,500 ticket holders. Featuring a stage just four feet from the floor and the farthest seating area being a mere 120 feet from the stage, The Pearl offers the utmost in intimate viewing of your favorite acts. Private and semi-private skyboxes are located on each side of the venue offering private bars, lounges and restrooms. The Pearl is a marvel of modern technology using only top quality sound and video equipment throughout. Hard wired to The Studio at The Palms, The Pearl allows artists to create a cost-effective live album with efficiency and without additional venue set-up. For more information, please visit www.palms.com.
-Press Release