June 1, 2011 (Hong Kong) – With its ever-growing brand of explosive all-Asia professional mixed martial arts (MMA) taking the world by storm, Legend will make its Macau debut on Saturday July 16, 2011 at City of Dreams.
City of Dreams exclusively presents Legend Fighting Championship 5 marks the beginning of Legend’s
collaboration with City of Dreams to develop MMA of the very highest caliber as a regular feature of Macau’s exciting entertainment landscape.
This event will be the first in a series of four Legend events to be held at City of Dreams over the next 12 months, featuring champion MMA fighters from across the Asia-Pacific competing to be the best.
Mr. Sunny Yu, Vice President, Entertainment and Project of Melco Crown Entertainment, said: “City of Dreams continues to strengthen its role to create an exceptional entertainment experience for Macau.
City of Dreams exclusively presents Legend Fighting Championship 5 fortifies City of Dreams’ proposition as the ultimate entertainment hub for Macau, offering a diverse range of entertainment options for both locals and tourists.”
Says Legend co-founder Mr. Chris Pollak: “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with City of Dreams to bring four world-class MMA events to Macau.
For City of Dreams exclusively presents Legend Fighting Championship 5, we are once again featuring champion Asia-Pacific MMA athletes for what we anticipate will be our most exciting competition to-date.
As Legend expands across the region and, via our television broadcasts, around the world, we are proud to keep providing audiences with the best Asian MMA action.”
Legend 5 will feature two highly-anticipated title bouts, the first round in Legend’s Featherweight Tournament showcasing the best of the Asia-Pacific’s 66kg athletes, as well as Hong Kong’s very own Mr. Vincent Siu, who will make his professional MMA debut.
Tickets for Legend 5 are on sale from tomorrow (June 2, 2011), with standard tickets priced at HK$680 and VIP tickets at HK$1,280.
Tickets are available through www.cityofdreamsmacau.com, www.macau.com, www.cityline.com.hk, as well as at HMV outlets and select martial arts facilities. Packages including transport (HK/Macau) and accommodation are also available at www.cityofdreamsmacau.com.
With 12 of the athletes competing in Legend 5 having been part of past Legend events, MMA fans are sure to recognize some familiar faces in the nine contests that will take place from 7:00 pm at Grand Hyatt Macau, City of Dreams.
The main event will feature a championship bout for the Legend Welterweight Title (77kg) as South Korea’s Mr. Bae Myung Ho, 24, takes on current Welterweight Champion Mr. Rod MacSwain, 24, of New Zealand. Mr. MacSwain’s Legend debut earlier this year saw him win the title over Bae’s compatriot Mr. Kim Hoon in an epic three-round contest.
The co-main event will award the inaugural Legend Bantamweight Title (61kg), with dynamic South Korean Mr. Jo Nam Jin, 20, taking on China’s Mr. Yao Honggang, 29, whose Shuaijiao (traditional Chinese wrestling) background sets him apart from many Sanda-trained Chinese MMA athletes.
Seeking his first Legend win in his first-ever contest is Siu, 29, a black belt in Kyokushin Karate, who will face off against Taiwan’s Mr. Sung Ming-Yen, 31. The Hong Kong native and martial arts instructor is expected to be a fast favourite as he squares off against Sung in the 61-kg Bantamweight class, but it will not be an easy contest against the highly touted Sung.
Considered by many to be the most exciting martial arts competition format, MMA allows athletes trained in martial arts such as Sanda (China), Brazilian Jiujitsu (Brazil/Japan), Judo (Japan), Karate (Japan), Muay Thai (Thailand), Boxing (Greece), Sambo (Russia), Tae Kwon Do (Korea) and Wrestling (Greece) to compete in a freestyle contest of interdisciplinary skills, with the best overall martial artists emerging as the winners.
MMA operates under a strict set of competition rules, and athletes compete in a timed freestyle contest, with the best martial artist emerging victorious. This unique form becomes the ultimate in martial arts – complex, yet adaptable and highly entertaining to watch.
City of Dreams exclusively presents Legend Fighting Championship 5 will be available across the United States and Canada on pay-per-view (PPV) television, the only sporting event out of China to be broadcast on North American PPV channels, and will also be broadcast in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia.
City of Dreams is an integrated entertainment resort that has established itself as a premier leisure and entertainment destination in Macau and developed by Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, an entertainment company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ: MPEL)