Las Vegas, Nevada– The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Harley-Davidson® ride in to the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Friday, June 8 with an outstanding UFC® event headlined by flyweight rivals Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ian McCall. The winner of the fight will go on to fight Joseph Benavidez for the first-ever UFC 125-pound title later in the year.
UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event will air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Southern Florida was selected for this event as a part of the UFC, Harley-Davidson “Hometown Throwdown” program. The program allowed fans to visit the UFC, Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown website and submit a city for consideration for a future event.
In addition to helping choose the city, fans will also play a key role in determining a main card bout on the card. UFC fans can go toufc.com/hometownthrowdown to vote for which bout will make it onto the main card and be the first fight shown on the FX telecast.
Fans can choose between the following three bouts: Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland in bantamweight action; Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Mike Pierce in a welterweight bout; Lance Benoist vs. Seth Baczynski at 170-pounds.
Fans can also enter to win the UFC experience of a lifetime at the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event and their own custom Harley® motorcycle through a sweepstakes that runs through April 28, 2012. See full sweepstakes information and rules at ufc.com/hometownthrowdown.
The main event of Johnson versus McCall comes in high-demand. The two first squared off in an action-packed bout last month in Australia, with Johnson initially being declared the winner. However, it was revealed shortly thereafter that the judges’ scorecards were calculated incorrectly by the local athletic commission and the actual decision was a draw. Thus, Johnson and McCall will extend their rivalry on June 8 in a three-round rematch. If the fight is a draw after three rounds, the competitors will go to a sudden victory round to determine which man will earn the right to compete for the UFC world title.
“I’m excited to bring the UFC back to Florida!” UFC President Dana White said. “The first fight between Johnson and McCall was incredible, and on June 8, they will finally finish the fight to determine who is going to fight for the first-ever flyweight title.”
“We are thrilled and honored to welcome the UFC to the BankAtlantic Center for the first time in our history,” said SSE President & COO Michael R. Yormark. “The UFC represents the pinnacle of mixed martial arts and one of the greatest live sports spectacles in the world, so it is fitting that South Florida’s premier entertainment destination – the BankAtlantic Center – will now be hosting a UFC event for the first time.”
Tickets for UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown go on sale Friday, April 13 at 10 a.m. ET. Ticket prices will be announced in days to come. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, as well as the BankAtlantic Center Box Office.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 12, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
For more information or current fight news, visitwww.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change