(PRESS RELEASE) -- DENVER, CO – UFC® returns to movie theaters nationwide on Sat., Nov. 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT, as Fathom Events and UFC bring UFC® 180: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM, the UFC’s first-ever event in Mexico, to the big screen. Fans will have a front-row Octagon® view of all the action when heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez collides with no.1 contender Fabricio Werdum in the five-round main event on Nov. 15. Broadcast live from the sold-out Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, audiences will witness the culmination of 12 weeks of rivalry and competition built up between these two heavyweight coaches on The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America, the UFC’s famed reality television series.
“UFC 180 is a historic event and fans in theaters nationwide will be treated to the ultimate, front-row Octagon experience as Velasquez and Werdum battle for the title on the big screen,” said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of Fathom Events.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (13-1 in his professional career, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.), an agile and explosive heavyweight with a strong wrestling base, is currently the only heavyweight titleholder of Mexican descent in combat sports around the world. Often referred to as “the baddest man on the planet,” he is widely considered the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time thanks to career wins over former champions Minotauro Nogueira, Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos as well as Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
No.1 contender Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of of Porto Alegre, Brazil) is currently on a four-fight win streak that includes victories over fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Minotauro Nogueira, Fedor Emelianenko, Roy Nelson, and most recently, Travis Browne. A two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, he is also known as a technical fighter with heavy hands. Outside of the Octagon, Werdum is seen across Latin America every week hosting the UFC Network™’s weekly magazine show, UFC® Ahora.
Additionally, seventh-ranked Jake Ellenberger (29-8, fighting out of Lake Forrest, Calif. by way of Omaha, Neb.) goes up against no.11 Kelvin Gastelum (10-0, fighting out of Yuma, Ariz.) in a welterweight showdown. Ellenberger, a former Marine and NCAA wrestler, will bring his grit and knockout power to the Octagon against the undefeated winner of the 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Other bouts for UFC® 180 include:
· The Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez (27-7, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) and Joe Lauzon (24-10, fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass.) will collide in a lightweight battle.
· No. 4 ranked, Ricardo Lamas (14-3, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) will meet Dennis Bermudez (15-3, fighting out of Lindenhurst, N.Y.) in a featherweight showdown that could have title implications.
· Augusto Montano (13-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico), the newest Mexican fighter signed to the organization will make his UFC debut against Chris Heatherly (8-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Cahokia, Ill.), who is unbeaten in four of his last five fights.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
About Fathom Events Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras – creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom’s live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship® Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, Octagon™ branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.