(PRESS RELEASE) -- HONG KONG – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to the Cotai Arena in Macao on August 23 with a middleweight showdown pitting two of the division’s elite against one another as No. 8-ranked Michael Bisping takes on former Strikeforce champion, Cung Le. With contrasting styles and 26 finishes between them, this bout has the potential to be a classic.
Fischer added: “We are thrilled to be back at the Venetian Macao with a great fight card featuring world famous MMA fighters from South Korea, USA and the UK, as well as The Ultimate Fighter China featherweight finalists, who will battle to become the next Chinese UFC star."
Edward Tracy, president and chief executive officer of Sands China Ltd said: “Sands China Ltd is very pleased to continue our successful collaboration in our partnership with our third exciting UFC event.”
Speaking at a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Tracy added: “We’ll continue to bring the world’s best entertainment – including the world’s top athletes – to Macao for the enjoyment of both visitors and locals. We’ve brought a range of martial arts events to Macao, including boxing, Muay Thai, and of course MMA with UFC. Action-packed events like UFC Fight Night Macao are an important part of our multi-tiered entertainment strategy, which seeks to raise Macao’s global profile as a world centre of tourism and leisure and as a regional hub for entertainment.”
Vietnamese born Le (9-2 in his professional mixed martial arts career, fighting out of San Jose, California), makes his return to the Octagon® after a two-year hiatus that saw him serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter China, the organization’s long running reality series, as well as further his action movie career. In his return to the Cotai arena, the scene of his highlight reel knockout of Rich Franklin, Le will look to build on his reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in combat sports history when he meets Manchester, England’s Bisping (24-6, fighting out of Orange County, California) in the Octagon.
The Briton is consistently on the verge of title contention and a win over Le would mark his first victory over a former champion, ensuring his name stays in contention with the division’s best.
In the co-main event, the hard-hitting No. 4-ranked welterweight, Tyron Woodley (13-3-0) - who boasts wins over top names such as former UFC champion Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine -faces off with the surging No.9 ranked Dong Hyun Kim (19-2-1, 1 no contest, fighting out of Busan, South Korea).
The 170lbs clash has major UFC world title implications. “Stun Gun” has a ton of momentum after crushing victories over John Hathaway and a knockout of the night performance against Erick Silva, while Woodley is potentially one huge win away from a shot at UFC gold. Both fighters will be looking to cement their place amongst the division’s elite in this three-round bout.
Also on the stacked card, Yang Jianping (7-3-1) and Ning Guangyou (4-2-1) will also take to the Octagon® to decide who will be become the featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter® China and win the coveted UFC contract.
Tickets for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT MACAO: BISPING vs. LE go on sale June 24 at 10 a.m. HKT and are priced at HK$4,680, HK$2,580, HK$1,680, HK$880, HK$580, HK$380 and HK$280, with a 20% off Early Bird promotion through July 8th. HK$88 adds a round trip Cotai Water Jet ferry ticket between Hong Kong and Macao (HK$280 tickets excluded).
Tickets are available for purchase at www.cotaticketing.com. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Cotai Ticketing at +852 6333 6660. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
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, Beijing, 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 over 145 countries to 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, best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.com and follow UFC at www.Facebook.com/UFC and on Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.
About The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel Opened in 2007, The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel is Macao's first integrated resort featuring stunning replicas of the famous canals and architectural icons of Venice, Italy. The Venetian Macao features 3,000 suites, 1.2 million square feet (111,000 square metres) of convention and meeting facilities as well as a 15,000-seat Cotai Arena designed for world-class sports events and electrifying entertainment. The Venetian Macao is also home to the unique, 1,800-seat luxury Venetian Theatre, hosting the best in international and Chinese entertainment; more than 30 renowned restaurants; TAIVEXMALO Day Hospital & Spa; the incredibly fun QUBE indoor playground and more than 300 retailers at Shoppes at Venetian. Outdoor recreation areas include swimming pools and cabanas and a mini-golf course.
For more information, please visit www.venetianmacao.com.