(PRESS RELEASE) -- Singapore – The UFC® makes its much anticipated live event debut in Manila when it brings the Octagon® to the Mall of Arena Asia on Saturday, May 16. The main event will see former lightweight champion and current No. 1 ranked featherweight mixed martial artist Frankie Edgar face fellow American Urijah Faber in a five-round featherweight battle at 145 pounds.
Faber (37-7-0, fighting out of Sacramento, California, USA) will be making his inaugural featherweight debut. The California Kid, currently ranked No.3 in the bantamweight division, has won six of his last seven fights and has never lost a non-title fight. His experience in the Octagon has seen him go the five round championship distance five times against Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Mike Brown and twice against Renan Barao.
Faber comments: “I feel like it’s rare in this sport to have the ability, the opportunity and the fortune of having super fights at multiple weights. I started in this sport because I love it. I love the challenge and I love to perform. Fighting a guy like Frankie Edgar is exactly the reason I got into this sport. I’m a fan of the heart Frankie has as a fighter, something I’m known for as well. I was a 145 lb. champion and he was a 155 lb. champion so it’s cool for me to be able to make this fight, one for the history books. I plan on winning and putting on a show in the process.”
Other confirmed bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT MANILA: EDGAR vs. FABER include:
· The Philippines own Roldan Sangcha-an (4-1, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) will have the Mall of Asia Arena behind him when he takes on skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Jon delos Reyes (7-4, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) in a flyweight tilt.
· The Ultimate Fighter China winner Zhang Lipeng (9-8-1, fighting out Beijing, China) takes on ‘Rajan’ Kajan Johnson (19-12-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a lightweight clash
· Korea’s ‘Supernatural’ Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, fighting out of Seoul, Korea) takes on rising prospect Jon Tuck (8-2, fighting out of Hagatna, Guam) in a lightweight fight that highlights two emerging MMA markets in Asia
· In a welterweight bout, Li Jingliang (9-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) takes on The Ultimate Fighter: Edgar vs. Penn veteran Roger Zapata (4-1, fighting out of New York, New York)
· Another Ultimate Fighter China steps back in the Octagon when Yao Zhikui (1-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets dynamic Nolan Ticman (4-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) in the debut of both fighters at 125 pounds
UFC Manila will be broadcast all over the world giving the UFC’s international fans a taste of the immense passion and support the Philippines fans have for MMA. Other bouts will be confirmed as they become available.
Tickets will go on-sale on March 13, launched in conjunction with SM Tickets at www.smtickets.com.
For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
About the UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the 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®, UFC 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.
About Mall of Asia Arena
SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Incorporated or SMLEI is the lifestyle and entertainment solutions company of SM Prime Holdings Inc. that offers the best in movies, events and leisure. Mall of Asia Arena, one of the brands tucked under SMLEI, also known as the architectural “eyecon,” is the venue for international sports and entertainment events. Patterned after popular stadiums abroad, the Mall of Asia Arena is the only center in the Philippines that has a floor dedicated to the Corporate Suites. Concert House to Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Monster Jam, J.Lo, Aerosmith, and the like, as well as sports center to the NBA, IPTL, and One FC, the Mall of Asia Arena is not only a local stadium for international acts but is also a tourist destination.