(PRESS RELEASE) -- Omaha, Neb. – Victory Fighting Championship today announced that VFC 47 headliner Elvis Mutapcic has been called up to the UFC, and now stepping in to rematch Anthony Smith for the men’s VFC middleweight strap will be UFC veteran Josh Neer. Mutapcic vs. Smith was set to make history as the first VFC main event to be shown live on UFC FIGHT PASS. Instead, Mutapcic will make his Octagon debut while Smith vs. Neer 2 culminates Victory FC’s premiere on the world’s largest digital combat sports channel.
VFC 47 takes place Friday, January 29, 2016 live from the Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb. The three-hour live card will present a total of eight bouts, culminating with double title fights including Smith vs. Neer 2 for the men’s middleweight championship, and Jarred Mercado vs. Alonzo Martinez for the men’s featherweight championship.
Tickets for VFC 47 start at $25.00 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.
Last month, Victory FC and UFC FIGHT PASS announced a broadcast deal to present Victory’s MMA shows on its digital combat sports subscription channel. On Friday, January 29, VFC 47 will be shown live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
UFC FIGHT PASS offers new subscribers a free trial, available right now, by logging on to UFCFIGHTPASS.com. UFC FIGHT PASS is available in 178 countries and territories across the globe, and features live fights, original programming and unlimited access to the world’s biggest mixed martial arts fight library.
Neer and Smith first fought each other under the Victory FC banner in December 2013. That meeting ended with Neer submitting Smith in the third round via rear-naked choke. Since then Smith has racked up six straight Ws, with five ending in a TKO or submission. Meanwhile, Neer backed up his victory over Smith with back-to-back wins before he inked a deal with Bellator. After two consecutive losses, Neer dropped from Bellator to resign with Victory and claim the middleweight title.
The entire line-up of fights to be seen on UFC FIGHT PASS includes:
VFC 47: SMITH vs. NEER 2 - January 29, 2016
Live from Baxter Arena – Omaha, Neb.
Live on UFC FIGHT PASS – 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT
Main Event Men’s Middleweight Title Fight
Josh Neer (36-15) vs. Anthony Smith (23-10)
Co-Main Event Men’s Featherweight Title Fight
Jarred Mercado (13-3) vs. Alonzo Martinez (37-16)
Men’s Lightweight Bout
Jake Lindsey (10-3) vs. Dakota Cochrane (21-9)
Men’s Lightweight Bout
Cody Carrillo (10-12) vs. Sean Wilson (36-26)
Men’s Lightweight Bout
Yuri Villefort (7-5) vs. Kenneth Glenn (7-2)
Men’s Lightweight Bout
Bryce Logan (4-1) vs. Grant Dawson (7-0)
Men’s Bantamweight Bout
Demetrius Wilson (1-0) vs. Raufeon Stots (3-0)
Men’s Lightweight Bout
Nate Flanders (0-1) vs. Seth Bass (1-0)
*All bouts live and subject to change.
Jen Wenk, APR, president of STAR Public Relations, served as the exclusive broker for Victory Fighting Championship and the UFC FIGHT PASS agreement.
About Victory Fighting Championship:
Victory Fighting Championship is the premier mixed martial arts organization in the Midwest. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Victory has provided its thousands of fans with high-quality, competitive, and entertaining fights since 2002. A catalyst for success, Victory has launched the careers of numerous elite fighters such as former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, Spencer Fisher, Josh Neer, Kevin Burns, Jake Ellenberger, Jason Brilz, Anthony Smith, Justin Salas, Tecia Torres, Kamaru Usman, Chris Camozzi, John Halverson, Joe Ellenberger, Mirsad Bektic, Drew Dober, and Travis Browne. These Victory fighters have made their way to the largest, most competitive stages across the United States including the UFC Octagon®. As an organization that continues to grow, thrive and gain strong, consistent momentum, Victory Fighting Championship presents between eight-10 live events per year in the Midwest’s top venues, which can be seen exclusively through the world’s largest digital combat sports subscription service UFC FIGHT PASS.