(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas, Nev. – Top 10 UFC® middleweights take center stage when the Ultimate Fighting Championship® heads to The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. In the night’s main event, former STRIKEFORCE® middleweight champ and current No. 6 contender Luke Rockhold (10-2, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) meets the ninth-ranked Costa Philippou (12-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.) in a five-round bout.
The card will also feature exciting striker Lorenz Larkin (14-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Riverside, Calif.) against Brad Tavares (11-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.), who’s currently riding a four-fight win streak. The remainder of the card can be found at: www.ufc.com/event/ufc-fight-night-atlanta.
“Atlanta’s been home to two huge fight cards in the past and we’re bringing another one to the area on January 15,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’ve got the No. 6 UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold, who was a champion in STRIKEFORCE, taking on the ninth-ranked Costa Philippou, who’s got heavy hands and knockout power. We’re on an incredible hot streak of live events and the fans at Gwinnett Center can expect a great night of fights!”
Tickets for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT™: ROCKHOLD VS. PHILIPPOU go on sale Friday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $225, $125, $75, $50 and $40. Buy tickets at GwinnettCenter.com, The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office or by calling 1-888-9-AXS-TIX.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Dec. 4 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, Dec. 5 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC® FIGHT NIGHT™: ROCKHOLD VS. PHILIPPOU airs Wednesday, Jan. 15 on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET, with the prelims also airing on FOX Sports 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
Media interested in obtaining credentials for the event are encouraged to apply at: https://cervello.ufc.com/signup/FS1JANUARY.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship® Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in Sao Paulo, London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FOX Sports 1.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with more than 2.6 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, UFC FIT™, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV® offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club® affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
About Gwinnett Center: Just minutes outside of Atlanta, Gwinnett Center’s 80-acre lakefront campus can accommodate a variety of events from concerts, performances, meetings, trade shows, conventions, banquets, and celebrations. The multipurpose campus includes an amazing 13,000 seat arena, a 702-seat Performing Arts Center, 23 versatile meeting rooms, a 50,000 square foot exhibit hall, and a 21,600 square foot grand ballroom. Gwinnett Center is beautifully landscaped and architecturally stunning facility with an award-winning outdoor private garden, soaring atriums and modern angles which provide a beautiful backdrop for any event. The campus, operated by the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, distinguishes itself by hosting a diverse range of events, including the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, Lady Gaga, Catalyst Convention, George Strait, Beyoncé, Enrique Iglesias, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Menopause the Musical, American Idol Live!, Dave Matthews Band, Vicente Fernandez, Carrie Underwood, Eric Clapton, FLW Forrest Wood Cup, Michael Bublé, MUSE, and many more. For more information about events on Gwinnett Center’s campus, please visit www.gwinnettcenter.com/events.