NOGUEIRA v VELASQUEZ
SILVA v BISPING
STEVENSON v SOTIROPOULOS
JARDINE V BADER
ROTHWELL V CRO COP
&
SINOSIC v HASEMAN
UFC 110 LIVE AT THE ACER ARENA, 21ST FEBRUARY, 2010
15th December, Sydney, Australia – After the second fastest sell-out in the 16-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation, UFC 110 hits Sydney on 21st February.
All 16,500 tickets for the Acer Arena were completely sold out on the first day of public sale on Friday (11th December), placing UFC 110 behind only the record-breaking UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada in April 2008, as the UFC’s hottest ticket ever.
The UFC’s Managing Director of International Development, Marshall Zelaznik, said: “We knew we had an unbelievably passionate fanbase in Australia, but we are blown away by the speed of the sell-out. We had a massive uptake of tickets to the Australian members of our Fight Club and newsletter readers, and tickets were completely gone within hours of going on sale to the public.”
Zelaznik added: “What is even more incredible is that we completely sold out without even confirming a single fight on the card. Our fans trust us to bring the very best fight and fighters Down Under and we are delighted to reward that trust in us with what is already a frontrunner for the card of the New Year with UFC 110.”
The main event for UFC 110 will see Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez collide in a bout with significant implications for the heavyweight division.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Antônio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira will head to Australia with a tonne of momentum behind him. The 32-5-1, 1 NC Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is coming off a thrilling victory over fellow icon Randy Couture, and will be looking to match his sublime submissions against the fearsome wrestling skills of his unbeaten opponent.
At 7-0, and with all but one opponent beaten inside the distance, 27-year-old Cain Velasquez has earned his reputation as perhaps the most exciting new talent in all of mixed martial arts. Relentless in his takedowns and possessing frightening stamina, the early buzz about the Californian’s enormous potential has been confirmed by the systematic beatings of his five UFC opponents to date.
The co-main event of UFC 110 is the long-awaited middleweight showdown between legendary former world champion Wanderlei Silva and top contender Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping.
Silva, 32-10-1, 1 NC in his MMA career, is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, and his five-year run as the world champion has been aptly dubbed a ‘reign of terror.’
‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 3 winner, Bisping (19-2) is coming off an emotional and career-best victory over Denis Kang in his hometown of Manchester, England. Now ‘The Count’ looks to take down a living legend in Silva.
Plus, former UFC Lightweight title challenger Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson, 36-10, takes on Australia’s own George Sotiropoulos, 11-2. Stevenson has looked in the form of his life in his last two bouts, taking down Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher, while Sotiropoulos is 4-0 in the UFC and returns home to Australia for what is his toughest assignment to date.
Also featured on the main card of UFC 110: Keith ‘the Dean of Mean’ Jardine, 14-7-1 throws down with rising light heavyweight Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader, 11-0, and teak-tough heavyweight Ben Rothwell, 30-7, takes on another devastating striker in Croatian sensation Mirko CroCop, 25-7-2, 1 NC.
And confirmed for UFC 110 undercard: light heavyweights Elvis ‘The King of Rock’n’Rumble’ Sinosic and Chris ‘The Hammer’ Haseman collide in the first ever all-Aussie bout to take place in the UFC.
Further undercard bouts for UFC 110 will be announced shortly.
UFC 110 will be screened in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide. For more information on the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC 110 visit www.UFC.com.