Click on Read More to see the entire press release for UFC 38, and the rematchÿ between Matt Hughes and Carlos Newton, as well as the heavyweight match between Frank Mir and Ian “The Machine” Freeman.
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Contact: ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Josh Hedges, 702-221-4790, Ultimate Fighting Championship
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Jack Taylor, 702-221-4791; or, 702-349-0176, Ultimate Fighting Championship
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HUGHES, NEWTON WELTERWEIGHT TITLE RE-MATCH IS MAIN EVENT
ÿFOR UFC BRAWL AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL, JULY 13, IN LONDON
Las Vegan Frank Mir To Meet Britain’s Ian Freeman in Heavyweight Showdown
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ LAS VEGAS, May 20, 2002… One of the fights Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans have been waiting for, the Welterweight Championship re-match between Champion Matt Hughes and former champion Carlos Newton, will be the main event Saturday, July 13, when the UFC goes to Europe for the first time for Brawl At Royal Albert Hall at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Hughes (26-3-0 in Mixed Martial Arts) of Hillsboro, Ill., captured the UFC Welterweight crown Nov. 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with a controversial knockout of reigning champion Newton (10-5-0) of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.ÿ Hughes picked up Newton as he was attempting a triangle choke and slammed him to the mat.ÿ The force knocked Newton out just as Hughes went unconscious from the choke.ÿ Referee John McCarthy separated the fighters and awarded the victory to Hughes.ÿ Many thought Newton won.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Hughes defended his title March 22 at UFC 36: Worlds Collide at the MGM Grand with a fourth round technical knockout of legendary Japanese fighter Hyato Sakurai.ÿ Newton last fought on February 24 in Japan where he defeated highly ranked Brazilian striker Jose “Pele” Landi-Jones by arm bar submission.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Hughes is one of the best all-around athletes in Mixed Martial Arts.ÿ He was a U.S. High School All-America wrestler at Hillsboro (Ill.) High School, a two-time junior college All-American wrestler at Lincoln Junior College in Lincoln, Ill., and a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.ÿ He has competed in Mixed Martial Arts events for three years and has fought all the top fighters around the world.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Newton won the welterweight title May 4, 2001, at UFC 31: Locked And Loaded at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N. J., with a third-round tap out by choke of Pat Miletich.ÿ The pre-med student at York University in Toronto, Canada, did not compete again in the UFC until he met Hughes.ÿ Newton is currently the Canadian Pankration Champion and was a three-time Canadian jiu-jitsu champion.ÿ He fought and won three fights in the PRIDE organization in Japan and won the Vale Tudo Japan Open in 1997 and 1998.
Another key match on the London card pits fast-rising Heavyweight Frank Mir (4-0-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., against veteran Ian Freeman (12-5-0) of Sunderland, England.ÿ Mir has had two fights in the UFC and neither lasted longer than a minute.
In his debut at UFC 34: High Voltage, he met savvy Brazilian jiu-jitsu veteran Roberto Traven and won with an arm bar in 1:00.ÿ Then at UFC 36: Worlds Collide, he met another veteran, Pete Williams.ÿ Mir took him out in 46 seconds with an arm bar.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Freeman is a powerful puncher who won his last two UFC fights.ÿ At UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams June 9, 2000, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he defeated Nate Schroeder at 2:13 of the second round by tap out due to knee and elbow strikes.ÿ At UFC 27: Ultimate Bad Boyz, September 22, 2000, in New Orleans, La., he defeated Tedd Williams by unanimous decision.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Tickets for Brawl At Royal Albert Hall, 100 pounds sterling, 75 pounds sterling and 50 pounds sterling, are on sale now at the Royal Albert Hall box office in London, at all Ticket Master outlets in the United Kingdom, by calling Ticket Master at 011-44-020-7316-4709, or on the internet at www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Brawl At Royal Albert Hall also will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America and Brazil on British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu, Viewers Choice Canada and Globosat Programmadora LTDA pay-per-view television.ÿ It will also be televised on WOWOW-TV in Japan.ÿ The fight will be televised at 7 p.m. (BST) on BSkyB in the U.K. and Ireland and on a tape-delayed basis in the other countries.ÿ Viewing times will be announced.ÿ The suggested retail price in North America is $29.95 and in the U.K., 14 pounds sterling.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports company.ÿ It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in London, England; WOWOW, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, and Globosat Programmadora LTDA in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.ÿ The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a sport that brings together the world’s most talented mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes from disciplines such as karate, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling, boxing, sumo and others in a quest to become an ultimate fighting champion.