Attached is the official announcement just released about the Phil Baroni – Matt Lindland rematch at the upcoming UFC 41: Onslaught.ÿ A true classic in trash talk warfare (see in the interviews section at UFC.TV) , this rematch already has a lot of heat.ÿ Read More for the full announcement.
LINDLAND, BARONI TO WAGE MIDDLEWEIGHT RE-MATCH WAR AT UFC 41: ONSLAUGHT FEB. 28 LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW IN ATLANTIC CITY
Rodriguez To Defend Heavyweight Belt Vs. Sylvia; Tank Abbott Returns;
BJ Penn, Caol Uno To Meet For Lightweight Crown
LIVE EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ LAS VEGAS, NEV., January 20, 2003…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni will wage a re-match war in one of the featured fights at UFC 41: Onslaught live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, Friday, February 28, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.ÿÿ
The eight-fight card also will feature the first title defense by new UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez against undefeated contender Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia; the return to the Octagon of legendary heavyweight Tank Abbott, who will fight Frank Mir, and the long-awaited meeting of BJ Penn and Caol Uno for the lightweight championship.
Live event tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on sale at the Boardwalk Hall box office in Atlantic City, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com.ÿ Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-800-736-1420.ÿ Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Trump Marina and Trump Taj Mahal are the hosts of the event.
UFC 41: Onslaught will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.ÿ The suggested retail price is $29.95.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Lindland (8-1-0 in mixed martial arts) from Eagle Creek, Ore., and Baroni (6-1-0) from Las Vegas via Long Island, N.Y., first squared off November 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage in Las Vegas.ÿ When the smoke cleared, Lindland had withstood three rounds of power punches but held on for a majority decision victory.ÿ It was Baroni’s first, and only, loss and he has been simmering since.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ “That fight was a case of me being young, unprepared and cocky.ÿ I learned a lesson.ÿ Now it’s time for redemption,” Baroni predicts.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ He makes no bones about wanting the UFC middleweight belt and put the lesson to practice in his next two fights.ÿ On May 10, he met Amar Suloev, a world ranked Russian middleweight, at UFC 36: High Voltage in Bossier City, La.ÿ Suloev lasted only 2:55 with Baroni before the fight was stopped due to punches.ÿ That technical knockout was followed by one of the UFC’s quickest and most exciting knockouts of the year when Baroni met former middleweight champion Dave Menne September 27 at UFC 39: Warriors Return at the Mohegan Sun.ÿ Menne was gone in 18 seconds.ÿ
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ “I want my belt,” he told the sold out crowd and issued a direct challenge to Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ But, he will have to go through Lindland to get it, and Lindland can’t wait to get back in the Octagon with Bustamante.ÿ The only loss on the former U.S. Olympic wrestling silver medalist’s record came at the hands of Bustamante in their May 10 title fight in Bossier City.ÿ But Lindland got right back in the championship hunt with a dominating, three-round unanimous decision over talented Ivan Salaverry September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ “I’ve accomplished things in competitive athletics that Baroni will never approach,” Lindland explains.ÿ And, in the war of words, he gets the last one, “I’ll beat him again,” he said.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Rodriguez (10-1-0), a Staten Island, N.Y. native, who also fights out of Las Vegas, has won 10 straight fights and captured the heavyweight crown from two-time former champ Randy Couture September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.ÿ Sylvia (16-0-0), a native of Ellsworth, Maine, who fights out of Davenport, Iowa, is a strong striker and grappler who won a second-round TKO September 27 over “Cabbage” Correira at the Mohegan Sun.ÿ At 6’8”, 260 pounds, he is one of the biggest heavyweights in the UFC and trains with one of the top teams in mixed martial arts, Miletich Fighting Systems.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Tank (8-7-0) from Huntington Beach, Calif., is returning to re-claim a top spot in the heavyweight division.ÿ He is renowned for his knockout power and during his UFC career has recorded some of its most memorable KOs.ÿ In Mir (4-1-0) of Las Vegas, he will be facing one of the UFC’s most promising young heavyweights.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Penn (6-1-0) from Hilo, Hawaii, and Uno (13-4-2) of Kanagawa, Japan, earned the right to meet for the lightweight title with unanimous decision victories over Matt Serra and Din Thomas respectively September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association.ÿ Owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers.ÿ In addition to its U.S. distribution on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network and TVN, UFC events are distributed internationally through British Sky Broadcasting, WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil, Modern Sports and Entertainment in Scandinavia and Main Event Television in Australia.ÿ UFC licenses video games for all major playing platforms through Crave Entertainment.
The UFC’s current pay-per-view event is Ultimate Knockouts 2, which premiered Friday, January 17, and is available until February 6 on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, TVN and Bell ExpressVu.ÿ It re-captures the UFC’s most memorable knockouts.ÿ Viewers should consult local listings.ÿ The suggested retail price is $9.95.ÿ The UFC’s next live PPV event is UFC 41: Onslaught at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m PST Friday, February 28, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.ÿ Locate Ultimate Fighting Championship on the internet at www.ufc.tv.ÿÿ
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