Click on Read More for the full UFC press release on UFC 47: It’s On.ÿ Liddell vs. Ortiz, Arlovski vs. Sylvia are the two headliner matches.ÿ This one will be at Mandalay Bay in Vegas on April 2nd, and it’s guaranteed to be huge and sold out, so if you need an excuse to go to Vegas, this is it.
its ON! TITO ORTIZ TO FIGHT CHUCK LIDDELL AT UFC 47 LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW FROM LAS VEGAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 2
Tickets Go On Sale Sunday, February 1, at Mandalay Bay Box Office, Ticketmaster For Long Awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship Match
Tim Sylvia Returns To Meet Andre Arlovski For Heavyweight Crown
ÿLAS VEGAS, NEV., January 29, 2004..Tito Ortiz versus Chuck Liddell, the mixed martial arts light heavyweight fight that fans have been waiting for, will be the main event of Ultimate Fighting Championship 47: its On!, LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST, Friday, April 2, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
ÿLive event tickets, $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35, will go on sale at 10 a.m., Super Bowl Sunday, February 1, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office in Las Vegas, at all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com and www.mandalaybay.com.ÿ Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-877-632-7400 or 1-702-474-4000.ÿ Ticket purchases are limited to eight per transaction and are subject to transaction fees.ÿ UFC 47: its On! will be available on pay-per-view on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.ÿÿ The suggested retail price is $29.95.
ÿIn the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (18-0-0) from Davenport, Iowa, will return to the Octagon to meet top contender Andre Arlovski (7-3-0) from Minsk, Belarus, for the heavyweight championship.ÿ The remainder of the eight-fight, all-star card will be announced.
ÿFans, promoters and the media have been anticipating an Ortiz-Liddell fight since June 22, 2002, when Liddell won a unanimous decision over Vitor Belfort in Las Vegas to become the number one light heavyweight contender.ÿ Ortiz was then the champion, but due to injuries and a Hollywood movie commitment, never gave Liddell a title shot.ÿÿ UFC promoter, Zuffa, LLC, matched Liddell with former heavyweight champ Randy Couture for the interim belt.ÿ Couture moved down a weight division to take the fight.
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He shocked the world by defeating Liddell by technical knockout at UFC 43: Meltdown June 6 in Las Vegas, then followed by taking Ortiz belt outright at UFC 44: Undisputed on September 26.ÿÿ In a dramatic turn of events, both Ortiz (11-3-0) of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Liddell (12-3-0) of San Luis Obispo, Calif., are on the outside looking in and there is even more at stake.ÿ The winner gets back in the title hunt, while the loser goes to the end of the light heavyweight line.
“The UFC light heavyweight division is the most exciting in all combat sports, including boxing,” said UFC president Dana White.ÿ “Right now, Randy Couture is the top dog.ÿ But, the level of competition cant be matched.ÿ A new champion could emerge at every event.”
The Sylvia-Arlovski match up also has an interesting scenario.ÿ Both are coming off quick knockouts in their last fights.ÿ Arlovski defeated fellow countryman Vladimir Matyushenko with a wicked uppercut at the 2:14 mark of the first round on the under card of UFC 44: Undisputed.ÿ Sylvia KOd Gan McGee on the same night at 1:54 of the first round to successfully defend his heavyweight title.ÿ But Sylvia relinquished his belt on October 15 when the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended his license four months from the date of the fight when a post-fight urinalysis indicated he had an anabolic agent in his body when he defeated McGee.ÿ Sylvia admitted his mistake at a Commission hearing, has served his suspension and says he is back to reclaim his title.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship brand of mixed martial arts is the worlds premier series of MMA events.ÿ Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC fight programs feature six live pay-per-view events annually through cable and satellite providers.ÿ In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed internationally through WOWOW, Inc., in Japan, Globosat in Brazil, Main Event Television in Australia and Sky Network Television in New Zealand.ÿ Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of UFC video games through Crave Entertainment and TDK Mediactive and its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company.ÿ “Ultimate Fighting Championship,” “Ultimate Fighting,” “UFC,” “Submission,” “As Real As It Gets” and the Octagon cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the U.S., Japan and other jurisdictions.ÿ All other marks that may be referenced herein belong to their respective holders.