UFC 196: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ TICKETS ON-SALE FRIDAY

Las Vegas – On one of the biggest weekends in sports, UFC® heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum makes his first title defense in a rematch against former champion and No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez. Plus, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks meets surging contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the co-main event. UFC® 196: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ 2 takes place Saturday, Feb. 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The former interim title holder, Werdum (20-5-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.), who became the undisputed champion after defeating Velasquez at UFC 188, will put his belt on the line when the two meet again in the fight capital of the world. A three-time Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion, Werdum possess one of the most threatening ground attacks in the sport, and he owns submission victories over two of the most revered athletes in the heavyweight division has seen in Fedor Emelianenko and Velasquez.

Considered one of the most dangerous men in UFC history, Velasquez (13-2, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) maintains a furious and relentless pace that is unmatched in the division. With the ability to effortlessly go the distance or end the contest in in the firstround, the former champion looks to settle the score with Werdum and bring another world title back to American Kickboxing Academy’s stable of champions.

In addition, Hendricks (17-3, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) returns to the Octagon® with hopes of earning another shot at the 170-pound world title he feels is rightfully his. A four-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American wrestler, “Bigg Rigg” will need to rely on his wrestling to control the fight if he hopes to avoid the flashy striking of No. 8 Thompson (11-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.). “Wonderboy” is a five-time kickboxing world champion who has utilized his electrifying stand-up game to quickly climb the welterweight ladder.

Additional bouts:
· No. 6 light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux (18-7, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) looks to climb back into the title picture with a win over knockout artist Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (12-6, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
· A heavyweight battle between heavy-handed Derrick Lewis (13-4, 1 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) and UFC newcomer Damian Grabowski (20-2, fighting out of Opole, Poland).
· Josh Burkman (28-12, 1 NC, fighting out of Draper, Utah) moves to the lightweight division to face striking specialist KJ Noons (12-7, 1 NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.).
· Las Vegas’ own Mike Pyle (26-11-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) gets a home game when he meets Dallas’ Sean Spencer (12-4, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) in welterweight action.

Tickets for UFC 196®: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ 2 go on sale Friday, Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $804, $604, $404, $304, $204 and $104 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at the MGM Grand box office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Jan. 7 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC 196®: WERDUM vs. VELASQUEZ 2 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High -Definition.