TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY APRIL 11 FOR UFC 173 BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE SHOWDOWN

Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC^® bantamweight champion Renan Barao looks to stake his claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world when he meets the explosive and dangerous TJ Dillashaw Saturday, May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Barao (34-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has amassed an unprecedented 35-fight unbeaten streak, including victories over championship contenders Urijah Faber (twice), Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland. Now, the Brazilian sensation will collide with Dillashaw (10-2, fighting out of Sacramento Calif.), a dynamic finisher who poses a serious threat to the champion’s reign. What’s more, Dillashaw comes into the title fight motivated and inspired to avenge the losses of his teammate and mentor, Faber.

“Renan Barao is on a 35-fight unbeaten streak and he’s the No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport,” UFC President Dana White said.  “He is incredibly talented and has the killer instinct that fight fans love! He is on his way to becoming the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. This is an amazing fight! Dillashaw has never looked better and is an aggressive beast who will try to finish Barao and end his unbeaten streak.”

Also, fresh off a razor thin defeat to current welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, hard hitting fan-favorite (No. 1)Robbie Lawler (22-10, 1 NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) returns to the Octagon^® to meet fellow heavy-handed contender (No. 5) Jake Ellenberger (29-7, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.).

Other bouts for UFC 173 include:

• No. 7 bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki (19-7-2) vs. No. 10 Francisco Rivera (10-2, 1 NC).
• Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner (21-9-1, 2 NC) vs. well-rounded contender James Krause(20-5).
• The Ultimate Fighter 15 winner Michael Chiesa (10-1) vs. Brazilian submission specialist Francisco Trinaldo(16-7).
• The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson (15-3) vs. Tokyo’s Katsunori Kikuno (22-5-2).
• The Ultimate Fighter 18 winner Chris Holdsworth (6-0) vs. Milwaukee’s Chico Camus (14-4).
• New York’s Al Iaquinta (8-2-1) vs. Canadian lightweight Mitch Clarke (10-2).
• Las Vegas resident Anthony Njokuani (17-7) vs. hard-hitting lightweight Vinc Pichel (8-1).
• Heavy-handed striker Sam Sicilia (12-4) vs. South Korean featherweight Doo Ho Choi (11-1).
• English welterweight Danny Mitchell (14-5-1) vs. newcomer Li Jingliang (8-2).

Tickets for UFC^®173: BARAO vs. DILLASHAW, presented by BUD LIGHT^®, go on sale April 11 at 10 a.m. PTand are priced at $750, $500, $325, $200, $125, and $75. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the MGM Grand box office. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 10 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC^®173: BARAO vs. DILLASHAW 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.