UFC® debuts in Ottawa when top welterweight contenders Rory Macdonald and Stephen Thompson collide

Ottawa, Canada – A pivotal welterweight contender fight between No.1-ranked Rory MacDonald and No.2-ranked Stephen Thompson will headline the first UFC® event in Ottawa. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON goes down Saturday, June 18 at The Arena at TD Place.

A perennial contender in the 170-pound division, MacDonald (18-3, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada by way of Quesnel, B.C., Canada) has won eight of his last 10 outings. He holds impressive victories over Tarec Saffiedine, Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Jake Ellenberger and B.J. Penn. At UFC 189 in July, MacDonald came up short in 2015’s Fight of the Year against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

Among the most dynamic strikers in mixed martial arts, Thompson (12-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA) is currently riding a six-fight win streak. During this run he has earned stunning knockout wins over Jake Ellenberger, Robert Whittaker and Chris Clements. In his most recent trip to the Octagon®, “Wonderboy” became the first fighter to finish Johny Hendricks by stopping the former welterweight champion with strikes in the first round.

Ottawa fans can expect fireworks when dangerous finisher Donald Cerrone takes on Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer Patrick Côté in a highly anticipated welterweight contest.

A former UFC lightweight title challenger, and currently ranked No.9 at 155 pounds, Cerrone (29-7 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA by way of Denver, Colorado, USA) is among the most exciting and popular fighters on the UFC roster. Holding career wins over Benson Henderson, Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza and Jim Miller, “Cowboy” has 21 stoppage victories to his credit. Known for stepping up on a moment’s notice, Cerrone also boasts 11 UFC Fight Night bonuses. He made a successful welterweight debut in February by submitting Alex Oliveira in the first round.

Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Côté (23-9, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) is 5-1 since dropping to welterweight three years ago. A 13-year mixed martial arts veteran, Côté holds impressive victories over Ben Saunders, Josh Burkman, Joe Riggs and Kyle Noke in the UFC’s ultra competitive 170-pound division. In 2008, Côté challenged Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship following a five-fight win streak.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON will also feature the following bouts:

– Coming off a stunning KO win against James Te Huna, Steve Bosse (11-2, fighting out of St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) meets Sean O’Connell (17-7, fighting out of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)
– The Ultimate Fighter® Nations middleweight winner Elias Theodorou (11-1, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) takes on knockout artist Sam Alvey (25-7 1NC, fighting out of Temecula, California, USA)
– Jason Saggo (11-2, fighting out of Charlottetown, PEI, Canada) wastes no time getting back in the Octagon® when he takes on fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Leandro Silva (19-2-1 1NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
– Aiming to secure his third consecutive UFC victory, Misha Cirkunov (11-2, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) welcomes newcomer Ion Cutelaba (11-1, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova)
– Former Canadian National Judo Team member Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) faces European prospect Thibault Gouti (11-1, fighting out of Avignon, France)
– Tamdan McCrory (14-3, fighting out of Binghamton, New York, USA) aims to add another stunning finish to his resume when he locks horns with Krzysztof Jotko (17-1, fighting out of Orneta, Poland)
– Looking to get back on the winning track, Tristar Gym’s Alex Garcia (13-3, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of Santiago, Dominican Republic) battles former NCAA division I wrestler Colby Covington (8-1, fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA)

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON go on sale Friday, April 15 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available at TD Place, online at http://www.capitaltickets.ca/ and by phone at 1-877-788-FANS (3267). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, April 13 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 14 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 in the United States, and on TSN 5 and RDS 2 in Canada.

Since 2008, the UFC has staged 19 events in the Great White North, across eight different cities – Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. UFC events have set single-day event gate records in four Canadian venues: Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome (UFC 149), Montreal’s Bell Centre (UFC 124), Toronto’s Rogers Centre (UFC 129) and Winnipeg’s MTS Centre (UFC 161). UFC 129 on April 30, 2011 in Toronto also holds the record for largest gate in UFC history.

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.