TOP CONTENDERS FRANKIE EDGAR AND URIJAH FABER HEADLINE HISTORIC DEBUT UFC® EVENT IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Singapore – The UFC^® announced that its upcoming live event debut in Manila on Saturday, May 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena will be headlined by two former champions, as the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender Frankie Edgar comes head to head with Urijah Faber, who makes a long awaited return to 145 lbs. in a five-round battle sure to thrill the Filipino fans.

Riding a three-fight win streak, former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (17-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, New Jersey, USA) has proved his undeniable skills against Cub Swanson, BJ Penn, and Charles Oliveira.  With his sights now set on another title shot opportunity, Edgar will be looking for a memorable finish at this highly anticipated event.  Making a return to the weight class of his greatest triumphs in the WEC, Faber (37-7-0, fighting out of Sacramento, California, USA) has won six of his last seven fights and has never lost a non-title fight. His experience in the cage has seen him go the five round championship distance five times against Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Mike Brown and twice against Renan Barao.

The co-main event brings a middleweight bust-up between No. 8 ranked Gregard Mousasi (35-5-2, fighting out of Leiden, The Netherlands) and New York banger Costa Philippou (13-4-0, fighting out of Long Island, New York, USA).  Mousasi holds 20 wins by KO and has defeated many seasoned fighters including Hector Lombard, Ovince St. Preux, Mark Munoz, ‘Babalu’ Sobral, and Ilir latifi.  Mousasi will be looking to build on his last win over legend Dan Henderson as he meets former pro boxer Philippou, who has been victorious in six of his last eight bouts.  Plus up and coming Brit Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt (8-2-0, fighting out of Cambridge, England) takes on “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (13-5, fighting out of Lake Forest, California, USA). Munoz comes to Manila to live out the dream of being able to fight in front of his fellow Filipinos for the first time in his long and distinguished career.

In addition, the Manila card will also feature a diverse mix of UFC fighters from the Philippines and China bringing fans a truly international event.

Other confirmed bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT^® MANILA: EDGAR vs. FABER include:

• In a welterweight bout South Korea’s “The Ace” Hyun Gyu Lim (13-4-1, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) takes on hot prospect Neil Magny (14-4-0, fighting out of Denver, Colorado, USA) who is on a fierce five fight winning streak.
• The Philippines own Roldan Sangcha-an (4-1, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) will have the Mall of Asia Arena behind him when he takes on skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Jon Delos Reyes (7-4, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) in a flyweight tilt.
• The Ultimate Fighter China winner Zhang ‘The Warrior’ Lipeng (9-8-1, fighting out Beijing, China) takes on ‘Rajan’ Kajan Johnson (19-12-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a lightweight clash
• Korea’s ‘Supernatural’ Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, fighting out of Seoul, Korea) takes on rising prospect Jon ‘The Super Saiyan’ Tuck (8-2, fighting out of Hagatna, Guam) in a lightweight fight that highlights two emerging MMA markets in Asia.
• In another welterweight bout, Li ‘The Leech’ Jingliang (9-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) takes on The Ultimate Fighter: Edgar vs. Penn veteran Roger ‘Viva’ Zapata (4-1, fighting out of New York, New York).
• Another Ultimate Fighter China steps back in the Octagon when Yao Zhikui (1-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets dynamic Nolan Ticman (4-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) in the debut of both fighters at 125 pounds.
• Former The Ultimate Fighter finalist Phillipe Nover (6-3-1, fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, USA) returns to the UFC against “The Korean Bulldozer” Nam Yui Chul in a featherweight bout.
• Another Philippines national Mark Eddiva (6-1-0, fighting out of Baguio City, Philippines) squares off against Alex “The Spartan” White (10-2-0, fighting out of Farmington, Missouri, USA) in a featherweight match-up.
• Undefeated Singaporean Royston Wee (4-0-0, fighting out of Singapore) meets The Ultimate Fighter China winner Ning Guangyou (5-2-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) in a bantamweight bout

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT® MANILA: EDGAR VS. FABER go on sale Friday, Mar 13 at 10 a.m. Manila time and are priced at PHp13,250 (VIP), PHp10,600 (Patron), PHp7,950 (Lower Box A), PHp5,830 (Lower Box B), PHp3,710 (Upper Box), and  PHp1,590 (General Admission) plus applicable service charges. Tickets are available in Mall of Asia Arena Box Office, SM Tickets outlets in all SM Cinema branches nationwide, select The SM Store branches, and online thru www.smtickets.com. For more information, call the Customer Care hotline at +63 (02) 470 2222.

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