Las Vegas – There will be no shortage of animosity when UFC® returns to Southern California on Saturday, June 4, with two world titles on the line at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defends his title for the first time against rival and former champion Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC® 199: ROCKHOLD vs. WEIDMAN 2. The co-main event features the heated finale to the trilogy between bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and longtime nemesis Urijah Faber, as they meet in a 135-pound title showdown.
Rockhold (15-2, fighting out of Santa Cruz, Calif.) is the first and only person to defeat Weidman (13-1, fighting out of Baldwin, N.Y.) in his professional career. Winner of 14 of his last 15 fights, he is on a five-fight winning streak with each victory ending by knockout or submission. The 31-year-old utilizes size, speed and agility to blast opponents on the feet and stifle them on the ground, and he expects a similar winning outcome this June. After losing the belt in December, Weidman returns, hungry to show why he ruled the 185-pound division for over two years. The All-American wrestler shocked the world by winning the UFC middleweight world title with a knockout over the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva in 2013, and intends to show the world that his loss to Rockhold was a fluke. Utilizing deadly clinch work and a high-level ground game, the pride of New York has made quick work of his opponents, with six first-round stoppages in his 13 wins. A rematch of this emerging rivalry has the potential to be an instant classic.
There will be no love lost in a battle of Southern California versus Northern California, as Cruz (21-1, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) puts his bantamweight title on the line in a rubber match with No. 2 Faber (33-8, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.). Cruz uses some of the most dynamic footwork in the sport, making his movement hard to decipher. In the 135-pound division, “The Dominator” is undefeated and looks to end the rivalry in emphatic fashion. Faber is the lone loss on Cruz’s record when they met at featherweight in 2007, and he looks to tack on loss number two by capturing the UFC bantamweight world title. Faber is a complete mixed martial artist, with excellent power and submissions that has resulted in 26 finishes. The final chapter in this trilogy ends with everything on the line at The Forum.
Plus, knockout artists, No. 10 Dustin Poirier (19-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and No. 12 Bobby Green (23-6, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.) clash in a lightweight bout. Undefeated since moving back to lightweight, Poirier has 11 first-round finishes in his career including two of his last three wins. Green uses his powerful striking to end his fights or make opponents vulnerable for submissions. When both lock up inside the Octagon® they will push for a huge win inside the ultra-competitive 155-pound division.
Additional bouts:
· No. 13 lightweight Evan Dunham (16-6, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) makes his 17th Octagon appearance against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Leonardo Santos (15-4-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
· Exciting welterweight prospects Sean Strickland (17-1, fighting out of Corona, Calif.) and Tom Breese (10-0, fighting out of Birmingham, England) tango at 170 pounds.
· Southern California’s own Kevin Casey (9-4, 2 NC, fighting out of Hawthorne, Calif.) takes on the always dangerous Elvis Mutapcic (15-4, fighting out of Des Moines, Iowa) in a middleweight bout.
· Undefeated prospect Johnathan Wilson (7-0, fighting out of San Bernardino, Calif.) welcomes debuting Luiz Henrique da Silva (10-0, fighting out of Benevides, Para, Brazil) to the UFC’s 205-pound division.
· Lightweight striker Polo Reyes (6-3, fighting out of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico) makes his return to the Octagon against judo black belt “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim (13-7-3, fighting out of Busan, South Korea).
Tickets for UFC® 199: ROCKHOLD vs. WEIDMAN 2 go on sale Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $500, $350, $225, $125, $90 and $50 (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. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, April 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, April 7 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.