(LAS VEGAS, NV — Aug. 24, 2011) – For its return to Houston for the first time since 2007, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® is bringing some of the sport’s most recognizable names to Texas this October. UFC® officials announced today over two dozen athletes scheduled to participate in the UFC® Fan Expo at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8.
The following fighters will participate in autograph sessions and a variety of other fan activities: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, former UFC champions Chuck Liddell, Frank Mir, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans and Matt Serra, as well as UFC stars Wanderlei Silva, Shane Carwin, Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Phil Davis, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Clay Guida, Brendan Schaub, Mark Munoz, Donald Cerrone, Jon Fitch, Amir Sadollah, Matt Mitrione, Pat Barry, Jake Shields, Chan Sung Jung, Cole Miller, and Stephan Bonnar.
In addition, STRIKEFORCE® lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, top welterweight contender Tyron Woodley and surging middleweight Tim Kennedy will also take part in the festivities.
“We’re excited to bring some of the biggest stars in the sport to Houston for the UFC Fan Expo,” UFC President Dana White said. “This is our sixth Expo now. For people who have never experienced the Fan Expo before, trust me, this is the ultimate fan experience. You won’t be disappointed.”
For more information on UFC Fan Expo and to purchase tickets, visit www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com. Don’t wait, space is limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Standard VIP packages and general admission tickets are also available online at www.ufcfanexpo.com. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets now and save, as ticket pricing will increase at the door.
All the UFC® Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC® 136: EDGAR vs. MAYNARD 3 event, which takes place at Toyota Center on Saturday, Oct. 8. Headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, UFC 136 also features Jose Aldo defending the featherweight crown against the always-dangerous Kenny Florian. Tickets are still available at ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at select Houston area Randalls locations, and the Toyota Center Box Office. Tickets are subject to applicable service charges and event time and date are subject to change.
Athletes scheduled to attend the UFC Fan Expo are subject to change.
About Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the world. UFC programming is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and on Comcast, Inc.’s VERSUS network. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 132 countries and territories, reaching 597 million homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.
UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over six million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over six million fans on Facebook and over 300,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with over 1.5 million followers on Twitter. On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.
Ancillary businesses include the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gym™, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo™ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a bimonthly magazine.
About Reed Exhibitions
The UFC Fan Expo is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events organizer, with over 470 events in 37 countries. In 2008, Reed brought together over seven million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 38 fully staffed offices.
Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. Its portfolio of over 470 events serves 44 industry sectors, including:
Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering, manufacturing, environment, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewelry, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, medical education, printing & graphics, property & real estate, security & safety, sports & recreation, and travel. Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.