FATHOM EVENTS AND UFC® TO BROADCAST UFC 188: VELASQUEZ VS. WERDUM LIVE TO SELECT U.S. MOVIE THEATERS ON JUNE 13
Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez Collides with Interim Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum in the Five-Round Main Event from Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City
DENVER – May 26, 2015 – Fathom Events and UFC® are proud to present the highly-anticipated match-up of Cain Velasquez and Fabrício Werdum in a champion-versus-champion fight, which will shake the UFC’s biggest division to its foundations. Broadcast live to select U.S. movie theaters on Saturday, June 13 at 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. CT / 10 p.m. ET (countdown show starts 30 minutes prior), from the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, UFC 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM will finally determine the true heavyweight champion of the world.
Tickets to watch UFC 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM on the big screen are available at participating theater box offices and at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in 240 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
At UFC 188, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, considered by some to be the greatest heavyweight in the sport’s history, makes his long-awaited return from the injured list. Fighting in the land of his fore-fathers, Velasquez is incredibly motivated to hit the ground running, but waiting for him in the Octagon® is the frighteningly formidable Fabrício Werdum, who has staked his own claim to being the world’s best heavyweight in Velasquez’s absence.
In addition, fourth-ranked Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez (22-4, fighting out San Francisco, CA by way of Santa Ana, CA) goes up against no.10 Eddie Alvarez (25-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, FL.) in a lightweight showdown. Melendez, a former Strikeforce and WEC lightweight champion, will bring his black belt jiu-jitsu skills to the Octagon against the freestyle striker Alvarez.
Other bouts for UFC 188 include:
- Kelvin Gastelum (11-1, fighting out of Yuma, AZ) will face off in a middleweight battle with Nate “The Great” Marquardt (36-14-2, fighting out of Denver, CO).
- The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America winner, Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez (4-1, fighting out of Chicago, IL by way of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) will meet Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa (10-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL) in a featherweight bout.
- The Ultimate Fighter® 20 participant Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres (5-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL) will fight her reality star counterpart Angela “Overkill” Hill (2-0, fighting out of Asheville, NC) in a bout with serious implications for the women’s strawweight division.
- Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo (8-0, fighting out of Phoenix, AZ by way of Los Angeles, CA ) will face off in a flyweight match-up against Chico “The King” Camus (15-5, fighting out of Milwaukee, WI).
- Efrain “Hecho En Mexico” Escudero (24-9, fighting out of Tempe, AZ by way of Sonora, Mexico) is set to meet Drew Dober (15-6, fighting out of Omaha, NE) in a lightweight battle.
- Alejandro “Diablito” Perez (16-5, fighting out of San Jose, CA by way of Estado de Mexico, Mexico) will take on Patrick Williams (7-4, fighting out of Homestead, FL) in a bantamweight bout.
- Francisco “Sitkayan” Trevino (12-0, fighting out of McAllen, TX by way of Mexico City, Mexico) will square off in a lightweight match up against Johnny “Hollywood” Case (20-4, fighting out of Jefferson, IA).
- Augusto “Dodger” Montaño (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) and Cathal Pendred (16-3-1, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) will collide in a welterweight battle.
- Gabriel “Moggly” Benitez (17-5, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) is set to face Clay “Cassius” Collard (14-5, fighting out of Castle Dale, UT) in a featherweight bout.
- Hector Urbina (17-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL) will go toe-to-toe with Albert “Einstein” Tumenov (15-2, fighting out of Fairfield, NJ by way of Nalchik, Russia) in a welterweight fight.
The full fight card is available at www.ufc.com/event/UFC188.
“Anticipation is very high for UFC 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM. Once again, we’re proud to partner with the UFC to bring the very best of mixed martial arts to movie screens and fight fans nationwide,” said Fathom Events Vice President of Programming Kymberli Frueh-Owens.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Fathom Events takes audiences behind-the-scenes and offers unique extras, creating the ultimate entertainment experience. It is owned by a consortium called AC JV, LLC., comprised of AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States. In addition, Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 820 locations in 177 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About UFC®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 134 countries and territories to over 700 million TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.
