July 15, 2014
UFC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION AND SACRAMENTO’S OWN TJ DILLASHAW BATTLES RENAN BARAO IN TITLE REMATCH ON AUG. 30; Plus: TONY FERGUSON vs. DANNY CASTILLO, LORENZ LARKIN vs. DEREK BRUNSON, BETHE CORREIA vs. SHAYNA BASZLER, TICKETS FOR UFC® 177: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II AT SLEEP TRAIN ARENA ON SALE FRIDAY, JULY 18
Las Vegas – In what will be remembered as one of the sport’s greatest upsets, UFC 173 saw 10-1 underdog TJ Dillashaw end the unprecedented nine-year, 35-fight unbeaten streak of Renan Barao to capture the UFC® bantamweight championship. Now, the two meet again in a highly anticipated rematch when the Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to Sleep Train Arena in Dillashaw’s hometown of Sacramento on Saturday, Aug. 30.
“TJ Dillashaw shocked the world and ended Renan Barao’s nine-year unbeaten streak by knocking out one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport,” UFC president Dana White said. “He showed everyone why you can never trust the odds! Now, on Aug. 30 in TJ’s hometown of Sacramento, Barao will have his chance to get the belt back! I love this rematch!”
Prior to winning the title, Dillashaw (11-2, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) emerged as a standout from the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter®, and quickly established himself as a top contender with victories over the likes of Hugo Viana, Mike Easton and Issei Tamura. In his career-defining performance, Dillashaw silenced the oddsmakers by dethroning the then third-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Barao, at UFC 173, to claim the bantamweight title. Now, the newly cemented champion will make his first title defense in Sacramento with plans of starting his own reign as the 135-pound king.
During his tenure as champion, Barao (34-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) reigned supreme over the bantamweight division, dominating some of the world’s best, such as perennial contender and former WEC champion Urijah Faber (twice), Michael McDonald, and inaugural WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland. With a nine-year unbeaten streak and a resume unmatched by any in the sport, the Nova Uniao star remains at the top of the world rankings. In an attempt to prove their first meeting was a fluke, “The Baron” returns Aug. 30 to settle the score and reclaim the belt for Brazil.
Other bouts for UFC 177 include:
The Ultimate Fighter® season 13 winner Tony Ferguson (16-3, fighting out of Ventura, Calif.) takes on Sacramento’s own Danny Castillo (17-6) in a lightweight bout.
Middleweight striker Lorenz Larkin (14-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Riverside, Calif.) meets three-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler Derek Brunson (11-3, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.). 10th-ranked women’s bantamweight contender Bethe Correia (8-0, fighting out of Natal, Rio Grande Do Norte, Brazil) puts her unbeaten streak on the line as she draws women’s MMA veteran Shayna Baszler (15-8, fighting out of Venice, Calif.), who is making her promotional debut.
Heavyweights Ruan Potts (8-2, fighting out of Boksburg South Africa) and Anthony Hamilton (12-3, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) square off.
Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros (9-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Honolulu, Hawaii) takes on Ohio native Justin Edwards (9-4, fighting out of Bellefontaine, Ohio) in a lightweight bout.
Tickets for UFC® 177: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II, presented by
HARLEY-DAVIDSON®, go on sale Friday, July 18 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $275, $175, $100, $75, and $50. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at Sleep Train Arena box office or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
Get your VIP package today! The UFC VIP Experience packages together your tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greet and autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, and photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon® and more!
UFC Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, July 16 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, July 17 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC® 177: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High -Definition.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (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, Beijing, 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 129 countries to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 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®, Octagon™ 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.
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