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Saturday, May 06, 2000

Ufc Xxvi: Ultimate Field Of Dreams Puts Heavyweight And Lightweight Championships On The Line

From SEG:



UFC XXVI: ULTIMATE FIELD OF DREAMS PUTS HEAVYWEIGHT AND LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE LINE



Randleman and Rizzo Return to the Octagon in Battle for the Heavyweight Title Belt
Pat Miletich to Defend his UFC Lightweight Belt for the Third Time

-Bout Slated for June 9, 2000 in Cedar Rapids, IA-


        NEW YORK CITY – In a much anticipated match, current Heavyweight champion Kevin "The Monster" Randleman and Brazilian sensation Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo will finally get their chance to step into the OctagonTM and clash for the ultimate prize in the UFC — the Heavyweight Belt. This explosive showdown on June 9, 2000, at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was originally scheduled for March 10 at UFC XXIV, but was canceled due to an unfortunate backstage injury suffered by Randleman. Both fighters, now in superb shape, are hungrier than ever and ready to get it on in the OctagonTM.

At 5’10" 220 lbs., Kevin "The Monster" Randleman is true to his name. Kevin wrestled for Ohio State and has won the Big Ten Championship three times, and won the U.S. National Wrestling Championship twice. After taking on such mixed martial arts legends as Bas Rutten and Maurice Smith, Randleman defeated Pete Williams at UFC XXIII in Japan for the prestigious Heavyweight title. Randleman’s overall MMA record is currently 8-3, and he’s gunning for his ninth win at UFC XXVI.

Pedro "the Rock" Rizzo is a top contender in the heavyweight division. He sports an undefeated record in the UFC and Vale Tudo, and is 31-0 in kickboxing, with an amazing 30 knockouts. Ranked #1 by both the WMT and MTS kickboxing federations, Rizzo goes into the OctagonTM highly decorated, and is looking to come out the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.


Defending his Lightweight Title belt for the third time Pat Miletich "The Croation Sensation" will be back in his home state. Undefeated in the UFC, Miletich is arguably one of the greatest Champions to ever enter the OctagonTM. At 31, this 5’10" and 169 lb. Jiu-Jitsu/freestyle fighter has a great deal of MMA experience, and he’s looking to school another hungry challenger one more time in defense of his title.

UFC XXVI will be hosted by noted sports commentator Mike Goldberg and Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler and Commissioner of the Mixed Martial Arts Council (MMAC), Jeff Blatnick. The announcer for the event will be Bruce Buffer (brother of boxing announcer Michael Buffer – "Let’s get ready to Rrrrrrrrrrummmmble!") As always, the referee for the match will be Big John McCarthy.

UFC XXVI will be broadcast live throughout the United States on pay-per-view television for $24.95, as well as DirecTV, Echostar, Primestar and TVN, and in Canada on Viewer’s Choice Canada. The event will also be broadcast over the Internet’s World Wide Web via PayForView.com, an internet-based entertainment company, for $14.95. For information concerning the UFC XXVI Internet broadcast, computer users can go to the official PAYFORVIEW website at www.payforview.com. PayForView.com will produce and post text-based parallel content on the website during the live telecast to enhance the entertainment experience.

In addition, SEG Sports Corp. and Crave Entertainment, a leading publisher of innovative videogame entertainment, have partnered to create the greatly anticipated, Ultimate Fighting Championship videogame. The game, which Incite magazine is calling"…the biggest, baddest brawler the console world has ever seen", will incorporate character models based on 22 real-life UFC fighters and 34 different fighting styles. The UFC videogame is set for world wide release for Playstation and Dreamcast in Fall 2000.

Launched in 1993, The Ultimate Fighting Championship created the fastest growing category in pay-per-view: mixed martial arts. The concept of a mixed-discipline martial arts fighting competition is based on established events that have been taking place safely in Europe, Japan and South America for many years. In addition to reaching millions of homes in the U.S., the competitions are also broadcast internationally to Great Britain, Spain, China, Mexico and to countries throughout South America. Tagged the "Olympics of martial arts fighting" the UFC showcases world class athletes with a variety of backgrounds, including Olympic Gold medal winners, former NCAA titleholders, international kickboxing and judo champions, and world-renowned black belt martial artists. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is produced by SEG Sports Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Semaphore Entertainment Group.
 

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 12:00 am
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