Ufc 40 Preview
![]() ![]() UFC 40 Preview It’s a dream bout. Bitter rivals with a storied history; champion of the present versus champion of the past; youthful audacity meets venerable valor. And, oh yeah, they hate each other. UFC 40: Vendetta will host the biggest fight in modern mixed martial arts to take place on American soil: Tito Ortiz versus Ken Shamrock. "Everyone wants to see this fight," says Joe Silva, UFC Vice President of Talent Relations. "I think it is a huge match-up. It has even captured the interest of most of the other fighters." Silva also believes the epic encounter holds its own against the monumental match-ups of UFC past, including Gracie-Shamrock II and Ortiz-Frank Shamrock. "It has had more build up than those other fights because people have known for a long time that they don’t like each other."
The fighters will have 25 minutes to settle their rancorous dispute in front of a packed MGM Grand in Las Vegas. By the end of the night, debates currently raging among fans, fighters and media alike should conclude. Until then, the questions will remain unanswered: Can Ortiz take Shamrock down? Who will have the advantage on the feet? Will Ortiz’s rehabilitated knee function at 100-percent? Will Shamrock’s age fail him late? And finally, which of these two mixed martial arts luminaries will have his hand raised while the other suffers defeat? As important as the bout will be for Ortiz and Shamrock, it may be even more crucial to the UFC. With two of the biggest stars in the sport headlining the card, UFC 40 is destined to attract a pay-per-view audience far exceeding previous numbers under Zuffa’s reign. Potential lifelong fans will evaluate the action, and, if the show delivers, a burgeoning future could be secured. While those viewers may tune in to see the Ortiz-Shamrock clash, they’ll also be treated to an undercard ripe with talent. The attention the main event will garner offers a golden opportunity to expose future stars. "You definitely want to show off some of your top talent on what will potentially be your biggest show to date," says Silva, "but you also have to have talent ready for the next show." Click here to continue the preview |
From Josh Hedges/Zuffa: ![]() TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY, NOV. 23, FOR UFC 41: ONSLAUGHT; 8-FIGHT CARD WILL BE FEB. 28, 2003, IN ATLANTIC CITY Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champ Ricco Rodriguez To Defend His Title For First Time On Live Pay-Per-View BJ Penn To Fight Caol Uno For Lightweight Championship LAS VEGAS, November 22, 2002…Officials of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced that tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, for UFC 41: Onslaught will go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 23, at the box office at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-800-736-1420. Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino is the host of the event. An eight-fight card at Boardwalk Hall will feature the first title defense by new UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez of Las Vegas, Nev., in the main event against an opponent to be named. Rodriguez won the heavyweight title September 28 with a fifth round technical knockout of former champion Randy Couture. Lightweight top contenders BJ Penn of Hilo, Hawaii, and Caol Uno of Kangawa, Japan, will meet for the lightweight championship in the co-main event. Penn defeated Matt Serra of Long Island, NY, and Uno defeated Din Thomas September 28 for the right to meet for the championship. The remainder of the card will be announced. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association. Owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. UFC events are distributed internationally through British Sky Broadcasting, WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Modern Sports and Entertainment in Scandinavia. UFC licenses video games for all major playing platforms through Crave Entertainment. |
![]() Heating Up for PRIDE.23: Vanderlei Silva Sharpens His Axe to Bring Back the Belt! Undefeated in PRIDE and doing his fourth fight this year, Brazilian fighter Vanderlei Silva has been known to bring fear to his opponents ever since he began his fighting career. With a vicious and fearless style, Silva probably has one of the highest percentages of knockout victories in high-level competition and has been continuing to boost this percentage over Japanese opponents ever since he defeated Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time at PRIDE 13. ![]() This time he wants things to be no different, as experienced veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara will stand in his way at the Tokyo Dome ring trying to take away his belt. Of course, "The Axe Murderer" has no plans to leave his belt in the land of the rising sun, and intends to deliver yet another knockout and bring the belt back to Brazil. As PRIDE 23 is getting closer and Vanderlei brings his axe as sharp as ever, Full Contact Fighter opens the microphone to the champion and let he heat increases even more! FCF: Your last fight was at Shockwave, facing the Japanese fighter Iwasaki. What did you think of the event as a whole, and what did you think of your fight in particular? FCF: Once again you’ll be facing a Japanese fighter, and this has been generating some criticism from the public. How do you see this? Would you like to face American fighters like Quinton Jackson or Brazilians like Ricardo Arona? FCF: This time your title defense will be against Hiromitsu Kanehara, who is a very experienced fighter. What do you know about him as a fighter? FCF: This is your second title defense in PRIDE as their Middleweight champion, but you fought in a number of non-title matches since you became the champion. Do you have a different feeling when your belt is on the line? FCF: Will the belt come back with you on your luggage? Click here to continue the interview |