The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to the Cotai Arena in Macao on August 23 with a middleweight showdown pitting two of the division’s elite against one another as No. 8-ranked Michael “The Count” Bisping takes on former Strikeforce champion, Cung Le. With contrasting styles and 26 finishes between them, this bout has the potential to be a classic.
Tickets to UFC Fight Night Macao: Bisping vs. Le on sale Tuesday June 24
Mark Fischer, executive vice president & managing director, UFC Asia, said: “Asia has always been a focal point in the UFC’s continued global expansion. Over the past few years, the UFC has grown tremendously in Asia, with Asia now representing nearly half of the UFC’s global TV footprint, reaching 448 million households and more than 1.5 billion individuals. Through our strategic partnership with Sands China, we have been able to produce The Ultimate Fighter locally, which had over 115 million viewers in its debut season and has been responsible for cultivating local talent and future UFC stars.”
Fischer added: “We are thrilled to be back at the Venetian Macao with a great fight card featuring world famous MMA fighters from South Korea, USA and the UK, as well as The Ultimate Fighter China featherweight finalists, who will battle to become the next Chinese UFC star.”
Edward Tracy, president and chief executive officer of Sands China Ltd said: “Sands China Ltd is very pleased to continue our successful collaboration in our partnership with our third exciting UFC event.”
Speaking at a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Tracy added: “We’ll continue to bring the world’s best entertainment – including the world’s top athletes – to Macao for the enjoyment of both visitors and locals. We’ve brought a range of martial arts events to Macao, including boxing, Muay Thai, and of course MMA with UFC. Action-packed events like UFC Fight Night Macao are an important part of our multi-tiered entertainment strategy, which seeks to raise Macao’s global profile as a world centre of tourism and leisure and as a regional hub for entertainment.”
Vietnamese born Le (9-2 in his professional mixed martial arts career, fighting out of San Jose, California), makes his return to the Octagon® after a two-year hiatus that saw him serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter China, the organization’s long running reality series, as well as further his action movie career. In his return to the Cotai arena, the scene of his highlight reel knockout of Rich Franklin, Le will look to build on his reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in combat sports history when he meets Manchester, England’s Bisping (24-6, fighting out of Orange County, California) in the Octagon.
The Briton is consistently on the verge of title contention and a win over Le would mark his first victory over a former champion, ensuring his name stays in contention with the division’s best.
In the co-main event, the hard-hitting No. 4-ranked welterweight, Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (13-3-0) – who boasts wins over top names such as former UFC champion Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine -faces off with the surging No.9 ranked Dong Hyun Kim (19-2-1, 1 no contest, fighting out of Busan, South Korea).
The 170lbs clash has major UFC world title implications. “Stun Gun” has a ton of momentum after crushing victories over John Hathaway and a knockout of the night performance against Erick Silva, while Woodley is potentially one huge win away from a shot at UFC gold. Both fighters will be looking to cement their place amongst the division’s elite in this three-round bout.
Also on the stacked card, Yang Jianping (7-3-1) and Ning Guangyou (4-2-1) will also take to the Octagon® to decide who will be become the featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter® China and win the coveted UFC contract.
Tickets for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT MACAO: BISPING vs. LE go on sale June 24 at 10 a.m. HKT and are priced at HK$4,680, HK$2,580, HK$1,680, HK$880, HK$580, HK$380 and HK$280, with a 20% off Early Bird promotion through July 8th. HK$88 adds a round trip Cotai Water Jet ferry ticket between Hong Kong and Macao (HK$280 tickets excluded).
