The UFC returns to Connecticut for the first time in nearly a decade on Friday, September 5 at Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Conn. with a five-round main event pitting two of the best middleweights against one another as fourth-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on seventh-ranked Gegard Mousasi in a bout that could determine the division’s next title contender. The UFC’s last visit to the state saw Andrei Arlovski knock out Paul Buentello in just fifteen seconds of the very first round to defend the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 55 on October 7, 2005.
Tickets on sale for UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs Mousasi this week
Currently riding a six-fight win streak, and undefeated inside the Octagon, (No. 4) “Jacare” (20-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) will look to continue his climb toward a UFC title shot with a victory in September. A former STRIKEFORCE middleweight champ with victories over Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy and Francis Carmont, “Jacare” is also looking to avenge a previous loss to Mousasi and solidify his spot as a title contender. A long-time dominant light heavyweight and former STRIKEFORCE champ, Mousasi (35-4-2, fighting out of Leiden, Holland, The Netherlands) has won five of his last six bouts and boasts career wins over Mark Munoz, Mark Hunt, Ovince Saint Preux, as well as a KO victory in the 2008 meeting against Souza. The winner of the bout could potentially set themselves up as the frontrunner in the wide open 185-pound division against current champ Chris Weidman.
In addition, a heavyweight slugfest will feature (No. 7) Alistair Overeem (37-13, 1NC, fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) colliding with Ben Rothwell (33-9, fighting out of Kenosha, Wis.). With an astonishing 64 finishes between the two giants, fans won’t want to blink, as this bout has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
Also in the heavyweight division, former pro football defensive tackle Matt Mitrione (7-3, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.), who is coming off a “Performance of the Night” knockout victory over Shawn Jordan, will look to continue his winning ways when he meets surging contender Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (11-2, 1NC fighting out of Houston, Texas.) who is also fresh off of a first-round knockout victory.
Other bouts for UFC Fight Night include:
- Local fan-favorite Joe Lauzon (23-10, fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass.) against The Ultimate Fighter: Live winner, Michael Chiesa (11-1, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) in the lightweight division.
- Providence, R.I’s own Sean Soriano (8-1, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) vs. featherweight knockout artist Andre Fili (13-2, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.).
- No. 9-ranked featherweight contender Nik Lentz (27-6-2, 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) vs. submission specialist and No. 14-ranked Charles Oliveira (18-4, 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) in a highly-anticipated rematch.
- Devastating finisher and New England-based Rob Font (11-1, fighting out of North Reading, Mass.) vs. undefeated bantamweightChris Beal (9-0, fighting out of Ventura, Calif.).
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Natal (17-6-1, fighting out of New York, N.Y.) vs. well-rounded middleweight Chris Camozzi(19-8, fighting out of Lakewood, Colo.).
- New York-based lightweight Al Iaquinta (8-3-1, fighting out of Garden City, N.Y.) vs. seven-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu championRodrigo Damm (12-7, fighting out of Vila Velha, Espirito Santo Brazil).
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: JACARE vs. MOUSASI go on sale Friday, July 25 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $350, $250 and $100. Tickets may be purchased online at www.foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ Box Office at 800-200-2882, Ticketmaster at800-745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are available for purchase at. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, July 23 at 10 a.m. ET via the websitewww.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, July 24 starting at 10 am. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: JACARE vs. MOUSASI will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday, September 5, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
