Wednesday, November 6, 2013

UFC Fight Night Singapore: Ellenberger versus Saffiedine


The Ultimate Fighting Championship debuts in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 with UFC FIGHT NIGHT SINGAPORE: ELLENBERGER vs. SAFFIEDINE. Tickets will go on sale today on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m.

The main card will feature a five-round welterweight bout between two world-class fighters–Jake "The
Juggernaut" Ellenberger and former Strikeforce champion Tarec "Sponge" Saffiedine. Ellenberger is #4 in
the division, while Belgium-born Saffiedine, is set for his UFC debut in Singapore after posting four straight
wins in Strikeforce  to become welterweight champion before the promotion was closed.

The first ever UFC event in Southeast Asia will also showcase the UFC debut performance of long-time
Japanese star fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri, riding a five-fight victorious streak, going up against Brazil’s Hacran
Dias at featherweight along with a pair of clashes between up-and-coming Japanese and South Koreans: Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Hyun Gyu Lim in a welterweight bout, and Shunichi Shimizu vs. Kyung Ho Kang at bantamweight. Rounding up the card is another UFC debutante Katsunori Kikuno of Japan - also on a five - fight winning streak - taking on Quinn Mulhern at lightweight, and other talented MMA fighters from across the continent. More bouts are to be revealed in the coming weeks.

“UFC is excited to have finally landed in Singapore, a growing regional hub for both marquee sporting events and for mixed martial arts,” said Mark Fischer, Managing Director of UFC Asia. “The Singapore government’s vision in this area and support from the likes of the Singapore Sports Council, Singapore Tourism Board and Economic Development Board; as well as partners like Marina Bay Sands encouraged UFC to be the first global sports body to set up its Asian headquarters in Singapore. We know UFC fans across the region have been hoping to see world-class fighters in action and what better way to kick off our series of events in Asia in 2014 than through an event right here at the beautiful Marina Bay Sands integrated
resort.”

Equally excited about UFC making its debut in Singapore were Marina Bay Sands’ President and Chief Executive, George Tanasijevich and Singapore Sports Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Lim Teck Yin.

“UFC has been at the forefront of mixed martial arts and Marina Bay Sands is pleased to host the first of its fights in Southeast Asia,” added Mr Tanasijevich. “This is a momentous event for Singapore as such international sporting events make their way to this part of the world. This event is part of our ongoing commitment to making Marina Bay Sands the best business, leisure and entertainment destination in Asia.”

Mr Lim said, “We are thrilled that the UFC has chosen Singapore for its first foray into Southeast Asia. This 
is an excellent opportunity for our sports industry to showcase its capabilities in hosting world class events, and in turn reinforces Singapore’s growing status as a global sports and entertainment destination. With mixed martial arts picking up in Singapore, we hope that more people will embrace the disciplined and healthy lifestyle that the sport demands.”

UFC Fight Night Singapore: Ellenberger versus Saffiedine
UFC Fight Night Singapore: Ellenberger versus Saffiedine
The Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands has been the venue of choice for several sporting events such as the Z1 Pro-Fencing World Series, which took place in 2010 and 2011, the Indoor 
Archery World Cup 2011 and the Lotus on Water Cup International Wushu Meet in 2010, showcasing the 
flexibility of the space.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT SINGAPORE: ELLENBERGER vs. SAFFIEDINE will go on sale to 
the public on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. and tickets are priced at SGD 688, SGD 488, SGD 288, SGD 188 and SGD 88 (booking fees not included). Tickets can be booked online at Marina Bay Sands Ticketing , at any Marina Bay Sands box office or any SISTIC outlet. Exciting ticket packages with hotel room and restaurant options are also available via Marina Bay Sands Packages

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas 
and stadiums across the globe, the UFC®  is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. 
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas and has offices in Beijing, 
Singapore, Sao Paolo, London, and Toronto. UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and 400 hours of programming annually with a library of over 50,000 hours of content. The largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world, UFC is also broadcast on free-to-air, cable and satellite networks in over 145 
countries, to nearly 882 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. Leaders in digital 
distribution, UFC connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, YouTube, XBOX, 
Sony Playstation, iTunes, Hulu, and Amazon.com as well as social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook where UFC has reached over 10 million followers. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM® , UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo®  festivals, branded apparel and trading cards. 

UFC in Asia
The UFC opened its first office in Asia in Beijing in the fall of 2010, and established its Asia-Pacific hub in 
Singapore in August 2013. The company has held three major events in Asia to date, all to sellout crowds, 
two at Saitama Super Arena in February 2012 and March 2013, and UFC Macao in November 2012. The 
UFC is planning additional live events in 2014 in a half-dozen locations around the Far East; while expanding its TV programming exposure on major networks across the region including Fox International Channels in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and most recently Japan. UFC also offers fans around the region localized versions of UFC.com in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. 






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