UFC 73: STACKED
UFC 73: STACKED
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Distributed by Canadastar Boxing Inc.
To Canadian Commercial Establishments
On Closed Circuit-Pay Per View
THE BOUT
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization has announced a UFC card stacked with at least five fights that include two intense championship bouts and a heated grudge match between two light heavyweight rivals. UFC 73: STACKED features UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson "The Spider" Silva in his first title defense vs. Nate "The Great" Marquardt. UFC Lightweight Champion, Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk puts his newly-won belt on the line vs. Brazil's Hermes Franca. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira steps into the Octagon™ for the first time for a heavyweight war with Heath Herring. Tito Ortiz intends to put a painful end to Rashad Evans' perfect 15-0 record. UFC 73 is loaded with UFC superstars.
"UFC 73 is one of the best cards we've put together this year," said UFC President, Dana White. He went on to say "It's going to deliver the one-two punch fight fans want - it has Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, two all-state college wrestlers, both who dislike each other, settling their differences in the Octagon, as well as title defenses by our two champions, Anderson Silva and Sean Sherk. We're working on more fights right now to pack this card even heavier from top to bottom."
About his upcoming fight versus Rashad Evans, "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz stated, "Everybody should expect fireworks. Rashad is standing in the way of my getting another title shot, and my prediction is that he won't be able to handle by tempo or the 18,000 Tito Ortiz fans that are in Sacramento to see me win. My prediction is that fans will definitely get their money's worth."
Evans countered, "Tito needs to learn the meaning of respect. On July 7, I'm going to teach him what that's all about. Let him come down from the mountain to Greg Jackson's training camp and he'll see what he's up against. I'm focused and on a mission, and my goal is to knock him out."
The featured main event's Anderson Silva (18-4), fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil, defeated Rich Franklin by first round TKO at UFC 64 to become the new UFC Middleweight Champion. He is an extremely well rounded fighter with phenomenal striking skills. He took on Travis Lutter in what was supposed to be his first title defense, but Lutter fell short of making weight by a half-pound. As a result their fight was altered to a three-round non-championship bout, but Silva still finished Lutter by submission at 2:11 of the second round. "The Spider" is looking forward to fighting Marquardt and nabbing his first successful title defense in the UFC.
Wyoming native, Nathan Marquardt has yet to disappoint in mixed martial arts competition, as he has put together an impressive resume that includes 28 wins, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and recognition as a seven-time King of Pancrase. In the UFC, Marquardt's success has continued, with wins over Salaverry, Joe Doerksen, Crafton Wallace and Dean Lister. Marquardt has earned this shot at UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, and plans to take out the Brazilian champion and take home his middleweight crown.
In a second championship bout, UFC Lightweight Champion, Sean Sherk, will take on Hermes Franca in his first title defense since defeating Kenny Florian in October 2006.
Sean Sherk (35-2-1), fighting out of Oak Grove, Minn., holds an incredible record, with only two losses. The first came to Matt Hughes for the UFC World Welterweight title. Sherk went on to win 12 straight fights before losing by TKO in the second round to Georges St-Pierre. Sherk is an excellent wrestler and is one of the pound-for-pound strongest competitors in the sport. He defeated Kenny Florian in a battle for the vacant UFC lightweight title last October at UFC 64 to become champion in the newly restored weight division.
Hermes Franca (18-5_ has won his last eight fights - all by knockout or submission. Included in this amazing streak are UFC wins over Joe Jordan, Jamie Varner, and most recently, a TKO over Spencer Fisher. This 32-year old ground ace from Fortaleza, Brazil wants to win the lightweight crown by finishing the fight Hermes-style.
One of mixed martial arts' premier heavyweights, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil's Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (29-4-1) will make his UFC debut against one of his toughest foes in Heath Herring. A premier ground fighter with a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Nogueira is known for his varied offensive attack and his habit of never being in a boring fight. The former PRIDE heavyweight champion, Nogueira holds wins over a Who's Who of the sport, including Herring, Mirko "Cro-Cop", Dan Henderson, Ricco Rodriguez, Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman, and Fabricio Werdum.
Fight fans will be in for a treat at UFC 73 when Nogueira enters the Octagon to face "The Texas Crazy Horse". Herring the 6'4 250-pounder who hails from the Lone Star State, is a perennial heavyweight contender and a tough out for anyone in the game. He is coming off a unanimous decision over 6' 7" giant, Brad Imes at UFC 69, and is looking to ascend further up the UFC ranks with a payback win over "Minotauro" at UFC 73.
- Content Courtesy Ultimate Fighting Championship - |
