UFC 99: THE COMEBACK

UFC 99: THE COMEBACK
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Distributed by Canadastar Boxing Inc.
To Canadian Commercial Establishments
On Closed Circuit-Pay Per View

THE UFC HITS GERMANY IN JUNE
WITH RICH FRANKLIN & WANDERLEI SILVA

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization announced that, this summer, it will bring the world's fastest growing sport to Germany for the first time.

At a packed press conference in Cologne, UFC® President Dana White, UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta and MLK CEO Marek Lieberberg confirmed UFC 99: THE COMEBACK will take place at the LANXESS Arena, Cologne, on Saturday, June 13.

The main event will be a unique catchweight showdown between elite former world champions Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. The former UFC middleweight champion and Pride 205lbs champion collide at 195lbs, a catchweight between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

UFC President Dana White said: "June 13, 2009, is a huge day in the history of the UFC. It has been a long time coming, but the best fighters on the planet are finally heading to Germany for our first event ever in mainland Europe.

“We are coming with a stacked card and a unique main event. Rich Franklin v Wanderlei Silva is another of those dream fights fans never thought they’d get to see - but we are making it happen in Germany.

White continued, “Everyone knows Rich moved up to light heavyweight a couple of fights ago while Wanderlei is planning on fighting at 185lbs from now on, but this fight is too exciting a match not to happen and both these guys deserve a ton of credit for taking this fight at 195lbs.”

Cincinnati, Ohio native Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin, 26-4 in mixed martial arts, is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and one of the biggest names in the sport. His intelligent, yet aggressive style has resulted in victories over the likes of Evan Tanner, Jorge Rivera, Ken Shamrock, Nate Quarry, Yushin Okami, Travis Lutter and Matt Hamill.

Born in Brazil, but now based in Las Vegas, the 32-9-1 Wanderlei Silva is one of the true icons of mixed martial arts. Famed throughout the world for his all out attacking style, ‘the Axe Murderer’ has defeated a who’s who of MMA during his 13 year career, including Ricardo Arona, Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan Henderson, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Keith Jardine.

Commenting on the UFC’s first ever event in mainland Europe, UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta said: "Our vision for the UFC has always been global. Following on from our successes in the United Kingdom and Ireland, our first card in mainland Europe is another significant step towards making the UFC's brand of mixed martial arts the biggest sport in the world."