(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC light heavyweight champion and New Yorker Jon Jones returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, April 27 to defend his title against controversial and unpredictable star, Chael Sonnen. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that it will be returning to the Garden State this spring for this long awaited grudge match between two of the sport’s most recognizable names.
Jones and Sonnen serve as coaches on this season’s The Ultimate Fighter®, the longest running sports reality show on television. Tension between the two has never been higher and it will come to a boil during a two-hour season premiere Tuesday, Jan. 22 on FX at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“Jon Jones has destroyed all the top guys in the light heavyweight division,” UFC President Dana White said. “He has defended the title four times and is one of the pound-for-pound best in the world. This fight with Chael is personal! Chael called Jones out and said a lot of things about him. Chael always comes to fight and I’m very interested in this matchup.”
“There's a rumor going around that says Jon Jones is the best,” Sonnen said. “We're going to find out who wins - the best or the baddest?”
“The rumors are true, I am the best,” Jones, who won the title at Prudential Center in March 2011 by defeating then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, said. “On April 27th, Chael will be put through the test. When it’s all said and done, he'll be just like the rest.”
Tickets for UFC®159: JONES vs. SONNEN, presented by MetroPCS, go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $550, $350, $225, $185, $150, $100 and $60. Fans can purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.com, charge by Phone (800-745-3000), and any Ticketmaster outlet. Prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Monday, Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Tuesday, Jan. 22, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this pre-sale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC®159: JONES vs. SONNEN will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
About Prudential Center Prudential Center is home to the three-time Stanley Cup Champion and 2011-2012 Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball, the WNBA’s New York Liberty, over 200 events a year including major concerts, the 2011 NCAA East Regional, the 2011 & 2012 NBA Draft and the 2013 NHL Draft. Opened in October 2007, the arena now welcomes over 2 million guests through its doors annually, ranking tenth overall in 2011, according to leading industry publication Venues Today. The Rock provides the ultimate live sports and entertainment experience for fans, featuring unique dining options and superior customer service in seven premium lounges. The Acela Club showcases a custom-made mahogany wine cabinet and unique seating overlooking the ice and court. Ice Lounge is furnished with an ice bar and features center bowl views. The exciting sports bar atmosphere is the centerpiece of Bud Light Goal Bar, also with center bowl views.
What’s more, the fan experience begins outside Prudential Center in Championship Plaza, a brick paved fan message-driven courtyard that features a 22-foot tall, three-ton metal “Ironman” hockey player statue. The Plaza plays host to live entertainment with a block party atmosphere during FanFest celebrations before events. AmeriHealth Pavilion is Prudential Center Center’s second ice rink and is the official practice facility of the New Jersey Devils and home to Brick City Boxing, youth, high school and adult hockey programming and Hockey In Newark.
A pro sports first, the Devils created Mission Control which features a Digital Command Center located inside the Prudential Center designed to more effectively manage, monitor, and measure the franchise’s online brand engagements. Mission Control is fueled in part by the Devils Generals, a team of two-dozen socially-savvy fans who utilize Twitter, Facebook and other online channels hosted by the team/arena to extend the organization’s reach.
Prudential Center is located in downtown Newark just two blocks from Newark Penn Station, accessible via NJ Transit, PATH and Amtrak, while at the heart of cross-roads for five major highway access routes and 12 miles from midtown Manhattan. Prudential Center’s charitable arm, DevilsCare, in partnership with the New Jersey Devils, was awarded the 2011 EPA’s Environmental Quality Award for its Rock and Wrap It Up! Program.
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