UFC Comunicato Stampa. Ufc Fight Night London. Gustafsson vs Manuwa.
L'UFC ha anche annunciato che Brad "One Punch" Pickett farà il suo debutto nei pesi mosca contro l'americcano Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall.
Pickett , che è di Londra, è sceso giù dalla divisione dei pesi gallo nel mese di ottobre.
L'imbattuto Manuwa ha l'opportunità unica di dimostrare il suo valore contro il numero uno dei contendenti al titolo, Gustafsson,
"Non vedo l'ora di entrare nel Octagon a Londra , dove sono cresciuto", ha detto Manuwa , "e essere nel titolo di testa dell'evento al "The O2" dopo appena tre combattimenti nella UFC è incredibile.
La gente pensa che io sia pazzo e che ho bisogno di un paio di combattimenti, ma dico sempre, se vuoi essere il migliore devi battere i migliori."
"Alex è un grande test per me, ma è uno dei match che ho a lungo sognato.
Sono pronto a cogliere l'occasione per fare la scalata dei pesi massimi leggeri e avvicinarmi al mio obiettivo di essere un campione UFC . Ho chiesto questo match e ho pensato che Alex avrebbe voluto evitarmi, ma lui è un vero professionista e ho grande rispetto per lui, lui conosce il mio record e sa come imprevedibile ogni lotta può essere in UFC.
Abbiamo visto Silva, Jones e GSP. Tutti hanno mostrato la loro vulnerabilità quest'anno."
Il suo avversario Gustafsson ha detto: "Il suo record netto è impressionante, ma io sono proiettato a combattere di nuovo il campione e a Marzo metterò il cuore per la vittoria."
Lo svedese ha aggiunto che non crede che combattere a Londra sarà un vantaggio per Manuwa : "Sarà uno spettacolo infernale, ma io non sono sicuro che avrà un vantaggio a combattere nella sua città natale visto che mi aspetto una invasione di appassionati svedesi venire qui per sostenermi ".
Brad Pickett ha detto : "Per me questo è assolutamente grande. Ho combattuto in UFC un paio di volte nel Regno Unito e la folla sono sempre stata molta, ma competere a casa, a Londra, è qualcosa che ho sempre voluto."
I biglietti per UFC ® FIGHT NIGHT LONDRA - GUSTAFSSON vs MANUWA al The O2 di Sabato 8 marzo 2014 saranno messi in vendita al pubblico il 31 gennaio 2014 alle ore 10.
I prezzi dei biglietti vanno da £ 40 - £ 850 per l'esperienza VIP UFC .
Catherine Stewart
Account Manager
Di seguito il comunicato stampa completo ed in originale.
London – Tickets for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: GUSTAFSSON vs. MANUWA at The O2 on Saturday 8th March 2014 will go on sale to the public on 31st January 2014 at 10am. Ticket prices range from £40-£850 for the UFC VIP Experience.
Londoner Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa will face his biggest test to date as he goes up against Sweden’s Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson, who recently came off a narrow loss against world light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
The UFC has also announced that fan favourite Brad “One Punch” Pickett will make his flyweight debut against USA’s Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall. Pickett, who is also from London, dropped down from the bantamweight division in October.
The undefeated Manuwa has a unique opportunity to prove himself against his weight division’s number one title contender Gustafsson. “I cannot wait to enter the Octagon in London, where I grew up,” Manuwa said, “and to headline an event at The O2 after just three fights in the UFC is incredible. People think I am crazy and need a few more fights but I always say if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.”
“Alex is a huge test for me, but it is one I have long dreamed of. I’m ready to take this opportunity to climb up the light-heavyweight ladder and get closer to my goal of being a UFC champion. I asked for this fight and thought Alex would avoid me, but he is a true professional and I have great respect for him; he knows my record and he knows how unpredictable every fight can be in the UFC. We’ve seen Silva, Jones and GSP all showing their vulnerability this year.”
His opponent Gustafsson said: “His clean record is impressive but I am one opponent away from challenging the champion again and I will fight my heart out to get a win in March.”
The Swede added that he does not believe that competing in London will be an advantage for Manuwa: “We will put on a hell of a show, but I am not sure who will have the hometown advantage since I expect an invasion of Swedish fans to come and support me.”
Brad Pickett said: “For me this is absolutely massive. I’ve fought in the UFC a couple of times in the UK, and the crowds have always been great, but to actually be competing at home in London is something I’ve always wanted.”
UFC FIGHT NIGHT London is the first of six UFC Fight Night events which will take place in 2014 in major cities across Europe and the Middle-East as the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation begins to significantly increase its presence in the region through locally driven prime time content.
Garry Cook, EVP and Managing Director of UFC EMEA, said: “2014 marks the beginning of our future plans to grow UFC globally we will start with a flagship event in one of the world’s flagship cities – London and The O2 on Saturday 8th March.”
“Our European fans have long called for more events: we have listened and will be delivering their wish in 2014. The demand for UFC events continues to build and many cities would love to see us live. In addition, UFC Fight Nights in major European cities provide the EMEA television audience with the chance to view the event during Saturday night prime time.”
UFC FIGHT NIGHT London will also feature Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson taking on Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, for the second time in six months. The original bout took place at UFC Manchester in October this year, but was deemed a no-contest due to an unintentional illegal knee from Guillard. The two will look to settle the score once and for all next March.
Iceland’s Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson is set to face his toughest test to date in Russia’s Omari “Lakec” Akhmedov as the two meet in a welterweight bout. Nelson’s return to the Octagon will be met with eager anticipation after he underwent surgery on his knee earlier this year, leaving him sidelined after two notable performances in the UFC. The two opponents will both be looking to maintain their undefeated record, standing 11-0 and 12-0 respectively.
Sweden’s Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi will make his second Octagon appearance after stepping in as a late replacement for Alex Gustafsson against Gegard Mousasi in Stockholm last April. Latifi will take on French light-heavyweight Cyrille “Snake” Diabate, who last fought in London earlier this year.
Another addition to the card will see England’s Danny “The Cheesecake Assassin” Mitchell make his UFC debut against Brazil’s Igor Araujo. The Doncaster athlete has a challenging test in front of him with Araujo’s record of five consecutive wins.
Fight Club™ members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to this event from 29th January via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. To join UFC Fight Club™ go to UFC.com.
Tickets will be available to UFC Newsletter subscribers from 30th January. To sign up to the UFC Newsletter visitUFC.com and enter your email address.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa will be available via www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.theo2.co.uk.
The full card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON will be announced over the coming weeks. All bouts are live and subject to change. For more information visit ufc.com
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