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UFC 53 Two Titles on the line at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters Arlovski Takes On Eilers For Interim Heavyweight Crown; Tanner Looks To Defend Middleweight Belt Against Franklin
June 4, 2005 Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, New Jersey
Las Vegas, NV--Two Ultimate Fighting Championship® titles will be at stake when interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski takes on challenger Justin Eilers and middleweight champ Evan Tanner meets up-and-coming Rich Franklin at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, on Saturday, June 4. Six additional bouts will complete the heavy-hitting, eight-fight card, most of which will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT, on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Tickets Tickets for the event are $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35 and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office in Atlantic City, at all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-736-1420. For general information, call 609-348-7000. Tickets are subject to transaction fees. Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Trump Marina and Trump Taj Mahal are the hosts of the event.
The Undercard UFC 53 also includes a light heavyweight matchup between Forrest Griffin, star of Spike TV recent hit reality show "The Ultimate Fighter" and Canadian Bill Mahood, plus welterweight bouts pitting Matt Serra vs. Karo Parisyan and Nick Diaz vs. Koji Oishi of Japan. Fans will also see Canadian David Loiseau face UFC newcomer Charles McCarthy and Nate Quarry takes on Shonie Carter in two exciting middleweight contests, while Paul Buentello will go up against Kevin Jordan in the heavyweight division.
Last Fight: UFC 52 Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell scored a first-round knockout of Randy "The Natural" Couture to capture the UFC light heavyweight championship, while welterweight champ Matt Hughes defended his belt with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of Frank Trigg as 14,562 saw UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday (April 16). It was the largest crowd to witness a Mixed Martial Arts event in North American history.
Last Time in A.C. The Ultimate Fighting Championship was last in Atlantic City on Oct. 22 for UFC 50: War of 04, highlighted by welterweight champ Matt Hughes successful defense of his title against George St. Pierre before 10,000 at Boardwalk Hall.
UFC 53 Fightcard*
Interim Heavyweight Championship
Welterweight Bout
Middleweight Bout Interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski of Minsk, Belarus, did not begin his martial arts training until he was 18 ... He was a soccer goalie until he was 14, when he gave up it up to concentrate on personal fitness ... Heavyweight Paul Buentello's grandparents are Mexican and his parents are Mexican-American ... He speaks very good Spanish ... Heavyweight challenger Justin Eilers was a starting outside linebacker at Iowa State, where he tallied 139 tackles in two seasons for the Cyclones (including 94 as a 2001 senior) ... Speaking of football players, heavyweight Kevin Jordan played defensive end at Memphis State University from 1989-92 ... His best year was in 1990, when he had 43 tackles and six sacks ... Yet more football: Veteran UFC referee John McCarthy is a long-time high school football coach in the San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles ... Middleweight challenger Rich Franklin has a bachelors degree in mathematics and a masters degree in education from the University of Cincinnati ... Prior to becoming a UFC fighter, he taught high school math ... Before garnering notice as one of the stars of Spike TV The Ultimate Fighter reality show, light heavyweight Forrest Griffin was a police officer in Athens, GA ... He has a political science degree from the University of Georgia ... Light heavyweight Bill Mahood is a fighter and an entrepreneur--he once owned a bottled water company and, most recently, an Irish pub (which he sold to dedicate himself to his sport) ... Middleweight Charles McCarthy used to be 280 pounds before dropping to his current weight of 185 ... He was a computer programmer for many years before becoming a high school teacher ... Japanese welterweight Koji Oishi has a bachelors degree in economics ... Welterweight Karo Parisyan started doing film stuntwork at age 16, appearing in such movies as Tucker and Ultraviolet... Birthday Boys: Welterweight Matt Serra turns 31 on June 2, while Oishi turns 28 on May 31.
UFC President Dana White Dana White has served as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ) since January 15, 2001, when Zuffa, LLC acquired the rights to the brand. In his top management position, he directs all operations including event planning, broadcast production, fight-card selections, financial and legal operations.
With a strong sense for business and a keen knowledge of mixed martial arts, White has been instrumental in taking the UFC to new heights during its first four years of new ownership. In 2001, the UFC organization received official sanction by the state athletic commissions in Nevada, New Jersey and by the Mohegan Sun athletic commission in Connecticut. Later that year, the UFC brand returned to pay-per-view cable television after a three-year absence in the U.S. and is now available to fight fans in 36 countries worldwide. In July 2002, UFC staged its first European event at the Royal Albert Hall in London to a very strong live and pay- per-view audience reception. Since then, UFC fights have taken place in Las Vegas, Louisiana, Connecticut, Miami and Atlantic City, NJ. Recently, UFC popularity reached new heights as the first season of Spike TV "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show delivered record ratings for the cable network (two more seasons are on tap).
White, 35, was born in Manchester, Conn., and previously managed a boxing program for inner city children in Boston, Mass. He formed Dana White Enterprises, a sports management company, in 1992 and continues to operate three private gymnasiums in Las Vegas, Nev.
His knowledge comes from personal experience and participation. An avid boxer and mixed martial artist, he previously managed MMA fighters. His hobbies are boxing and jiu-jitsu.
- News release from the UFC website with some editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)
card subject to change
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