Bankers Life Fieldhouse News

  • UFC® HEADS TO INDIANAPOLIS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

    07/19/2010

    Main Event – UFC Heavyweight Match

    FRANK MIR vs. MIRKO CRO COP

     

    Co-Main Event

    ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA vs. RYAN BADER

     

    Also featuring

    MATT SERRA vs. INDIANAPOLIS’ CHRIS LYTLE

     

    Live from Conseco Field House, Saturday September 25, 2010 – Tickets are on sale now

     

    Las Vegas, NV (USA) – With heavyweight legend “Minotauro” Nogueira sidelined by injury, the call went out for another superstar from Japan’s storied PRIDE organization to step in to face former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 119 on September 25th at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

     

    Answering the call was Mirko Cro Cop, the feared striker who has resurrected his career with back-to-back finishes of Anthony Perosh and Pat Barry in 2010, and if he can make it three in a row with a victory over Mir, Cro Cop will make a highly-anticipated return to the heated race for the coveted UFC heavyweight championship.

     

    It’s a classic grappler vs. striker matchup, and a dream fight talked about for years. On September 25th, it becomes a reality, and the stakes are higher than ever as Mir and Cro Cop both look to move closer to a shot at the belt.

     

    For the first-time ever, Indianapolis will get a taste of the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 119, which is presented by “Halo Reach”.  Also featured on this historic card, light heavyweight contender Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will take on two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler turned undefeated fighter Ryan Bader. Then it’s a rematch of The Ultimate Fighter®: The Comeback finale as former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra takes on one of Indianapolis’ own in Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.

     

    Tickets for UFC 119 are on sale and can be purchased at ConsecoFieldhouse.com, the Conseco Fieldhouse Box Office or all Ticketmaster outlets. 

     

    UFC119 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10pm ET/7pm PT on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available)”.  UFC 119 will also be available on Pay-Per-View in Spanish in the United States.

     

    Before his impressive knockout win over Nogueira at UFC 92 in December 2008, Frank Mir (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / professional record - 13-5) won two straight fights via submission over UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and Antoni Hardonk. The former UFC heavyweight champion looked to be on track for another title shot after he put Cheick Kongo to sleep at UFC 107, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fell short against Shane Carwin in March. Now the 31-year-old faces a familiar foe and he is hoping that lightning strikes twice as he gets back in the title race.

     

    With 27 career wins and four in the UFC, including two in a row, Mirko “Cro Cop” (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia / 27-7-2 1 NC) is coming off an impressive submission victory over feared up-and-coming heavyweight striker Pat Barry. A fighter who is known for devastating striking, Cro Cop has evolved in the sport and knows that Mir, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, would love to get him to the ground. But Mir knows that getting the former Croatian Parliament member and Special Forces police officer to the ground might be a tough task with Cro Cop’s world-class striking ability.

     

    Known for having heavy hands as well as a deadly ground game, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / 19-3) is dangerous wherever the fight goes. It took the light heavyweight only 1:56 to TKO the battle-tested Luiz Cane in his UFC debut last November before earning a split-decision victory against Jason Brilz in May. Now Nogueira faces his toughest UFC test to date in Ryan Bader.

     

    Undefeated light heavyweight Ryan Bader (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz. / 12-0) has rattled off four consecutive victories since joining the UFC. The former two-time NCAA Division I All-American from Arizona State is coming off a breakthrough knockout at UFC 110 against MMA veteran Keith Jardine that catapulted him into serious contention for the 205-pound strap. Now the 27-year-old will go against an extremely talented opponent that is looking to get into the championship picture himself.

     

    A true Rocky story come to life, Long Island’s Matt Serra (fighting out of East Meadow, N.Y. / 17-6) is most famous for his underdog knockout win against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69 to earn the 170-pound championship. Serra, the first American-born black belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie, most recently earned a first-round win over Frank Trigg at UFC 109 and now looks to climb back up the ladder with a win against hometown fighter Chris Lytle.

     

    Winner of his last three fights, the red-hot Chris Lytle (fighting out of Indianapolis, Indiana / 39-17-4) is coming off two impressive submission victories over Brian Foster and Matt Brown. A fighter that is known for exciting fights and who has the “Fight of the Night” bonus checks to prove it, Lytle will be fighting in a UFC event in front of his home crowd for the first time. A former pro boxer turned mixed martial artist, the 35-year-old family man is a firefighter in his spare time and now looks to avenge his loss to old friend Matt Serra.

     

    For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

     

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