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"The Natural" Will Take On "The Maine-iac" For The UFC World Heavyweight Title LAS VEGAS – Two-time UFC Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture rocked the fight world on Spike TV's "Inside the UFC" when he announced to show host Joe Rogan that he will not only make an incredible return to the Octagon™, but he will jump back to the heavyweight division and take on reigning UFC Champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia in a quest for the UFC World Heavyweight crown. Couture, who hung up his gloves after UFC 57, is officially back in the UFC fighting circuit. He joins former UFC champions Rich "Ace" Franklin and Matt Hughes in hot pursuit of regaining the championship belt and will hit Ohio locked and loaded at the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization's UFC 68: THE UPRISING live from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Saturday, March 3.
"It's hard to be around fighters and around this sport as much as I am and not want to compete," said Couture. "I just think that while I'm still physically capable of beating these guys and competing, it seems like the right time. I felt like it was time to get back into competition, starting with the grappling tournament (in November) in the PSL (Professional Submission League). It went well and I felt good in that, and I was thinking about fighting again for quite a while, and I was just waiting for the right opportunity. This opportunity came up, and I jumped on it." "I'm very excited about this fight, and I'm honored to fight Randy Couture," said Sylvia. "I wish him the best in training camp – when everyone counts Randy out, that's when he pulls a win. But I definitely see myself winning, everyone knows I always go for the knockout, and I plan to go out there and knock Randy out. I will be at my best when I fight him, and I'm going put on the best fight anyone has ever seen out of me." Couture (14-8-0), fighting out of Gresham, Ore., is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and a two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the only fighter to have held both belts. He is a world class wrestler with brutal ground-and-pound skills, a formidable combination that helped him defeat high-profile fighters including Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo, Maurice Smith and Mike Van Arsdale. After UFC 57, following a second round defeat by the unstoppable Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, Couture announced his retirement and shortly thereafter accepted his rightful place in the UFC Hall of Fame. Last night, after less than a year without the gloves, Couture announced on Spike TV's "Inside the UFC" that he will return to the Octagon as a 215-pounder and take on reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. This presents an incredible challenge for the fan favorite often referred to as "Captain America," but he is confident he will prevail in his quest to once again rule as the heavyweight champion. Tim Sylvia (25-2-0), fighting out of Davenport, Iowa, is the two-time UFC heavyweight champion. He faced UFC World Heavyweight Champion Arlovski at UFC 59 and defeated him by a devastating first round knockout. He followed that up with another win, a decision over Arlovski at UFC 61 (7/8/06), and a unanimous decision over the dangerous contender Jeff Monson at UFC 65. Now faced with fighting Couture, a mentor and a legend, Sylvia is ready to put on the best fight of his career and show the world exactly why he is the champion. Fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio, Rich Franklin (22-2-0) is an extremely well-rounded fighter possessing great striking and submission skills. He fought most of his career as a light heavyweight before moving to the middleweight division. At UFC 53, he knocked out UFC champion Evan Tanner to capture the middleweight crown. He made his first title defense against Nate Quarry at UFC 56 winning by first round KO and his second defense against Canadian David Loiseau at UFC 58, winning by decision after dominating "The Crow" through all five championship rounds. He faced Anderson Silva in his third UFC title defense, but was KOd by the Brazilian in the first round. Eager to get back into the Octagon, and in front of a home state crowd, Franklin is hot on the trail to taking back the middleweight crown. Matt Hughes, with an incredible 42-5 record, is a two-time welterweight champion. He held the title from November 2001 to January 2004, then captured the welterweight crown again at UFC 50 (10/22/04) by stopping Georges St. Pierre with an arm bar at 4:59 of the first round, and defended his title at UFC 52 (4/16/06) against Frank Trigg, winning by a rear naked choke. He fought Joe Riggs at UFC 56 (11/19/05) in a non-championship bout and submitted him by Kimura at 3:28 of the first round, then followed that up with a third round TKO over BJ Penn at UFC 63. Hughes met St. Pierre again at UFC 65, this time falling to the Canadian contender by a second round TKO. He is determined to get back in the Octagon and make the first step toward reclaiming his title and his reign in the UFC welterweight division. Tickets for UFC 68: THE UPRISING are on sale now for $400, $300, $200, $100, $50 and are available at Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers, online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.ufc.com and by phone at (614) 431-3600. Tickets may also be purchased at The Bluelines at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. All tickets are subject to facility fee and service charges. UFC 68: THE UPRISING is available live on pay-per-view in Standard or High-Definition (HD) where available at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer's Choice Canada. The suggested retail price for Standard Definition is $39.95 ($39.99 CAD) and $49.95 for HD. About The Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC organization produces approximately eight live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com. |
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