FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION DEMETRIOUS ‘MIGHTY MOUSE’ JOHNSON MEETS JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ NOVEMBER 30 AT MANDALAY BAY IN LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas, Nevada – Fresh off a brilliant submission victory over John Moraga at UFC^® on FOX: Johnson vs. Moraga, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson returns to defend his flyweight title Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas against Joseph Benavidez in a can’t-miss flyweight showdown.

Johnson, 27, beat Benavidez in September 2012 at UFC 152 to become the first champion in the newly minted flyweight division and looks to retain his status as the only champion the 125lb class has ever known.

A UFC^® standout, the 29-year-old Benavidez has reeled off three straight victories over the likes of Ian McCall, Darren Uyenoyama and Jussier Formiga to earn a rematch with the champion. Benavidez also holds notable victories over Eddie Wineland and Rani Yahya and has developed a reputation as one of the division’s most dynamic fighters.

“UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and No. 1 contender Joseph Benavidez will meet again in the main event of the TUF Finale on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas,” UFC president Dana White said. “Their first fight was fast-paced and featured five rounds of really close, back and forth action. I’m really excited for this flyweight title rematch and then the crowning of the winners of this season of The Ultimate Fighter!”

In addition to the Johnson-Benavidez main event, this season’s The Ultimate Fighter^® winner will be crowned when the Octagon^® makes its way back to the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The Ultimate Fighter^® Finale card also includes:

·         Former UFC title contenders Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz in a battle of Top 10 lightweights.

·          Jared Rosholt vs. Walter Harris face off in the heavyweight division

·          Akira Corassani vs. Maximo Blanco in a matchup of rising featherweights

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter^® Finale go on sale Friday, Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $175, $125, $75 and $50. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

UFC Fight Club^® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. PT via www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Oct. 10 beginning at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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

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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, Beijing, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually.  The UFC 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 for live events and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2, including the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter^®, now in its eighteenth season on FOX Sports 1.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to 882 million TV households worldwide, in 28 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 nearly 2.5 million followers on Twitter. UFC businesses also include over 90 UFC GYM^® locations in 28 US states and Australia, UFC FIT^™ an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC 360 internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new videogame franchise with EA Sports, DVDs and Blu-rays, UFC Fight Club^®, UFC Fan Expo^®, branded apparel and trading cards.

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