First-Ever UFC® Flyweight Champion to be Crowned on Sept. 22 at UFC® 152

Toronto, Ontario – The world’s top 125-pound fighters will square off on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto as Joseph Benavidez meets Demetrious Johnson in a bout that will crown the first-ever UFC flyweight champion. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that tickets for the inaugural and historic flyweight championship fight will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 27.

UFC® 152: BENAVIDEZ vs. JOHNSON also features an outstanding co-main event between middleweight title contenders Michael Bisping and Brian Stann, as well as the return of UFC legend BJ Penn, as he takes on rising Canadian star Rory MacDonald in welterweight action. In addition, Calgary’s TJ Grant looks to extend his winning streak to three when he meets Evan Dunham in a lightweight contest. Additional fights will be announced at www.ufc.com in the weeks to come.

A video preview of UFC 152 is available by clicking here.

The September 22 event marks the second of three UFC® events taking place in Canada in 2012, following UFC®149: FABER vs. BARAO in Calgary this Saturday and before UFC® 154 in Montreal on November 17.

“Everyone knows how much I love Canada and it’s going to be great to have the first-ever UFC flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson in Toronto on Sept. 22,” UFC President Dana White said. “Both Michael Bisping and Brian Stann want to prove that they deserve a shot at Anderson Silva, so I expect them to go out and put on an incredible fight for the fans.

“BJ Penn called out Rory MacDonald and Rory accepted!” White continued. “BJ is a former two-division champion and he loves having the chance to knock off the welterweight division’s fastest-rising star.”

Benavidez, Johnson, Bisping, Stann and MacDonald will join Tom Wright, UFC Director of Canadian Operations, at a public press conference at Massey Hall (178 Victoria Street, Toronto) on Tuesday, July 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets for UFC® 152: BENAVIDEZ vs. JOHNSON go on sale Friday, July 27 at 12 p.m. ET and are priced at $550, $375, $250, $150, $125 and $85. Tickets will be available at the Air Canada Centre Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-5000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, July 25 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, July 26, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC® 152: BENAVIDEZ vs. JOHNSON, presented by Assassin’s Creed III, Igniting the Revolution on October 30th, will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on Shaw Communications, Bell TV, Sasktel and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

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