UFC® ARRIVES IN WINNIPEG WITH ACTION-PACKED FIGHT WEEK
UFC® to host free events all week long including UFC® 161 open workouts, weigh-ins and
UFC Experience pre-fight block party
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) brings the UFC® experience to fans in Winnipeg with events all week long in anticipation of UFC® 161: EVANS vs. HENDERSON at the sold-out MTS Centre on June 15. Fans can enjoy UFC® 161 open workouts, UFC autograph signings during half-time of the first-ever Winnipeg Blue Bombers game at Investors Group Field, UFC® 161 weigh-ins and a pre-fight block party featuring interactive activities, guest appearances and more.
The UFC will hold its open workouts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 12 in Edmonton Court at Portage Place Mall with nine fighters from Saturday night’s card. Hard-hitting heavyweights Pat Barry (8-5, fighting out of Alexandria, Minnesota) and Shawn Jordan (14-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico) will join seven Canadians including light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo (17-2, fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta) and women’s bantamweight Alexis Davis (11-5, fighting out of Port Colborne, Ontario), who are both fighting on the main card. Winnipeg’s own Roland Delorme (8-1, 1NC), Toronto’s Sean Pierson (13-6), Montreal’s Yves Jabouin (18-8) and lightweights Sam Stout (20-8-1, fighting out of London, Ontario) and Mitch Clarke (9-2, fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta) will also participate. Open workouts are free and open to the public.
Following open workouts, the UFC will attend the inaugural game at Investors Group Field as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Toronto Argonauts. Welterweight Jordan Mein (27-9, fighting out of Lethbridge, Alberta), lightweight Mike Ricci (9-3, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec) and women’s bantamweight Sarah Kaufman (15-2, fighting out of Victoria, BC) will be on hand to sign autographs on the concourse during half time.
On June 14, the UFC will hold its official weigh-ins at the MTS Centre. All 22 fighters on the card will weigh in at 4 p.m. CT. This event is free and doors are open to the public at 3 p.m. CT.
On Fight Day, June 15, the UFC will hold a UFC Experience Block Party at cityplace surface parking lot at the corner of Graham Avenue and Hargrave Street. This event is free for all ages and will run from 2-7 p.m. CT. UFC Experience features a fun and interactive fan zone offering fans a chance to pose with a UFC belt. Spectators can test their skills with a punch strength machine, vertical jump test, pull-up bar and push-up station. Fans can also enjoy Q&A sessions with fighters and multiple autograph sessions. UFC lightweight contender TJ Grant (21-5, fighting out of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia), who will be challenging UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson for the title at UFC 164 on August 31, will be on hand for a Q&A from 2:30-3 p.m. and to sign autographs from 3-4 p.m. Kaufman and Mein will answer questions during a Q&A from 4-4:30 p.m., followed by an autograph signing until 5:30 p.m. Welterweight Mike Pyle (25-8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) will also do a Q&A and signing beginning at 5 p.m., and lastly, Ricci will close out the event with a Q&A starting at 6 p.m.
The UFC Experience Block Party includes a licensed food and beverage area (photo identification is required to purchase alcohol). Other official partners and friends participating in the block party are Harley Davidson, Xyience, Winnipeg Jets Foundation, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Winnipeg Goldeyes. TSN1290 and CITI FM will also be on site as the official radio stations.
Tickets for UFC® 161: EVANS vs. HENDERSON are sold out. The event has already set the MTS Centre record for the largest single-day event gate in the building’s 10-year history. The MTS Centre now joins a list of three other Canadian venues that hold that same gate-record distinction, which includes Toronto’s Rogers Centre, Montreal’s Bell Centre and Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome.
Winnipeg is the UFC®’s fifth Canadian city to host an event as the organization has made a total of 12 stops across the country with visits to Montreal (six), Toronto (three), Vancouver (two) and Calgary (one). Home to the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets, the MTS Centre has played host to some of the world’s top entertainment and sporting events but, with the global reach of its Pay-Per-View, UFC® 161: EVANS vs. HENDERSON will be the most widely viewed event originating out of the province of Manitoba – ever.
UFC® 161: EVANS vs. HENDERSON, presented by Alienware, will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Indigo, MTS TV, Shaw Communications, 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 UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
