UFC®, the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization will debut in Shanghai on November 25 with headliners Brazil's Anderson 「The Spider」 Silva and USA's Kelvin Gastelum.
Silva will face rising middleweight contender Gastelum in what will be one of the most thrilling battles the Octagon® has seen in Asia. UFC Fight Night® Shanghai: Silva vs. Gastelum presented by General Tire is slated for November 25, 2017 at at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Anderson 「The Spider」 Silva
Kevin Gastelum
Mr. Guohao Yang, Director of Secretatriate of Shanghai Sports Federation, and Director of Shanghai Sports Event Management Center, said, 「We are delighted that the UFC®, the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization, chose Shanghai to make its debut in mainland China, offering the inaugural live event to Chinese fans.」
Mr. Guohao Yang, Director of Secretatriate of Shanghai Sports Federation, and Director of Shanghai Sports Event Management Center
Kevin Chang, UFC VP of Asia Pacific said to the press yesterday "The response has been tremendous and we are honored to have such overwhelming support from our loyal fans. This is a historic moment for our company and is set to be one of the most thrilling live events UFC has ever brought to Asia.」
Kevin Chang, UFC VP of Asia Pacific
In addition to bringing in Silva and Gastelum, UFC also announced the signing of two athletes from China, strawweights Yanan 「Mulan」 Wu (8-1, fighting out of Liaoning, China) and Xiaonan Yan (7-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Liaoning, China).
Chinese fighters from left to right: Wu Yanan, LiJingliang, Yan Xiaonan (right)
Wu Yanan
Specializing in Sanda, a type of kickboxing, Wu will be facing American Gina Mazany in a bantamweight matchup, with Wu looking to impress in her UFC debut. Mazany (4-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV, USA), who participated on Season 18 of 'The Ultimate Fighter', is mentored by former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha 「Cupcake」 Tate and will be looking to upset Wu’s ambitions for a home victory.
Yan Xiaonan
The 28-year-old Yan is a well-rounded MMA fighter who counts Sanda, Muay Thai, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu as her specialities. She will bring this wealth of skill into the Octagon as she faces Kailin Curran (4-5, fighting out of Ewa Beach, HI, USA). Curran, eager to turn her fortunes around, will be focused on coming away with a decisive win in foreign territory while UFC debutante Yan will be drawing motivation from the thousands of home fans in the arena and watching around the world in order to stop the American.
Rising star Li 「The Leech」 Jingliang (13-4, fighting out of Beijing, China) announced to media and fans that he and his fellow countryman, Wang 「The Dongbei Tiger」 Guan (18-1-1, fighting out of Dongbei, China) will both participate in China’s first ever live UFC event. Both men are awaiting confirmation of their opponents, which will be announced by the UFC over the coming weeks.
David He, Vice President of Music & Live Entertainment, WME IMG China
「We』ve been waiting for the right time for UFC to enter the Chinese market and we know that the time is now.」 Said David He, Vice President of Music & Live Entertainment, WME IMG China, 「MMA is developing rapidly in China and amassing a large fan base and this is an exciting first step to making the sport a mainstay here.」
In conjunction with UFC, Sina Sports launched a nationwide fitness competition to discover China’s first UFC Octagon Girl. The interest and entries from beautifully athletic Chinese women was so strong that UFC has named not one but two women to represent China on November 25, at the Mercedes Benz Arena: Wang Jing Jing from Beijing and Pan Xiao from Suzhou. They will be working UFC Fight Night® Shanghai: Silva vs. Gastelum presented by General Tire along with Filipina Red Dela Cruz and Australian Kristie Pearson.
Tickets for UFC Fight Night Shanghai presented by General Tire are selling fast, with 「Super Fan」, 「Hollywood」, P1, P2, P3 and P7 completely sold out. Available ticket categories are P4 RMB880, P5 RMB680, P6 RMB480 and can be purchased through Damai.cn, though quantities are very limited.
In the months leading up to the event, top UFC athletes will be on hand to meet and interact with fans in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities. In August, UFC brought its featherweight champion Max Holloway to Shanghai to meet fans and lead a series of MMA seminars. Fans can also expect a packed schedule during fight week in late November as UFC brings it’s weigh-in and Fan Experience to the Mercedes Benz Arena, including experiential and partner branded booths from November 24 to 25, 2017. Fight week will also see appearances from guest fighters, community events and exclusive VIP experiences.
Anderson 「The Spider」 Silva and Kelvin Gastelum in front of Shanghai's landmark, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower
More information on upcoming athlete tours and fight week activities will be announced soon via the UFC’s social platforms Wechat: UFC終極格鬥錦標賽(ufcofficial) and Weibo: @UFC終極格鬥冠軍賽 and www.ufc.cn
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Details:
What: UFC Fight Night: Shanghai
When: November, 25th
Where: Mercedez Benz Arena