More than 10,000 tickets sold for first UFC® event in Canada’s capital
Ottawa, Canada – UFC® announced today that UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON, taking place at The Arena at TD Place, on June 18 is sold out. The event will be headlined by two of the best welterweights in the world as No.1-ranked Rory MacDonald (18-3, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada by way of Quesnel, B.C., Canada) meets No.2-ranked Stephen Thompson (12-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA) in a bout that could determine the next title contender in the competitive 170-pound division.
With more than 10,000 tickets sold, UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON will be the largest arena show in TD Place history. It also marks the fastest sellout at The Arena at TD Place.
“We couldn’t be happier with the reception we’ve received from Ottawa fans ahead of our debut card in Canada’s capital,” said Tom Wright, UFC Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. “Ottawa deserves a stellar card and our athletes will deliver on fight night.”
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON will showcase the best of mixed martial arts. Exciting bouts currently announced for the card include:
- Dangerous finisher Donald Cerrone (29-7 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA by way of Denver, Colorado, USA) against Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer Patrick Côté (23-9, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a welterweight contest
- Coming off a first-round knockout win, Steve Bosse (11-2, fighting out of St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) meets Sean O’Connell (17-7, fighting out of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) at light heavyweight
- The Ultimate Fighter® Nations middleweight winner Elias Theodorou (11-1, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) faces knockout artist Sam Alvey (25-7 1NC, fighting out of Temecula, California, USA)
- Lightweight Jason Saggo (11-2, fighting out of Charlottetown, PEI, Canada) takes on fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Leandro Silva (19-2-1 1NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Aiming to secure his third consecutive UFC victory, light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov (11-2, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) welcomes newcomer Ion Cutelaba (11-1, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova)
- Former Canadian National Judo Team member Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) squares off with European prospect Thibault Gouti (11-1, fighting out of Avignon, France) at lightweight
- Middleweight Tamdan McCrory (14-3, fighting out of Binghamton, New York, USA) aims to add another stunning finish to his resume when he locks horns with Krzysztof Jotko (17-1, fighting out of Orneta, Poland)
- Looking to get back on the winning track, Tristar Gym’s Alex Garcia (13-3, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of Santiago, Dominican Republic) battles former NCAA division I wrestler Colby Covington (8-1, fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA) at 170-pounds
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 in the United States, and on TSN 5 and RDS 2 in Canada.
The official UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACDONALD vs. THOMPSON weigh-ins will take place on Friday, June 17 at The Arena at TD Place. Other information regarding fight week activities will be released at a later date.
Since 2008, the UFC has staged 19 cards in the Great White North, across eight different cities – Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Ottawa now becomes the ninth city and 20th UFC event in Canada. UFC events have set single-day event gate records in four Canadian venues: Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome (UFC 149), Montreal’s Bell Centre (UFC 124), Toronto’s Rogers Centre (UFC 129) and Winnipeg’s MTS Centre (UFC 161). UFC 129 on April 30, 2011 in Toronto also holds the record for largest gate in UFC history.
For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.