BEIJING, July 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the
enormous success of last November's live event at The
Venetian® Macao's
CotaiArena™, Sands China Ltd. and the Ultimate Fighting
Championship® are announcing a new, multi-year
partnership which will bring regular live UFC® events to
Asia, as well as produce a Chinese
version of the UFC's hit reality series The Ultimate
Fighter® for the first time.
Beginning in 2014, the UFC will stage a series of live events at
both The Venetian Macao and Marina Bay Sands, the luxury
Singapore property of Sands
China's parent company, Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Cotai Strip Resorts Macao and Marina Bay Sands will also be the
presenting sponsors of The Ultimate Fighter China. The
Ultimate Fighter is the world's long-running sports reality
series, which has launched over 100 UFC careers including world
champions Forrest Griffin,
Rashad Evans and Matt Serra. TUF® China will be a 12-part series where the best
Chinese mixed martial artists in the world will live, train and
compete with each other to win a six-figure contract with the
UFC.
The highly anticipated Chinese edition of The Ultimate
Fighter will be co-produced by UFC and Liaoning Radio
Television and is scheduled to premiere this November on Liaoning
Satellite TV, reaching more than 830 million viewers across
China. The live Finale event to
determine the inaugural champion of The Ultimate Fighter
China will be held at The Venetian Macao's CotaiArena in
March 2014.
Mark Fischer, Executive Vice
President and Managing Director of UFC Asia, said: "We are very
excited to announce these new partnerships with Sands China and
Liaoning Radio Television. With Sands China's support we will be
bringing regular events to the region, as well as the Chinese
edition of The Ultimate Fighter. This is an unprecedented
initiative for any global sports league in China. With national distribution through
Liaoning Satellite TV, we will not only develop the next generation
of UFC fighters from China, but
also introduce the UFC to millions of new fans across the
region."
Edward Tracy, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd., said: "Sands China is
looking forward to continuing to work with the UFC in bringing the
world's greatest MMA athletes and events to this region. November
2012's UFC Macao was a big success and we are excited that this new
partnership will enable us to continue to host these high-octane,
world-class sporting events, and to take advantage of this unique
opportunity to identify promising MMA fighters in China. It's all part of Sands China's
multi-tiered entertainment strategy, helping to diversify the
entertainment offering in Macao."
"We are pleased to bring UFC centre-stage not only to
Macao, but also to our
Singapore property," said George
Tanasijevich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marina Bay
Sands. "Marina Bay Sands is proud to host several UFC events over
the coming years. This partnership is part of our ongoing
commitment to Singapore to offer
the best in international sports and entertainment for our guests
and for the local population."
"Liaoning Radio Television (LRTV) is thrilled to be broadcasting
The Ultimate Fighter China on Liaoning Satellite Television as well
as taking an active role in co-producing the series with UFC. With
LRTV's top production teams from mainland China and Hong
Kong working alongside UFC's team, the Chinese audience will
experience the best elements of its U.S. format while adopting a
localized approach which will emphasize athletes' personal stories
and profiles," said Zeng Shaowu, Deputy Chief Editor of LRTV.
"Combining the dynamic sport of the UFC with the talent present in
China, I believe The Ultimate
Fighter will showcase the spirit and strength of China within the country and to the
world."
The registration process for The Ultimate Fighter China,
with full details and application, is available online at
sports.sohu.com/tuf2013. To be eligible, candidates must be: male,
age 18-34, have professional mixed martial arts experience, speak
Mandarin, be of Chinese decent and able to compete as a
featherweight (145 pounds/66 kilograms), lightweight (155 pounds/70
kilograms) or welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms).
Successful applicants will attend tryouts in Beijing July 21
at the Lido Hotel and in Singapore
July 25 at the Marina Bays Sands.
For more details on the UFC visit www.ufc.cn.
About the Ultimate Fighting
Championship®
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, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas and has offices in Beijing, Singapore, Sao Paolo, London, and Toronto. UFC produces more than 30 live events
and 400 hours of programming annually with a library of over 50,000
hours of content. The largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the
world, UFC is also broadcast on free-to-air, cable and satellite
networks in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households
worldwide, in 28 different languages. Leaders in digital
distribution, UFC connects with tens of millions of fans through
its website, UFC.com, Youtube, XBOX, Sony Playstation, iTUNES,
Hulu, and Amazon.com as well as social media sites such as Twitter
and Facebook where UFC has reached over 10 million followers.
About Sands China Ltd.
Sands China Ltd. (HKEx: 1928,
Sands China or the Company) is a Cayman
Islands registered Company and is listed on The Stock
Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Sands China is the largest operator of integrated
resorts in Macao. The Company's
Cotai Strip Resorts Macao is comprised of The Venetian®
Macao-Resort-Hotel, The Plaza™
Macao and Sands® Cotai
Central. The Company also owns and operates Sands®
Macao on the Macao peninsula. The Company's integrated
resorts contain a diversified mix of leisure and business
attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting
and convention facilities, a wide range of restaurants, shopping
malls, world-class entertainment at the CotaiArena™ and the
Venetian Theatre, and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service
between Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's property development
projects on Cotai have the goal of transforming it into
Asia's premier entertainment and
business destination. Sands China
is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp.
(NYSE:LVS).
For more information, please visit www.sandschinaltd.com.
About Cotai Strip Resorts Macao – Macao's Integrated Resort City
Sands
China Ltd. is the leading developer, owner and operator of
integrated resorts in Macao. The
befittingly named Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, situated on reclaimed
land between the islands of Coloane and Taipa, is the one
destination that provides a stunning array of experiences at the
heart of Cotai. Cotai Strip Resorts Macao has transformed a
gaming-centric day-trip market into an integrated resort city and
international hub for business and leisure travellers.
Pulsating with life, both night and day, Cotai Strip Resorts
Macao features an expansive offering of affordable luxury available
nowhere else in Macao, with
approximately 9,000 hotel rooms and suites, international superstar
live entertainment, duty-free shopping with 600 retailers offering
an unparalleled array of name brands, 1.3 million square feet
(120,000 square metres) of meeting and exhibition space for
Asia's leading conferences and
exhibitions, gaming excitement, transportation offerings and well
over 100 dining options, including international restaurants, bars
and lounges. Cotai Strip Resorts Macao is a must-see destination
providing every guest with an unforgettable experience and
unparalleled excitement.
Comprised of the The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel; The Plaza™ Macao, featuring the Four Seasons Hotel Macao;
and Sands® Cotai Central, featuring the world's largest
Conrad, Sheraton, and Holiday Inn hotels, Cotai Strip Resorts Macao
is where Asia's ultimate
destination is all within reach.
Cotai Strip Resorts Macao….truly Macao Starts Here™. For more
information, please visit www.cotaistrip.com/en/.
About Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd
Marina Bay Sands is the
leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in
Asia. It features large and
flexible convention and exhibition facilities, 2,560 hotel rooms
and suites, the rooftop Sands SkyPark, the best shopping mall in
Asia, world-class celebrity chef
restaurants and an outdoor event plaza. Its two theaters showcase a
range of leading entertainment performances including
world-renowned Broadway shows. Completing the line-up of
attractions is ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands which plays
host to permanent and marquee exhibitions. For more information,
please visit www.marinabaysands.com
About Liaoning Radio and Television (LRTV)
Liaoning
Radio TV ("LRTV") is one of the oldest TV networks in China and is the largest TV network in
Northeast China. LRTV has 10
analog TV channels, 9 analog radio channels, 5 national pay-TV
channels, 18 provincial digital VOD channels, 10 provincial digital
music channels and the LRTV internet broadcasting platform
(www.lntv.com.cn).
About Liaoning Satellite TV (LNSTV)
Founded in 1997,
Liaoning Satellite TV ("LNSTV") has become the No.1 satellite TV
network in Northeast China,
reaching more than 830 million viewers nationwide. Between 2008 and
2010, LNSTV became one the top 5 satellite TV channels in mainland
China. LNSTV covers all the 71
cities that CSM uses for TV rating report, and has also been
broadcast in overseas markets including North America, Russia, Japan, Korea, and Australia.
SOURCE The Ultimate Fighting Championship
