The UFC returns to Manchester, England, November 14 for UFC 105. Tickets go on sale this week. Michael 'the Count' Bisping and Dan 'the Outlaw' Hardy take on dangerous assignments as Britain's leading two MMA fighters compete together on the same card. Plus, main event to be announced.
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® RETURNS TO MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, NOVEMBER 14
MICHAEL ‘THE COUNT’ BISPING AND DAN ‘THE OUTLAW’ HARDY TAKE ON DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENTS ON NOVEMBER 14, AS BRITAIN’S LEADING MIXED MARTIAL ARTISTS COMPETE TOGETHER ON ONE NIGHT
PLUS MAIN EVENT TO BE ANNOUNCED
London, England – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization will once again illuminate the United Kingdom this winter, as UFC 105 heads to the MEN Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday, November 14.
Showcasing a fascinating middleweight (185lbs) showdown between British hero Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping and Denis Kang, as well as a welterweight (170lbs) battle between Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim, UFC 105 will act as a coronation night for the sport of mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom.
Having enjoyed unprecedented success inside the Octagon® in 2009 - including the addition of two new Ultimate Fighter® winners – Great Britain will celebrate on November 14 with a stacked card of leading talent from home and abroad.
Tickets for UFC 105 are priced at £250, £150, £100, £85, £65 and £40 and go on sale for UFC Fight Club members on Thursday, September 10 and for UFC Newsletter subscribers and MEN Arena Newsletter subscribers on Saturday, September 12.
Tickets will then go on general public release on Monday September 14 and will be available via ticketmaster.co.uk and the MEN Arena box office from 10AM.
** Both Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy will be signing autographs at the MEN Arena box office from 5:30pm on Monday September 14.**
With make-or-break the order of the day at UFC 105, Clitheroe’s Michael Bisping knows only too well the danger he faces against Denis Kang.
The Ultimate Fighter® (TUF®) season three winner remains determined to challenge for the UFC middleweight title and knows that a win over Kang at UFC 105 is imperative.
“Kang is a very good fighter and one of the best in the division,” said Bisping, Britain’s first ever TUF champion from 2006. “This is exactly the sort of fight I need to get right back up there and prove that I’m one of the top guys in the division.
“I’ve watched Kang’s fights over the years and he is very dangerous on the ground with his submissions and is also a powerful striker on his feet. Plus, he’s an explosive fighter. He can explode into a huge strike or takedown from nowhere, which makes him very unpredictable.
“Another thing I’ve noticed is that he never seems to gas in his fights. Going into a fight I can usually plan a strategy and rely on the fact that I will be fresher in the last round than my opponent. However, with Kang I can’t count on that. He’s a great athlete on top of everything else and this could be a very fast-paced fight from start to finish.”
The 30-year-old Bisping (17-2) kicked off the UFC’s invasion of the United Kingdom in April 2007 at UFC 70, when he defeated Elvis Sinosic at the MEN Arena, Manchester. Bisping received staggering support that night, prompting one respected British sports writer to hail the atmosphere as the loudest he’d ever heard at the famous fight venue.
Since that historic evening, Bisping has taken the UFC by storm, scoring wins over Eric Schafer, Sinosic, Matt Hamill, Charles McCarthy, Jason Day and Chris Leben. Now firmly established as one of the UFC’s premier middleweights, Bisping looks to claim the scalp of the hugely respected Kang at UFC 105.
“Both Kang and I are looking to take that next step up the ladder to the top of the division, and there’s so much on the line for both of us,” added ‘The Count’. “I have things to prove and cannot wait to go in all guns blazing in front of my hometown fans in Manchester.”
A talented and battle-tested middleweight, Kang (32-11-1, with 2 No Contests), the Canadian-based ‘Super-Korean’, has faced some of the best fighters in the world, and boasts PRIDE wins over Akihiro Gono and Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua. Most recently the 31-year-old Kang defeated Xavier Foupa-Pokam over three rounds at UFC 97.
Excited by the potential for fireworks between Bisping and Kang, UFC UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik said: “Both fighters know how important victory will be on November 14 and that can only raise the intensity even further. If UFC 70 was anything to go by, UFC 105 at the MEN Arena will have a furnace-like atmosphere and Michael and Denis are the kind of warriors to thrive on such an atmosphere. This fight could be very special.”
Fireworks are also expected whenever Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy (22-6, with 1 No Contest) enters the Octagon. The Nottingham-based welterweight is enjoying a hot-streak of three straight UFC wins and appears to be getting better with each fight.
The charismatic and dynamic Hardy kicked off his UFC career last October with a thrilling three-round decision verdict over Japanese star Akihiro Gono. ‘The Outlaw’ then signalled his concussive punch power in February, as he emphatically knocked out Rory Markham in just 69 seconds of the first round in London.
The 27-year-old Hardy’s biggest victory to date arrived in June when, following months of bad blood, as he outscored bitter rival Marcus Davis over three hard-fought rounds.
Standing in his way on November 14 will be Korean sensation Dong Hyun ‘Stun Gun’ Kim (12-0-1, with 1 No Contest). Currently unbeaten in his mixed martial arts career, Kim has scored UFC wins over Britain’s Jason Tan, Matt Brown and TJ Grant. Armed with some of the most eye-catching judo throws in the sport, Kim looks to present Hardy with a stern test of his credentials at UFC 105.
“Both Mike and I are in there with very dangerous opponents, but at this level that’s what you get,” said Hardy, 3-0 inside the Octagon. “Kim is technically unbeaten and, while he’s been under pressure in his career, has always found a way to win. I will have to break him. He can control people on the ground with his judo and can land strikes. He can boss you on the ground for 15 minutes and that will be his plan.
“But I plan to put a beating on this guy that is so nasty and so one-sided it will be uncomfortable viewing for all the other welterweights in the UFC. I am going to beat him up for a while and then I will catch him with something that really hurts him - then he’ll go to sleep.
“Kim will want to take me down with his judo and bash me up on the ground, but every time he gets close he will eat an elbow or knee in the face. I don’t want a decision, I guarantee a knockout in this one.”
UFC 105 will be screened LIVE on ESPN in the UK and Ireland.