DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fathom Events and the UFC® bring UFC 181: HENDRICKS VS. LAWLER II to movie theaters nationwide with two stellar championship bouts on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. CT / 8:00 p.m. MT / 7:00 p.m. PT. Broadcast live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, audiences will witness the highly-anticipated rematch between UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and No. 1 contender Robbie Lawler. The fight will serve as a rematch to their hotly-contested title fight in March, a bout narrowly won by Hendricks. In the co-main event, the UFC lightweight title will be on the line as Anthony "Showtime" Pettis defends his belt for the first time against his Ultimate Fighter coaching rival and top contender Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez.
In addition, at the UFC’s “THE TIME IS NOW” launch at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas yesterday, it was announced that Fathom Events will continue to bring the best of mixed martial arts to select cinemas nationwide throughout the first quarter of 2015. Scheduled events include: UFC® 182: JONES vs. CORMIER on Jan. 3 live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas; UFC® 183: SILVA vs. DIAZ on Jan. 31 live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas; UFC® 184: WEIDMAN vs. BELFORT on Saturday, Feb. 28 live from Staples Center in Los Angeles. Additional events, specific fight cards, and ticketing information will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets to watch UFC 181: HENDRICKS VS. LAWLER II on the big screen are available at participating theater box offices and at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in nearly 500 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“Following the excitement of UFC 180 in cinemas, we’re excited to bring another big night of Octagon® action to theaters across the nation. Four fearsome warriors battling for the welterweight and lightweight titles up on the big screen – it doesn’t get more exciting than this,” said John Rubey, CEO of Fathom Events.
UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks (16-2, fighting out of Dallas, TX), often referred to as “Bigg Rigg,” is known for his powerful punches as well as his extensive wrestling background. He has won seven of his last eight bouts.
The heavy handed Robbie Lawler (24-10, 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL),made his case for a rematch with a third-round TKO over Jake Ellenberger, followed by an unanimous decision victory against Matt Brown. He has knocked out many of the sport’s top stars and will take on Hendricks in a rematch that has plenty to live up to, considering that the first bout in March is the leading candidate for 2014 Fight of the Year.
Additionally, lightweight title holder Anthony Pettis (17-2, fighting out of Milwaukee, WI) heads into his first-ever title defense against former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez (22-3, fighting out of San Francisco, CA). Melendez has won eight of his last nine bouts and is looking to grab another title against fellow Ultimate Fighter season 20 coach Pettis.
Other bouts for UFC 181 include:
- Travis Browne (16-2-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.), ranked No. 5, and the former Ultimate Fighter runner-up Brendan Schaub (11-4, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA) will collide in a heavyweight battle.
- Holly Holm (7-0, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) will make her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington (4-5, fighting out of Colorado Spring, CO) in women's bantamweight fight.
- Tony Ferguson (17-3, fighting out of Ventura, CA ), currently on a three fight winning streak, will go up against Abel Trujillo (12-5, 1 NC, Boca Raton, FL) in a lightweight battle
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras – creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom’s live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS™, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, Octagon™ branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.
