CANADIAN FIGHTERS TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN UFC 131 PRELIMINARY FIGHTS ON ROGERS SPORTSNET

Sportsnet will be the only network airing the prelims of UFC 131 in High Definition in Canada

TORONTO (June 8, 2011) – Two Canadian fighters, Sam Stout and Jesse Bongfeldt, highlight the preliminary card for UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (PT) on Rogers Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific.

Stout, a London Ontario native, has a lightweight tilt versus Yves Edwards. Stout has a record of 18-6-1 and three of his last four fights have won the title of “Fight Of The Night”. The other match on the preliminary card will feature Bongfeldt ,a Canadian welterweight, in his second ever UFC bout. He has not lost a fight since March 2007 and will be facing the undefeated Chris Weidman.

Sportsnet Coverage for UFC 131 will also include the following:

· A live pre-fight show hosted by “Showdown” Joe Ferraro on Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)/4:00 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific; and streamed on sportsnet.ca

·The official weigh-in on Friday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)/4:00 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet ONE and sportsnet.ca

· The pre-fight press conference show on Thursday, June 9 at 11:30 p.m. (ET)/8:30 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet ONE.

The main card for UFC 131 will feature a heavyweight tilt between Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin. The winner is expected to get a title shot versus current heavyweight champ Cain Valesquez.

Coverage on sportsnet.ca will include live streaming of the pre-fight show and the official weigh-in. During Saturday night’s main card, there will also be a live chat throughout the event. Stout has also been writing a blog for sportsnet.ca on his training leading up to Saturday night’s event.

Sportsnet Connected will also provide coverage leading up to UFC 131 with nightly reports hosted by “Showdown” Joe Ferraro from Vancouver during the evening and prime editions starting on Wednesday, June 8.

For all the highlights, breaking news and inside stories from the MMA, tune into UFC Connected with “Showdown” Joe Ferraro every Monday night and log on to sportsnet.ca. One Cage, One Dream, One Network.

-END-