– Exclusive Canadian coverage of preliminary fights, Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT–
– Showdown Joe Ferraro and Canadian UFC lightweight phenom T.J. Grant host UFC 161 Countdown Canada Preview Show –
– Coverage across Sportsnet’s TV, radio, print, and digital platforms –
TORONTO (June 12, 2013) Sportsnet,Canada’s official home of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, hits the Octagon in Winnipeg for the first time in UFC history to deliver multiplatform coverage of UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson presented by Pizza Pizza. Sportsnet covers every angle of UFC 161 across TV, radio, print and digital, including the one-hour UFC 161 Countdown Canada Preview Show on Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, followed by two hours of preliminary fights at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, and Pacific, and available onRogersAnyplaceTV.com.
Saturday’s fightcard showcases seven Canadian fighters, including Port Colborne, ON’s Alexis Davis taking on Rosi Sexton in the first women’s UFC fight in Canada. The main event features former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans facing former Strikeforce and Pride champion Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight contender bout. Both veteran fighters are top contenders in their class, with the winner of Saturday’s fight moving into title contention against current champ Jon “Bones” Jones. (Complete UFC 161 fightcard listed below).
UFC 161 on Sportsnet – Coverage Details:
- Connected: Starting today and continuing through fight night and beyond, “Showdown” Joe Ferraro reports on the latest news from Winnipeg
- UFC Central Radio: Ferraro previews the entire UFC 161 fight card on Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Friday, June 14 at 1 a.m. ET
- Official Weigh-ins: Ferraro and Canadian UFC fighter T.J. Grant co-host the one-hour show on Friday, June 14 at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, and Pacific, and streamed live on sportsnet.ca
- UFC 161 Countdown Canada Preview Show: Sarah Davis hosts from the Toronto studio, while Ferraro and Grant provide updates from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg; also includes live coverage of two preliminary fights (Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- UFC 161 Prelims: Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific
- Post-fight Press Conference: sportsnet.ca will have live streaming of the post-fight press conference following the main event
- UFC Central:Ferraro hosts the show from Winnipeg alongside Grant, featuring an in-depth recap of the entire fight card, Monday, June 17 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on Sportsnet West and ONE (multiple repeat airings, please check local listings)
- Sportsnet magazine: In the current issue on newsstands now, senior writer Ryan Dixon looks at the class of veterans at UFC 161 who are looking for one last shot at glory
Talent Quotes and Interviews:
- Ferraro on Canadians participating in UFC 161:
“The MTS Centre is going to explode once the first televised preliminary fight airs, as hometown hero and UFC bantamweight Roland Delorme will surely get the crowd riled up. He kicks off the action on Sportsnet, followed by Stouffville, ON welterweight Sean Pierson and London, ON lightweight Sam Stout. And the cherry on top of the cake: a welterweight contender bout caps off the broadcast between Jake Shields and knockout artist Tyron Woodley.”
- Ferraro is available for interviews to discuss all things UFC 161
UFC 161 Fightcard:
Preliminaries:
- Yves Jabouin (Montreal) vs. Dustin Pague
- Mitch Clarke (Saskatoon) vs. John Maguire
- Sean Pierson (Toronto) vs. Kenny Robertson
- Roland Delorme (Winnipeg) vs. Edwin Figueroa
- Sam Stout (London, ON) vs. James Krause
- Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley
Main Card
- Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan
- Alexis Davis (Port Colborne, ON) vs. Rosi Sexton
- Ryan Jimmo (Saint John, NB) vs. Igor Pokrajac
- Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic
- Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson
Social Media Links
Official website, Sportsnet www.sportsnet.ca
Like Sportsnet on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sportsnet
Follow Sportsnet @Sportsnet
Follow Joe Ferraro @ShowdownJoe
Follow Sarah Davis @sarnicoledavis
Follow TJ Grant @TJ_Grant
Follow Ryan Dixon @Dixononsports
Follow Official Sportsnet PR @SportsnetPR
About Sportsnet
Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level. The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and the Hockey Central app on iPad and Playbook. Sportsnet consists of four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet World, and The Score. Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in NHL and MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series. Sportsnet is an official licensed broadcaster of the 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilTM and also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Memorial Cup, CIS Vanier Cup, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Grand Slam of Curling, IZOD IndyCar Series, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, and extensive soccer programming including Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC, CONCACAF and Canadian national team matches for men and women. Connected is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.