At only 26 years old, Johnson earned the division’s title last September with a win over Joseph Benavidez. Following a unanimous decision victory over John Dodson in January, he’s now set to take on Moraga, a two-time NCAA wrestling All-American at Arizona State University. The 29-year-old is currently riding a seven-fight win streak.
“Demetrious Johnson will defend the flyweight title in front of his hometown fans in Seattle, as he battles 12-1 contender John Moraga on July 27 at KeyArena,” UFC President Dana White said. “DJ has incredible speed and powerful takedowns, while Moraga is slick on the ground and was a standout wrestler at Arizona State. In addition to the main event, we’ve got Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger, Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine and Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche. This is a great card!”
Additional bouts:
Canadian welterweight contender Rory MacDonald (3) vs. heavy-handed knockout artist Jake Ellenberger (4)
Longtime MMA veteran Robbie Lawler (9) battling former Strikeforce® welterweight champ Tarec Saffiedine (8)
Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ and Washington’s own Miesha Tate (3) taking on former title contender Liz Carmouche (5)
*Rankings in parentheses as of 5/6/13
The evening’s action also includes five lightweight bouts featuring Spokane’s Michael Chiesa againstReza Madadi, Strikeforce veteran Bobby Green vs. Team Alpha Male’s Danny Castillo, The Ultimate Fighter® season six winner Mac Danzig taking on crowd-favorite Melvin Guillard, a clash of UFC mainstays between Yves Edwards and Spencer Fisher and Aaron Riley vs. Justin Salas. Also on the card, Brendan Schaub meets Matt Mitrione in a heavyweight tilt, while Julie Kedzie andGermaine de Randamie square off in a women’s bantamweight bout. Tukwila’s Trevor Smith is also set to make his UFC middleweight debut against veteran Ed Herman.
The main card airs live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, preceded by the prelims on FX at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. FUEL TV previews the card the week before on signature shows UFC TONIGHT and UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER, and also carries the WEIGH-IN SHOW on Friday, July 26 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and provides post-event analysis.
Tickets for UFC® on FOX: JOHNSON vs. MORAGA go on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $250, $175, $125, $75, and $50. Tickets are available at the KeyArena Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 15 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 16, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 169 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
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