Las Vegas, NV (USA) – In March 2006, top welterweights Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn fought for the division’s No. 1 contender’s spot. St-Pierre earned a razor-thin split decision and went on to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship® welterweight title. Penn dropped to the lightweight division and won the organization’s 155-pound title.
Now they’re about to do it again. But this time, there’s much more at stake.
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP®
ANNOUNCES UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2
UFC® WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY, JANUARY, 31, 2009
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – In March 2006, top welterweights Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn fought for the division’s No. 1 contender’s spot. St-Pierre earned a razor-thin split decision and went on to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship® welterweight title. Penn dropped to the lightweight division and won the organization’s 155-pound title.
Now they’re about to do it again. But this time, there’s much more at stake.
UFC® lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to be the first fighter in history to hold two UFC championships at the same time when he faces Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31, 2009.
Two champions, two of the best in the world, pound-for-pound, and this time – two more rounds for the welterweight championship.
“This may be the most anticipated rematch in UFC history,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Their first fight was an epic battle of two of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. After that fight, St-Pierre would go on to win the UFC World Welterweight title and Penn would go on to win the UFC World Lightweight title.
Now these two champions meet again with a lot of pride and St-Pierre's title on the line. This fight will be talked about for years to come.”
Tickets for UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2 priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Sunday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.ufc.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, November 13 at 10 a.m. PT via the website ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Saturday, November 15 starting at 10am PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.
UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2 will be available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).
One of the sport’s most dynamic athletes, Georges St-Pierre (17-2) will be prepared to go five rounds to defend his UFC welterweight championship. The Montreal, Canada native has won his last four fights and nine out of his last 10. Most recently, the popular champ defeated number one contender Jon Fitch in a five round war, and at 27, he is in the prime of his brilliant fighting career and looking to send Penn back to the 155-pound weight class.
“I'm very honored to fight BJ Penn and very excited because it's the fight that everybody wants to see, including myself,” said St-Pierre. “It will be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history, and I'm glad and humbled to be a part of it.”
The welterweight division is old hat for Hilo, Hawaii’s BJ Penn (14-4-1). The current UFC lightweight champion earned the welterweight title in 2004 with a submission victory over UFC legend Matt Hughes. But Penn has been even more untouchable since moving back to the lightweight division. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has won his last three fights against three world-class foes in Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk. But the only thing on Penn’s mind right now is a return to the welterweight division for a healthy dose of revenge.
“For that fight, I was at a point in my career where I didn’t prepare as well as I should have,” Penn said. “During the second and third round I realized that I ran into someone that wanted it more than I did…Now, I’m very prepared to go five rounds.”
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Bell ExpressVU, Viewers Choice, SaskTel Max™ and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.
Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting, UFC, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.