UFC 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ 2 taking place live from Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday, December 30, 2006.
Tickets for UFC 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ 2 (not including applicable services or taxes) are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $200 and $100 and are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777 (Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s stores and Ritmo Latino). 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 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ 2 is 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 $39.95 ($39.99 CAD).

UFC 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ 2 features the championship bout between Liddell and Ortiz, the No. 1 Contender. Liddell, (19-3-0) fighting out of San Luis Obispo, Calif., is a devastating striker with an incredible takedown defense. He is the reigning UFC World Light Heavyweight Champion and has knocked out his last six opponents including Ortiz, Randy Couture (twice), Vernon White, Jeremy Horn and most recently Renato “Babalu” Sobral in August. Liddell is considered by many to be the most recognized mixed martial arts fighter in the world, earning the reputation by delivering incredible knockouts and dominating the UFC light heavyweight division. He has no fears of facing Ortiz a second time, stating that he will fight the Huntington Beach native any time, anywhere and walk away with his title intact.

Also on the card is an exciting lineup of undercard bouts including: Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin, Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz, Chris Leben vs. Jason MacDonald, Michael Bisping vs. Eric Schafer, Tony DeSouza vs. Thiago Alves, Carmelo Marrero vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Yushin Okami vs. Rory Singer, and Anthony Perosh vs. Christian Wellisch.

Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine (11-3-1) 6’2”/ 205 lbs., fighting out of Albuquerque, NM is a well rounded fighter with a black belt in Gaidojutsu. Jardine has made his mark in the UFC as he most recently pounded out a three round unanimous decision over Wilson Gouveia in The Ultimate Fighter® 3 Finale. During a recent UFC®Fight Night™, the submission wrestler lost a controversial three round unanimous decision to Stephan Bonnar unlike his UFC 66 opponent Forrest Griffin ((13-3-0) who scored a three round unanimous decision over Bonnar in a highly anticipated rematch in August. Fighting out of Las Vegas, 6’3”/205 lbs., Griffin is also a well rounded fighter whose freestyle propelled him to become the Light Heavyweight Ultimate Fighter. He looks to catapult his position in the light heavyweight division in this head to head match up with Jardine.

Marcio ‘Pe De Pano’ Cruz (2-1-0) 6’4”/246 lbs., fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, is one of the top Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in mixed martial arts today. As an underdog the 28-year old grappler scored his biggest Octagon™ win to date, a one-sided first round TKO of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in February. Cruz returns as the underdog against another former champion, Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski (11-5-0). A six-time world Jiu-Jitsu champion, Cruz would like nothing better than to rebound from his loss to Jeff Monson in April by stopping the comeback of the former UFC heavyweight champion. The 6’4”/240 lbs., Arlovski was deemed unbeatable during his 14-month reign of terror over the division. But after a stunning first round knockout loss to Sylvia in their April rematch and a listless decision defeat in the rubber match with ‘The Maine-iac’ in July, it was obvious that ‘The Pitbull’ needed to regroup and go back to the gym to regain the form that made him the most feared heavyweight in the world. The first step of the Chicago fighters’ comeback journey begins when he takes on Cruz.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben (15-2-0) 5’11”/185 lbs., fighting out of Gresham, Oreg., rose to the upper reaches of the middleweight division quickly as he went 5-0 in the UFC after a stint on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In June, Leben ran into a brick wall in the form of future UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who stopped him in just 49 seconds and sent him back to square one. Leben demanded an immediate return to action, got it, and delivered, knocking out tough Jorge Santiago in the second round in August. Leben’s road back to the top leads him to Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald (17-7-0). The 6’3”/185 lbs., MacDonald scored an upset win in his UFC debut against Ed Herman in October where he stated “I’m nobody’s steppingstone.” His masterful performance on the ground while submitting The Ultimate Fighter 3 finalist in just two minutes and 43 seconds proved that he was definitely someone to be taken seriously in the UFC’s middleweight division. This seven year veteran from Edmonton is back to face an opponent with a little revenge on his mind as he takes on Leben.

England’s Michael “The Count” Bisping (11-0-0) 6’2”/205 lbs., enters his bout against Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer not just as a rising light heavyweight prospect and the winner of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, but as the hope of a nation looking for one of its own to succeed on the premier stage in mixed martial arts. A well-rounded 27-year-old who is comfortable wherever the fight takes him, Bisping is unbeaten in his pro campaign and he made an impressive impact Stateside during his time on The Ultimate Fighter, where he stopped Kristian Rothaermel, Ross Pointon, and Josh Haynes en route to the third season crown. His UFC journey continues as he takes on Milwaukee, WI fighter Schafer (9-1-2) 6’3”/205 lbs. Blessed with a deadly submission game as well as a quick wit, Schafer is the type of fighter that will choke someone out with no mercy, and luckily for him, he’s been doing plenty of damage with his last four wins all coming by tap out. Schafer hopes to get victory number ten against Bisping.

Tony DeSouza (9-2-0) 6’1”/170 lbs., fighting out of Lima, Peru, made a return to the Octagon after a five year absence. DeSouza received a rude welcome back in October as newcomer Dustin Hazelett locked on a tight triangle choke moments into their welterweight bout. DeSouza eventually broke free and let loose his own submission game, forcing Hazelett to tap out due to a kimura at 3:59 of the first round. DeSouza faces another hungry up and comer in Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (15-4-0) 5’8”/170 lbs. The ultra-confident 32-year-old, who has been working his standup game extensively, knows that whatever ‘The Pitbull’ throws at him, he will respond accordingly. Alves, a talented young fighter whose former reliance on pure athletic ability led him to some erratic appearances in the Octagon, appeared to turn a corner in his October bout against veteran John Alessio. He used a disciplined three round attack and some vicious Muay Thai techniques to pound out a well earned unanimous decision over Alessio in front of his hometown fans in Florida. Now 3-2 in the UFC, this hard-hitting 23-year old will try to add skilled veteran DeSouza to a victims list that includes Alessio, Ansar Chalangov, and Derrick Noble.

Gabriel ‘Napao’ Gonzaga (6-1-0) 6’1”/242 lbs., fighting out of Ludlow, Mass., is fresh off a win at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. He now returns to the Octagon to continue his quest for UFC gold. Twenty-seven year old Gonzaga has shown an uncanny ability to not only hang with anyone when the fight hits the mat, but to also finish fights in emphatic fashion, as shown by his one-punch knockout win over Kevin Jordan at UFC 56 and his second round stoppage of fellow Brazilian Fabiano Scherner at UFC 60. A third impressive finish against unbeaten up and comer Carmelo “The Fury” Marrero (5-0-0) 6’0”/220 lbs., will make Gonzaga a hard man to ignore in 2007. Pennsylvania fighter Marrero, was just another faceless up and comer when he stepped into the Octagon for the first time against highly regarded Cheick Kongo at UFC 64 in October. But after three rounds epitomized by his trademark wrestling and ground and pound attack, fight fans certainly knew who Marrero was, as he drilled out a hard fought three round decision over the Frenchman and made a statement that he had truly arrived in the UFC. Now faced with the task of following up his impressive debut, the unbeaten 25-year-old will be tested once again under the bright lights by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gonzaga.

Yushin Okami (18-3-0) 6’2”/185 lbs., a product of the same Kanagawa, Japan gym that produced lightweight star Caol Uno, began writing his own Octagon story in 2006 by notching two clear cut victories while establishing himself as a contender in the ultra-competitive middleweight division. A well-rounded fighter with deceptive striking power and a solid ground game, Okami was most impressive at UFC 64 as he completely dismantled Kalib Starnes en route to a punishing third round TKO.

The Ultimate Fighter 3’s Rory “Outburst” Singer (10-6-0) 6’2”/185 lbs., is up next for the last man to hold a win over current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. But with two memorable performances in the UFC already under his belt, Singer is rapidly gaining a reputation as a ‘Must See’ fighter in the middleweight division. A member of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter Season 3, the 30-year old Singer submitted fellow housemate Ross Pointon with a triangle choke in June, and while the bout only took 44 seconds, it included some of the most furious action seen in the Octagon all year. In October, Singer made it two action-packed battles in a row with a three round decision win over good friend Josh Haynes in another war. Okami is on tap next for the Georgia resident.

Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh (5-2-0) 6’3”/225 lbs., a native of Sydney, Australia and a ten-time national jiu-jitsu champion, will be looking for his first UFC win against Sacramento fighter Christian “The Hungarian Nightmare” Wellisch (7-2-0). The 34-year-old didn’t get any favors in his Octagon debut in July, as he was matched up with future title challenger Jeff Monson at UFC 61, and subsequently stopped in the first round. But Perosh, whose five mixed martial arts wins have all come by submission opted to go back to the gym he owns with UFC veteran Elvis Sinosic to train even harder for his next opportunity to fight in the States against Wellisch.

“The Hungarian Nightmare” trains with the highly accomplished American Kickboxing Academy and hopes to enjoy the same success many of their fighters have found in the Octagon. At 6’3”/237 lbs., Wellisch looks the part of a heavyweight contender, but in his UFC debut in August against Cheick Kongo, the Budapest native froze under the bright lights and saw some positive early moments go to waste as he was knocked out in the first round. Wellisch is a resourceful fighter though, and against Perosh, he hopes to show the form that has many in the sport touting him as a fighter to watch in the coming months.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand 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., the UFC® organization produces approximately eight live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com,
 

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