UFC Heads to Baltimore on April 26 with Jones vs. Teixeira

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that pound-for-pound king Jon Jones will return to the Octagon® on Saturday, April 26 at Baltimore Arena to make an unprecedented seventh UFC® light heavyweight title defense against No. 2 contender Glover Teixeira, who is undefeated in the UFC. The event marks the organization’s first ever trip to Baltimore.

Jones, the brother of Baltimore Ravens star defensive lineman Arthur Jones, holds the UFC record for most light heavyweight title defenses with six. The dynamic striker and powerful wrestler will now meet the heavy-handed Teixeira, who has reeled off five straight wins in the UFC.

In addition to the Jones-Teixeira showdown, two more light heavyweights will meet in Baltimore when the division’s fourth-ranked competitor and 2008 national champion wrestler at Penn State Phil Davis (12-1, 1NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) meets the explosive Anthony Johnson (16-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Dublin, Ga.), who returns to the UFC riding a six-fight win streak.

The card also features top middleweights in action as former STRIKEFORCE® middleweight champ and sixth-ranked Luke Rockhold (11-2, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) takes on No. 11 Tim Boetsch (17-6, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.). No. 5 ranked Jake Ellenberger (29-7, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.) returns to action against former STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion and ninth-ranked Tarec Saffiedine (15-3, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.). Also, No. 2 ranked flyweight Joseph Benavidez (19-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) hopes to rebound when he takes on eighth-ranked Tim Elliott (10-4-1, fighting out of Lee’s Summit, Mo.).

Highly-touted lightweight prospect Joe Ellenberger (14-1, fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) makes his UFC debut against Honolulu’s Yancy Medeiros (10-1), while, battling to break into the featherweight rankings, Max Holloway (8-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) will meet recent UFC recruit Andre Fili (13-1, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.), who is coming off an impressive second-round knockout victory in his promotional debut.

Tickets for UFC®172: JONES vs. TEIXEIRA go on sale Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $350, $225, $125, $75 and $50. Tickets will be available at the Baltimore Arena Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800)745-3000 or on the web at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Feb. 6 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Through Quint Events, the UFC is proud to offer the UFC® VIP Experience. The experience combines tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greets, autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon and more! Please click here for more information on the UFC 172 VIP Experience.

UFC®172: JONES vs. TEIXEIRA will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

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, Sao Paulo, Beijing and Singapore, 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 FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FOX Sports 1.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 882 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 2.7 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.