Las Vegas, NV –The UFC® announced today the launch of a nationwide celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month featuring top Hispanic UFC stars. UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and The Ultimate Fighter® season one winner Diego Sanchez lead more than a dozen UFC fighters and personalities on a month-long celebration in honor of Hispanic heritage and to give fans the opportunity to meet their favorite Hispanic fighters. UFC partners and affiliates such as FOX Deportes, Metro PCS, Comcast, COX and Anheuser-Busch will also take part in the celebration. In addition, the UFC will team up with the MLS’ Houston Dynamo as well as the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, for exciting fan events at upcoming sporting events. Along with the announcement of the UFC selling out UFC 180 in Mexico City on Nov. 15 and the breakthrough success of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, Hispanic Heritage Month will be the perfect celebration of diversity in the UFC and will showcase amazing Hispanic athletes proudly representing their culture.
UFC fans in Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. will have the opportunity to be a part of the “Despierta tu Instinto Guerrero” festivities from Sept. 13 through Oct. 13, 2014. Festivities will feature a multi-city promotional tour that will include press days, community activities and engagements, festival activations with sponsors and affiliates, and additional social media activities for all fans to enjoy.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity for the UFC to reaffirm our commitment to the Hispanic community and to celebrate a new generation of Hispanic American athletes,” said UFC President Dana White. “Hispanics are some of the most passionate and loyal fans of combat sports. We are proud of our Hispanic athletes as they represent their heritage each time they step into the Octagon and we want to share their amazing talents and stories with UFC fans.”
The UFC kicked off the tour at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 31 at the Chivas USA vs. L.A. Galaxy pre-game event, the Chiva Town fan zone. Fans had the opportunity to meet featherweight fighter Ricardo Lamas, who will compete in the sold out, first ever event in Mexico City, UFC 180, as well as Octagon Girl™ Arianny Celeste.
From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Americans celebrate and recognize the contributions made and the important presence of Hispanics to the United States. Celebrations of the group’s heritage and culture begin on Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries — Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared its independence on Sept. 16 and Chile on Sept. 18.
With more than 40.3 million UFC fans around the world, 18 percent of the UFC’s total fan base is Hispanic, outpacing major U.S. sports leagues including the NBA, MLB, and the NFL in concentration of Hispanic fans. The UFC has experienced considerable growth with 15.2 million unique Hispanic viewers consuming UFC related programming.
The UFC looks forward to inspiring its fans beyond ethnicity or gender to “awaken their warrior instinct” or “Despierta Tu Instinto Guerrero” by giving them the opportunity to unite with their favorite fighters and personalities in celebrating culture, tradition and the fighter within them.
Hispanic Heritage Month events:
Sept. 13, 14 and 15 – HOUSTON
Erik Perez and Kelvin Gastelum
Sept. 14 and 15 in LAS VEGAS
Frank Mir, Kenda Perez and Diego Sanchez
Sept. 19, 20 and 21 in WASHINGTON, DC
Sept. 22 and 23 in PHOENIX
John Moraga and Efrain Escudero.
Sept. 24 and 25 CHICAGO
Ricardo Lamas, Julianna Pena and Yosdenis Cedeno
Oct. 5 and 6 in NEW YORK CITY
Dennis Bermudez
Oct. 12 and 13 in MIAMI
Cain Velasquez, Hector Lombard, Yoel Romero and Jorge Masvidal
*Fighters are subject to change
