http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051005/55651.html?.v=1
LAS VEGAS & MORTON GROVE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 2005--STATS LLC, a leading sports information provider, and Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) brand, today introduced Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em(TM) - the first Ultimate Fighting® fantasy sports contest.
Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em debuts on November 5th with the finale of The Ultimate Fighter(TM) 2 in Las Vegas. Sign ups for the Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em begin October 20th and will be available at http://fantasy.ufc.tv. There is a $9.95 registration fee to play. The Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em schedule includes all live fighting events broadcast on Spike TV and pay per view. For the first contest, one grand prize winner will receive two VIP tickets to UFC 56: FULL FORCE in Las Vegas Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005, along with complimentary airfare for two (from the nearest major airport in the continental United States), double occupancy hotel accommodations for two days/two nights and a complimentary dinner for two.
Participants rounding out the game's top ten scores will receive The Ultimate Fighter(TM) 1 DVD collection, a UFC T-Shirt and a UFC Beanie, and 25 third prize winners will receive a The Ultimate Fighter 1 DVD collection.
The easy to play game requires participants to use their knowledge and skill to predict the winning fighter, victory type (submission via choke, KO Punches, etc.), and the minute and round the match ends for each of the eight matches of a typical UFC event.
"We are pleased to be working with STATS LLC to bring the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand of MMA to the world of fantasy sports," said Dana White, president, UFC. "Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em is an exciting and entertaining game, and we look forward to the impact it will have on our growing fan base."
"We're very excited to team with the energetic and forward-thinking people at UFC for their Fantasy Pick'em. We believe this is going to be a tremendous boon to both the UFC brand and its fans," said Jim Capuano, STATS' Vice President of Sales. "STATS looks forward to providing a game that will enrich the Ultimate Fighting® experience."
STATS will be responsible for development, web hosting, technical operations and customer service of UFC's Ultimate Fantasy Pick'em.
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts association and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® fight programs feature six live pay-per-view events annually 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. Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.tv.
Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting, UFC, The Ultimate Fighter, Submission, As Real As It Gets, The Octagon and the eight-sided 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.
About STATS LLC
STATS LLC offers the best from sports information leaders AP MegaSports and STATS, Inc. The combination offers unparalleled packages of premium sports content from sports scores and statistics to editorial content. STATS' MegaSports product offers customers breaking sports news from AP's national wire, game previews, photos and audio content, scores, schedules and a variety of other sports-related content in a digital format. STATS' SportsPower is a rip n' read service provided to broadcasters. STATS' innovative sports information solutions are utilized in numerous business segments: professional teams; sports broadcast production, cable and satellite networks; interactive television; broadband, wireless and internet; game developers and fantasy sports providers; print media and wire services. STATS is owned jointly by the Associated Press and News Corporation. http://biz.stats.com.
Contact:
STATS LLC
Nick Stamm, 847-583-2110
stamm@stats.com
or
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Jennifer Wenk, 702-221-4790
jwenk@ufc.tv