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UFC 92 The Ultimate 2008: Forrest Griffin vs. “Sugar” Rashad Evans Dec. 27

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is proud to announce three classic bouts on the historic final card of the year UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008, live Saturday, Dec. 27 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. UFC light heavyweight champion and the original The Ultimate Fighter Forrest Griffin will headline the fight card. Griffin looks to defend his belt against The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans, fresh off a devastating knockout win against former UFC champion Chuck Liddell.

Tickets priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $150, $75, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) 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.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

“We are ending 2008 with a fight card like no other,” said UFC President Dana White. “One for every fight fan out there.”

Former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir continues his pursuit for not one but two titles when he meets Interim UFC Heavyweight champion Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira in the season-ending match-up between the two The Ultimate Fighter coaches. Also on the card is a grudge match between two former champions as MMA legend Wanderlei Silva takes on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The question of who is the greatest champion to ever come out of The Ultimate Fighter could be answered when Forrest Griffin (16-4) meets the red-hot Rashad Evans (16-0-1) for the light heavyweight belt. Griffin, from Columbus, OH, has won three consecutive fights including a submission victory against former Pride champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and a unanimous decision victory against Jackson. Evans, a Niagara Falls, N.Y. native and former national junior college champion wrestler, has KO wins over Jason Lambert, Sean Salmon and most recently UFC legend Liddell.

“Forrest fights from the heart just like me, and everyone underestimates Forrest until they get in there with him, like me,” said Evans. “I think he and I are going to be like Ali vs. Frazier – this will be the first time we meet, but it won’t be the last, so I want to set the precedent. Fighting Forrest for the title is a dream come true; it’s crazy to think how far I’ve come but I’m going to treat this like every other fight. Like I’ve shown time and time again in my fights, opportunity is all I need.”

It’s almost time for The Ultimate Fighter’s Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir coaches to step from the Octagon apron to inside the cage and decide who deserves to be the heavyweight champion. Las Vegas’ Frank Mir (11-3) will meet the only man ever to hold the Pride and UFC heavyweight titles, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira (31-4-1). The match-up features two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts who enjoy high-profile matches.

White added, “Mir won the heavyweight title in 2004, breaking Tim Sylvia’s arm in the process. However a severe motorcycle injury took him out of the UFC heavyweight picture for more than a year. After a rocky road back, Mir now has a chance to regain his championship belt. Nogueira is the only man to win both Pride and UFC World Heavyweight championships. He looks to defeat Mir and leave no doubt about who is the best submission specialist in the heavyweight division.”

In what could be the match of the night, former Pride champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva faces a man who he has beaten twice before, Memphis, Tenn. native Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. This time Rampage (28-7) is looking to prove he is a different and greatly improved fighter.

Jackson said, “Wanderlei is an exciting fighter with awesome skills. I think this is going to be the fight of the year. Don’t miss it.”

However, Brazil’s Silva (32-8-1), who is coming off a vicious KO win over Keith Jardine, didn’t return the compliment. Silva stated, “I’m not fighting him for money, I’m fighting him for pure pleasure. He talks bad about me on the Internet, yet he won’t talk bad to my face. I don’t like him and I can’t wait to beat him down at UFC 92.”

UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PST via the website www.ufc.com. An Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, Oct. 24 starting at 10 a.m. PST. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter at www.ufc.com.

UFC 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008 will be available live on pay-per-view beginning 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).