sakesamurai

From Wec.tv
World Extreme Cagefighting tickets go on sale this Saturday, Feb the 23rd at Noon!

Confirmed fights include:

Doug the Rhino Marshall vs Brian Stann for the 205 lb WEC Light Heavyweight title

and

Paulo Filho vs Chael Sonnen for the 185 lb WEC Middleweight title

"WORLD EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING® RETURNS WITH CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER

PAULO FILHO vs. CHAEL SONNEN
DOUG MARSHALL vs. BRIAN STANN

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008, LIVE FROM THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
LIVE ON VERSUS 9 P.M. ET/6 P.M. PT

Tickets Go on Sale Saturday, February 23 at Noon

LAS VEGAS – Their first fight captivated the mixed martial arts world and the end result was debated for weeks. But on Wednesday, March 26, WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho wants to leave no doubts in the minds of anyone, especially challenger Chael Sonnen, about who the superior fighter is when these two 185-pound standouts square off for a second time in the main event of the latest World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC™) card.

But that’s not all, as WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug ‘The Rhino’ Marshall puts his belt on the line for the third time against unbeaten Brian ‘All-American’ Stann in one of the most highly anticipated bouts in WEC history.

Tickets for WEC: Filho vs. Sonnen II go on sale Saturday, February 23 at noon and are priced at $200, $150, and $75 (not including applicable services or taxes). Tickets are available at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office and all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.

WEC: Filho vs. Sonnen II will be televised live nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT. All live WEC events will be presented in Hi-Definition (HD) and SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

Considered by many to be the premier middleweight fighter in the world today, WEC Champion Paulo ‘Eli’ Filho (16-0) has fought the best that the 185-pound division has to offer, both here and abroad, and he has yet to taste defeat. In 2007, Filho made his WEC debut in stirring fashion, stopping Joe Doerksen in the first round to win the organization title. He was pushed to the limit in his first title defense last December though, when Chael Sonnen got him in trouble early and dominated the first round. In the second round, Filho rebounded, catching Sonnen in an armbar with only seconds to go in the frame. And while there was some controversy over whether Sonnen verbally submitted or not, the fight was halted with five seconds left in the round and Filho retained his crown. Yet like a true champion, Filho respected the challenger’s performance and didn’t want his victory to have any question marks surrounding it, so he granted Sonnen a rematch.

Chael Sonnen (21-9-1) left quite an impression in his WEC debut last December with his stellar performance against Filho. But this six-year MMA veteran is no stranger to competing at the top levels of the sport, having beaten world-class fighters such as Jason Miller, Jason Lambert, Trevor Prangley, and Amar Suloev. Now approaching his prime as a fighter at 30, Sonnen plans on bringing the belt home in his second shot on March 26.

One of the hardest hitting competitors to ever set foot in the WEC cage, Light Heavyweight Champion Doug ‘The Rhino’ Marshall (7-2) will always leave opponents knowing that they’ve been in a fight. Winner of three in a row, Marshall – who has fought his entire career in the WEC – showed some new wrinkles in his game in his first title defense last December as he submitted Ariel Gandulla in just 55 seconds.

A first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps who was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery in battle during the Iraq War, Brian “All-American” Stann (5-0) has made a significant impact in and out of the WEC cage. Inside of it, the 27-year old Pennsylvanian has gotten better and better with each performance en route to a perfect record that has seen all of his bouts end in the first round. In his last match, on September 5th, Stann stopped Jeremiah Billington at 3:07 of the opening frame.

The remaining bouts for WEC: Filho vs Sonnen II will be announced in the near future. All bouts subject to change. For more information about WEC: Filho vs Sonnen II and current WEC fight news, visit www.wec.tv.