UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC returns to Target Center on Friday, Oct. 5 with a heavyweight showdown between contenders Travis “Hapa” Browne and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.  The main card will also air live on FX at 7pm central time.

An explosive welterweight contest between Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger and Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron will now serve as the night’s co-main event. Ellenberger, a native of Omaha, Neb., has won six out of his last seven UFC fights, including victories over Diego Sanchez, Jake Shields and Mike Pyle. Meanwhile, Hieron has won 11 out of his last 12 and defeated Ellenberger in their first meeting in 2006.

White Bear Lake’s Jacob Volkmann will also compete on the card, taking on three-time Division I All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University, Shane Roller. Volkmann, a three-time Division I All-American at University of Minnesota who also earned his chiropractic doctorate at Northwestern Health Sciences University, has won five out his last six inside the Octagon®. Owner of Volkmann Chiropractic in White Bear Lake, the 31-year-old practicing chiropractor now has a chance to compete in front of his hometown fans on Oct. 5.

Marcus LeVesseur, a Minneapolis native who went undefeated as a collegiate wrestler at Augsburg College and won four national titles, has been added to the UFC card as well. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced that the 30-year-old will meet dangerous veteran Carlo Prater in lightweight (155 pounds) action when the organization returns to Minneapolis for the first time since 2008.

In addition to the Heavyweight showdown – other bouts include:

Welterweight Bout
Mike Pierce vs.  Aaron Simpson

Lightweight Bout
Carlo Prater vs. Marcus LeVesseur

Flyweight Bout 
Phil Harris vs. Darren Uyenoyama

Featherweight Bout
Diego Nunes vs.  Bart Palaszewski

Lightweight Bout
Shane Roller vs.  Jacob Volkmann

Lightweight Bout
Thiago Tavares vs. Dennis Hallman

Lightweight Bout
Danny Castillo vs. Michael Johnson

Lightweight Bout
Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens

Welterweight Bout
Justin Edwards vs. Josh Neer

Flyweight Bout
Jussier Formiga vs. John Dodson

Welterweight Bout
Jay Hieron vs.  Jake Ellenberger

Heavyweight Bout
Antonio Silva vs. Travis Browne

All bouts & fighters 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 and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, 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 FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 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 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 over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.