Las Vegas, NV (August 1, 2005) --The Octagon™ unleashes a fury when the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization holds the first-ever “Ultimate Fight Night,” a nationally-televised event on Spike TV featuring fighters from the hit reality series “The Ultimate Fighter™.” Stephan Bonnar, Sam Hoger, Alex Karalexis and Kenny Florian will be pitted against each other, and Chris Leben, Nate Quarry and Josh Koscheck will face-off with Patrick Cote, Pete Sell and Pete Spratt in a soon-to-be classic UFC event live on Spike TV from Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion Saturday, August 6, 2005. The live action starts at 7:15 p.m. EST/4:15 p.m. PST and Spike TV’s telecast starts at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST

Can Stephan Bonnar be the next challenger for Chuck Liddell? Or is it too early to discuss a title shot? Photography by Dave Mandel

VINDICATION MATCH
Stephan Bonnar vs Sam Hoger (Light Heavyweights)
More than two and a half million viewers watched Stephan “American Psycho” Bonnar (9-2) fight like a warrior for three five-minute rounds before a close-call decision went to opponent Forrest Griffin. Working up the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills he learned from the legendary Carlson Gracie, Bonnar intends to vindicate himself by sending Sam “the Alaskan Assassin” Hoger (5-0) to the mat. Hoger, who trains with the renowned Pat Miletich team, is predicting a different outcome and intends to devastate Bonnar using his superior stand up martial arts skills.

WELTERWEIGHT WARRIOR MATCH
Alex Karalexis vs Kenny Florian (Welterweights)
Alex “The Assassin” Karalexis (5-0), set the precedent for his upcoming bout against Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian (4-2) when he TKO’d Josh Rafferty in the first two minutes of the first round of the undercard of The Ultimate Fighter finale. A dangerous striker with knockout power, Karalexis will definitely need his stand-up martial arts skills against the polished ground-fighter and jiu-jitsu black belt Florian.

Patrick Cote vs Chris Leben (Middleweights)
Despite his controversial antics during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Chris “The Crippler” Leben (11-1) has proved himself a force to be reckoned with inside the Octagon. Holding a strong professional record, Leben will need all of his experience to challenge Canadian MMA champion Patrick “The Predator” Cote (6-2-0). Cote, a knockout artist, is hungry to make a name for himself in the UFC organization and plans to do so at Leben’s expense.

Undefeated Pete "Drago" Sell is looking to make another upset. Photography by Dave Mandel

Pete Spratt vs Josh Koscheck (Welterweights)
Already considered a top-flight wrestler, Josh Koscheck (5-0) possesses raw athletic talent and precision timing on the mat. Praised by the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter for his skills, Koscheck will find a foe of epic proportions with Pete “The Secret Weapon” Spratt (14-7-0). Described as a Dangerous striker with a Muay Thai base, Spratt renders instant knockouts with punches, kicks, knees or elbows. Spratt, who stopped “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler at UFC 42, plans to take Koscheck to school and teach him a few hard-knock lessons inside the Octagon.

Gideon Ray vs Mike Swick (Middleweights)
Scoring an intense 20-second knockout on The Ultimate Fighter finale, Mike “Quick” Swick (7-1) made good on his fight moniker and is plotting a similar attack when he meets Gideon 'The Gladiator' Ray (15-2-1). Currently training under UFC veteran Keith “The Giant Killer” Hackney, Gideon intends to unload his famous striking techniques and render Swick a quick KO. With rival stand-up skills, both fighters are expected to strike at will and finish the bout by knockout.

Josh Neer vs Drew Fickett (Welterweights)
Determined to make his first-ever UFC fight a success, Josh “The Dentist” Neer (13-1-1) will enter the Octagon as an aggressive fighter who can swiftly handle an opponent by submission or knockout. Using a combination of wrestling and Muay Thai disciplines, Neer will take on Drew “The Master” Fickett (26-3-0), who considers himself one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world. Coming off months of intense conditioning and complex training, Fickett wants to defeat Neer and show the world he has the makings of a UFC champion.

Finally, King of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt (right) is making the UFC debut! Photography by Hideto Ida

Nate Quarry vs Pete Sell (Middleweights)
Nathan “Rock” Quarry (13-1) is on the fast track to UFC fame with his TKO of Lodune Sincaid at the Ultimate Fighter finale and recent TKO of veteran fighter Shonie Carter at UFC 53. Quarry has earned the reputation as a striker with a versatile set of submission skills. Pete “Drago” Sell, (6-0-0) a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt trained by UFC veteran Matt “The Terror” Serra, was the first man to ever submit the very tough “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni. Sell is ready to show that he can take on Quarry and become the best middleweight in the division.

Nate Marquardt vs Ivan Salaverry (Middleweights)
The only man to be crowned a seven time-champion of one of Japan's oldest fighting organizations, Nate “The Great” Marquardt (24-6-1) will find himself against Ivan Salaverry (11-3-1) inside the Octagon August 6. Marquardt, who prides himself on his versatility and lion-hearted fighting style, will utilize the full potential of his world class striking and take-down skills to handle his opponent. Salaverry, coming off wins against Andrei Semenov, Tony Fryklund and Joe Riggs, is considered one of the most talented middleweights in the world. He has plans to become a challenger for the UFC middleweight title, and has no intention to let Marquardt derail that goal.

TICKETS:
Tickets are priced at $300, $100 and $30 for UFC’s Ultimate Fight Night and are available at the Cox Pavilion box office, at www.unlvtickets.com, or by calling 866.388.3267. Card subject to change and some bouts may not be shown due to time constraints.

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