Versus Set To Air Its 2nd UFC Event

This Saturday, Versus airs its 2nd live UFC event of the year. Back in March, Versus’ first UFC event garnered a 1.1 rating and just under 1.25 million viewers which matches some of its best NHL ratings.

We have details on the fights and what you can expect to see this Saturday on Versus.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN BETWEEN JON ‘BONES’ JONES AND VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO HEADLINES VERSUS’ SECOND LIVE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® (UFC®) EVENT ON AUGUST 1 AT 9 P.M. ET

NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 27, 2010)-VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country, will air its second live UFC® event on Sunday, August 1, featuring a light heavyweight battle between Jon ‘Bones’ Jones and Vladimir Matyushenko. The fight will originate from the San Diego Sports Arena and air live on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET.

VERSUS has been the national cable television home of World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®) since 2007 and in December 2009, the network announced a multi-year extension with Zuffa LLC., the owners of both the WEC and UFC, to air two live UFC events in 2010 in addition to seven live WEC fights. VERSUS’ first live UFC event on Sunday, March 21, which marked the UFC’s debut on a national sports cable network, averaged 1.24 million viewers, garnered a 1.1 national HH rating and made VERSUS one of the most-watched cable networks in the country among all key male demos.

Jon Jones (10-1), winner of four of his last five UFC fights, put together his most impressive performance to date during VERSUS’ first UFC fight in March, with a first-round TKO over the battle-tested Brandon Vera. The 22-year-old phenom is an unorthodox striker and will face the most seasoned of veterans in Matyushenko.

Matyushenko (24-4), 39-years-old, brings a wealth of experience with each of his fights and looks to become a serious contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. He returned to the UFC in 2009 after a six-year break and secured a unanimous decision victory over Igor Pokrajac followed by a split-decision win against Eliot Marshall.

The well-rounded card also features a middleweight battle between Yushin Okami (25-5) and Mark Munoz (8-1); a welterweight fight featuring Jake Ellenberger (22-5) and John Howard (14-4); and a lightweight fight between Takanori Gomi (36-1) and Joe Stevenson (36-11).

I think I’ll post two more releases before calling it a night.