In a month personified by promotional milestones, the UFC left one last ace up their sleeve. Announced by organization officials Wednesday, plans are officially in place to air UFC 134's Spike TV preliminaries special above Times Square in New York City, New York for the first time in company history.
The live broadcast straight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will be held on a large digital sign above the Doubletree Hotel, conveniently located in Time Square's Little Brazil. The hour of mixed martial arts action is slated to run from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
Highlighting the prelims are two scheduled bouts. Thiago Tavares takes on Spencer Fisher in a lightweight contest, and Rousimar Palhares squares off in a middleweight duel against Dan Miller.
The hope for UFC officials organizing the broadcast spectacle is to catch the attention of individuals who would otherwise have not known or cared about the event, and entice them into local businesses that are airing the full pay-per-view card.
UFC 134 is scheduled for Saturday, August 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The organization's long-awaited return to the country is headlined by contest between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami for the UFC middleweight championship