UFC 152 "Benavidez vs. Johnson" official for Toronto, tickets on sale next week

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 152 is official for Sept. 22 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as the organization officially announced the event on Thursday. They confirmed that the headliner will be the first-ever UFC Flyweight Championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, as well as announcing three other fights for the card.

Joining the event are previously reported bouts in Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann and B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald. Additionally, they announced a lightweight bout between T.J. Grant and Evan Dunham.

Tickets for the card will go on sale to the general public next Friday, July 27, and the UFC will head to Toronto next Tuesday, July 24, for a kick-off press conference for the event. Tickets range from $85-$550, and UFC Fight Club members get their first crack at tickets on Wednesday, with a UFC Newsletter presale on Thursday.

"Everyone knows how much I love Canada and it's going to be great to have the first-ever UFC Flyweight Title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson in Toronto on Sept. 22," UFC President Dana White said. "Both Michael Bisping and Brian Stann want to prove that they deserve a shot at Anderson Silva, so I expect them to go out and put on an incredible fight for the fans."

"B.J. Penn called out Rory MacDonald and Rory accepted! B.J. is a former two-division champion and he loves having the chance to knock off the welterweight division's fastest-rising star."

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander