EXCLUSIVE FACEBOOK COMIC BOOK STRIP COUNTS DOWN

TO UFC® 148 GRUDGE MATCH LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW JULY 7

Las Vegas, Nevada - Reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and bitter rival and No1 contender Chael Sonnen have long been known as two of the most colorful characters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization. But that has been taken to a whole new level in a special comic strip which will countdown to the UFC 148 main event between the two bitter rivals.

Each day another page of the strip will be published on the UFC's Facebook page, Facebook.com/UFC leading to the biggest fight of the summer at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on July 7.

The strip has been drawn by British artist Dave Golding, 37, a professional comic book artist since 2006. Golding was the original artist for the critically acclaimed Dare graphic novel 'The Hunter', which has recently been optioned by Hollywood, and his work has been featured throughout the medium as well as on designs for various science-fiction shows for British television.

The strip - which launched on Sunday on Facebook - will tell the story of this almost-inevitable rematch of the 2010 fight of the year, and is peppered with in-jokes long-time UFC fans will appreciate.

Golding has also re-imagined Silva - a lifelong comic book fan - and Sonnen as costumed heroes for two special faux comic book covers. Silva dons the tights as 'the Silver Spider' and wears an outfit featuring the colors of his beloved Brazil's national flag. Sonnen, meanwhile, is taken at his word and has been transformed into the 'American Gangsta', and given a patriotic Old Glory color scheme.

Silva said: "I've always been a comic book fan since I was young. I liked heroes who had everyday problems but still tried to help people."

Sonnen said: "What a thrill, to see myself in comic book form. Never before has a real life super-hero been turned into a mortal in a comic book, you will never see this in your lives again."

UFC® 148: SILVA vs. SONNEN II will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer's Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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 organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 liveevents 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 includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now air on FX in an exciting new live format.

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 and in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports BroadcastingInc. and in Quebec through 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, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed byTHQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.