MUMBAI: The Ultimate Fighting Championship has partnered Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to launch the first annual International Fight Week which will take from 3-7 July 2012.

International Fight Week is being positioned as being the ultimate week-long experience for UFC fans. The inaugural week-long celebration of the UFC will feature the largest ever gathering of fighters and unprecedented access to UFC stars and will cumulate with UFC 148: Silva vs Sonnen II.

The UFC and LVCVA have partnered to make the July fight event not just a Las Vegas tradition, but a signature sporting occasion which will draw fans from all over the globe to the fight capital of the world. This will become an annual tradition for the UFC in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White said, "For years the UFC has done a big Vegas show around the Fourth of July weekend and now we?ve made it a focal point in our calendar . For UFC 148, we?ve got fans coming in from all over the country, tons of people from Brazil and Canada and as far away as England, Japan and Australia to see this fight.

"Las Vegas is the UFC?s hometown. This is where our headquarters are this is where we are from and we?re proud to be contributing to the local economy. The first annual International Fight Week will be awesome, the fans are going to have a fight week experience better than anything they?ve ever had before, and each year we are going to build this thing to the point where every fan on the planet knows they have to come to Vegas for this July fight week at least once in their lives."

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president, CEO Rossi Ralenkotter said, "The UFC has evolved into a world-wide brand, generating interest from all over the globe. Las Vegas and UFC is a partnership of two great brands and International Fight Week will attract visitors from all over the world. There?s no better destination for a special event of this magnitude than Las Vegas."

Properties in Las Vegas that will be hosting UFC themed events during International Fight Week, include the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, the Palazzo, the Wynn, the Palms, the EA Sports Lounge at the Cosmopolitan, a Fremont Street experience at the D, Golden Nugget, Golden Gate and El Cortez.