Fans invited to UFC on Fox events in Chicago

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Chicago next week and in addition to the fight card, it brings several events that are open to the public.

UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis takes place Jan. 28 at the United Center. It will be the promotion's first official Fox-broadcast event after a seven-year deal with the network kicked off on Jan. 1.

Events that are free and open to the public include Thursday's news conference at the W Hotel and Friday's weigh-ins at the Chicago Theatre, The Times has learned from sources close to the promotion.

On Thursday, fans can attend the event's pre-fight press conference, which will take place at the W Hotel in Chicago. The event is free and open to the public.

The press conference will feature main card fighters Rashad Evans and Phil Davis; Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping; and Demian Maia and Chris Weidman. Additionally, Kankakee native and Chicago police officer Mike Russow, a UFC heavyweight, will be on the dais with his opponent, Jon Olav-Einemo. UFC president Dana White will oversee the proceedings.

Friday's weigh-ins at the Chicago Theatre will open doors to the public at 3 p.m. The first fighter will step on the scale just after 4 p.m. Prior to the weigh-in event, a fighter question-and-answer session will take place starting at 2 p.m. -- though that event is exclusive to members of UFC's Fight Club.

The fighter who will be appearing is not yet known, though past Fight Club Q&As have featured Munster native Stephan Bonnar, East Chicago native Miguel Torres and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, an Illinois native and resident who got his fighting start in Chicago.

Tickets for Saturday's show at the United Center are on sale at the box office and through Ticketmaster. The main event is a light heavyweight contenders fight between Chicago resident Evans, a Michigan State wrestling product, and Davis, a Penn State wrestling product. The other two fights on the Fox telecast underwent changes this week thanks to an injury to Mark Munoz that knocked him out of his fight with Sonnen. Bisping moved up a spot to face Sonnen, with the winner getting a middleweight title shot this summer. And Weidman stepped in on less than two weeks notice to fight Maia.