Photo by icantcu.

Prepare for arm bars, ground-and-pounds, and TKOs: UFC will bring its signature mix of martial arts to the Verizon Center for the first time on October 1st. The main event of the night will feature seven fights in all, is a showdown between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson battling for the Bantamweight Championship.

While Bantamweight is the lightest weight class (135 pounds), don’t be misled — these men can kick and do kick plenty of ass. They also tend to be faster on their feet and don’t tire out as easily, so there’s more action and less boring lying on top of each other (cough, Brock Lesner, cough).

Cruz currently holds the Bantamweight title, defending it in a fight against Urijah Faber, and holds higher stats in than Johnson, including 18 wins to 1 loss, over Johnson’s 14 wins to 1 loss. His strengths are “conditioning and punching power” (alas, my favorite, “octagon control,” is not listed). Johnson stands at 5’3” — five inches shorter than Cruz, but brings to the mat “speed, conditioning, and technique,” plus an awesome nickname: “mighty mouse.”

With the numerous mixed martial arts gyms in the area, offering classes on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai and more, it will be interesting to see how quickly tickets go (and perhaps even selling out, like a UFC event at Patriot Center did in January 2010). You can purchase yours starting this Friday, August 12 at 10 a.m.; they start at $50 and ramp up to $75, $150 and $250. If that’s too rich for your blood, especially if you’re new to the sport, the event will be broadcast on Versus, and happily, not on pay-per-view.