Reminder: Tickets on sale today for UFC 169's two title fights on Super Bowl Saturday

As a reminder, tickets for the UFC’s annual Super Bowl weekend card go on sale today.

UFC 169 features a pair of title fights in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. At 135, champion Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) returns from a layoff of more than two years for a title unification fight against interim beltholder Renan Barao (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC). And at 145, longtime champ Jose Aldo (23-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) defends his title against top contender Ricardo Lamas (13-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC). Plus, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (16-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) meets former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem (36-13 MMA, 1-2 UFC).

UFC 169 takes place Feb. 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and MMAjunkie. The following day, the NFL’s Super Bowl takes place in nearby East Rutherford and airs on FOX.

“We put together a fight worthy of Super Bowl weekend,” UFC President Dana White stated. “It’s the fight that everyone has been waiting for: champion vs. champion – Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao for the 135-pound title. Plus, the unstoppable Jose Aldo takes on the man everyone has been waiting to see him fight, Ricardo Lamas. Aldo has been the 145-pound champion since 2009 and he’s torn through the featherweight division. But Ricardo Lamas has heavy hands, great wrestling and will be the toughest test of Aldo’s career.”

UFC Fight Club members can purchase tickets today at 10 a.m. ET. In addition, UFC e-newsletter subscribers can purchase their tickets on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday through TIcketmaster or the Prudential Center box office at 10 a.m. ET. Prices range from $50 to $400.

Cruz finally will fight again for the first time since an October 2011 title defense against Demetrious Johnson. He’s been out for so long that since that time, Johnson has dropped to flyweight, won the title there in a tournament that was delayed by a rematch, and next month will defend the belt for a third time. Before being shelved with back-to-back knee surgeries and subsequent rehab time, Cruz defended his title in the UFC with decision wins over Faber and Johnson. Before that, he defended it in the WEC against Scott Jorgensen and Joseph Benavidez.

Barao won the UFC’s interim title when Cruz had to pull out of a title fight with Urijah Faber with a knee injury. He then defended the temporary belt in February with a “Submission of the Night” win over Michael McDonald in London and a “Knockout of the Night” win over Eddie Wineland in Toronto. The Brazilian hasn’t lost a fight since his pro debut in 2005, and only a no-contest nearly six years ago separates him from perfection since that first loss. He’s won 21 straight fights and hasn’t lost in 32 straight.

Aldo hasn’t lost in eight years. He brought his WEC title to the UFC to become the promotion’s first featherweight champ and has defended it with wins over Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar and, in August, a TKO of “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung. Jung got that fight when Anthony Pettis pulled out with an injury.

The man who many believed should have gotten the shot at Aldo instead of Jung was Lamas, who was scheduled to meet the “Zombie” at UFC 162. Instead, he will have sat out for 53 weeks at the time of the title fight. The Chicago-area native has won four straight fights since dropping from lightweight. He stopped Matt Grice in June 2011 after a head kick, picked up a “Submission of the Night” bonus for tapping out Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX 1, outpointed Hatsu Hioki in June 2012, and perhaps most impressively, stopped Erik Koch in the second round with vicious elbows at UFC on FOX 6 in January.

The latest UFC 169 card includes:

• Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao – bantamweight title unification bout
• Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas – for featherweight title
• Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem
• Chris Cariaso vs. Kyoji Horiguch

For the latest on UFC 169, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dominick Cruz)