5 Bouts Signed for UFC 130

Five speculated bouts are now official for UFC 130 on May 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, including a lightweight championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard (Pictured).

Also announced by the promotion was a light heavyweight scrap pitting Quinton Jackson against Thiago Silva, a heavyweight tilt featuring Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, a middleweight affair showcasing Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann and a welterweight showdown between Thiago Alves and Rick Story. All five bouts were revealed during the most recent episode of the online series “Ultimate Insider” on UFC.com.

Edgar comes fresh off a trying title defense against Maynard at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day. After being floored multiple times and nearly finished in the first round, the gutsy champion battled back over the next four frames to force a draw on the judges’ scorecards. Due to the closeness of the fight and the verdict, UFC President Dana White declared the pair would fight again in an immediate rematch.

Maynard remains the only man to ever beat Edgar. In their first fight at UFC Fight Night 13 in 2008, “The Bully” earned a unanimous decision over the future champion. Maynard has yet to taste defeat as a professional, and he owns eight of his 10 career wins by decision.

Jackson was last seen earning a close unanimous decision over fellow former titleholder Lyoto Machida at UFC 123. A former star of the Pride Fighting Championships promotion, Jackson unified the Pride and UFC titles in 2007, outpointing Dan Henderson at UFC 75. “Rampage” has won three of his last four bouts, earning victories over Keith Jardine and Silva before dropping a unanimous decision to Rashad Evans at UFC 114.

A product of American Top Team, Silva’s last performance in the Octagon was a memorable one, as he battered former heavyweight contender Brandon Vera, breaking his opponent’s nose en route to a unanimous decision victory. Prior to the bout, Silva had spent a full year on the shelf nursing a back injury.

Mir comes fresh off a knockout over Mirko Filipovic in the main event of UFC 119 in September. After nearly three full lackluster rounds from both men, Mir landed a perfectly timed knee to the head of “Cro Cop” on the break, earning the knockout with only 58 seconds remaining in the contest. Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

With his contract troubles a thing of the past, Nelson strides toward his bout with Mir looking to rebound from a hard-fought decision defeat at the hands of Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 in August. “Big Country” has gone 2-1 in his run with the UFC, knocking out Brendan Schaub to win Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before finishing Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night 21.

Known for his dominant run as Pride’s middleweight king, Silva has found mixed results since rejoining the UFC in 2007. “The Axe Murderer” most recently got his hand raised in his 185-pound debut at UFC 110, besting Brit Michael Bisping in February 2010. Silva has been out of action since that bout, recuperating from knee surgery performed in July.

Stann turned in arguably the best performance of his career at UFC 125, using accurate, powerful punches to stop the always-game Chris Leben in the first round. A former WEC light heavyweight champion, Stann made the cut to middleweight in August, besting Mike Massenzio with a triangle choke at UFC Live 2.

A recent convert to the Dolce Diet, Alves looked razor sharp in his surgical dissection of John Howard at UFC 124 in December. Known for his struggles with his weight as much as his powerful leg kicks, the Brazilian reportedly had no problems in making the cut to welterweight with his new nutrition regimen. Prior to beating Howard, Alves had dropped consecutive bouts to champion Georges St. Pierre and perennial contender Jon Fitch.

A powerful wrestler, Story has won five straight bouts since dropping his UFC debut to British prospect John Hathaway at UFC 99 in 2009. Most recently, “The Horror” outpointed another tenacious grappler in Johny Hendricks. Story won a close unanimous decision at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale in December.

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UFC 129 Official with 12 Bouts

Jose Aldo | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

The dance card is now full for UFC 129, as the promotion Tuesday ratified three rumored contests for its first trip to the Canadian province of Ontario.

Now greenlit for the show is a co-headlining featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo and Canadian striker Mark Hominick. Also confirmed by the promotion was a light heavyweight tilt featuring former champions Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida, and a welterweight duel between Nate Diaz and Rory MacDonald.

The 12-fight card, which takes place April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, will be headlined by a welterweight title fight pitting longtime champion Georges St. Pierre against the highly-regarded Jake Shields.

A dominant champion, Aldo possess knockout power in all four limbs. Since beginning his stint under the Zuffa banner in 2008, “Junior” has annihilated all comers, winning five straight fights inside the blue cage of World Extreme Cagefighting before demolishing then-champion Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 44 in 2009. The once-beaten Brazilian has since defended his title twice, dominating both former champion Urijah Faber and powerful judoka Manny Gamburyan in 2010.

In Hominick, Aldo faces an accurate puncher with tremendous footwork and speed. An Ontario native, Hominick has won five straight fights since dropping his WEC debut to Josh Grispi in 2008. Prior to cutting to 145 pounds and joining the WEC, the Canadian went 2-0 as a lightweight in the UFC in 2006. A former TKO featherweight champion, Hominick most recently dispatched of training partner George Roop at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2,” knocking Roop out in just 88 seconds.

A former five-time UFC champion, Randy Couture is perhaps the most recognizable name in all of mixed martial arts. “The Natural” began his career in 1997 and owns career victories over such notables as Maurice Smith, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Couture will enter the Machida bout on a three-fight win streak, having most recently toppled boxer-turned-MMA fighter James Toney at UFC 118.

After going undefeated in his first 16 pro fights, Machida has lost back-to-back contests. The Brazilian karate black belt was first knocked out in a rematch with former Pride Fighting Championships standout Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, losing the light heavyweight title in the process. His last appearance in the cage also resulted in defeat, as another former champion, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, earned a split decision victory over Machida at UFC 123 in November.

The younger brother of Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, 25-year-old Nate has won two of his last three fights. He was bested in his most recent outing, however, as Korean import Dong Hyun Kim was awarded a close split decision over the Californian. A brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Diaz holds nine of his 13 career wins by submission.

One of the sport’s brightest prospects, MacDonald is only 21 years old. After a successful UFC debut against Mike Guymon one year ago, MacDonald fell just short in his sophomore effort with the promotion, losing by third-round TKO to former WEC champion Carlos Condit with only seven seconds left in the fight.

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Two Bouts Added to Facebook Prelims

Four bouts total will now air live on Facebook starting at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT
DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon
Cody McKenzie vs. Yves Edwards
Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy Freire
Mike Brown vs. Rani Yahya Fans excited to watch two live prelims for free now have double the action to look forward to. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® had added two more UFC contests to the roster of undercard bouts to be aired live.

The action starts Saturday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT by simply clicking the “Like” button on the official UFC Facebook page.

Former WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown will take on Rani Yahya, and Waylon Lowe welcomes undefeated Brazilian Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire to the Octagon. Then TUF 12's Cody McKenzie faces veteran Yves Edwards and welterweights DaMarques Johnson and Mike “The Joker” Guymon go to battle.

Fans that do not have a Facebook account are encouraged to sign up at http://www.facebook.com/.

Following these bouts, fans can tune in to Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT to watch the live broadcast of the Fight For The Troops 2 main card from Fort Hood, Texas. 

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10 Bouts Greenlit for UFC 128

Yoshihiro Akiyama | Taro Irei/Sherdog.com

The fight card for UFC 128 is nearly complete, as the promotion ratified three more bouts for the event on Thursday.

As expected, Nate Marquardt will square off against Yoshihiro Akiyama on the main card. Akiyama was reportedly slated to meet Chael Sonnen before Sonnen pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge in federal court earlier this month.

The preliminary card for the event, which goes down March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will also feature a previously reported light heavyweight bout between Karlos Vemola and Luis Cane, as well as a newly-revealed featherweight showdown between Manny Gamburyan and Raphael Assuncao.

Marquardt’s last trip inside the cage resulted in a close unanimous decision loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122 in November. The defeat cost him another shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight title. Akiyama has been exciting, if not successful in the UFC, earning three consecutive “Fight of the Night” awards while winning only one of those contests.

After suffering the first loss of his young career to heavyweight prospect Jon Madsen in his UFC debut, Vemola decided to make the cut to 205 pounds. He found success in his sophomore outing, as the muscular Czech pounded Seth Petruzelli into submission at UFC 122. Cane comes off the first back-to-back losses of his career, having suffered consecutive knockouts to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Cyrille Diabate.

Gamburyan won three-straight fights at featherweight before running into champion Jose Aldo at WEC 51 in September. Like most others who have crossed paths with the champ, “The Anvil” was knocked out cold. Assuncao rebounded from back-to-back losses in his last outing with a win over L.C. Davis. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has won seven of his last nine fights.

UFC 128 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title clash, as champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua puts his belt on the line against former titleholder Rashad Evans. In the co-main event, former WEC champions Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland square off in a bantamweight showdown.

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Strikeforce Signs Villante, Announces Heavyweight Reserve Bouts

Gian Villante (top) | Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

Strikeforce has signed Ring of Combat heavyweight champion Gian Villante to a multi-fight deal, and the once-beaten New Yorker is set to make his promotional debut on Feb. 12.

The promotion announced today that Villante will face Chad Griggs in one of three heavyweight grand prix reserve bouts at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Silva,” which takes place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Also made official for the card were reserve matches pitting Valentijn Overeem against Ray Sefo, and Shane del Rosario against Lavar Johnson.

The Showtime-televised main card will consist of all heavyweight contests, topped by a tournament quarterfinal match between “The Last Emperor,” Fedor Emelianenko, and towering Brazilian Antonio Silva. In the show’s other quarterfinal, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski meets Pride standout Sergei Kharitonov.

Once a promising NFL prospect, Villante turned to MMA in 2009 and rattled off six straight wins under the ROC banner. The 25-year-old’s first setback came in April 2010, when he suffered a TKO loss to Demetrius Richards after dislocating his elbow, but Villante rebounded in December with a 63-second knockout of Joseph Reyes.

Griggs made a name for himself last August when he handed former pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley his first MMA loss at Strikeforce “Houston.” The full-time Tucson, Ariz., firefighter and paramedic holds a career mark of 9-1 and has won his last four bouts, though he has competed only twice in the last two years.

The older brother of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Valentijn “The Python” Overeem is a 14-year veteran of MMA who has competed throughout the world. In 2010, he scored a pair of knockout wins against Tengiz Tedoradze and Catalin Zmarandescu in a combined 47 seconds. His opponent, Sefo, is a K-1 mainstay with a 2-0 record in MMA. In his September 2009 Strikeforce debut, the 39-year-old “Sugarfoot” claimed a second-round TKO win after opponent Kevin Jordan suffered a knee injury.

Del Rosario and Johnson will each make their main-stage Strikeforce debut after spending time in the promotion’s “Challengers” series. In the pair’s combined 28 bouts, neither has ever gone to a decision. Del Rosario possesses a perfect 10-0 ledger and was last seen blasting Lolohea Mahe with knees and punches en route to a TKO win at last July’s “Challengers 9.” Johnson, 15-3, also defeated Mahe in 2010, but most recently knocked out Virgil Zwicker at “Challengers 11” in October.

“This event will showcase the depth of talent in the Strikeforce heavyweight roster,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said in a statement. “Shane and Lavar are two products of the Strikeforce Challengers series that has been instrumental in developing new talent.”

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8 Bouts Official for UFC Live 3

UFC Live 3 “Sanchez vs. Kampmann” has moved one step closer to becoming reality, as eight fights are now official for the event. The promotion on Friday confirmed a previously reported middleweight contest between Rob Kimmons (Pictured) and Dongi Yang.

The event, which will go down March 3 from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., will be headlined by a welterweight showdown between dangerous Dane Martin Kampmann and the resurgent Diego Sanchez. The show’s main card will air live on the Versus network.

Kimmons has lost two of his last three bouts and holds a 3-3 record inside the Octagon. “The Rosedale Reaper” looked sharp in his debut at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” Finale, as he choked out Rob Yundt with a first-round guillotine. Kimmons was not as impressive in his sophomore effort, as he was submitted less than 90 seconds into his fight with former International Fight League middleweight champion Dan Miller at UFC Fight Night 15. Since then, Kimmons has earned wins over Joe Vedepo and Steve Steinbeiss, while falling to hard-punching Jorge Rivera. Most recently, Kimmons was submitted by Aussie Kyle Noke in the second round of their UFC 122 affair.

A member of Korean Top Team, Yang is a veteran of Deep and Sengoku Raiden Championship. The 26-year-old fought his way to an undefeated record before he made his UFC debut in October, suffering his first career loss in a split decision to Chris Camozzi at UFC 121. “The Ox” holds eight of his nine career victories by knockout and has never been finished.

Also scheduled for the event is a pair of middleweight bouts, as C.B. Dollaway takes on Mark Munoz and Alessio Sakara squares off against Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves. Additionally, former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles will lock horns with the Greg Jackson-trained Damacio Page.

Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz
Alessio Sakara vs. Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves
Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
Thiago Tavares vs. Shane Roller
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera
Rob Kimmons vs. Dongi Yang
Igor Pokrajac vs. Todd Brown
* Erik Koch vs. Cub Swanson
* Rousimar Palhares vs. Alexandre Ferreira
* Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate

* Not Official

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Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Officially Set with 4 Bouts

Fedor Emelianenko: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Strikeforce’s rumored eight-man heavyweight tournament has become reality, and the promotion has officially announced the bracket’s four opening-round matchups.

Sherdog.com was informed Tuesday by sources close to the tournament that Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will compete in the upcoming tournament. That lineup was later confirmed by a press release from Strikeforce.

As reported yesterday by Sherdog.com, the tournament is scheduled to kick off with an Emelianenko-Silva bout as the main event of a Feb. 12 card at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Also featured on that show will be a quarterfinal bout between Arlovski and Kharitonov, as opposed to the originally reported Arlovski-Barnett matchup.

The remaining two quarterfinals will reportedly go down March 5 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Barnett is scheduled to square off with Rogers, while Overeem will meet Werdum. The date and location of these two fights have not officially been announced by the promotion. The tournament’s semifinal and final rounds will be held later in the year at to-be-named events.

The promotion will also hold two alternate bouts as insurance in case one of the main card participants should sustain an injury or be rendered otherwise unable to compete. “Challengers” series standouts Daniel Cormier, Lavar Johnson, Shane del Rosario will likely compete, though the fourth alternate fighter is unknown at this time.

Also unknown is how the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board will handle Barnett’s ongoing licensing situation in California. The former Pride Fighting Championships competitor allegedly tested positive for performance enhancing substances prior to a scheduled bout with Emelianenko in July 2009. Barnett’s hearing before the CSAC on Dec. 2 was pushed back to 2011. Reports indicate that he may go before the commission again on Feb. 4.

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11 Bouts Signed for ‘Fight for the Troops 2’

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 finalist DaMarques Johnson (Pictured) will meet former King of the Cage champion Michael Guymon in a preliminary welterweight matchup at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” on Jan. 22 at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. Eleven fights are now official for the event, which will air live on Spike TV.

A Jeremy Horn protégé, Johnson has won two of his last three fights. The 28-year-old West Jordan, Utah, native last appeared in August, when he succumbed to second-round strikes from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 alum Matt Riddle at UFC Live 2. Johnson -- who has delivered 10 of his 11 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission -- owns notable victories over Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Brad Blackburn and WEC veteran Edgar Garcia. Only one of his past 12 fights has reached the judges.

Guymon, who has never lost back-to-back bouts as a professional, submitted to an anaconda choke from Daniel Roberts at UFC 121 in October. Wins against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum Kyacey Uscola, welterweight prospect Quinn Mulhern and Japanese judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida anchor the 36-year-old Newport Beach, Calif., native’s resume. Guymon holds a 1-2 mark inside the UFC’s Octagon.

Meanwhile, AMA Fight Club standout Charlie Brenneman will lock horns with Amilcar Alves in a welterweight dark match at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2.”

Brenneman, 29, last fought at UFC 117 in August, when he was victimized in a second-round TKO against the unbeaten Johny Hendricks at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. The defeat snapped his seven-fight winning streak. A decorated collegiate wrestler, Brenneman attended Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, where he nearly achieved All-American status and punctuated his career in 2004 with a top 12 finish nationally. The Hollidaysburg, Pa., native defeated 2009 Dream welterweight grand prix finalist Jason High in his first UFC appearance in March.

Spawned by the revered Nova Uniao camp, Alves made his promotional debut at UFC 118 in August, when he submitted to a straight armbar from Mike Pierce at the TD Garden in Boston. The 30-year-old Brazilian entered the match on an eight-fight winning streak. Alves holds black belts in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Finally, Milwaukee-based Duke Roufus protégé Patrick Barry will collide with Joey Beltran in a featured heavyweight duel.

Barry has not appeared since UFC 115 in June, when he submitted to a third-round rear-naked choke from 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A potent stand-up fighter, the 31-year-old New Orleans native has secured all five of his victories by KO or TKO, four of them inside one round. In seven professional outings, Barry has never gone the distance.

A cutthroat competitor, Beltran last competed at UFC 119 in September, when he dropped a unanimous decision to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Matt Mitrione at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The 28-year-old San Diego native has delivered 10 of his 12 career wins by KO or TKO and owns notable victories over Houston Alexander, Rolles Gracie and Tim Hague. Having competed as both a light heavyweight and heavyweight, Beltran has never lost consecutive fights as a professional.

A pivotal lightweight showdown between two-time title contender Kenny Florian and the once-beaten Evan Dunham will headline “Fight for the Troops 2.” The event will also feature a featherweight matchup pitting Canadian striker Mark Hominick against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 semi-finalist George Roop.

Kenny Florian vs. Evan Dunham
Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague
Mark Hominick vs. George Roop
Patrick Barry vs. Joey Beltran
Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman
Yves Edwards vs. Melvin Guillard
Mike Swick vs. David Mitchell
DaMarques Johnson vs. Michael Guymon
Chan Sung Jung vs. Rani Yahya
Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire
Amilcar Alves vs. Charlie Brenneman

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Sengoku’s ‘Soul of Fight’ Gains First Bouts, FEG Cooperation

Sengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road on Monday formally announced the first batch of fights for its year-end card and introduced a new strategic partner for the event.

At a press conference in Tokyo, WVR President Toru Mukai confirmed the final of SRC’s 2010 welterweight grand prix between Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Pictured) and Yasubey Enomoto will take place at “Soul of Fight,” set for Dec. 30 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Also added to the bill were the semi-finals of the promotion’s Asia bantamweight tournament, one of which pits Pancrasist Manabu Inoue against Zst’s Shunichi Shimizu; the other features former Shooto champion Akitoshi Tamura against Cage Force representative Taiyo Nakahara.

Six additional SRC fighters were revealed as participants: Kazuo Misaki, Akihiro Gono, Kazunori Yokota, Maximo Blanco, Hiroshi Izumi and Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao will compete against opponents to be announced. Once complete, the event will feature approximately 10 mixed martial arts matches. In what will be a first for an SRC-promoted event, Mukai said organizers are eying a further five women’s bouts.

While not officially announced, a pending featherweight title fight between champion Marlon Sandro and top contender Hatsu Hioki was also tabbed for possible inclusion on the card, though Mukai cautioned that nothing was set in stone.

Mukai reiterated hopes for “Soul of Fight” -- which will be produced in association with the Japan Wrestling Federation -- to become “Japan’s largest martial arts festival,” with 25 to 30 total bouts of MMA, kickboxing and grappling taking place over the course of an entire day. Competition on the day of the event will begin as early as 11 a.m., with attendees permitted to leave and re-enter the venue as they please in order to engender a “family-friendly” atmosphere.

Also in attendance at the conference was Sadaharu Tanikawa, president of Dream and K-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group, who backed up his words from weeks prior by pledging his cooperation and support to the event. While “Soul of Fight” is unlikely to feature any Dream fighters, Tanikawa mentioned that he would like to send over kickboxers from K-1-affiliated promotions Rise and Krush -- a convenient talent exchange, since FEG has announced that this year’s MMA-focused “Dynamite” card will be light on K-1 matches.

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Strikeforce Challengers 12 Official with 9 Bouts

The undercard of Strikeforce Challengers 12 was officially announced Wednesday, and it will be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Wes Shivers and Goldman Butler. The event, which will feature four non-televised undercard bouts in total, will go down Nov. 19 from the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Miss.

Shivers is a former cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” and played a brief time in the National Football League. “The Perfect Storm” was eliminated in his first fight on the show, falling to semi-finalist James McSweeney by majority decision. The 33-year-old holds a perfect 2-0 professional record, registering two stoppage wins in a local Mississippi promotion in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Butler is 1-3 and will be making his Strikeforce debut. After starting his career with a win, Butler has lost three straight fights, all by knockout. His lone victory also came by TKO stoppage as he finished fellow Challengers 12 competitor Jacob Noe at a Cage Assault event in 2009.

Accompanying the Shivers-Butler matchup will be three additional undercard bouts. Wesley Little will take on Noe in a light heavyweight contest, and the card will be rounded out by a pair of middleweight scraps: Jeremiah Riggs vs. James Sharp and Jamie Houston vs. Dave Martin.

The event will be headlined by former international lightweight force Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, as he takes on Justin Wilcox. The show will also feature what should be an explosive standup battle between Dream welterweight champion Mariusz Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf. In a light heavyweight tilt, former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux will meet Strikeforce veteran Antwain Britt.

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8 Bouts Booked for WEC Finale

International Fight League veteran Bart Palaszewski (Pictured) will meet the unbeaten Kamal Shalorus in a key lightweight duel at WEC 53 “Henderson vs. Pettis” on Dec. 16 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Eight bouts are now official for the event, the promotion’s last before its merger with the UFC.

A semi-finalist in the 2007 IFL lightweight grand prix, Palaszewski will carry a four-fight winning streak into the match. The 27-year-old Jeff Curran protégé last appeared at WEC 50 in August, when he knocked out Zachary Micklewright in the second round at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. A potent finisher, Palaszewski has secured 27 of his 35 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Wins over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 alum Kyle Watson, American Top Team’s Steve Bruno and former IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz anchor his resume. In 48 professional appearances, the durable Palaszewski has been knocked out only once.

The Iranian-born Shalorus has not competed since he fought former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner to a controversial draw at WEC 49 in June. He was deducted a point for repeated accidental groin strikes in the second round. An accomplished wrestler who has become known for inviting wild exchanges on the feet, Shalorus used wins over Will Kerr and Team Quest’s Dave Jansen as springboards to higher-profile bouts. He has held titles inside the Texas-based Superior Warrior Championship and King of Kombat promotions.

A pair of five-round title bouts will headline WEC 53, as lightweight champion Benson Henderson defends against Duke Roufus protégé Anthony Pettis and bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz squares off with Scott Jorgensen, the top contender at 135 pounds.

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

Donald Cerrone vs. Chris Horodecki
Bart Palaszewski vs. Kamal Shalorus
Jamie Varner vs. Shane Roller
Ivan Menjivar vs. Brad Pickett
Danny Castillo vs. Will Kerr
Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado vs. Chris Cariaso
* Tie Quan Zhang vs. Daniel Downes
* Yuri Alcantara vs. Ricardo Lamas

* Not Official

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