Nick Catone
Former UFC middleweight Nick ‘The Jersey Devil’ Catone (9-3) appears set to drop down to 170-lbs for his next Octagon appearance as the fighter Tweeted (@NickCatone) the news of his next fight, naming TJ Waldburger (15-7) as that opponent for December’s upcoming The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale event.
– Looking forward to my next fight December 15th in Vegas, TUF 16 Finale against TJ Waldburger. 11 weeks till go time!!
– “@MaCh3388: @NickCatone MW or WW?? You’d be a beast at WW” ..welterweight
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale is expected to take place on December 15, 2012 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Catone looks to bounce back from a third round TKO loss to Chris Camozzi this past June after a knee opened up a large cut, forcing the ringside physician to call an end to the bout. The defeat was Catone’s first in three matches after defeating Constantinos Philippou by decision at UFC 128 in a 195-lbs catchweight bout, and winning a split decision against Jesse Forbes at UFN 22.
Waldburger also enters this match on a loss, having lost a decision to Brian Ebersole by decision at the same UFC on FX 4 event in June. Waldburger had also earned two straight victories having submitted Jake Hecht at UFC on FX 2, and Mike Stumpf at UFN 25 for which he earned the “Submission of the Night” bonus.