Press Release – March 02, 2011: Spike TV will telecast live undercard bouts from UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones on Saturday, March 19 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The one-hour telecast will lead directly into UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones which airs LIVE on pay-per-view at 10:00 PM ET.
Edson Barboza (7-0), a native of Rio de Janeiro, is undefeated in his first seven mixed martial arts fights, impressively ending six of them by KO or TKO. The 24 year-old lightweight made his UFC debut at UFC 123 in November, 2010, defeating Mike Lullo via a third round TKO. Currently training with The Armory in Jupiter, Fla, a victory for Barboza on national television over the tough veteran Anthony Njokuani would be a major boost in his ascent up the 155lb ranks.
Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Njokuani (13-4-1) is a WEC veteran, winning four of his last six bouts in 155lb division, including most recently defeating Edward Faaloloto at in November via 2nd round TKO. Fighting out of Garland Texas, Njokuani is making his UFC debut against the rising-star, Barboza.
Light heavyweight contender Luiz Cane (10-3) burst into the UFC in December 2007 winning three of four bouts, including winning “Knockout out of the Night” against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at UFC 89 in October 2008 and a hard-fought decision win over Steve Cantwell in April 2009 at UFC 97. Cane, who has fought many of the division’s finest including Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, looks for a big win over Eliot Marshall to keep his title hopes alive.
Riding a three-fight winning streak, Marshall (11-2) gained acclaim in the mixed martial arts world as a standout performer on “The Ultimate Fighter 8.” Fighting out of Boulder, CO, the black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu looks to continue his winning ways against the hard-hitting Cane.
Other bouts on the card might air on Spike TV, to be determined by the length of the fights.
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