A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.
Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?
UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…
(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)
A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.
Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?
UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…
Main Card (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve
Preliminary Card (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway
Jacob Volkmann vs Paul Sass
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda
(Varner does his happy-dance after scoring the only UFC win of his career, against Jason Gilliam back at UFC 68 in March 2007.)
(John Einemo, the only man to ever truly smell what The Rock was cookin’.)
Norwegian news site VG.no is reporting that former UFC heavyweight John Olav Einemo has decided to call it a career after being cut from the promotion following his loss to Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 2.
Although Einemo told reporters that the UFC had left the proverbial door open for his return if he was able to put a couple wins together in smaller promotions, Einemo felt that the time he had to spend away from his family during the training process was simply too much to handle. Apparently his wife and kids didn’t drive him crazy. For those of you who are suddenly overwhelmed with panic as to when you’ll see J.O.E again, fret not, for he plans to help build upon Norway’s ever-growing MMA scene as a coach somewhere down the line.
(John Einemo, the only man to ever truly smell what The Rock was cookin’.)
Norwegian news site VG.no is reporting that former UFC heavyweight John Olav Einemo has decided to call it a career after being cut from the promotion following his loss to Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 2.
Although Einemo told reporters that the UFC had left the proverbial door open for his return if he was able to put a couple wins together in smaller promotions, Einemo felt that the time he had to spend away from his family during the training process was simply too much to handle. Apparently his wife and kids didn’t drive him crazy. For those of you who are suddenly overwhelmed with panic as to when you’ll see J.O.E again, fret not, for he plans to help build upon Norway’s ever-growing MMA scene as a coach somewhere down the line.
“The Viking” started off his MMA career in October of 2000, amassing five straight wins under the Shooto, Finnfight, and Focus Fight banners, with none of those wins making it out of the first round. In 2003, Einemo became the first and last man to defeat Roger Gracie in ADCC competition at the finals of the ADCC trials (88-98 kg weight class). He also holds notable grappling victories over Alexandre Ferreira, Bellator vet Vitor Vianna, and Rolles Gracie.
Einemo would suffer his first professional defeat to Farbicio Werdum at Pride 31 in 2006, which was quickly overshadowed by an in ring riot between the Chute Box camp, Mark Coleman, and Phil Baroni in which Wanderlei Silva had his head stepped on. Ah, the good old days. After claiming his place alongside the approximately 200 men to have beaten James Thompson later that year, Einemo would take a five year hiatus from the sport, likely to help hunt the aforementioned trolls that plague Norway’s mountainous regions.
Einemo emerged from hiding in 2011 when he signed with the UFC and put in a Fight of the Night earning performance against Dave Herman at UFC 131. Despite Einemo’s extensive BJJ background, the fight was contested mostly on the feet, with both men rocking the other on more than one occasion. Herman would have the last laugh, however, finishing Einemo off midway through the second round. Shortly thereafter, Einemo was axed along with several other fighters signed under Golden Glory management due to ongoing contract disputes.
It wasn’t long until an agreement was reached between the two and Einemo, along with Alistair and Valentijn Overeem, were allowed to come back to their Zuffa-financed jobs. Marloes Coenen, on the other hand, was shipped off to a deserted island and forced to feed on Dutch celebrities whilst searching for buried treasure. And they say chivalry is dead in the world.
Einemo would try to bounce back at UFC on FOX 2, where he faced off against the deceivingly talented Mike Russow, who was riding a ten fight win streak at the time. Things would not go Einemo’s way, as he would find himself trapped beneath Russow’s amorphous figure for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision loss.
We here at CP would just like to wish John (can we call you John?) the best of luck in all of his future endeavors. Do the same in the comments section, Potato Nation.
(The power of YES!! compels you! Check out some of the meme-worthy photoshops over at The UG.)
Over the past week or so, the sports world has come down with a serious case of LINsanity, a now airborne disease that mimics the effects of Yellow Fever and is brought about by way of bereavement. Though it was the general consensus that this mind altering sickness originated with the uncanny rise of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, last night’s inaugural UFC on FUEL event opened our collective eyes to the virus’ true host: Diego fucking Sanchez.
Yes, it seems that ever since Diego suffered his first professional losses, which came in back-to-back fashion at the hands of Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch at UFC 69 and 76, the man has become consumed by a mixture of evangelical optimism and bipolar rage to the point of parody. As he made his way to the octagon for his main event clash with top contender Jake Ellenberger last night, it quickly became apparent that it was Sanchez who was in need of an exorcism, which made the Gregorian monk feel of his entrance appear all the more ironic.
(The power of YES!! compels you! Check out some of the meme-worthy photoshops over at The UG.)
Over the past week or so, the sports world has come down with a serious case of LINsanity, a now airborne disease that mimics the effects of Yellow Fever and is brought about by way of bereavement. Though it was the general consensus that this mind altering sickness originated with the uncanny rise of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, last night’s inaugural UFC on FUEL event opened our collective eyes to the virus’ true host: Diego fucking Sanchez.
Yes, it seems that ever since Diego suffered his first professional losses, which came in back-to-back fashion at the hands of Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch at UFC 69 and 76, the man has become consumed by a mixture of evangelical optimism and bipolar rage to the point of parody. As he made his way to the octagon for his main event clash with top contender Jake Ellenberger last night, it quickly became apparent that it was Sanchez who was in need of an exorcism, which made the Gregorian monk feel of his entrance appear all the more ironic.
And for the first two and a half rounds, it looked like Sanchez’s mental state was really starting to have an adverse effect on his physical abilities. As in his fights with Martin Kampmann, B.J. Penn, and John Hathaway, Sanchez seemed content to charge head first into the quicker, more accurate punches of “Ingleburger,” getting rocked on more than one occasion as a result. Perhaps that is how sociopaths set up their takedowns, or perhaps he simply didn’t give a shit, because despite getting significantly outgunned on both the feet and the ground, Sanchez all but refused to alter his gameplan in the slightest. Due to the fact that Sanchez’s striking has not evolved to the level of his counterparts, we can expect to see a lot more of this in his future. No one will ever doubt “The Dream’s” chin, because that is the only thing about Sanchez that seems stable at this point in his career. However, when Sanchez managed to get Ellenberger’s back late in the third, we were treated to some vintage “Nightmare” ground-and-pound. This is, and has always been where the former lightweight title challenger thrives, and when he gets ANYONE on their back, they best prepare for a hellstorm of punches that can only be described as suffocating. If only he would do it more often.
The one thing I came away with from the Sanchez/Ellenberger scrap is that the UFC needs to decide on whether main event fights will be scheduled for three or five rounds, rather than catering this criteria to each event. If there had been two more rounds last night, Sanchez’s cardio could have very easily changed the outcome of the fight, as it was evident that Ellenberger was beginning to fade. It’s time to make the five round main event a standard, Dana, because if Munoz/Leben warranted it, how in the hell didn’t this fight?
As for Ellenberger, it seems that he is destined for either a rematch with Carlos Condit, depending on how long GSP will be out, or a possible match with the Koscheck/Hendricks winner to determine the true number one contender of the welterweight division. Our vote is for the former. His loss to Condit was both hotly contested and his only UFC loss to date, and after taking down two former title challengers in a row (granted, in different weight classes) he has clearly set himself apart from the rest of the pack, and deserves another crack at “The Natural Born Killer.”
In the night’s co-main event, Stefan Struve managed to utilize his superior ground game to finish off Dave Herman with strikes from the mount after dropping him in the second round. While undoubtedly a big win for Struve, the fight showed that his striking game, like Sanchez’s, is still a work in progress. The man stands at 6’11”, and despite this, has shown time and time again that he cannot keep his shorter opponents at bay. If GSP can use a jab to pick apart whoever he damn well pleases, then no one should be able to get within swinging distance of a “Skyscraper” like Struve, yet men as short as Roy Nelson have managed to find his off button as a result of his inability to maintain distance. If he ever wants to fight top of the division guys, he better learn to stick that jab, or suffer the consequences. Herman, on the other hand, might want to start buying into this whole “Jiu-Jitsu” thing, because his mount defense, which could only be described as “unorthodox” by announcer Kenny Florian, appeared to have been taught to him by Art Jimmerson.
Join us for part two this afternoon, in which we break down the rest of UFC on FUEL’s main card and a couple fights from the undercard as well.
(Remember, the winner of this fight becomes the #2 contender for the UFC Intercontinental Temporary Welterweight Championship of the Midwest. So you’d better believe that Thiago Alves will be watching this one with great interest. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Tonight, the UFC will air their first-ever live fight card on FUEL TV — or so they say. Like most Americans, I don’t have the channel in my cable package, so I’m pretty much taking them for their word here. Luckily, our new liveblogger/boxing-analyst friend Steve Silvermandoes get the channel, and he’ll be handling play-by-play for the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET.
“UFC on FUEL 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger” results await you after the jump. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, guys.
(Remember, the winner of this fight becomes the #2 contender for the UFC Intercontinental Temporary Welterweight Championship of the Midwest. So you’d better believe that Thiago Alves will be watching this one with great interest. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Tonight, the UFC will air their first-ever live fight card on FUEL TV — or so they say. Like most Americans, I don’t have the channel in my cable package, so I’m pretty much taking them for their word here. Luckily, our new liveblogger/boxing-analyst friend Steve Silvermandoes get the channel, and he’ll be handling play-by-play for the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET.
“UFC on FUEL 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger” results await you after the jump. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, guys.
We should have a great night here with Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez headlining the night. We’ll have plenty of action prior to that fight… Ivan Menjivar vs. John Albert gets us started…
Menjivar is more experienced and he appears to have an edge. Menjivar is a solid striker and an excellent grappler…
You have to like Jon Anik and Kenny Florian announcing the fight. Any time you don’t have to listen to that boob Mauro Ranallo it’s a good listen
Round 1
Menjivar with a big overhand right to start but Albert blocks i. Albert with some good counters and quick knees…
Albert with an arm bar and Menivar is throwing hammers to the head…Menjivar with a footlock, while Albert has a heel lock…
Big kick by Albert has Menjivar in trouble. Menjivar trying to cover and he survives… Menjivar pounding Albert. He has his back. Rear naked choke and Menjivar wins.
This was a great one-round fight. Menjivar was in trouble but he just started pounding away and got on top of Albert’s back. He got the choke in and Albert had to tap out. Experience and toughness won this one for Menjivar….
Fight No. 2…. T.J. Dillashaw (4-1) vs Walel Watson (9-3) coming up next…
Both Dillashaw and Watson are strong wrestlers, but Dillashaw should be more comfortable throwing punches. That should give him an advantage at the start …
Dillashaw’s greatest asset may be his mean streak…he’ll try to get off to a quick start. Watson with a big reach advantage… 7 inches…
Dillashaw with a jumping righ hand and then goes for the single leg takedown…throws Watson down…
Watson is on his back but he looks comfortable. Dillashaw trying throw bombs but Watson uses his long arms to block them. Dillashaw has Watson’s back…
He tried to get in a rear naked choke. Dillashaw has been pounding away and he has Watson’s back. Trying to choke him out but Watson escapes.
Dillashaw remains in control. He looks like he is stronter than Watson and more accomplished. Watson is defending but he can’t mount his own attack. Big punches from Dillashaw and Watson has now answer. The first round is all Dillashaw but Watson survives and will fight a second round.
Round 2…
Big right hnd by Dillashaw to start and that hurt Watson. Dillashaw once again on top. Good wrestling and jiu jitsu allows him to mount a confident attack…
Dillashaw is not letting Watson get in anything. It seems all Watson can do is defend. He has not been able to get in a submission hold.
Dillashaw is getting in hammer fists and is hurting Watson. He is not really defending, just covering up…He has a deep choke on Watson, but Watson gets out. He is pounding Watson’s head once he stops choking him…
Watson is getting pounded in this fight and has had virtually no offense.Big right hand at the end of the round. This is a schoolyard whipping for Dillashaw but the fight moves on to round three.
Round 3…
Watson has some energy and comes out with a big kick, but it misses… Big right hand form Dillashaw and both sitll standing… Watson is much bigger, but much slower. Dillashaw with control on the ground again.
This time Watson escapes but still can’t attack. Finally Watson gets in a jumping knee, but it does not do much damage. Watson gets his legs around Dillashaw but he escapes.
Watson gets a heel hook and Dillashaw gets out… Watson doing much better in third round…
Dillashaw trying to get in choke, but Watson won’t let him secure it.
Final seconds of fight and Dillashaw is pounding away. This fight is over and Dillashaw has to be clear winner. Waiting for official decision.
And the winner is … Dillashaw by unanimous decision.
The next bout is Stipe Miocic (7-0) vs Philip De Fries (8-0 1 NC)
Miocic is a big-time striker while De Fries is more of a grappler. Miocic is a big-time hitter and may have an advantage. Good to see heavyweights go at it.
De Fries is going to have to defend against some heavy punches. If he can’t, he will have a hard time getting control and putting in a submission hold. …
Round 1…
Miocic looks stronger and in better shape as fight begins. De Fries lands a couple of rights to start….
Miocic gets in there and starts pounding with right hand and the fight is stopped. DeFries gets pounded…
Miocic has great power and the straight right hand hurts De Fries. He can’t defend himself and this fight is over in seconds.
The official time is 43 seconds and Miocic wins by a knockout.
Get ready for the next fight:
Aaron Simpson (11-2) vs Ronny Markes (12-1)
A couple of tough middleweights… Simpson has the edge in experience and should have an advantage if this one goes the distance…
Simpson is 14 years older, but you don’t get the feeling that he will wear down. He looks meaner and tougher…. off they go.
Markes attacks right off the jump.. They are clinching along the cage…and ref is pushing them for more action…
Simpson looks for opening but Markes responsds with combinations…Simpson hits him with an uppercut and starts pounding….
Simpson throwing elbows and Markes tries to get his wits about him…ref stands up Markes… and he’s a bit wobbly….both punching and Markes has survived. Wrestling along cag in final second of round 1. Give round 1 to Simpson….
Round 2….
Does Markes have the ability to take a solid punch? It’s questionable. But Markes has strong leg and is creating a problem for Simpson…
They are standing up int he middle, each man looking for and opening. Markes misses a left hook but lands an elbow…Simpson with a power left leg and tries for an overhand right, but Marks avoids the full force…
Markes has right underhook and delivers a right elbow. Markes with a takedown…Simpson gets back up after he was in a bad position… pretty even second round….
Round 3
Simposn looking to throw that big right hand. Wants to find an opening. Markes is strong but he’s not as quik when throwing punches. Markes trying to stomp Simpson …. and they break.
Markes is being much more aggressive and moving forward. Markes trying to work inside trip…another break and they go back to center. Simpson lands punch, Markes with kick.
Simpson slips and Markes gains control. Markes with double leg takedown…this one is close as we go to a decision.
The official results… Markes wins by split decision. It is not popular among Nebraska fans….
Solid comeback for Markes who was much better defensively after first round.
In the next fight we will see Stefan Struve (22-5) vs Dave Herman (21-2)
These two heavyweights should put on quite a show. The 6-11 Struve has a huge reach but a suspect chin; Herman has a strong chin and tremendous power. Struve is going to have to find a way to survive the first round.
Struve outweighs Herman by 22 pounds and has a 6-inch height advantage…
Herman rocking a beard…. Struve with a right roundhouse kick…Herman with combination… No advantage in first 1:30….
Herman finding the range. Struve is not aggressive. Not throwing that long left. Big right from Struve followed by left kick from Herman…Big right hand from Herman but he can’t throw a combination. Struve is cautious. Struve misses right hand and Herman with body shot. Right overhand punch by Herman. Feeling out first round, slight edge ot Herman.
Round 2…
Combination by Herman. Struve on ground and then an escape and back on his feet. Herman getting a bit closer. Struve with a big kick and that had to hurt. Left uppercut by Herman and Struve with a left hook. Struve is starting to get a bit more aggressive. Stuve appears to have hurt Herman.
Herman has a mouse under his eye. Uppercut sends Herman down. He is getting hammered by Struve. Struve wins by TKO….
The official time is 3:52 of the second round as Skyscraper Struve asserts himself and pounds Herman in the end. He appeared much more confident in second round…
Coming up… the main event… Diego Sanchez (23-4) vs Jake Ellenberger (26-5)
Ellenberger is a top wrestler with knockout punching power; Sanchez is relentless and wants to take it to the ground….
With fight in Ellenberger’s hometown of Omaha, he could have an edge if it goes to a decision…
Round 1
Ellenberger throwing punches and Sanchez looking for an opening. Feeling each other out at the start. Good right by Ellenberger.
Ellenberger moving forward, throwing wide punches but not landing solidly. Knee by Ellenberger on chin of Sanchez. Sanchez charges in and lands; counter knee by Ellenberger.
Both fighters with flurries. Crowd chanting “Jake, Jake…”. Ellenberger with the knockdown and Sanchez gets up. Big punch seems to hurt Sanchez but does not slow him down…First round goes to Ellenberger.
Round 2
Sanchez’s corner working on his nose and it may be broken. Ellenberger ready to go at start of round. Spinning back kick by Sanchez is ineffective.
Right roundhouse kick by Ellenberger blocked by Sanchez. Sanchez kick is ineffective. Ellenberger is quicker and lands a left hook. Another left hook as well.
Sanchez with solid right hook and then bull rushes Ellenberger. Hometown hero has not landed much in the final round but then he gets a takedown. He is trying to punch from the top and Sanchez could be in trouble.
Ellenberger thowing power punches and elbows and Sanchez is a bloody mess. He got hit in the nose and eye. Big finish of round for Ellenberger. Should be a great round 3.
Round 3
Sanchez cleaned up by corner to start round. Sanchez has not landed any seriosu power punches. Ellenberger knocks Sanchez off balance and he goes backwards.
Sanchez bleeding again and that nose looks broken. Right hand by Ellenberger followed by right hand from Sanchez tht appeared to hurt Ellenberger. However, Sanchez can’t follow up.
Ellenbrgr is cut and he is being hit with punches before Ellenberger scores takedown. Sanchez reverses and throws punchs and he is taking control. Tremendous rally by Sanchez.
Two-fisted attack by Sanchez and then escape by Ellenberger at the horn… What a finish…
It will go to a decision and Ellenberger had control for most of the fight, but Sanchez had control in the final few minutes. Is it enough?
We await the decision….
Ellenberger wins unanimous decision. All judges score it 29-28… Fans are roaring approval…
Ellenberger hung on and he wants a title fight next…We’ll see you on the next fight night….
(I guess someone forgot to tell the design team at FUEL that Struve is the taller one.)
Just a friendly reminder that we’ll have the live video stream for the UFC On FUEL: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger weigh-ins for you and your Valentine to watch at 5:00 pm ET tonight. If you’re at home and you’re one of the 17 people who subscribe to FUEL TV, you can watch it on your flat screen.
Will Diego Sanchez spit on Jake Ellenberger’s forehead while he shouts “yes” during the staredown? Will anyone mistake Dave Herman for Macho Man? Will he slam Stefan Struve? Does anyone plan on tuning into the prelims?
These questions and more will be answered after the jump (or in the comment section).
(I guess someone forgot to tell the design team at FUEL that Struve is the taller one.)
Just a friendly reminder that we’ll have the live video stream for the UFC On FUEL: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger weigh-ins for you and your Valentine to watch at 5:00 pm ET tonight. If you’re at home and you’re one of the 17 people who subscribe to FUEL TV, you can watch it on your flat screen.
(Believe me when I tell you that I take each and every fight with 100% seriousness.)
On the heels of his second round Fight of the Night earning performance over John Olav Einemo at UFC 131, Dave Herman had a bit of momentum going for him. The Team Quest boldly claimed that “Jiu Jitsu doesn’t work” and then proceeded to handily defeat an ADCC champion in his UFC debut. But Herman’s hype train was nearly derailed in September, when he tested positive for marijuana and steroids in the aftermath of his aforementioned win over Einemo. The details surrounding his testing were sketchy to say the least, but in light of the circumstances he was pulled out of his UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow nonetheless. Well it seems “Peewee’s” pee is now clean, as he has been booked for a fight with Dutch submission specialist Stefan Struve for the UFC’s debut on FuelTV this February.
(Believe me when I tell you that I take each and every fight with 100% seriousness.)
On the heels of his second round Fight of the Night earning performance over John Olav Einemo at UFC 131, Dave Herman had a bit of momentum going for him. The Team Quest boldly claimed that “Jiu Jitsu doesn’t work” and then proceeded to handily defeat an ADCC champion in his UFC debut. But Herman’s hype train was nearly derailed in September, when he tested positive for marijuana and steroids in the aftermath of his aforementioned win over Einemo. The details surrounding his testing were sketchy to say the least, but in light of the circumstances he was pulled out of his UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow nonetheless. Well it seems “Peewee’s” pee is now clean, as he has been booked for a fight with Dutch submission specialist Stefan Struve for the UFC’s debut on FuelTV this February.
Herman has won six of his last seven and will be looking to score the biggest win of his career over Struve, who most recently submitted our good friend Pat Barry at UFC Live 6 in October. Prior to that, Struve was on the receiving end of a highlight reel superman punch KO at the hands of Travis Browne, so a win here is necessary unless he wants to start dreaming up ways to make 205.
In other booking news, lightweight contender Evan Dunham and undefeated British submission specialist Paul Sass have agreed to meet one another at UFC on Fox 2, which transpires January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dunham recently snapped a two fight losing streak at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger, where he outstruck TUF 13 contestant Shamar Bailey handily en route to a unanimous decision.
Sass, on the other hand, is fresh off a brilliant first round heel hook victory over TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson, also at UFC Live 6. “Sassangle” has posted an incredible eight wins via triangle, including a win over Mark Holst at UFC 120. His Jiu Jitsu game will all but be nullified by Dunham, however, who is a black belt in BJJ and has scored six submission wins of his own, including an armbar win over TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero.
