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From MMATorch.com UFC
The full undercard is listed at UFC.com as follows: -BEN SAUNDERS vs. JAKE ELLENBERGER -JON FITCH vs. THIAGO ALVES -JIM MILLER vs. MARK BOCEK -NATE DIAZ vs. RORY MARKHAM -RICARDO ALMEIDA vs. MATT BROWN -KURT PELLEGRINO vs. FABRICIO CAMOES -RODNEY WALLACE vs. JARED HAMMAN -ROUSIMAR PALHARES vs. TOMASZ DRWAL -MATTHEW RIDDLE vs. GREG SOTO The UFC 111 p.r. release also touts that it's the first event of 2010 with two world titles on the line. They state: In featured bouts, one of the best fighters in the game today, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, looks to extend his reign and his six fight winning streak against British bomber Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, and former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir looks to become only the second man in UFC history to win the championship three times when he takes on number one contender Shane Carwin for the interim UFC Heavyweight Title." They also have announced the viewing party for New York City. It states: "Tickets for the UFC 111 Viewing Party are on sale now and are priced at $25 in advance, or $30 on the day of the event (March 27th). Tickets can be purchased at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office, Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.radiocity.com. Tickets are also available by Ticketmaster phone at 866-858-0008. Doors will open at 7:15pm ET; Q&A Session with UFC fighters and host will begin at 8:00pm ET. UFC 111 Screening begins at 9:00pm ET, including the Spike TV preliminary fights and the entire live UFC 111 Pay-Per-View card." The viewing party will include an exclusive Chuck Liddell autograph session for the first 200 attendees. Doors open at 7:15. Also, UFC will hold its traditional pre-fight press conference on Wednesday, March 24 inside Radio City Music Hall’s main theatre. This event will be free and open to the public as usual. UFC 111 Press Conference Schedule 1:30 p.m. ET Doors open for UFC Fight Club Members 2:00 p.m. ET Doors open for the General Public 3:00 p.m. – 3:30pm ET: UFC 111 Press Conference 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. ET: Q&A with UFC President Dana White and St-Pierre, Hardy, Mir, and Carwin The following is the rest of their pitch touting the highlights of the scheduled fights: UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy will feature a card loaded with explosive matchups such as Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin, Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger, Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves, Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek, Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham, Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown, Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes, Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman, Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal, Matthew Riddle vs. Greg Soto. Winner of four of his last five fights, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., / professional record 13-4) is coming off an impressive victory over feared striker Cheick Kongo. Mir has shown an-ever improving striking game, coupled with his always impressive submission skills, and he hopes to use these assets to defeat Shane Carwin (fighting out of Denver, Colo. / 11-0) and become the interim heavyweight champion. Carwin, however, has plans of his own. Possessing a dominant physical presence and power, Carwin has steamrolled through every opponent he has faced in the UFC in the first round. With four straight UFC victories, most recently over Gabriel Gonzaga, Carwin has proven himself as one of the top competitors in the heavyweight division and he plans on winning the interim heavyweight belt when he takes on Mir. Welterweight Ben Saunders (fighting out of Orlando, Fla. / 8-1-2) has won four of his last five fights. In his last fight, a win over Marcus Davis, Saunders became the first person to ever knock out the “Irish Hand Grenade.” With his devastating striking and aggressive style, Saunders intends to make it two straight when he takes on the heavy-handed Jake Ellenberger (fighting out of Omaha, Neb. / 22-5). A native of Omaha, Neb. Ellenberger defeated Mike Pyle via TKO in his last fight and engaged in an exciting three rounder with former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit in his UFC debut, setting up what should be another memorable battle with Saunders. One of the most dominating fighters in the UFC, welterweight Jon Fitch (fighting out of San Jose, Calif. / 24-3, 1NC) is currently on a three fight winning streak. A former wrestling standout at Purdue University, the 12-fight UFC veteran has 11 career wins and plans to make it 12 on March 27th. Standing in his way is another UFC veteran with an equally impressive resume. Thiago Alves (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. / 22-5) has won four of his last five fights. With wins over Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck, it is difficult to deny the talent and ability of Alves and he hopes to even the score with Fitch in this rematch of their 2006 battle. Winner of five of his last six fights in the UFC, Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 16-2) has proven himself to be a force in the lightweight division. Miller illustrated his impressive submission skills in his last fight when he defeated Duane Ludwig via armbar in the first round. His opponent, Mark Bocek (fighting out of Woodbridge, Ontario / 8-2), has illustrated a strong ground game of his own, defeating his last three opponents via choke. Making his debut in the welterweight division, Nate Diaz (fighting out of Stockton, Calif. / 11-5) hopes to see continued success with the jump in weight classes. The 24-year-old boxing and jiu-jitsu specialist draws a difficult challenge as he takes on knockout artist, Rory Markham (fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa / 16-5). A native of Chicago, Ill. Markham is known for his punching power, and he plans to use it to welcome Diaz to the welterweight division. Known for his impressive ground game, Ricardo Almeida (fighting out of Hamilton, N.J. / 11-3) has won two of his last three fights. He will face a difficult stylistic matchup when he takes on powerful striker Matt Brown (fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio / 13-7). Brown is a Xenia, Ohio native who has won his last three fights by stoppage (2 TKO’s 1 submission) and his hot streak is coming at the perfect time as he readies to face Almeida. With three straight wins under his belt, Kurt Pellegrino (fighting out of Point Pleasant, N.J. / 20-4) looks to continue to climb the ladder in the lightweight division. Owner of three submission victories in the UFC, Pellegrino has a proven ground game that will be tested by his opponent Fabricio Camoes (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. / 10-4-1). A black-belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Camoes is looking for his first win in the Octagon against Pellegrino. A native of Bamberg, S.C., Rodney Wallace (fighting out of Charlotte, N.C. / 9-1) is a skilled grappler looking for his first UFC victory. Standing in his way will be a fellow college football veteran, Jared Hamman (fighting out of Segundo, Calif. / 11-2). Also looking for his first win in the UFC, the 6’3” Hamman hopes it will come at UFC 111 when he takes on Wallace. A submission specialist, Rousimar Palhares (fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil / 19-2) has won three of his last four fights, most recently defeating UFC veteran Jeremy Horn at UFC 93 and Lucio Linhares at UFC 107. Taking on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will be Tomasz Drwal (fighting out of Krakow, Poland / 17-2). Drwal has won three of his last four fights and intends to stay on the winning end of things when he squares off with Palhares. A contestant on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter, Matthew Riddle (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 3-1) is an accomplished wrestler and winner of three of his four fights in the UFC. His opponent will be UFC newcomer Greg Soto (fighting out of Belmar, N.J. / 7-0). The undefeated Oakhurst, N.J. native is a submission specialist looking to make an impact in the welterweight division. UFC.COM LINK Keller's Analysis: With so many below-par line-ups, it's great to see a line-up where fights #3 and #4 could have headlined recent UFC shows that were decimated by injuries. This will also be a test to see if the recent slide in UFC PPV buys is due to an over-saturation of UFC that is not soon to be reversed or, more likely, due to weaker line-ups and a lack of compelling main event title fights. This dual main event is the strongest one-two punch UFC has offered in a long time. Keep visiting MMATorch every day for our upcoming full fight card previews and any news such as changes to the line-up or fighter comments. © Copyright by MMATorch.com |
