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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC lightweight and New Jersey native Kurt Pellegrino will fight in his home state for the second straight year, as he posted on Twitter on Wednesday that he'll meet Gleison Tibau on March 19, 2011, at what is currently UFC 129.
The event is expected to take place from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and will be headlined by the Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Rashad Evans and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
Pellegrino will return for the first time since a loss to George Sotiropoulos at UFC 116 in July. That was his second bout of 2010, as he had picked up his fourth straight win in the UFC's return to New Jersey this March with a submission win over Fabricio Camoes.
Tibau as well is looking to bounce back from a loss himself, suffered at the hands of Jim Miller by decision at Fight Night 22 in September. The eleven year veteran holds a 7-5 record in 11 appearances in the UFC.
Penick's Analysis: This is an interesting matchup in this division. With Pellegrino being a New Jersey native, his participation on this card was almost an inevitability, but he's gotten a hell of a tough draw in Tibau here. Despite a near .500 record in the Octagon, Tibau is a dangerous striker and a really big lightweight fighter. He's also only lost to really tough competition himself at the time of his UFC losses. That said, Pellegrino's a very adept submission specialist, and a good overall grappler. This is going to be an interesting matchup, and should be a good fight for this card in New Jersey.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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