UFC
Evan Dunham draws Shamar Bailey as UFC "Battle on the Bayou" opponent
Jul 18, 2011 - 10:10:48 AM Evan Dunham draws Shamar Bailey as UFC "Battle on the Bayou" opponent

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Evan Dunham will try to turn things around in his UFC career this September, as he'll meet Ultimate Fighter 13 veteran Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans.

Dunham had raised his status in 2010 after impressive wins over Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin, but then he lost a tough decision against Sean Sherk and was taken out by Melvin Guillard in January.

He was then set to return to action earlier this month at UFC 132, but an injury took him out of a fight with George Sotiropoulos on the card.

Bailey was taken out in the quarterfinals of the TUF season 13 welterweight tournament by Chris Cope by decision, but still got a call from the UFC for the TUF 13 Finale event in June, defeating fellow castmember Ryan McGillivray by decision on the card.

UFC Fight Night 25, also known as the "Battle on the Bayou," is coming to New Orleans, La. on September 17, headlined by a welterweight bout between Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger.

Penick's Analysis: This is a significant drop in opposition for Dunham, going from a top level opponent in Guillard to a fighter on the low end of the middle of the pack in Bailey. Bailey entered the Ultimate Fighter house on a two fight losing streak in 2010, including a loss to Strikeforce lightweight Justin Wilcox, and though he defeated McGillivray in June, he's still on a level below Dunham in stature. That said, for Dunham that just means he has to come out of this event with an impressive win, because Bailey is very competitive and could be the type of style to out-point Dunham and upset him. If that happens, he drops further and could be on his way out of the organization.