THE TORCH: THE #1 WORLDWIDE BRAND IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE - OVER 250 MILLION VIEWS & LISTENS PER YEAR REREACHING MORE FANS EVERY WEEK THAN ANY OTHER INDEPENDENT SOURCE • VIA THE WEB, MOBILE, PRINT NEWSLETTER, AND ITUNES
Mar 25, 2009 - 8:30:00 AM By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The rapidly rising Matt Brown has accepted a bout with fellow rising welterweight Anthony Johnson for the Ultimate Fighter Finale 9 on June 20th according to a report from MMAWeekly.com. Johnson had been tapped for a possible fight with John Howard but that fell through.
The up and coming Johnson was last seen defeating Luigi Fiorivanti this February, picking up a first round tko victory which ultimately led to Fiorivanti's release from the UFC. It was his second straight victory after gaining redemption against Kevin Burns for a controversial loss in which he was poked in the eye last summer.
For Matt Brown, it will be a chance for him to continue the momentum he's brought from his last few fights. After losing a decision to Dong Hyun Kim in September of last year in a fight many felt he won, he's rolled through his last two opponents in impressive fashion, submitting Ryan Thomas at UFC 91 in the second round and finishing off Pete Sell early at UFC 96.
The Ultimate Fighter season nine finale is set to air on Spike TV on June 20th. Coaches Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson are expected to meet at UFC 100 this July.
Penick's Analysis: This is an awesome fight for the finale. It's an almost perfect match up for both guys, as it will determine where each one really is in this welterweight division at this young stage of their careers. Brown's got some very solid submission ability, but will likely be more than willing to stand and trade it out with Johnson, while Johnson's shown himself to be a powerful and exciting fighter all around as well. It's a great match up and when it's for free on Spike you can't complain about that.
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
"There's still a large contingent of people, that they just want to see these guys almost die, or the other guy almost die and come back, and sometimes fights are like that. Certainly they are. But sometimes you get technical masterpieces too, and to hate a beautiful, technical fight - you're not really a fight fan...
Diaz has a granite chin, possesses perhaps the best recovery in the sport, his pace and conditioning are second to none and he sets records with the volume of his punches almost every time he steps into the cage. Nick Diaz is simply designed to fight the way he fights, and not many other fighters are...
"There was a lot of poison going on around there and I'm really disappointed because we had a good thing going. It was a good thing and I think people's egos got in the way. Well, not people just Javier, his ego got in the way, and too many cameras in the gym and him trying to build himself up and his brand, his AKA brand...
PART OF THE USA TODAY UFC GROUP