Ropes, Ring and Cage

On Wednesday, the UFC formally announced UFC 112 - the first outdoor event in UFC history - set for April 10th at the incredible Ferrari World complex in Abu Dhabi.

The card - which Yahoo's Dave Meltzer has said is the strongest overseas event the UFC has put on - will feature Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (left) vs. Vitor Belfort, Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar and Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie headlining the show.

An interesting storyline will be how the fighters survive in the outdoor venue, especially with the heat. I'm guessing that with this complex, they'll figure out a way to make it as comfortable for the fighters as possible. Still, this is going to be a good dry (or sweaty) run for future discussed outdoor events in Hawaii and Boston.

In all, UFC 112 is going to be quite a spectacle and I would love to be there to see history being made. Anyone out there need a freelance journalist to go cover it? I ain't too proud to beg!


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Preparations are ongoing for this Saturday's Strikeforce event that will feature Nick Diaz, Bobby Lashley, Herschel Walker, Robbie Lawler and Cris 'Cyborg' Santos. I'll have a full preview this Friday and should be on with Arda Ocal on The Fight Show this Friday to discuss.


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UFC made a huge business move Wednesday, announcing that they've inked a deal to begin streaming events online in China. The company they've partnered with also works with streaming the NBA, ESPN and more there so the built-in ease of use and cooperation with the government is already in place.

For the world's biggest MMA company to now be in front of one of the five largest countries in the world is a big move for them and is the first step in perhaps putting on an event there in the next few years. I can't even begin to imagine how many would attend that show.


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Weigh-ins for Saturday's Strikeforce event are FREE for you this Friday, so make your way over to the BankAtlantic Center Chairman's Club in Fort Lauderdale, FL, at 5:30 pm and see the stars of Strikeforce disrobe and pose without shirts on just for you.

The company is also getting into the pre-fight streaming business as you can see Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs live on EASportsMMA.com at 9 pm EST. This is the only fight they plan on airing. Very cool stuff.


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Anyone else think the 'Jim Rome bashes Brock Lesnar' stuff from earlier this week was a little blown out of proportion? I guess you just need to listen to Rome to understand him, but I don't think he even said anything that bad. People just like to stir up problems when there's really not a story there.


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If you missed my James Toney opinion piece Tuesday, here it is. By pure coincidence, he went on The Fight Show Wednesday and continued his delusional ways, saying among other things, a fight between him and Randy Couture would be great.

I would LOVE to see this counter-offer and what he expects. He also posted this ridiculous YouTube video This guy is something else and a great self-promoter is one of them.


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And some quick-hit news from the past few days in case you missed it:

- Forrest Griffin vs. "Lil' Nog" Antonio Nogueira is rumored for UFC 113, the emerging megacard set for Montreal, Canada. Already talked about but unconfirmed for that event is Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida vs. "Shogun" Rua II, Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck, Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione and more.

- Light heavyweight Razak Al-Hassan was cut by the UFC Wednesday after going 0-2 in the Octagon. He hasn't fought since October 2009.

- After a 3.5 year stint in the WEC, lightweight Richard Crunkilton was released Wednesday. He was 1-2 in his last three fights and hasn't been in action since October 2009. Apparently, that was a bad month to lose if you're a Zuffa employee.


Josh Nason has published MMA blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and appears regularly on The Fight Show and Fight Network Radio. Follow him on Twitter.

If I told you that a 41-year-old boxer with no professional MMA experience and very little training was offered a deal by the UFC and turned it down, what would you think is more ridiculous: the offer or the denial?

The recent public courting between alphabet soup heavyweight champion James Toney and the UFC took a turn up to the bedroom but didn't make it up the stairs.

Among other things, Toney explained last week that, "Dana White's first offer was a joke and that lets me know he really don't want to do this."

Toney's recent persistence in pushing for a UFC contract was spurred by a few things, mostly opportunity and money. As most fight fans are aware, boxing has devolved into a frustrating sport that seems more about promoters and athletes avoiding big fights rather than put them together.

Toney has been vocal about how the Klitschko brothers are dodging him and that no one wants to fight him. He wants competition but can't get it, hence why he looked toward the UFC for an opportunity to take on the best and earn some cash doing so.

However, he apparently doesn't want to compete that badly as he spurned White's undisclosed offer, one that was quite unprecedented considering it would be Toney's MMA debut and would seem to fly in the face of White's previous statements about protecting the sport from sideshow events. (Google 'Dana White Herschel Walker' for a taste.)

But hey, if White was willing to give Kimbo Slice a shot, anything's possible.

I'm not sure what Toney expected but I'm guessing it was likely out of whack with what he was offered. If I had to guess, I would think White probably offered a PPV co-main event against a guy like Slice (which would make perfect sense) for six figures and a small percentage of PPV buys. In other words, not a heavyweight title shot and a multi-million payday which I assume he felt he's somehow earned.

There's been no public rebuttal of Toney's comments from White, nor should there be. In fact, White should be insulted that Toney snubbed him like this. While Toney may think that his 44 knockouts mean something in the Octagon, they really don't. By now, boxers should understand there's a lot more to the sport than just swinging and connecting, but I'm sure they see the smaller gloves and huge grins comes across their faces as they envision what they could do one-on-one.

White has said that he continually gets requests from boxers to step inside the cage, but his deterrents haven't stopped pugilists from thinking they can revive their fighting careers in MMA simply because they can fight standing up. Two recent examples:

• Shannon Briggs: Yes, THAT Shannon Briggs. The now 38-year-old is attempting a bit of a comeback after almost three years off and got off to a rollicking start with a 1st round KO of Marcus McGee in December...only to get suspended for 90 days due to a positive test for a controlled substance.
  
  In late December, Briggs' management team announced that he was going to begin MMA training in NYC and that he has "been working overtime to increase his cardio in order to compete at the highest level of MMA" Yes, because if his cardio is better, that means he's ready. How about a starter jiu-jitsu course first?
  
  Again, he's almost 40 and has been out of active competition for nearly three years. While he did defeat George Foreman and competed against top guys like Lennox Lewis, that was also a decade ago. But somehow, he's ready to change gears and become an MMA superstar.

• Ricardo Mayorga: It's all but been confirmed that Mayorga will make his MMA debut against UFC veteran Din Thomas for the upstart Shine Promotions as part of a multi-fight deal. The veteran of 38 pro boxing fights, Mayorga is 36 years old and think he can hang with guys like Thomas, a pro for over 10 years.
  
  Like Briggs, Mayorga is coming off a long layoff as he hasn't fought since a September 2008 loss to Shane Mosley. Maybe he can join Briggs in some brisk cardio training.

I guess when you have situations like Ray Mercer's quick June 2009 KO of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, there should be no surprise that boxers are making a push to get in the MMA game. Remember Roy Jones Jr. and the much-discussed Anderson Silva bout? Can you imagine how one-sided that would be? Danny Green this isn't.

But even with a large amount of events in 2010 and more organizations looking to make an impact, the sport of MMA isn't Ellis Island and doesn't need the tired, the poor and the weary of boxing to come to our shores.

It comes down to a pretty simple fact: the sport is multi-dimensional. Boxers seem to assume their striking puts them at a huge advantage, but any MMA fan worth their salt knows that fighters that begin with a wrestling or jiu-jitsu base often end up better-equipped in the long run. While striking is obviously important, it's about diversity these days - not the single-style silo that boxers assume will work.

If Toney was smart, he would have taken White's offer - even as unmerited as it was - and put his money where his mouth is. By doing so and actually winning, Toney would have opened up the floodgates for more boxers to knock on the UFC's door, pointing to the victory as proof of the argument some boxing fans have pointed to in the overplayed argument against MMA.

By turning him down, Toney proved why the boxing industry is so flawed these days. Where there is opportunity, there is often an excuse.

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio and Mauro Ranallo's Fight Show. Follow him on Twitter.

One way or another, I have a feeling MMA fans will know where they were on Wednesday, January 20th at 11 am EST when Brock Lesnar is expected to announce his immediate future on ESPN's Sportscenter.

Since news broke in the fall that something was wrong with the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, everyone that cares about the business has been on high alert as to what Lesnar's future could be.

We've heard from UFC Prez Dana White on what the outcomes could be: surgery and 2 years out, a clean bill of health and a 2010 return and (gulp) retirement.

Honestly, there's not much more to say but we'll find out Wednesday at 11 am. My guess? We'll see him back in action by May. His clothing gear company kinda jumped the gun by posting the image you see here on their site, so the UFC's 2010 New Year's wish may have just got granted.

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For Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn II, the UFC tried out a three-part series called PrimeTime - based on the mega-successful and mega-awesome HBO boxing series 24/7. It was good but fell far short of the awesomeness HBO created.

Well, UFC is going to try again as part of the build for March's UFC 111 in New Jersey - highlighting the Welterweight title match between GSP and Dan Hardy. It debuts on Wednesday, 3/10 on Spike and will again be three parts leading up to the Saturday, 3/27 event.

A request? Can Frank Mir make a cameo...please? Anything Mir will sell and he's got a interim Heavyweight Championship match against Shane Carwin on that card.


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Spike will once again air prelims prior to February 6th's UFC 109: Coleman vs. Couture event. Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz and Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres are expected. I'm a bit surprised as there is a Gracie - Rolles - who is also appearing on the undercard in a heavyweight bout. I would think they'd push for that as some mainstream fans might find it a familiar name to check out.

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New York Governor David Paterson is proposing that MMA finally be legalized in the Empire State as part of his proposed 2010-2011 budget. The state is $9 billion in the red and having the UFC as a major presence in the state - along with other regional type promotions - could go a long way toward helping that.

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The UFC continues to load up the 3/21 debut on Versus by adding Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello to the event. You'll remember Kongo getting run over by Mir at December's UFC 107, while Buentello dropped a decision to Stefan Struve at the same event. To me, this is a loser-leaves-UFC match as Kongo has lost two in a row and Buentello is just kinda there. (Thanks to Five Ounces of Pain)

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After being battered at the hands of BJ Penn in December, Diego Sanchez may have had a change of heart and posted on his Twitter page that he's moving back up to 170 pounds - just three fights after moving down.

Sanchez (who defeated Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida in two Fights Of The Night before losing to Penn) has already called out Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch and would like to "welcome" Nate Diaz if he decides to go up to 170 as well.

I have a feeling Penn won't be too far behind.

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio and Mauro Ranallo's Fight Show. Follow him on Twitter.

At this rate, the biggest challenge that UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn might have in 2010 is whether to jump up in weight class.

Gray Maynard took home a lackluster split decision win over Nate Diaz Monday night to headline the 20th edition of UFC's Fight Night series in Richmond, VA - an event that featured three TUF champions.

The judges were a bit, uhh, scattered in their scoring of the main event with one scoring it 29-28 Diaz, one 29-28 for Maynard and one 30-27 for Maynard. The latter must have missed the first round when Diaz peppered Maynard with punches and used his long reach to keep Maynard at bay. How that judge saw Maynard winning that, I have no idea.

In other action, Evan Dunham pulled out an impressive armbar submission win and Aaron Simpson survived a war with Tom Lawlor amidst three televised decision fights. For the full wrap on UFC's first Spike event of the year, read on!

Gray Maynard def. Nate Diaz by split decision

Going into this fight, it was expected that with a win, Maynard would earn a shot at Penn later this year but after this performance, it would be hard thinking UFC President Dana White would give him the fight over exciting Frankie Edgar.

Diaz was trash talking early, a theme that would continue throughout the fight with Maynard even getting involved to the chagrin of coach Randy Couture. Diaz' reach held Maynard off, preventing him from getting in any clean shots. As the fight evolved, Maynard started to figure the TUF 5 winner out and began to tag him with some good punches. Diaz began to land less and played to the crowd more, losing the 2nd round.

Then, the 3rd round happened and neither guy really did anything to win it as they couldn't get anything going. Maynard - also a TUF 5 competitor - had better head movement but wasn't active enough to take control of the round. Diaz didn't hit a lot, but hit often enough to win the round by my eyes but like other fights, this could have been a 10-10 round. Maynard was pretty bloodied up at the end, but he took home the win but likely not a title shot.

This fight never did go to the ground for any extended period of time, kinda surprising considering Diaz is a jiu-jitsu ace and Maynard's a great wrestler. You wonder how this might have turned out if either guy had tried some takedowns and submissions instead of engaging in a stand-up exchange. Fans were booing and it was a bland end to a somewhat bland night.


Evan Dunham def. Efrain Escudero by 3rd round submission (1:59)

Dunham kept his undefeated streak alive with an impressive 3rd round submission win over the former TUF winner. The fight was even going into the 3rd with Escudero opening the round with a guillotine. Dunham worked for the takedown and then transitioned to a body triangle to a triangle to an armbar, torquing Escudero's right arm in cringe-inducing manner.

Escudero held on for longer than he should and eventually tapped, likely either breaking or severely injuring his arm. Ugh. Escudero looked great in the first round and had Dunham rocked, but couldn't finish. Dunham took control in the 2nd with good head movement, effective takedowns and ground and pound. Dunham moves onto to better things, while Double-E is likely going to be recovering for quite a while.

Spike was running low on time and didn't have time for a post-fight interview with Dunham which is too bad. With two decision fights to open the show, this would have been a good way to introduce Dunham to the bigger Spike audience.


Aaron Simpson def. Tom Lawlor by split decision

I think Lawlor will look back on this 1st round and wonder why he didn't finish Simpson off. Lawlor dominated the first five minutes by battering Simpson with hard punches that had him nearly out on his feet. It was a clinic in striking as Lawlor was patient in landing shot after shot, but slowed at the end of the round and let Simpson recover. Not a good idea.

Beginning in the 2nd, Simpson began to take over with takedowns and started winning the exchanges of punches. Lawlor started to wear down and got really tired in the 3rd when Simpson dominated with his wrestling. This was as even a fight as you're going to get and the judges scored accordingly. Two judges had it 29-28 for Simpson while another had it 29-28 Lawlor.

It could be argued that the first round Lawlor won 10-8 as he was that dominant, while the 2nd round could have been a 10-10. There will be arguments either way, but if you've ever thought about being a judge, trying scoring this one live. To give you an idea, I had it 29-29 with the 2nd being a 10-10 round. Judging on the fly is tougher than most of us give it credit for.

Two side notes: I found it interesting that Joe Rogan actually spoke out when the fans were booing Simpson as I don't remember him ever being that forthcoming. He seemed legitimately pissed and he was right as Simpson had just gone through a war. But is the color commentator's job to play cheerleader when he's doing a post-fight interview?

The other side note: did Lawlor come into Hulk Hogan's old "Real American" music? If so, kudos to that guy.


Amir Sadollah def. Brad Blackburn by unanimous decision

In the televised opener, the TUF 7 winner pounded out a pretty one-sided victory over Blackburn, doing major damage at the end of the 1st and early in the 3rd round. Sadollah mixed up his game by using muay thai knees, sharp elbows and a variety of kicks in battering Blackburn, who never really did get started.

Sadollah dominated the 3rd by opening up the round with a hard knee to Blackburn's face and an immediate takedown with plenty of ground and pound. For his second fight in three months, Sadollah looked just fine and continues up the welterweight ladder. The loss snaps a six-fight unbeaten streak for Blackburn, but this was his first fight in six months following shoulder surgery, so he can be forgiven.

All three judges had it 30-27, as did I. Not an action-packed fight but more gritty than anything.

Notes

- Did you know that Blue Mountain State was coming up after the show? The plugs during the main event got obnoxious after the 3rd or 4th.

- Man, there were a lot of ads in the first 15 minutes. The lead in for the first fight didn't start until 9:15 pm EST.

- No undercard fights. I was really interested in seeing Chris Leben. That's crazy he didn't make the televised show to start with. Guess he's still paying a penance for the steroid thing, eh?


Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio. Follow him on Twitter.

Ben Henderson snatched a victory out of nowhere to become the WEC's undisputed Lightweight Champion, while Urijah Faber secured a date with Jose Aldo after a big submission win of his own - all part of WEC 46 Sunday night at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, CA.

For all the results of WEC 46 featuring Henderson, Varner, Faber and the successful return of Mike Brown, read on!


Ben Henderson def. Jamie Varner via 3rd round submission (2:41) to become the undisputed WEC Lightweight Champion

After not doing much for the first two rounds, Ben Henderson countered a Jamie Varner shoot with a mounted guillotine and made him tap in the 3rd round to become the undisputed WEC Lightweight Champion.

Varner came out strong in the first round, taking Henderson down and cranking on his neck, including one big guillotine push that Henderson worked out of. There was a weird moment when Varner got hit in the face with a kick and then started to walk away, seemingly favoring his eye. Now THAT would have been a strange ending and yes, Donald Cerrone was in the crowd.

After a fairly blah second round, Varner was up two rounds to none but then, the 3rd round happened. Varner shot in on Henderson and the interim champion jumped up on his hips, ensnaring him in a nasty guillotine choke that had him tapping within seconds. Varner didn't even hit the mat or try to fight as it was over quickly, shockingly and surprisingly. So much for Varner vs. Cerrone II. Looks like Henderson vs. Cerrone II may be on tap next.

Varner looked great for a round, but I think he used up too much energy in that first round working for that guillotine. Prepping for a 25-minute fight after a year layoff probably wasn't the best thing, but as one of the name value lightweights in the WEC, he won't have to do much to get another shot.


Urijah Faber def. Raphael Assuncao via 3rd round submission (3:49)

After looking hesitant in the first round, Urijah Faber turned it in on the final two and wore down a game Assuncao with a rear naked choke for a 3rd round submission win and a shot at Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.

In front of a rabid hometown crowd, Faber showed no ill effects from the hand injuries he suffered in the second Mike Brown fight as he knocked Assuncao down twice in the fight with hard right hands. In the first round, Assuncao was looking to slow Faber down and cut down on Faber's fast punches. He won the round, but barely.

But it was in the 2nd and 3rd that Faber kicked it up a notch and took Assuncao down, almost finishing him with a guillotine choke. He dominated Assuncaco on the ground to win the round and in the 3rd, continued to push the pace. Assunaco looked overwhelmed at what was happening and seemed content to fight from his back and wait for Faber to make a mistake.

That ended up being the wrong move as Faber got his back as Assuncao tried to make a move and paid for it. Faber sunk in a rear naked choke and Assuncao tapped, setting up a megafight between Aldo and Faber for later this year. Aldo was in the cage post-fight and jokingly said that Faber wasn't going to take his belt. No offense Sac-Town, but this one shouldn't be in California. The crowd advantage is just that...an advantage. This needs to be a neutral ground encounter.


Kamal Shalorus def. Dave Jansen by unanimous decision

For two wrestlers, these guys sure didn't act like it. Shalorus and Jansen were content to slug with each other for 15 minutes with some minimal ground work. Shalorus' shots were harder and more precise, opening up cuts on Jansen's face in the 1st and 2nd rounds.

Every time Jansen would try to shoot, Shalorus defended effortlessly. He's a raw talent and needs some refining with his striking and transitioning to the ground when he's got a guy in trouble, but he's a prospect to watch in 2010. People certainly liked to boo him as well (because he's Iranian?) and even started a USA chant in the 1st round. What?

Two judges had it 30-27, while another had it 29-28. I had it 30-27.

Mike Brown def. Anthony Morrison via 1st round submission (1:54)

The former WEC Featherweight Champ had zero issues in dispatching Morrison in short order. Johnson was active early in throwing leg kicks and punches, but Brown was patient and got the takedown, working into the dreaded HUGHES CRUCIFIX OF DOOM. Johnson worked his way out, but Brown was relentless with his battering and eventually got Morrison to give him his back for the rear naked choke victory.

Morrison looked a bit intimidated here in his WEC debut so it's tough to gauge exactly how big a win this is for Brown. He needs another big win to get back into the title race but at least he's on his way back. He did get a few boos from the Sac-Town crowd but did get mostly boos which seemed to make him uncomfortable. It's just part of the job, bud.


Deividas Taurosevicius def. Mackens Semerzier by unanimous decision

DT was effective with takedowns in the first two rounds and simply was that much better than Semerzier, who tried submissions and threw some nice body kicks standing up but couldn't figure Taurosevicius out. Semerzier did turn it on in the 3rd round when DT went into survival mode and even hooked in a nice guillotine choke. But DT just pried apart his fingers and got out of the fight with just a cut on his forehead.

All three judges had it 29-28, as did I.


Mark Hominick def. Bryan Caraway by 1st round submission (3:48)

Hominick looked awesome here, essentially dominated the fight from his back. Caraway took him down early but Hominick was more active and didn't let Caraway get any advantage. The end came when Hominick tried to reverse Caraway and as he came back down, postured his hips and entangled him in a triangle/armbar that make him tap. I'd love to see him against Mike Brown in a No. 1 contender's match for the Featherweight gold.

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio. Follow him on Twitter.

Varner! Henderson! Faber! Brown! Championships! Meaningful fights! Stars aplenty! It's WEC 46 in Sac-Town, CA, Sunday night and this is the official Five Bullet Point Preview. Exclamation points!!!


Undisputed Lightweight Championship: Jamie Varner vs. Ben Henderson

• It's amazing how disliked Varner became after his memorable fight with Donald Cerrone when he couldn't continue after an illegal knee to the head. Like Rashad Evans, there's just something about Varner that drives people nuts. Sunday will be his first fight since that controversial win one year ago as he was mighty banged up afterward.
  
  
• Even after a year, Varner remains the WEC Lightweight Champion, while Henderson won the interim version by defeating Cerrone in an October 2009 classic. This will be Hendu's first fight since that victory.
  
  
• Varner's inactivity could play a huge role as we've seen recently how other fighters have responded after long layoffs (Tito Ortiz and Joe Lauzon immediately come to mind). Even with training, it's a lot different on fight night and Varner will have to overcome that. He's successfully defended his title twice and has won five straight.
  
  
• On the flip side, this will be the fourth fight for Henderson in the last 12 months. He goes into Saturday on a nine-fight win streak and has only lost once in a 10-1 career.
  
  
• Henderson favors the submission (60% win percentage), while Varner also has submission skills (nine career taps) but has won three of his last four by TKO.

Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assuncao

• The aura around Faber certainly doesn't feel like that of a guy who has lost two of his last three with those defeats coming in Featherweight title fights, does it?
  
  Another title shot could be in the mix with a big win here as he still remains the organization's biggest star.
  
  
• The California Kid was last seen losing a unanimous decision to champion Mike Brown in their June rematch. In that fight, Faber broke one hand and dislocated another so it will be interesting to see they become problematic Sunday and if this becomes an issue.
  
  
• While Assuncao (pronounced Ah-sun-sow) has been promoted as an afterthought, he is no joke with a 13-1 record and a six-fight win streak.
  
  
• With a combined four losses, there isn't much to look at in the way of trends. Faber has two defeats by TKO and one decision loss, while Assunaco was defeated by Jeff Curran by decision in November 2006.
  
  
• Faber favors submissions (50% win percentage and four of his last five), while Assuncao also prefers to win by tapout (57%) but has decisions in three of his last five.

Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus

• The 30-year-old Jansen has yet to taste defeat in a three-year pro career, taking a 14-0 mark into Sunday.
  
  
• The 33-year-old Shalorus made his WEC debut in November with an impressive 1st round TKO win over Will Kerr. He is also undefeated at 5-0-1.
  
  
• Jansen also debuted in the fall for WEC, decisioning Richard Crunkilton in October at WEC 43.
  
  
• While Jansen has a 50% win percentage by submission, he has decision wins in three of his last four.
  
  
• Shalorus comes from a wrestling background but has shown a propensity to win standing up as four of his wins have come via TKO.

Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison

• Brown had a great 2009 going with successful defenses of the WEC Featherweight title against Leonard Garcia and Urijah Faber...and then Jose Aldo happened in November. Ouch.
  
  
• Give Brown credit as he wanted back in action quickly after the overwhelming 2nd round defeat to Aldo that left him without a title. Two months later, he gets Morrison.
  
  
• The 25-year-old Morrison will make his WEC debut Sunday night against the former champ, not exactly an easy task. Morrison fights mainly on the East Coast and has a 15-7 mark.
  
  
• Before the Aldo loss, Brown was on a ten-fight win streak. 18 of his 22 wins have come via submission or decision.
  
  
• Morrison had a busy 2009 with six fights and went 4-2. He last defeated Alvin Robinson via 1st round submission (punches) in December but is mostly a decision fighter when he wins.

Five Random Bullets

• Former IFL Featherweight Champion Wagnney Fabiano continues to look for consistency in his fourth WEC fight (3-1) as he battles Clint Godfrey, a late injury replacement for Frank Gomez.
  
  
• Submission expert Mackens Semerzier looks to stay undefeated at 5-0 as he takes on Affliction castoff and equal submission artist Deividas Taurosevicius. Semerzier is coming off a huge upset win over Fabiano.
  
  
• Another Affliction castoff and UFC-experienced Mark Hominick takes on Bryan Caraway in non-televised action. Hominick has fought in the WEC as recently as February 2008.
  
  
• George Roop makes his return to Zuffa after a 1-2 mark in the UFC following a run on the eight season of TUF. He will go up against Eddie Vineland.
  
  
• There are 10 fights in total and the action is set for the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, CA. At last check, tickets are still available and as close as the 10th row on the floor. The show begins at 9 pm EST on Versus.

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to FIGHT! Magazine and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio. Follow him on Twitter.