Just over two months after he was cut from the UFC, Canadian heavyweight Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague has re-signed with the promotion. He will replace Chad Corvin in a bout with Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran at UFC 113 in Montréal. MMAjunkie.com first reported on the change today.
Corvin’s medical paperwork was reportedly not accepted by the Québec Athletic Commission, forcing him off of the card. Hague will step in on little more than two weeks’ notice to return to the UFC after a pair of bouts in The Fight Club promotion were cancelled in March.
Hague (10-3-0) debuted in the UFC last May and survived early danger before submitting kickboxing standout Pat “HD” Barry with a guillotine choke in the first round. His next outing, a seven-second record-setting knockout loss to Todd Duffee, was a significant setback for Hague, but he battled back with an impressive performance against highly-touted heavyweight Chris “The Crowbar” Tuchscherer at UFC 109. In a controversial result, Tuchscherer was awarded a Majority Decision victory in a fight that many observers felt that Hague had won.
Following the bout with Tuchscherer, a disappointed Hague was released by the UFC and signed a contract with Canadian MMA promotion The Fight Club. Hague was set to make his promotional debut against Tyler East at TFC 10: “High Octane” on March 19th, but the fight with East, as well as a replacement bout against Ed Carpenter, were both cancelled. As a result, Hague did not compete on the card and has not fought since the disputed loss to Tuchscherer. He will get a second chance when the UFC returns to Canada on May 8th.
Beltran (11-3-0) is known for his heavy hands and all of his victories have come by stoppage. After losing his professional debut to Yohan Banks in February of 2007, Beltran has since lost just two times. Both of those losses came to former KOTC Heavyweight Champion and current KOTC Light Heavyweight Champion Tony Lopez. Beltran made his UFC debut at UFC 109 and handed Rolles Gracie his first loss in a lacklustre bout. Beltran holds a dominant win over Houston “The Assassin” Alexander and will look to continue his rise up the ranks when he faces Hague.
UFC 113: “Machida vs Shogun 2” takes place on May 8th at the Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The event airs live on pay-per-view.
UFC 113 Fight Card (subject to change):
– Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout)
– Paul “Semtex” Daley vs Josh Koscheck
– Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens vs Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout
– Alan “The Talent” Belcher vs Patrick “The Predator” Côté
– Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs Matt Mitrione
– Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen vs “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (*)
– “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis vs Jonathan “The Road Warrior” Goulet
– Mike “Joker” Guymon vs Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida
– Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran vs Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague (*)
– TJ Grant vs Johnny Hendricks
– Nick “The Jersey Devil” Catone vs John Salter
*Not officially announced.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)