Perhaps repeating past mistakes, UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck has his sights firmly set on challenging Georges “Rush” St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship and appears to be overlooking a formidable opponent, Mike Pierce, at UFC Fight Night 20.
Koscheck previously made headlines by bragging about knowing nothing about his UFC 95 opponent, newcomer Paulo Thiago, but was promptly knocked out by a two-punch combination from Thiago in the later stages of the first round.
In a fight with major title implications, former WEC Welterweight Champion “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit is rumoured to be taking on British knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley in a featured welterweight bout at UFC 108 in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 2, 2010.
Both fighters are coming off of wins, though they came in vastly different manners. Condit escaped with a razor-thin Split Decision over Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 19 on September 16th, while Daley stopped top contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 three days later.
Confirming rumours from earlier in the week, fan favourite “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva has announced that he will take on judo ace Yoshihiro Akiyama in the main event of UFC 111, which will emanate from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 21, 2010.
The fight will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first event in Australia as the promotion looks to continue its expansion around the world. Both fighters will look to put on a show for the fans, but Silva desperately needs an impressive victory in order to return to contention.
Adding to an already solid card, Sengoku Raiden Championship has announced a pair of high-profile bouts for “Eleventh Battle” on November 7th. Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago will face Mamed Khalidov, while Stanislav Nedkov takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin “The Monster” Randleman.
Santiago’s title will not be on the line against the experienced Khalidov, but a Khalidov win would ensure a future title shot. Nedkov will look to remain unbeaten in his fight, while Randleman seeks a win to get back on-track.
Returning to action for the first time since June, undefeated Canadian star Sarah Kaufman will face her toughest test to date at Strikeforce Challengers 5 on November 20th when she takes on Japanese standout Takayo Hashi, who has tasted defeat just once in her career.
Kaufman will be looking to position herself in line for a title fight in the near future, while Hashi, one of the top female fighters in Japan today who holds big victories over Amanda Buckner and Hitomi Akano, will aim to make an immediate impact in her Strikeforce debut.
Adding to its growing light heavyweight division, Strikeforce has signed undefeated rising star Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal to a deal that could see the charismatic standout debut for the promotion as soon as December. He will be free to continue competing in Japan for Sengoku Raiden Championship.
Known as much for his flashy entrances and pandering to the crowd as he is for his in-ring abilities, Lawal is one of the fastest-rising competitors in the light heavyweight division.
Beginning 2010 in style, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will feature a blockbuster middleweight bout between former DREAM and K-1 HERO’s star Yoshihiro Akiyama and long-time PRIDE Middleweight Champion “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva. The fight will take place at UFC 110 or 111 next year.
The bout will mark Silva’s debut at middleweight and will be a tough test. Always an exciting fighter, Silva has dropped five of his last six fights, while Akiyama has not suffered an official loss since 2005.
With the success of the pre-UFC 103 telecast on Spike TV, the UFC will once again air preliminary bouts prior to the upcoming UFC 104 pay-per-view telecast. A free one-hour special on Spike will feature Ryan Bader taking on Eric Schafer and Antoni Hardonk battling Pat Barry.
This will mark the second consecutive UFC event to feature preliminary bouts on a free Spike telecast. On September 19th, the promotion aired a one-hour special of live and pre-taped undercard bouts prior to the PPV that drew an impressive 1.4 million viewers.