UFC Fight Night 17 * FEB 7 2009 *

[UkrainianGuy]

The card for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 17 on Feb. 7 is starting to fill up quickly as MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that former "Ultimate Fighter" 7 star Matt Riddle will make his return to the Octagon to face American Top Team standout Steve Bruno.

The fight was confirmed over the weekend by sources close to the fighters' camps and while there hasn't been an official word on the bout agreements, it is believed both have accepted the fight.

Matt Riddle has been considered a top prospect since his time on the "Ultimate Fighter" season 7, but this will be his first fight dropping to the welterweight division.

In his only bout since the show ended, Riddle picked up a unanimous decision win over former housemate Dante Rivera. He was scheduled previously to fight at UFC 91 in November, but a knee injury that occurred during training kept him out of the bout and pushed back to the fight against Bruno.

As for Bruno, the American Top Team member currently sports a 1-1 record in the UFC, with a win over Johnny Rees in his last fight at the UFC Fight for the Troops show in December.

The bout is currently slated for the undercard of the show that will feature a main event pitting Joe Lauzon against Hermes Franca in a lightweight showdown.

[UkrainianGuy]

Spike TV will be showcasing some of the rising stars in the UFC with the first ever “UFC Fight Night” from Tampa, Fla., with a main event featuring a lightweight battle between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experts Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca.

Spike TV’s live “UFC Fight Night” will emanate from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT. Also appearing on the fight card will be Mac Danzig (“The Ultimate Fighter 6” champion), Amir Sadollah (“The Ultimate Fighter 7” champion), and undefeated heavyweight Cain Velasquez.

Joe Lauzon made an impressive debut in the UFC with a knockout over Jens Pulver at UFC 63 in September 2006. Lauzon, from suburban Boston, gained further acclaim as a standout fighter on “The Ultimate Fighter 5.” However, his road to a UFC title shot hit a speed bump when he dropped a matchup to current No. 1 lightweight contender Kenny Florian this past April. Lauzon rebounded with a win against Kyle Bradley in September, and is determined to continue his ascent in the UFC’s lightweight division against Franca.

The 33-year-old Franca from Fortaleza, Brazil trains in Jupiter, Fla., had won eight straight mixed martial arts bouts prior to losing to then lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 73 in Sacramento last summer. After a year-long layoff, Franca returned to the Octagon this past July and dropped a tough decision to Frankie Edgar, before getting back on the winning track in winning a grudge match with American Top Team’s Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90 in October.

Even though Mac Danzig was a standout mixed martial artist in the “King of the Cage” promotion, it wasn’t until he dominated “The Ultimate Fighter 6” in 2007 that he gained national acclaim. Since claiming “The Ultimate Fighter” title over Tommy Speer last December, Danzig has a 1-1 record including a recent loss to Clay Guida in September on Spike TV. Currently training with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Danzig needs a victory over Neer to continue his path to a lightweight crown. Nicknamed “The Dentist,” the 25-year old Neer is a native of Des Moines and trains with the renowned Team Miletich. Neer won an impressive decision over UFC veteran Din Thomas in April, but saw his three-fight winning streak end in September with a split-decision loss to Nate Diaz in the main event of a “UFC Fight Night” on Spike TV in Omaha in September.

In heavyweight action, one of the division’s most promising talents, Cain Velasquez, looks to spoil the debut of UFC newcomer Denis "The Menace" Stojnic. Velasquez, with an impressive pedigree as a two-Time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, is anything but one-dimensional inside of the Octagon. One of the most explosive strikers in the UFC, Velasquez has been dominant in compiling an undefeated record. In fact, none of his bouts have lasted more than one round with all four ending via TKO due to strikes. Looking to end Velasquez’s winning streak is Stojnic, a heavyweight hailing from Sarajevo who has had similar success on the European mixed martial arts circuit.

Also on the card, in middleweight action, Amir Sadollah will enter the Octagon for the first time since winning “The Ultimate Fighter” as he battles UFC newcomer Nick Catone. Sadollah made the mixed martial arts world take notice as he steamrolled through the competition en route to winning “The Ultimate Fighter 7” finale against C.B. Dolloway via armbar this past June. Since then, the 28-year-old Sadollah has given up his surgical technician’s job in Richmond, Va. and moved to Las Vegas to train fulltime with Team Couture. Sadollah aims to keep his perfect record intact against the undefeated Catone, fighting out of Toms River, N.J., who is making his UFC debut.

[UkrainianGuy]

Following a knockout of the night performance in his last bout, welterweight stand-out Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is ready to return to action as he will face Luigi Fioravanti in a bout on the UFC Fight Night card slated for Feb 17 in Florida.

The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Monday.

Anthony Johnson, considered a top prospect at 170lbs, has been a wrecking machine in a number of his fights since coming to the UFC.

Holding knockout wins over Chad Reiner and Tommy Speer, it was Johnson who exacted revenge in his last fight over Kevin Burns. In their first fight, Burns accidentally poked Johnson in the eye, which caused a stop to the bout, but it was Burns who was declared the winner despite the foul.

Now Johnson faces another very tough opponent as American Top Team member, Luigi Fioravanti readies for his 9th trip inside the Octagon.

His last fight, a win over Brodie Farber, came at the UFC Fight for the Troops show, which held special significance for Fioravanti as an ex-member of the U.S. military.

It's unknown at this time if the fight between Johnson and Fioravanti will be on the main card of the event as the UFC has not officially listed the bout order for the show.

UFC Fight Night takes place on Feb 17 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

[UkrainianGuy]

Despite an arrest in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, Josh Neer will still be competing on Feb. 7 at UFC Fight Night 17 against The Ultimate Fighter season 6 winner Mac Danzig at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

"Josh will be fighting Mac Danzig February 7 in the co-main event in Tampa as scheduled," Mickey Dubberly, CEO of KO Dynasty Sports Management who represents Neer, informed MMAWeekly.com. "Josh has been training very hard for this fight, and is looking forward to putting on a great fight for the UFC and fans. Josh would like to once again thank his family, fans, friends, training partners, UFC, and everyone that has supported him through his career."

Neer was arrested after a traffic incident where he allegedly fled the scene leading police on a high-speed chase that reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. He was charged with a second-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and eluding while more than 25 miles-per-hour in excess of the speeding limit. He was released later that day after posting $7,000 bail, his bond was set at $2,000 for the operating while intoxicated charge and $5,000 for the charge of eluding.

Sporting a professional MMA record of 24-7-1, Neer last saw action at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Neb., where he lost a split decision to Ultimate Fighter season five winner Nate Diaz. Neer and Diaz were awarded the UFC Fight Night 15 "Fight of the Night" award, which included a $30,000 bonus to each fighter.

[UkrainianGuy]

Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca headline UFC Fight Night 17 in a lightweight showdown. The event will air live on Spike TV from the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

Lauzon most recently defeated Kyle Bradley at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Neb. Franca returns to follow up on his winning performance over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90 in Chicago.

“It’s kind of weird, but I’ve gone from undercard to main event, back to undercard, and now main event again," said Lauzon, referring to his main event bout against Kenny Florian in Denver. "I’m not complaining at all. This is a huge fight for me, second only to my main event in Denver, which was more personal with both of us from Massachusetts.”

Other main card bouts feature a heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and UFC newcomer Denis Stojnic, Ultimate Fighter season 6 winner Mac Danzig faces off with Josh Neer, and Ultimate Fighter season 7 winner Amir Sadollah will battle Nick Catone.

Neer's position on the fight card came into question last week following an early morning arrest on New Year's Day in Iowa, but his management on Tuesday issued a statement saying, "Josh will be fighting Mac Danzig February 7 in the co-main event in Tampa as scheduled."

UFC Fight Night 17 Fight Card:

Main Card Bouts:
-Joe Lauzon vs. Hermes Franca
-Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic
-Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
-Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone

Preliminary Card Bouts:
-Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson
-Jake Rosholt vs. Alessio Sakara
-Matt Grice vs. George Sotiropoulos
-Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau
-Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti

Rumored Bout (not officially confirmed by UFC):
-Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle

[St]

Ya it will be a good card.You know what the odd thing is about Friday fight nights is there seems to be more knock-outs then the Main cards,me and a few friends have said this.

[evoke]

Denis Stojnic got so much fatter than his early days.