UFC 109 takes place Feb. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and Coleman vs. Couture – which could earn the winner a title shot – leads the night’s pay-per-view broadcast.
Coleman, who was born and lives in Columbus, hasn’t fought since an upset of Stephan Bonnar back in July. A planned November bout with Tito Ortiz was scratched when Coleman suffered an injury, but it eventually set up the bout with Couture, which marks the first-ever fight between two active UFC Hall of Famers.
Xenia’s Brown set for UFC 111
Xenia native Matt Brown (11-7), who’s resurrected his career since joining the world’s top fight promotion, looks for his fifth win in six career UFC fights when he meets jiu-jitsu ace Ricardo Almeida (11-3) at UFC 11.
The March 27 bout takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and airs on PPV.
Brown, currently riding a three-fight win streak, most recently defeated “The Ultimate Fighter 9” reality-show winner James Wilks in November. None of the 29-year-old’s UFC victories have gone the distance. In fact, Brown’s lone UFC loss came to undefeated welterweight Dong Hyun Kim via a close (and hotly contested) split decision.
Brown recently began working with a sports psychologist; he said he wants to give himself an edge wherever possible.
“If you look back on your life and wish there was just a little more you would have done, that’s the worst thing that can happen,” he said.
Franklin camp: Surgery successful
Former UFC champion and West Chester Township’s Rich Franklin underwent successful hernia surgery this past week.
“No complications, no surprises” his manager, J.T. Stewart, said of the Jan. 12 surgery. “He is fine.”
Franklin, who kept busy and headlined four UFC cards in 2009, plans to shut down for a few months to heal. He’s eyeing a May or June return, though UFC officials have not determined an official return date.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, voted best media outlet in the 2008 and 2009 World MMA Awards. For the latest mixed-martial-arts news, go to www.mmajunkie.com.
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