In its place, Conseco Fieldhouse plays host to the Nogueira brothers, a set of Brazilian twins who have found major success in their respective weight classes.
Heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1) faces a fellow ex-champ in Frank Mir (13-5). Mir won their first meeting in 2008, and the rematch headlines UFC 119’s pay-per-view main card.
In the co-headliner, light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3) looks for his eighth straight win when he meets undefeated Ryan Bader (11-0), a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling All-American.
On a local level, Indianapolis firefighter and UFC veteran Chris Lytle (29-17-5) takes on former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra (11-6), and Indianapolis’ Sean McCorkle (9-0) meets fellow UFC heavyweight newcomer Mark Hunt (5-6).
The UFC is expected to officially announce UFC 119 and ticket on-sale dates this week.
Franklin raffling cast
UFC fighter Rich Franklin is giving fans a chance to win a unique piece of MMA memorabilia.
The West Chester Twp. resident is raffling off an arm cast — the one he’s wearing right now — that he got after breaking the limb in a UFC 115 main-event victory over Chuck Liddell.
Both Franklin and Liddell have autographed the pink cast. Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at www.americanfighter.com. All proceeds benefit breast-cancer research through Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Franklin meets with doctors today, July 12, and a smaller forearm-only cast is likely to replace the current full-arm cast. He’s not expected to return to the cage until December.
Ohio busiest regulator
The official numbers are in, and as expected, Ohio regulated more MMA shows than any other state or province in North America last year.
According to stats provided by Tim Lueckenhoff, president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, the Ohio Athletic Commission regulated 140 shows in 2009 — 51 more than neighboring Kentucky and 54 more than Florida.
Ohio has become a hotbed for MMA since the state began regulating the sport in 2005. And under the tutelage of Executive Director Bernie Profato, it’s become an industry leader in event oversight and fighter safety.
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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