“Like a lot of Midwest cities, Indianapolis is a place we’ve had our eye on,” UFC president Dana White said in 2009, when Indiana passed legislation to regulate MMA.
“People in the Midwest will drive eight hours (to a show) and think nothing of it. They’re passionate fans.”
Dayton-area fighters Rich Franklin (who headlines UFC 115 against Chuck Liddell on June 12) and Matt Brown (who fights Indianapolis firefighter Chris Lytle at UFC 116 on July 3) are candidates for the UFC 119 card, though no bookings are official.
The UFC’s most recent event, UFC 114, took place this past Saturday, May 29, in Las Vegas. Rashad Evans beat fellow ex-champ and bitter rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via decision to earn a guaranteed light-heavyweight title shot.
Hazelett tries to rebound from loss at UFC 117
In his first fight since a knockout loss to Paul Daley in January, UFC welterweight and West Chester Twp. resident Dustin Hazelett (12-5) meets Rick Story (10-3) at UFC 117.
The event takes place Aug. 7 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.
Although not officially announced by the UFC, verbal agreements are in place for the fight.
Hazelett, 24, quickly rose to contender status with a 5-1 run in the UFC before the setback to Daley.
His 25-year-old opponent is on a hot streak of his own with three consecutive UFC wins.
UFC 117 is expected to feature a main event pitting UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (26-4) against top contender Chael Sonnen (24-10-1).
Bellator books regional talent for June show
As detailed in last week’s “MMA Insider” column, officials from Bellator Fighting Championships tapped into the Ohio talent pool and booked Cincinnati-based fighter Luke Zachrich (9-2) against fellow Kentucky middleweight Mike Fleniken (2-1) for its June 14 show in Louisville.
Now, two more regional fighters have been booked for the preliminary card with Chad Hinton (6-1), whom Roger Huerta eliminated from the organization’s eight-man lightweight tourney in April, taking on fellow Cincinnatian and rising prospect Daniel Straus (10-2), who recently defeated UFC vet Gideon Ray.
Tickets for the Fox Sports Net-televised show are on sale at Bellator.com.
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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