UFC Fight Night 22 is coming up on the coming 15th in Texas. But the promotion is already looking well ahead and, between confirmed or unconfirmed matchups, new fights are announced, while some athletes end up getting cut.
Demian back in December. Photo: Josh Hedges
Since beating Mario Miranda at UFC 118, Demian Maia should face Kendall Grove in the grand finale of 12th season of the “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. The fight isn’t yet official, but the show is set for December 4 in Las Vegas, and features a fight between Stephan Bonnar and Igor Pokrajac.
Now Brandon Vera and Thiago Silva should face off at UFC 125 in Las Vegas January 1st. Vera is coming off back-to-back losses, while Silva lost in his last outing, to Rashad Evans.
Australian beast George Sotiropoulos returns to the cage at UFC 123, November 20 in Michigan. A win over Joe Lauzon places the lightweight near a title fight.
Duffee knocked out; his last moment in the UFC. Photo: Josh Hedges
The one who got a raw deal was Todd Duffee, who has lived through extremes during his brief ride in the UFC. First he carried out the quickest knockout in the organization’s history beating Tim Haugue in just seven seconds. Then he suffered an unexpected loss – the first of his career –, a knockout from a single strike from the chubby Mike Russow, against the run of play. Duffee was set to face Jon Madsen at UFC 121 in October, but a knee injury pulled him from the bout. To add insult to injury, the fighter was released from the event.