UFC Fight Night is about to make its first incursion into Austin, Texas, this September 15. The main event features an explosive middleweight matchup between Nate Marquardt and Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares that promises to put fans at the edge of their seats.
Tibau to feature on the broadcast. Photo: Josh Hedges
Another promising encounter is between two of the UFC’s rising stars in the lightweight division, with winner of the eighth season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality Efrain Escudero facing off against Brazil’s Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira. Rounding out the Brazilian trio to fight on the night, Gleison Tibai faces Jim Miller.
On a three-fight win streak in the UFC, Rousimar Palhares (20-2) made his name with his submission skills. His two most recent wins came in such fashion, most notably his last one, against Tomasz Drwal. The excellent MMA performance fed him through to this bout, which looks to promise excitement for the fans. The USA’s Nate Marquardt (32-9-2) has more than forty professional fights on his record and won three of his last four fights in dazzling fashion. A Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Marquardt has been using more of his fists lately, knocking out Demian Maia, Wilson Gouveia and Martin Kamptmann. A win over Palhares would thrust him back to the top of the division’s contender list.
São Paulo’s Charles Oliveira (13-0) made his UFC debut in grand style on August 1. Charles won the prize for submission of the night by beating Darren Elkins with an armbar just 41 seconds into the round. Now, against Efrain Escudero (14-1), he will have a stiffer test. The Mexican won the eighth season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show and is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Dan Lauzon at UFC 114. Of his four UFC fights, he has only lost one and had an impressive knockout win over Cole Miller. He has powerful wrestling skills and is a threat to anyone at lightweight.
Gleison Tibao (31-6-0) is coming off a win over Caol Uno at the last UFC Fight Night show, in April, where he figured on the preliminary card. On the occasion he won by first-round technical knockout. His opponent Jim Miller (17-2) promises to be a handful and is coming off four wins in a row. Rounding out the card is Cole Miller (16-4) versus Ross Pearson (13-3).
The complete broadcast:
Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares vs. Nate Marquardt
Gleison Tibau vs. Jim Miller
Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira vs. Efrain Escudero
Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson