Marquardt vs. Palhares to Top Fight Night

New York, NY, August 4, 2010 – Originally scheduled to take place at UFC 118 in Boston, Nate Marquardt (32-9-2) and Rousimar Palhares (20-2-0) will engage in a key middleweight battle to headline Spike TV’s “UFC Fight Night” live from the Frank Erwin Special Events Center on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin on Wednesday, September 15 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.  The bout replaces the previous main event of Alan Belcher vs. Demian Maia, which has been postponed due to an injury to Belcher.

A longtime protégé of renowned trainer Greg Jackson, Marquardt enters the fight against Palhares coming off of a hard-fought battle against Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in February. The exciting three-round contest, winning “Fight of the Night,” honors denied Marquardt a middleweight title shot, but he is more determined than ever heading into September’s bout with Palhares.  With over forty fights on his resume, Marquardt is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC, and has notched wins against notable middleweights like Demian Maia and Martin Kampmann.  He will look to take a step towards another chance at the division’s crown with a win over Palhares.  
Fighting out of Brazilian Top Team in Dores do Indaia, Brazil, Palhares enters his bout with Nate Marquardt on a three fight win streak, most recently submitting Tomasz Drwal forty five seconds into the first round of their matchup at UFC 111 in Newark, NJ this past March.  Considered one of the most naturally gifted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artists in mixed martial arts, seven of Palhares’ last eight wins have come via submission.  He aims to add to that tally and enter the discussion for a middleweight title shot when he takes on Marquardt. 

In the co-feature, “The Ultimate Fighter 6” champ Mac Danzig (20-8-1) fighting out of Los Angeles, takes on Matt Wiman (12-5) from “The Ultimate Fighter 5,” currently fighting out San Francisco, in a rematch of their bout this past June at UFC 115.  In that fight, Wiman was awarded a controversial victory when he told the referee Danzig had passed out while caught in a guillotine choke. However, a conscious Danzig claimed he never lost consciousness or tapped.  The lightweight contenders will settle their score in Spike’s “UFC Fight Night,” with the winner moving up the ranks in the 155lb division.

The Spike telecast will open with a lightweight battle between Cole Miller (16-4) (“The Ultimate Fighter 5” participant) and “The Ultimate Fighter 9” winner Ross Pearson (13-3).  Fighting with American Top Team out of Coconut Creek, FL, Miller has won three of his last four UFC contests.   His opponent, Pearson, fighting out of Sunderland, England with Team Rough House, is undefeated in three fights in the Octagon.    

Also on the televised card will be a lightweight showdown between Jim Miller (17-2) and Gleison Tibau (31-6). The pride of Whippany, NJ, Miller is on a four-fight winning streak and is quickly moving up the 155lb division ranks.  Tibau, a Brazilian native who currently trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, is coming off of an impressive first round TKO over Caol Uno in March.