If UFC Fight Night 12 left you feeling unfulfilled, then perhaps you should consider tuning in to the ShoXC Elite Challenger Series tonight from the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., for an extra dose of mixed martial arts (MMA) action.
The weigh-ins went off last night without a hitch -- all fighters made weight and we're now hours away from what should be an exciting night of fights, which will air LIVE on the Showtime premium cable channel at 11 p.m. ET.
The main event of the evening will be a clash between former Bodog welterweight champion, Eddie Alvarez (11-1), and UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn-trained fighter, Ross "The Boss" Ebanez (16-5), in a 165-pound tilt.
Alvarez had this to say about the fight:
"This is going to be a great fight. Style-wise, I look at Ebanez and he reminds me of me. With two fighters who like to come forward and give their all, the fans are in for a treat."
And from Ebanez:
"This is a tremendous fight for the fans. I'm ready to go, and I know he feels the same way. I doubt he is going to present me with any situations that I have never seen before. I am very confident.''
Alvarez will be making his EliteXC debut and he wants to move up the ladder to a title shot quickly. "The Boss" is a tough dude and is no easy opponent for Alvarez's first fight, but Alvarez will be looking to make a statement and he'll show the EliteXC fans the reason his signing was so huge for the promotion.
Prediction for the fight: Eddie Alvarez via late first round round technical knockout.
Paul "Semtex" Daley (16-6-2) will fight former contestant on UFCs The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Sam Morgan (19-9), in the co-feature bout of the evening at 170 pounds. Daley was undefeated (4-0) in 2007, winning all four of those contests via stoppage (strikes). He's on a tear and will look to hand the TUF 2 alum his third loss in four fights.
Here's a quote from Daley at the weigh-ins:
"Morgan has fought a lot of tough opponents, but he hasn't had many tough fights. I am going to outclass him and do what I do best: knock him out and put on a great show for the fans. Morgan is going to feel like he got ran over by a truck."
Sam Morgan had some choice words of his own for Daley:
"Some people may think Daley is something special, but I don't. I'm going to knock him out and send him home to England to his 'mummy' so they can have their tea and crumpets together."
Morgan is a tough and well rounded fighter. He fights smart, has power and has really good submission skills. He could win this fight with a submission if Daley gets lazy, but I don't think that will happen. Daley is fighting with a lot of confidence right now. He's also way more athletic than Morgan and if he can stay off his back he'll win this fight before the final bell.
Prediction for the fight: "Semtex" via late second round technical knockout.
Bobby McMaster (7-1) vs. Bao Quach (11-8-1) is another decent scrap set for 150 pounds. McMaster is coming off his first career loss to Muhsin Corbbrey at a ShoXC show in October. Quach comes in looking to add on to an impressive five-fight win streak.
McMaster will look to rebound from that loss and will probably end up on top of Quach early in this fight. He'll look for some ground and pound and will eventually either pound out a stoppage or he'll get Quach's back and choke him out.
Prediction for the fight: McMaster via second round submission (rear naked choke).
We also must remember to mention the 185-pound showdown between Kala Kolohe Hose (4-1) and Bellaton Frederic (5-1). Hose took this fight even though he was originally booked to meet up with division champion Robbie Lawler for the ICON Sport middleweight belt. However, "Ruthless" had to withdraw from the fight with and injury. Hose has more or less been assured that a match up with the Miletich product is still on regardless of the outcome of this fight tonight.
Both Hose and Frederic like to bang and I would be very surprised if this one went past round two. Someone will get knocked out and it will more than likely be Frederic. Hose is a hard-hitting Hawaiian with a lot to prove heading into potential fight with the champion.
Prediction for the fight: Hose via first round knockout.
Other matches on the card include Julie Kedzie vs. Tonya Evinger (140 pounds), Zach Makovsky vs. Wilson Reis (140 pounds), James "Binky" Jones vs. Mark Getto (150 pounds), Sergie Vinagre vs. Brett Linebarger (170 pounds) Matt Makowski vs. Joe Shilling (170 pounds) and Charlie Brenneman vs. Drew Puzon (170 pounds).
For the complete ShoXC official fight card click here. For some pre-fight interviews and other information to get you up to speed on the fighters and tonight's match ups head over to ProElite.com.
Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Frank Shamrock, will be a special guest announcer for the show and if nothing else it should be interesting to hear what he has to say about his upcoming fight with Cung Le. His post-fight in-ring interviews are also unpredictable.
This is a card that should provide some solid fights and there's some real potential for highlight reel type knockouts, too. If you're an MMA fan looking get a fix tonight then turn your television dial to Showtime at 11 p.m. ... you won't be disappointed.
Note: Remember to also check out our recent fighter profile on main event fighter, Eddie Alvarez, right here.
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