Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today made the official announcement that it will indeed return to "The Volunteer State" for the second time this year on Dec. 12, 2009.
UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego Sanchez. Company president Dana White, naturally, is excited about the match up ... just like most fans.
Here's a snip:
"In this sport it sometimes takes years for fighters to find the weight class where they’re at their best. I don’t think there’s any question that BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez have finally found their homes at 155 pounds, making the UFC 107 main event a fight between the best Penn and Sanchez we’ve ever seen. BJ hasn’t lost in this weight class in years, and Diego has looked unstoppable in his lightweight fights, and when these two meet in the center of the Octagon, it’s going to make our first trip to Memphis one fight fans will never forget."
In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will "begin his quest for a third title" when he takes on Cheick Kongo. In addition, the welterweight showdown between former number one contender, Thiago Alves, and fellow Brazilian, Paulo Thiago, was also confirmed.
Of course, several other bouts are also in the works, which you can check out on our developing UFC 107 fight card right here.
Notably absent from the card is former light heavyweight champion, current coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 and Memphis native, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. He accepted the role as B.A. Barracus for the upcoming feature film "A-Team," which caused a serious scheduling conflict and ultimately led to his premature retirement.
His opposing coach and would-be opponent, Rashad Evans, is expected to move on and challenge Thiago Silva instead at UFC 108 on Jan. 2, 2010.
For more on UFC 107 be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
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