"Daddy's" home.
Joe Stevenson may be down, but he's certainly not out. MMAmania.com learned today the former "Ultimate Fighter" (TUF) champion is back as a late addition to the UFC on Versus 3 fight card when he takes on former WEC standout Danny Castillo at the KFC Yum! Center on March 3 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stevenson is coming off a knockout loss to Mac Danzig at UFC 124: "St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2" back in December. It was just the second time in ten years and 40+ fights that "Daddy" was knocked cold.
Unfortunately it was also his second straight defeat. Stevenson was thoroughly handled by fast-rising prospect George Sotiropoulos at UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez" in February 2010. Despite his high-quality grappling skills, Joe was dominated by the Australian in every capacity, including on the ground en route to dropping a one-sided unanimous decision.
Prior to that bout, "Daddy" looked to have righted the ship by reeling off two consecutive wins over Nate Diaz at the TUF 9 Finale and Spencer Fisher at UFC 104: "Machida vs. Shogun" after dropping back-to-back contests to Kenny Florian at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" and Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC 95.
Will Castillo put him on the 155-pound chopping block?
The "Alpha Male" gave Will Kerr "Last Call" at the final show in the now-defunct WEC promotion, stiffening the New England native with a first round knockout.
It was his second straight win after falling into a 0-2 hole. Prior to Kerr, Castillo blasted his way to a unanimous decision win over the suddenly relevant Dustin Poirier at WEC 50: "Cruz vs. Benavidez 2" last August.
A win over a veteran like Stevenson will go a long way in establishing his credibility in the UFC's crowded 155-pound division.
UFC on Versus 3 will feature a main event showdown between Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez and Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann while middleweights Mark Munoz and C.B. Dollaway do battle for a spot in the 185-pound title hunt.
A welterweight barn-burner between Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is also expected for the network television event.
For the current UFC on Versus 3 line up click here.
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