Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be returning to Spike TV for its upcoming UFC 133 "Prelims" telecast likely featuring bouts of Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson (light heavyweight) and Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya (featherweight).
UFC 133: "Evans vs. Davis" is set for Aug. 6, 2011, from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Matyushenko is still trucking along at the ripe old age of 40 and, outside of a shellacking at the hands of division champion Jon Jones, has been quite the force since his return to the Octagon.
"The Janitor" most recently mopped the Toronto floor with Jason Brilz lifeless body back on April 30 at UFC 129, winning via knockout in twenty seconds flat. Not bad for an old man. Now let's see how he does against a young, hungry lion.
Gustafsson, 24, is a hot young prospect out of Alliance and Gladius MMA who's lost just once in his budding professional career. That defeat came at the hands of fellow rising contender Phil Davis back at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, a second round submission.
The good news for fight fans is "The Mauler" earned his nickname the hard way and has only ever gone to the scorecards in one of his fights.
His first fight on American soil comes in "The City of Brotherly Love." Welcome to American, champ!
Also ticketed for the "Prelims" broadcast is featherweight Chad Mendes as he risks his standing in the 145-division against the always scrappy Rani Yahya.
Mendes was the de facto number one contender until he learned division champion Jose Aldo would not be ready to compete against him by the time the UFC hit Philly. So "Money" forfeited his spot as the top contender in favor of staying active by accepting a fight against Yahya.
It's a big risk. Will it pay off?
Yahya was likely on the cusp of losing his job after dropping consecutive fights against top bantamweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki just four months apart.
Naturally, the veteran submission specialist decided it best to return to the featherweight division to try his luck in his UFC debut. It wouldn't be easy, as he was originally put up against Chan Sung Jung before an injury forced some re-shuffling.
Enter Mike Brown.
After three impressive rounds from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, exit Mike Brown. A win like that put his name on the tongue's of UFC fans everywhere. A win over the undefeated Mendes would shoot him straight up the 145-pound ladder.
UFC 133 will take place on August 6, 2011, from the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the main event of the evening, Rashad Evans will once again attempt to earn himself a title shot by quelling the uprising of hot wrestling prospect Phil Davis.
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are also set for the main card on pay-per-view.
For complete UFC 133 event news and notes click here.
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