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Shane Del Rosario vs Stipe Miocic completes UFC 146 main card on May 26 in Las Vegas

shane stipe
shane stipe

The music has finally stopped and it looks like everyone has a chair after all.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today completed its UFC 146 all-heavyweight main card, booking Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic for the May 26, 2012 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC President Dana White recently announced the booking via his official Twitter account.

Del Rosario was left without a date to the big dance when his original opponent, Gabriel Gonzaga, set sail for a 265-pound slugfest opposite Roy Nelson. That was just one of the many holes created in the wake of the cluster$% created by Alistair Overeem's failed drug test and eventual withdrawal.

"No Limits" was on the fast track to superstardom in the Strikeforce heavyweight division before fate intervened. Undefeated after 11 professional fights, he was slated to take on fellow undefeated ex-Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier in June 2011 in a clash between two of MMA's top heavyweight prospects.

It never happened.

On April 14, 2011, he was involved in a bad car accident -- another driver crossed the median and T-boned del Rosario's car, causing serious damage to the former Muay Thai world champion's back, herniating multiple discs and putting his MMA career on hold.

Until Memorial Day Weekend 2012.

His last professional fight happened way back in Feb. 2011 when he submitted Lavar Johnson with a first round armbar at the "Fedor vs. Silva" event in an alternate match for Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix, which now features none other than the aforementioned Cormier in the finals against Josh Barnett.

Sometimes these things happen for a reason.

The same can be said for Stipe Miocic, who knows a thing or two about unbeaten streaks. After embarrassing the competition as part of the North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS), steep-pay debuted with a three round unanimous decision win over rugged veteran Joey Beltran.

The judges' nod earned him a second trip to the big show earlier this year, where he pasted the previously-undefeated Philip De Fries as part of the UFC on Fuel TV: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger" event in Omaha.

Now it's time to mix it up with the big boys -- but only one of these future stars will shine in "Sin City." Early predictions for this war of attrition?

UFC 146 will now feature a main event between Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir, while Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva will serve as the co-featured fight of the night. Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve is also slated for primetime, as is the aforementioned Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Roy Nelson match-up.

For more on UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

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