UFC 77: Hostile Territory
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) organization today announced the remaining lineup of fights for the upcoming UFC 77: HOSTILE TERRITORY featuring UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Rich “Ace” Franklin in a highly anticipated rematch. Also on the card are exciting match-ups between Stephan Bonnar vs. Eric Schafer; Alan Belcher vs. Kalib Starnes; Jason MacDonald vs. Yushin Okami; Alvin Robinson vs. Jorge Gurgel; Demian Maia vs. Ryan Jensen; Forrest Petz vs. Josh Burkman; and Matt Grice vs. Jason Black. The UFC organization presents UFC 77: HOSTILE TERRITORY live from U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio Saturday, October 20, 2007. UFC 77 marks the UFC’s second fight in Ohio this year, and its first fight ever in Cincinnati.
Tickets for UFC 77: HOSTILE TERRITORY remain and are on sale now. The fastest and most convenient way to purchase tickets is by visiting the Ticketmaster Web site at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores, or by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at 513-562-4949. Tickets are also available at the U.S. Bank Arena Arena Box Office, and online through www.usbankarena.com and www.ufc.com.
Stephan “American Psycho” Bonnar (12-4-0) 6′4″/205 lbs., has long been associated with the windy city of Chicago. Earlier this year The Ultimate Fighter® season one finalist packed up and moved to Las Vegas and has since been training with a Who’s Who of fighting, including old rival Forrest Griffin, Jiu-Jitsu ace Sergio Penha, and Muay Thai standout Master Toddy. Fresh from an impressive submission win over Mike Nickels at UFC 73 in July, this light heavyweight contender is ready to challenge the big names at 205 pounds. Bonnar needs a win over Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer to get there. Schafer (9-2-2) 6″3″ 205 lbs., fighting out of Milwaukee, WI is one of the most talented ground fighters competing at 205 pounds today. “Ravishing Red” has only been able to show glimpses of his substantial talent due to injuries that have plagued him since his December 2006 bout with Michael Bisping. Now healthy and itching to get back into the Octagon”, the 30-year old ” whose last five wins have been by submission - has no better showcase than this high-profile battle against Bonnar.
Alan “The Talent” Belcher (10-3-0) 6′2″/185 lbs., fighting out of Biloxi, Miss., is a fierce competitor who has shown the ability to end fights by submission or spectacular knockout. “The Talent” showed his warrior’s heart by jumping up to light heavyweight on short notice in May to submit Sean Salmon in less than a minute. Now back at middleweight Belcher looks to make it two in a row against Kalib Starnes, and he wants to keep pushing the envelope with each successive trip to the Octagon. Starnes (10-201) 6″3″/185 lbs., is a well-rounded fighter from north of the border in Surrey, British Colombia. The Canadian truly found himself when he traveled south to work with the renowned American Top Team earlier this year. The results of the change in scenery were immediate as he pounded out a three round decision win over Chris Leben at UFC 71 in May. He hopes to extend his win streak in impressive fashion when he takes on fellow up and comer Belcher.
Yushin Okami (21-3-0) 6′2″/185 lbs., fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan, tore through the middleweight ranks since arriving in the UFC in 2006, defeating Mike Swick, Alan Belcher, Kalib Starnes, and Rory Singer along the way. It was in a close decision loss to Rich Franklin in June that Okami truly showed that he belongs among the elite at 185 pounds as he pushed the former UFC champion to the limit and almost submitted him in the final round of a closely contested bout. The powerful Okami plans on getting back in the win column against highly-regarded Canadian contender Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald in an effort to prove that he deserves a shot at the winner of UFC 77’s title bout between Franklin and Anderson Silva. MacDonald (19-8-0) 6′3″/185 lbs., fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, took close to seven years to get to the UF C. Once he got here with a first round submission win over Ed Herman in October of 2006, he made it clear that he was not going to be leaving anytime soon. Since then, the Canadian has won two of three fights in the Octagon, most recently showing some impressive punching power in a TKO victory over Rory Singer. He will be pushed to the limit once again by fellow contender Okami in a pivotal middleweight matchup. Needless to say, he’s ready for anything.
Jorge Gurgel (13-2-0) 5′9″/155 lbs., fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt who is highly regarded around the sport for his ground fighting prowess. Gurgel has also established a reputation with fans for being the type of fighter who will stand and trade in an effort to secure victory. This was never more evident than in his July win over hometown Brazilian rival Diego Saraiva, when Gurgel dug deep and let the bombs fly for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision win. He will again find a willing dance partner in Alvin “Kid” Robinson. Fighting out of Denver, Colo., Robinson (9-1-0) 5″8″/155 is an exciting battler who doesn “t fight in search of a decision, he fights to finish. In 11 pro mixed martial arts fights, a judge hasn’t yet been called into action to render a verdict, and all nine of his wins have come by submission. It will be business as usual for the Denver resident as he looks to take out highly regarded Gurgel in what should be a fast-paced lightweight bout.
Josh “The Peoples Warrior” Burkman (19-4-0) 5′10″/170 lbs., fighting out of Salt Lake City, has established himself as one of the top welterweight prospects in the game with wins in five of his seven UFC bouts including victories over Drew Fickett and Josh Neer. Burkman knows he is a win or two away from crashing into the title picture in perhaps the sport’s toughest division. Fresh from a hard-fought decision loss in a war with Karo Parisyan in May, the 27-year old pride of Utah has gone back to basics and has been training harder than ever in an effort to make a triumphant return to the Octagon against Forrest “The Meat Cleaver” Petz (18-4-0). With a nickname like “The Meat Cleaver,” you”d better be ready to fight, and the 5″10″/170 lb. Petz lives up to that billing as a hard-hitting competitor with knockout power in both han ds and a fearsome body attack. In June, the Cleveland, Ohio native showed the form he had in his debut win over Sam Morgan as he evened his UFC slate at 2-2 with a win over Luigi Fioravanti. He is eager to go past the .500 mark and make his mark as a contender tonight with a win over Burkman.
Jason Black (22-2-1) 5′8″/155 lbs., fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa, is a true veteran of the game, with seven years and 26 fights under his belt. Black has competed around the world in a quest to establish himself as one of the best in the world, beating, among others, John Alessio, Gideon Ray, and Ivan Menjivar. In June, this PRIDE veteran’s journey finally took him to the UFC Octagon, and while he was met by a whirlwind in Thiago Tavares and was submitted in the second round, it will take more than one setback to deter this well-rounded Iowan. Black summed up his favorite technique as simply “go like hell” and will be bringing the heat to youngster Matt “The Real One” Grice in an effort to get his first UFC win. Grice (9-1 -0) 5″8″/155 lbs., fighting out of Harrah, Okla., is called mixed martial arts” “Bionic Man” by some due to his recovery from a serious car accident just before his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma. The 26-year old has always turned negatives into positives wherever he’s competed, whether during his stellar high school wrestling career, when he was a four-time Oklahoma State champion, or as a pro fighter, where all but two of his victories have come via submission, KO, or TKO. It’s been a key element of this aggressive ground and pounder’s success. With wins in nine of his ten pro MMA fights, there’s little doubt that with a victory over veteran Black, Grice can throw his name in the mix of 155-pound fighters to watch in the coming months.
Ryan Jensen (11-1-0) 6′1″/185 lbs., fighting out of Omaha, Neb., entered the Octagon at UFC 74 in August as a relatively unknown fighter with an impressive record. By the end of his action-packed bout against well-regarded Thales Leites, fight fans knew that despite the end result, they wanted to see this hard-hitting warrior in action again. Jensen gets another shot at his first UFC win against another Jiu-Jitsu ace in Demian Maia, but this time, he plans on finishing an exciting fight in his favor. Maia (6-0-0), fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a winner of a seemingly endless array of grappling tournaments, including the world championships, Abu Dhabi, and Pan Ams. Maia is without question one of the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the worl d today, even owning a grappling win over UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga. But since, 2005, Maia has also been racking up victories in mixed martial arts, and tonight, the unbeaten 29-year old brings his array of talent to the Octagon for the first time when he puts his untarnished record on the line against Jensen.
For more information about UFC 77 or any upcoming UFC event, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
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