SATURDAY, JAN. 22, 2011
Live from Fort Hood, Texas on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Las Vegas, Nev. (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, in partnership with Spike TV and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, is once again hosting a special live event to raise funds for the honorable men and women in the United States Armed Forces who suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Already featuring a main event pitting highly-ranked lightweight Evan Dunham against explosive knockout artist Melvin Guillard, UFC® Fight For The Troops 2 is shaping up to be a can’t-miss card.
Today, the UFC confirmed the remaining bouts on this stacked card, which will air live and free on Spike TV from Fort Hood, Texas on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The following bouts will be featured at UFC® Fight For The Troops 2: Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague, Mark Hominick vs. George Roop, Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran, Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman, Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie, DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon, Mike Thomas Brown vs. Rani Yahya, Waylon Lowe vs. Wilamy Freire, Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves and Chris Cariaso vs. Will Campuzano.
A former NFL defensive tackle, Matt Mitrione’s (fighting out of Indianapolis, Ind. / 3-0) rapid and extraordinary evolution as a mixed martial artist has drawn rave reviews from his coaches and fans, who view the heavy-handed heavyweight as a budding phenom. So far in his two-year career, the Purdue University grad has done nothing to dispel the hype, scoring wins over Kimbo Slice, Marcus Jones and Joey Beltran. Mitrione is now gearing up for the biggest challenge of his young career in fellow prospect Tim Hague (fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / 12-4). A former kindergarten teacher, Hague is a rugged Canadian with tremendous power. Tipping the scales near the 265-pound weight limit, Hague stunned the fight world with a come-from-behind guillotine choke victory over Pat Barry in 2009. He currently sports a two-fight winning streak, with both wins coming by way of knockout.
Perhaps no fighter on the card has more at stake than Canadian striker Mark Hominick (fighting out of Thamesford, Ontario, Canada / 19-8). Gunning for his fifth straight win, Hominick will earn a shot at UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo with a victory on Jan. 22. With key wins over Leonard Garcia, Yves Jabouin, Yves Edwards and Jorge Gurgel in his career, the 28-year-old is considered to be one of the few fighters in the world capable of matching the dominant champion’s incredible speed and punishing standup. Standing in the way of Hominick’s title dreams will be a familiar face, former training partner George Roop (fighting out of Tuscon, Ariz. / 11-7-1). A former competitor on The Ultimate Fighter®, Roop is as tough and hard-nosed as they come, earning Knockout of the Night honors in his last fight thanks to a wicked high kick that put “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung to sleep.
One of the heavyweight division’s most feared strikers, Pat Barry (fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc. / 5-2) has honed his skills under the tutelage of renowned coach Duke Roufus. The 31-year-old kickboxing specialist, who owns wins over Antoni Hardonk and Dan Evensen in the UFC, is coming off a back-and-forth barnburner against MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop last June. His next test could be even more difficult as Barry is slated to meet Joey Beltran (fighting out of Carlsbad, Calif. / 12-4) at Fort Hood. Fighting out of Carlsbad, Calif., “The Mexicutioner” boasts an abundance of punching power himself, with 10 of his 12 wins coming by TKO. Betran holds notable victories over Houston Alexander, Tim Hague, Rolles Gracie, Wes Combs and Sherman Pendergarst.
A chronic underdog who relishes proving his doubters wrong, lightweight Cole Miller (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. / 17-4) has racked up an impressive 6-2 record in the UFC, including submission wins over The Ultimate Fighter® winner Ross Pearson and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel. The Augusta, Georgia native and American Top Team product hopes to add another name to his impressive resume when he meets fellow season 5 The Ultimate Fighter® alum Matt Wiman (fighting out of Arvada, Colo. / 12-5). Also known by his nickname, “Handsome,” Wiman has triumphed in six of his past fights, with notable finishes over Mac Danzig and Thiago Tavares. Wiman said he plans on earning Fight of the Night honors against Miller, and the 27-year-old Coloradan possesses great credibility on the subject given that three of his earlier UFC fights have been thusly honored.
Yves Edwards (fighting out of Austin, Texas / 39-16-1), a lightweight pioneer and 13-year veteran, returns to the Octagon after defeating John Gunderson via decision in September. The longtime standout is one of the game’s better finishers, putting away 14 foes by TKO and another 16 with submissions. Born in the Bahamas, the 34-year-old has been competing in the Octagon since Sept. 2001. Edwards’ opponent in Texas is unbeaten Cody McKenzie (fighting out of Spokane, Wash. / 12-0), architect of one of the most feared guillotine chokes in the sport. McKenzie is a free-spirited fan favorite who has finished 11 of his opponents – 10 with the modified choke that he calls “The McKenzietine.”
A finalist on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter®, DaMarques Johnson’s (fighting out of Salt Lake City, Utah / 16-8) three trips to the Octagon have been fruitful; he’s already earned one Submission of the Night award for his triangle choke of Edgar Garcia at UFC 107 and added a Knockout of the Night honor against Brad Blackburn at UFC 112. Fighting in front of his fellow soldiers, U.S Army and National Guard vet Johnson collides with Mike “The Joker” Guymon (fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif. / 13-4-1) on Jan. 22. Guymon, who has won six of his past eight, has a 13-4-1 record over the last decade. With six wins by submission and five by TKO, Guymon expects an intense fight when he meets Johnson.
Former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. / 24-7) is hungry to return to the top. The American Top Team ambassador owns a spectacular resume, including wins over Urijah Faber (twice), Yves Edwards, Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia and Mark Hominick. Coming off an entertaining battle with Diego Nunes at UFC 125, Brown looks to rebound against highly-decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rani Yahya (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. / 15-6), winner of three BJJ world titles and the prestigious Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship. Yahya, originally from Brasilia, Brazil, boasts submission wins over Mark Hominick, former WEC champion Eddie Wineland and has earned three Submission of the Night honors under the Zuffa banner.
Winner of seven of his past eight fights, Waylon Lowe (fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa. / 9-3) is a formidable wrestler who won three national titles at the Division II collegiate level. Lowe is coming off a split decision victory over Steve Lopez at UFC 119. Now his next assignment is Wilamy Freire (fighting out of Fortaleza, Brazil / 17-3), a dangerous Brazilian who brings an 11-fight win streak into his UFC debut. Mentored by renowned MMA coach Andre Pederneiras and a training partner of UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, Freire owns 9 wins by submission, two more by TKO.
Charlie Brenneman (fighting out of Hollidaysburg, PA / 12-1), a former high school Spanish teacher who owns a master’s degree, is set to face Brazilian standout Amilcar Alves (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro / 11-2) on the undercard. Brenneman is a former Division I wrestler known for his ground-and-pound. The welterweight has won seven of his past eight, including a win over Jason High in the UFC last year. Alves has won eight of his last nine.
In the evening’s opening bout, bantamweights Chris Cariaso (fighting out of San Francisco, Calif. / 10-2) collides with Will Campuzano (fighting out of Dallas, Texas / 8-3). Cariaso is a Muay Thai specialist who also holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has won four of his last five, including a win over American Top Team’s Rafael Rebello. Campuzano is also known as an aggressive standup fighter who is always hunting for the finish.
This special live UFC fight card will raise funds for the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces with traumatic brain injuries. Information about ways to donate can be found online atwww.fightforthetroops.com, along with UFC.com and Spike.com.
Full Fight Card
EVAN DUNHAM vs. MELVIN GUILLARD
MATT MITRIONE vs. TIM HAGUE:
MARK HOMINICK vs. GEORGE ROOP
PAT BARRY vs. JOEY BELTRAN
COLE MILLER vs. MATT WIMAN
YVES EDWARDS vs. CODY McKENZIE
DaMARQUES JOHNSON vs. MIKE GUYMON
MIKE BROWN vs. RANI YAHYA
WAYLON LOWE vs. WILAMY FREIRE
CHARLIE BRENNEMAN vs. AMILCAR ALVES
WILL CAMPUZANO vs. CHRIS CARIASO
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