Calgary's Nick Ring set to make UFC debut against Riki Fukuda at UFC 127

By Mike Johnston

@MikeyJ_MMA

Calgary, Alberta’s Nick “The Promise” Ring is finally set to make his UFC debut following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter reality series and recovering from a serious knee injury. Ring will fight Japanese star Riki Fukuda at UFC 127 this weekend in a preliminary bout that can be seen live in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet and Spike TV.

Most MMA fans became familiar with the Canadian middleweight when he appeared on TUF 11. The first overall pick of Tito Ortiz fared well on the show, even defeating the eventual winner, Court McGee. However, Ring blew out his knee during filming and needed to get it surgically repaired before he could compete again.

Having not fought since mid-2010 on TUF, octagon rust may be a factor, but Ring says his knee will not be a problem on fight night. “The knee is perfect,“ said Ring in a recent interview with Heavy.com. “I spent the last few months just rehabbing and doing everything I need to do to get it better. It looks like it’s worked. The knee feels very solid, so I’m ready to go, ready to rock.”

Ring (10-0) has been preparing for this bout both in Calgary and at the TriStar Gym in Montreal with fellow Canadian fighters like Rory MacDonald, Dennis Kang and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.

His opponent will also be making his UFC debut on Saturday. Fukuda (17-4) is the Dream middleweight champion and is riding a seven-fight win streak. “I think this is going to be a tough fight,” said Ring. “I’ve watched some video on him. I think he’s got a lot going for him as far as a good MMA athlete… I think it’s a really good match up. I do. He likes to brawl, and I like to brawl… I don’t have any big predictions. This is my UFC debut as well. I’m just going to go in there and just do what I do.”

UFC 127 takes place at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 26. The card is headlined by a welterweight number one contender bout between BJ Penn and Jon Fitch. Two preliminary fights will air free on the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 8 p.m. ET. Three more prelims, including Ring’s tilt, air live in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet and Spike TV at 9 p.m., and the pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. ET.

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