Phil Baroni (Pictures) and
Murilo Rua (Pictures) have verbally agreed to fight May 31 on CBS.
The unsigned middleweight fight will be a televised bout from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw
told Sherdog.com.
Baroni (10-9) is coming off a brutal fight in Honolulu. After taking severe punishment, the 31-year-old New Yorker succumbed to a technical
knockout in the fifth round against
Kala Kolohe Hose (Pictures).
Rua, 27, rebounded nicely from a knockout suffered against
Robbie Lawler (Pictures) last September with a submission of
Xavier Foupa-Pokam (Pictures) in
London. The win upped his record to 15-8-1.
A tentatively-agreed-to swing bout pits heavyweights
Brett Rogers (Pictures) and
Jon Murphy, Shaw said.
Baroni-Rua and Rogers-Murphy join the previously announced appearance of
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (Pictures) as well as an EliteXC middleweight title fight between champion Lawler and
Scott Smith.