Chris Leben will return from a nine-month, steroid-related suspension when he squares off with
Jake Rosholt in a featured middleweight match at
UFC 102 "Couture vs. Nogueira" on Aug. 29 at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore.
Leben (18-6) lost to
Michael Bisping by unanimous decision at UFC 89 in October and was subsequently suspended after he failed a UFC-administered post-fight drug test in Birmingham, England. The 28-year-old product of season one of “The Ultimate Fighter” had won back-to-back fights before the defeat and seemed to have turned a corner in his personal life, as well. Leben holds knockout victories against reigning Sengoku middleweight champion
Jorge Santiago, welterweight contender
Mike Swick and UFC, EliteXC and Strikeforce veteran
Benji Radach.
A four-time All-American wrestler and three-time national champion at Oklahoma State University, Rosholt (4-1) entered mixed martial arts with plenty of fanfare. Based out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, the 26-year-old suffered his first career defeat in his promotional debut, when he succumbed to a
Dan Miller guillotine choke at UFC Fight Night 17 in February.
In a showdown between UFC newcomers, unbeaten American Top Team product
Todd Duffee will lock horns with Pride Fighting Championships veteran
Michael Russow.
Duffee (4-0), another standout mixed martial artist spawned by the ATT-affiliated Hardcore Gym in Athens, Ga., has not competed in almost a year. However, he has finished all four of his opponents, including UFC veteran
Assuerio Silva at Jungle Fight 11 in September. Duffee was originally scheduled to debut at UFC 99 in June but was pushed aside in favor of 2006 Pride open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
Russow (11-1, 1 NC) will carry a seven-fight winning streak into the match. The 32-year-old Chicagoan last appeared in December, when he submitted
Braden Bice with a north-south choke at Adrenaline MMA 2. Russow -- who suffered his only career defeat to
Sergei Kharitonov at Pride 33 -- has finished all seven of his opponents during his current streak, six of them inside one round.
Finally, Brazilian upstart
Junior dos Santos will put his string of three consecutive victories on the line when he butts heads with
Justin McCully.
Dos Santos (8-1) burst on the scene with his stunning first-round technical knockout victory against
Fabricio Werdum in October. He returned to the Octagon in February and needed just 54 seconds to dispatch the 6-foot-11
Stefan Struve at UFC 95. A training partner of
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, dos Santos has never gone the distance as a professional. The 23-year-old has delivered six of his eight victories by knockout or TKO.
McCully (9-4-2), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, has posted five wins in six fights, including a unanimous decision against
Eddie Sanchez in December. The 33-year-old has never been knocked out in 15 professional bouts.
A showdown between heavyweight greats
Randy Couture and Nogueira will headline
UFC 102, which also features a light heavyweight scrap pairing
Keith Jardine with
Thiago Silva and a middleweight matchup pitting
Nate Marquardt against
Demian Maia.
Randy Couture vs.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Keith Jardine vs.
Thiago Silva
Chris Leben vs.
Jake Rosholt
Nate Marquardt vs.
Demian Maia
Brandon Vera vs.
Matt Hamill
Gabriel Gonzaga vs.
Chris Tuchscherer
James Irvin vs.
Wilson Gouveia
Junior dos Santos vs.
Justin McCully
Todd Duffee vs.
Michael Russow
Mark Munoz vs.
Nick Catone
Matt Veach vs.
Evan Dunham
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