D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner
Nate Diaz will ascend to the welterweight division and meet International Fight League veteran
Rory Markham in a preliminary matchup at
UFC 111 “St. Pierre vs. Hardy” on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Ten bouts are now booked for the event.
Diaz has dropped three of his last four fights, including a split decision defeat to the unbeaten
Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 20 last month. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under
Cesar Gracie, the 24-year-old Stockton, Calif., native owns noteworthy victories against
Melvin Guillard,
Kurt Pellegrino and former Ring of Fire lightweight champion
Alvin Robinson. Diaz has secured eight of his 11 career wins by submission.
A potent stand-up fighter who has knocked out UFC veterans
Brad Blackburn,
Mike Pyle and
Pat Healy, the oft-injured Markham has not competed in nearly a year. He last appeared in February 2009, when he was leveled by
Dan Hardy in just 69 seconds. Spawned by the famed Miletich Fighting Systems camp, the 27-year-old Markham has never gone the distance as a professional -- a span of 21 bouts.
Meanwhile,
Rousimar Palhares will lock horns with Polish standout
Tomasz Drwal in a pivotal middleweight showdown.
The twice-beaten Palhares, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, last competed in December, when he submitted
Lucio Linhares at UFC 107. Anchored at Brazilian Top Team, he has won eight of his past nine matches, losing only to two-time Olympian
Dan Henderson in that span. Wins over Pride Fighting Championships veteran
Daniel Acacio,
Ivan Salaverry and former UFC light heavyweight title contender
Jeremy Horn buoy his resume.
One of the middleweight division’s best-kept secrets, Drwal has put together a three-fight winning streak since his 2007 technical knockout loss to the world-ranked
Thiago Silva. The rugged 28-year-old Pole submitted the heavy-handed
Drew McFedries with a rear-naked choke in September and has not gone the distance in more than five years. Drwal has delivered 16 wins in his past 17 appearances.
The lightweights will also share the UFC 111 stage, as
Kurt Pellegrino will collide with Strikeforce veteran
Fabricio Camoes on the “St. Pierre vs. Hardy” undercard.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Pellegrino will carry a three-fight winning streak into the match. The 30-year-old Point Pleasant, N.J., native has not competed since he cruised to a unanimous decision over
Josh Neer at UFC 101 in August. “Batman” has never been knocked out and counts victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner
Mac Danzig, former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Alberto Crain and Sengoku veteran
Sergey Golyaev among his 14 career conquests.
Unbeaten in his past eight fights, Camoes last appeared in November, when he fought
Caol Uno to a majority draw in his promotional debut at UFC 106. The stalemate snapped a string of seven consecutive victories for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Based out of San Diego, the 30-year-old has secured eight of his 10 wins by knockout, TKO or submission.
A welterweight title match pairing champion
Georges St. Pierre with Hardy will headline UFC 111, along with a showdown pitting
Frank Mir against the undefeated
Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight championship.
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