Fitch-Penn 2, Sotiropoulos-Dunham Tapped for UFC 132 in July
Jordan Breen Mar 17, 2011
Jon
Fitch will get a second crack at B.J. Penn in July. | Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
In Sydney, Australia, this past February, Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn didn't reach resolution. They'll have the chance to change that July 2 in Las Vegas.
UFC officials announced Thursday that a welterweight rematch between Fitch and the former two-division champion Penn will take place at UFC 132 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The card will also feature a bout between lightweight contenders Evan Dunham and George Sotiropoulos.
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On Feb. 27 in Sydney, Fitch and Penn fought a close battle for 10 minutes that featured able clinchwork from Fitch and crafty back control by Penn. In the third frame, Fitch stormed ahead with a dominant round that many thought earned him the bout. However, the scorecards showed a majority draw, as judges Sal D'Amato and Chris Lee turned in 28-28 scorecards. Only England's Barry Foley saw the fight for Fitch, 29-28.
Prior to the bout, the 33-year-old Fitch had won 21 of his last 22 bouts, his lone loss coming to welterweight king Georges St. Pierre. Penn, 32, knocked out welterweight legend Matt Hughes in just 21 seconds in his return to the 170-pound division last November.
The 29-year-old Dunham is coming off of back-to-back losses after starting his pro career 11-0. Last September, he dropped a highly contentious split decision to former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. This past January, he was stopped by the aforementioned Guillard in under three minutes at the UFC's "Fight for the Troops 2."
Sotiropoulos, 33, had won eight straight heading into his Feb. 27 bout with Russian-born German Dennis Siver at UFC 127. However, Sotiropoulos was outstruck for the duration of the bout and dropped a unanimous decision, his first loss in the Octagon.
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