UFC 112 Pieces Falling in Place

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove will tangle with Mark Munoz in a middleweight matchup at UFC 112 “Invincible” on April 10 at the Ferrari World Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Half a dozen bouts have been booked for the event, which will mark the UFC’s debut in the Middle East.

The 27-year-old Grove has delivered three wins in four fights, losing only to former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida. Based in Hawaii, he has not competed since November, when he submitted Jake Rosholt with a first-round triangle choke at UFC 106. Other key wins against Alan Belcher, Team Quest’s Ed Herman and the late Evan Tanner buoy Grove’s resume.

Grove will have his hands full with Munoz, a former light heavyweight who has rattled off back-to-back victories since his brutal knockout loss to Matt Hamill at UFC 96 in March. The 32-year-old was a Div. I national champion and two-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University. Part of the World Extreme Cagefighting exodus in 2008, Munoz last fought in January, when he struck Ryan Jensen into submission at UFC 108.

Meanwhile, International Fight League veteran John Gunderson will lock horns with durable Englishman Paul Taylor in a preliminary lightweight match.

Gunderson, 30, made his promotional debut a month ago at UFC 108, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Rafaello Oliveira. Rooted at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, he has held titles inside the Sportfight and Ring of Fire organizations. Gunderson, a proven finisher, has secured 20 of his 22 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission and owns notable wins against Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett and recent WEC signee Bryan Caraway. In 29 bouts as a professional, he has never been knocked out.

Taylor finds himself in need of a victory, having lost two of his past three fights. The 30-year-old former Cage Rage titleholder stubbed his figurative toe at UFC 105 in November, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to the unbeaten John Hathaway. Rarely involved in a dull fight, Taylor has shared “Fight of the Night” honors three times in seven Octagon appearances. His showdown with Gunderson will serve as his debut at 155 pounds.

Welterweights also have a place on the UFC 112 stage, as the undefeated Nick Osipczak will square off with Rick Story on the “Invincible” undercard.

A semi-finalist on Season 9 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Osipczak has finished all five of his foes, four of them inside one round. The 25-year-old London native stopped Arizona Combat Sports standout Matt Riddle on third-round punches at UFC 105 three months ago and has spent valuable time training alongside world-ranked welterweights Dan Hardy and Paul Daley at Team Rough House.

Story, 25, has won eight of his last nine fights and outpointed IFL veteran Jesse Lennox in a unanimous decision victory at UFC Fight Night 20 in January. Shaped by the Brave Legion gym in Vancouver, Wash., he has never been finished. All three of Story’s defeats have come against opponents -- Hathaway, Nathan Coy and Mario Miranda -- who were undefeated. His list of victims includes the well-traveled Jake Ellenberger and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 quarter-finalist Brandon Melendez.

Two title fights will headline UFC 112, as middleweight champion Anderson Silva collides with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia and lightweight titleholder B.J. Penn answers the bell against the once-beaten Frankie Edgar. In addition, future hall of famer Matt Hughes will meet Renzo Gracie in a featured welterweight tilt.