UFC Fight Night 21 Lineup Finalized

Robert Emerson will lock horns with Nik Lentz in a preliminary matchup at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Eleven bouts are now official for the event, which will be headlined by a pivotal lightweight showdown between the world-ranked Kenny Florian and former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Takanori Gomi.

Emerson has dropped two of his past three fights but defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 runner-up Phillipe Nover by unanimous decision at UFC 109 in February; the loss resulted in Nover’s being cut by the promotions. Finished only once in 18 professional appearances, Emerson, a 28-year-old Marco Ruas protégé, holds notable wins against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 finalist Manny Gamburyan and Dream veteran Keita Nakamura.

Anchored at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, Lentz fought Thiago Tavares to a draw at UFC Fight Night 10 in January. The 25-year-old El Paso, Texas, native wrestled collegiately at the University of Minnesota and will enter his bout with Emerson unbeaten in his last 10 fights. Lentz’s list of victims includes UFC veteran Drew Fickett, AMA Fight Club standout Rafaello Oliveira and recent Bellator Fighting Championships signee Carey Vanier.

In addition to the Florian-Gomi headliner, UFC Fight Night 21 will feature a heavyweight bout pitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner Roy Nelson against 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve, a middleweight slugfest pairing Nate Quarry with Jorge Rivera and a lightweight duel between “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner Ross Pearson and Dennis Siver.