From a Spike TV press release:
Two UFC 111 Prelims To Air on Spike TV
The first bout scheduled to air on Spike TV is a welterweight contest between Matt “The Immortal” Brown (13-7) and Ricardo Almeida (11-3). Brown has become a fan favorite since his stint on Season 7 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as his relentless style and devastating striking ability has garnered him a 4-1 record in the UFC, with all wins coming via TKO or submission. He is currently riding a string of three straight dominant performances against Ryan Thomas at UFC 91, Pete Sell at UFC 96 and, most recently, James Wilks at UFC 105. The Cincinnati based fighter will now look to put himself in the title picture with a fourth consecutive victory. Standing in his way will be a man fighting in his own backyard, Hamilton, NJ’s Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida. The winner of two straight bouts coming into his matchup with Brown, most recently against Kendall Grove at UFC 101 this past August, this Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will look to use his strong ground game to make a successful debut in the UFC’s welterweight division after years of fighting at middleweight.
The evening’s second televised bout is also in the welterweight division, and pits Rory Markham (16-5) against Nate Diaz (11-5). Markham, one of the game’s premier knockout artists, will look to use his immense punching power to stop his opponent, Diaz on March 27th. The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 5,” Stockton, CA based Diaz has amassed a 6-3 record in the UFC in less than three years, and his fight with Markham will see him transition from lightweight to welterweight, where he hopes his added power will augment his effective Cesar Gracie taught Jiu-Jitsu skills in stopping Markham and setting him on his way to welterweight gold.Matt Brown is usually good for a scrap but Almeida is going to look to get the fight to the ground. Still, Brown is constantly improving his game and this is the test to see if he can make a run toward the top of the division. A win by Almeida would give him three straight wins, and his first in a welterweight division that is thin on new challengers to the throne of Georges St. Pierre.
Nate Diaz jumps up to welterweight following going 1-3 in his last four fights at lightweight. Markham is certainly a dangerous striker but on the ground he’ll be in trouble with the much more dangerous submission artist in Diaz.
The rest of the UFC 111 card is stellar:
Main Bouts
- Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy
- Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir
- Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger
- Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
- Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
Preliminary Bouts:
- Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
- Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
- Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
- Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
- Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
- Matthew Riddle vs Ricardo Funch:
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