Report: UFC 129 Preliminary Fights To Air On Spike TV

According to a report by MMA Junkie, the UFC plans to air some preliminary fights on Spike TV before UFC 129. The UFC has yet to confirm the news, but Junkie is reliable. More importantly, the fights they plan to air feature high-level prospects and perhaps contenders competing in fan-friendly bouts. To wit:

Although not officially announced, sources told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that welterweight bouts of Nate Diaz (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Brian Foster (15-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) vs. Sean Pierson (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) are the leading candidates for the cable broadcast.

Rory MacDonald returns after being bludgeoned by Carlos Condit and a win over Diaz will help recapture some of the buzz around his name and improve his divisional stature. Pierson looked respectable in his last win over Matt Riddle at UFC 124 and Foster is an appropriate step up in competition. It's premature to put Pierson on a title track, but at the very least Pierson vs. Foster is likely to be a highly competitive scrap.