The UFC’s busy week of fight shuffling is nearing an end, and two competitors that were recently left without an opponent have been matched up with each other.
MMAjunkie has learned that welterweights Jon Fitch (19-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and Mike Pierce (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) have verbally agreed to meet at “UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez,” and bout agreements are expected to be signed shortly.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between current champ B.J. Penn and challenger Diego Sanchez, UFC 107 is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn. The main card airs live on pay per view.
Fitch was originally expected to face Ricardo Almeida (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 106 in November. When Almeida was forced to withdraw due to injury, Fitch was bumped to the UFC 107 card in favor of a match with fellow top contender Thiago Alves.
Unfortunately, that bout was also quickly scrapped when Alves was also forced to withdraw after an injury.
Meanwhile, Pierce was set to face Fitch’s American Kickboxing Academy teammate, Josh Koscheck, at the as-yet-unannounced UFC Fight Night 20 event in January. Koscheck was then pulled from the bout in order to fill a co-feature slot against Anthony Johnson at UFC 106.
Pierce wastes no time in meeting a top-level opponent in just his second UFC contest. In his first trip to the octagon, Pierce upset Brock Larson at UFC Fight Night 19 in September. The win was Pierce’s sixth-straight victory.
Meanwhile WEC newcomer Zach Micklewright meets Muhsin Corbbrey at WEC 45 in Las Vegas. The quickly filling card for “WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff” today received another addition.
MMAjunkie has learned from sources close to the event that undefeated WEC newcomer Zach Micklewright (6-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC) has verbally agreed to meet lightweight Muhsin Corbbrey (7-4 MMA, 0-1 WEC) at the event. Featuring a main event between lightweight contenders Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff, WEC 45 takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on VERSUS.
Micklewright fought most recently in April, earning a first-round submission win over Jaxson Mayson under the Iowa-based Glory Fighting Championships banner. After earning a split-decision victory in his professional debut, Micklewright has since earned five-straight wins by stoppage.
Corbbrey looks to bounce back from a knockout loss in his WEC debut to Anthony Njokuani at “WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson” earlier this month. Corbbrey has dropped two-straight contests overall, a stretch that includes a June 2008 loss to Nick Diaz under the now-defunct SliteXC banner. Six of Corbbrey’s seven career wins have come via stoppage, including five victories by submission.
