Up-to-the-minute news about UFC on FOX 7: HENDERSON VS. MELENDEZ, taking place Saturday, April 20 at San Jose's HP Pavilion. Fights listed below have been verbally agreed upon by both fighters and are subject to change.
TUF Smashes lightweight winner Norman Parke will see his return to the Octagon delayed, as his planned opponent, Jon Tuck, has been injured and forced out of the April 20 bout. Due to the late notice, no replacement will be named.
updated March 22UFC 158's Mein, Dillashaw Back in Action 4/20
With main card welterweight Dan Hardy suffering an injury, UFC on FOX 7 will get a new Mein event: 23-year-old Canadian prospect Jordan "Young Guns" Mein has been tapped to face "The Immortal" Matt Brown.
Bantamweight Francisco Rivera has also been injured; TJ Dillashaw will step in and look to make it four wins in a row against undefeated Brazilian Hugo "Wolverine" Viana. Both 135-pounders scored impressive knockouts in their last outings.
Mein, Dillashaw and featherweight Darren Elkins (see below) are all coming off of stoppage victories at Saturday's UFC 158 and jumping right back into action as injury replacements at the April 20 event in San Jose. updated March 19Mendes Gets New Opponent - Again
There's no rest for a fighter on a mission: Two days after earning an unprecedented fifth straight UFC featherweight victory, Darren Elkins has already signed on for the toughest test of his career. Elkins will step in for the injured Clay Guida to take on top contender and wrestling powerhouse Chad Mendes.
A win over Mendes could vault Elkins to the very top of the rankings and a claim to a title shot.
Guida is the third opponent in three events to be forced out of a bout with Chad Mendes due to injury -- Guida himself was a replacement for Manny Gamburyan, who'd been expected to face Mendes at UFC 157.
updated March 6California's Own to be Showcased in San Jose
April's UFC on FOX event in San Jose has added two bouts featuring three of the Golden State's best lighter-weight fighters.
Sacramento's Joseph Benavidez will face San Francisco's Darren Uyenoyama in a NorCal flyweight battle that could shake up the division's rankings.
Two bantamweight knockout artists will also meet as Orange County's Francisco Rivera battles TUF Brasil standout Hugo Viana.
updated February 12Mendes Gets New Opponent in Clay Guida
Clay Guida looks to continue his invasion into the featherweight division by taking on Chad Mendes, one of the very best featherweights on the planet. If he's successful, he will stake his own claim for Jose Aldo's belt. Mendes had been slated to fight at UFC 157 but was forced to find a new bout when his opponent was injured.
Also in San Jose, undefeated middleweight Lorenz "The Monsoon" Larkin will make his UFC debut against France's Francis "Limitless" Carmont, who is coming off of nine straight wins.
Verbal agreements are in for both bouts.
Four More Lightweight Bouts Added to Heavy-Hitting Card
updated February 6
Verbal agreements are in for four new lightweight bouts to grace the undercard of the April UFC on FOX event, which is headlined by a 155-pound title fight.
TUF Smashes lightweight winner "Stormin’" Norman Parke has agreed to face undefeated Jon "Super Saiyan" Tuck in perhaps the Octagon's first matchup between an Irishman and a Guamanian.
Another undefeated fighter, Myles "The Fury" Jury, will put his 11-0 record on the line against TUF 13 runner-up Ramsey Nijem.
Strikeforce imports "Relentless" Roger Bowling and Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal will also debut at the San Jose event -- Bowling will face one of the UFC's successful WEC adoptees, Anthony "The Assassin" Njokuani; Masvidal will be welcomed to the promotion by Tim "The Dirty Bird" Means.
Tickets for the April 20 show in San Jose go on sale Friday, February 15.
Diaz and Thomson Square Off on FOX in April
updated January 29
For the first time since 2004, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will grace the UFC Octagon, as he will face fellow Northern California standout Nate Diaz in a battle of 155-pound contenders on Saturday, April 20th's FOX card in San Jose.
Also at that event, Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler Yoel Romero will face 8-1 Clifford Starks in a matchup of powerful middleweights.
Bendo-Gil, DC-Mir, Brown-Hardy on FOX
updated January 15
Two of the biggest names in Strikeforce history will make their move to the UFC on Saturday, April 20, with FOX airing both bouts live from San Jose.
In the main event, UFC lightweight boss "Smooth" Benson Henderson will defend his belt for the third time when he takes on Strikeforce's last 155-pound titlist, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, in a clash of champions the entire MMA world has been waiting for.
Plus, Daniel Cormier, the Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight tournament winner, will return to action quickly after his win over Dion Staring last Saturday to battle two-time heavyweight champ
Frank Mir in a long-anticipated showdown.
update: Verbal agreements are also in for an exciting welterweight showdown between Matt "The Immortal" Brown and Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy.
