Rolles on his opponent's back, in Peking. Photo: Luca Atalla.
31-year-old Rolles Gracie’s UFC debut is no longer likely to be against England’s Mustapha Al-Turk, who could be replaced due to a visa problem keeping him out of U.S., says GRACIEMAG.com editor Marcelo Dunlop.
Rolles is to fight February 6 and has been advised of the unforeseen situation: “They are still trying to get Al-Turk over, but he’s unlikely to make it. The UFC already has another guy in line, but can’t disclose his name yet, ” Rolles told GRACIEMAG.com.
UFC 109, on the coming 6th, has other attractions in store, as well. The clash between Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, over ten years in the making, will finally take place, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. It will be the first time two UFC Hall-of-Famers face off.
Couture was scheduled to face Coleman at UFC 17 in 1998, but the bout was canceled due to an injury suffered by Couture.
Randy “The Natural” Couture, a five-time UFC champion, has made it to the very top of the heavyweight and light-heavyweight divisions, and is coming off a controversial decision win over now-light heavyweight Brandon Vera at UFC 105 in November of 2009. “Mark Coleman is another classic match for me,” said Couture. “Like the one with Minotauro, this fight should have happened a long time ago and has now become a reality,” he said.
“This is by far the biggest fight of my career,” said Coleman. “I have great respect for Couture, in and out of the octagon. He is one of the best in MMA history.”
Recognized for his ground skills, and packing a punch, Brazil’s Paulo Thiago, 28, made his name internationally with a first-round TKO of Josh Koscheck in February, 2009.After dropping a decision in an epic battle waged against Jon Fitch and overcoming Jacob Volkmann last year, Thiago hopes to kick start his 2010 campaign in grand style when he faces Mike Swick. The 30-year-old Texan has accumulated 14 wins and three losses.
“I’m evolving more and more. If he’s going by my previous fights, he’ll be surprised. I trained with Anderson Silva, who’s a virtual MMA encyclopedia. He added a lot to my style and I adapted some of his resources to my game, “said Paulo.
Another Brazilian to feature onthe coming event’s main card is Sao Paulo’s Demian Maia, facing off with Dan Miller in the middleweight division. Demian was undefeated in the organization with five wins on his way to a title challenge, but Nate Marquardt put an end to that with a first-round knockout at UFC 102. His opponent this time around is Dan Miller, a talented Olympic wrestler and a Jiu-Jitsu black belt to boot.
UFC 109
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
February 6, 2010
Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman
Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen
Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago
Demian Maia vs Dan Miller
Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg
Preliminary fights (not broadcast on TV)
Mac Danzig vs Justin Buchholz
Melvin Guillard vs Ronys Torres
Phillipe Nover vs Rob Emerson
Brian Stann vs Phil Davis
Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer
Mustapha Al Turk vs Rolles Gracie
