UFC On FOX 11’s fight card is already shaping up to a be a strong event with only two fights announced so far.
Yesterday the UFC confirmed that a battle for the No.1 contender spot in the heavyweight division between Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne will feature on the card which will take place in Orlando, Florida on April 19th.
Werdum had looked all-set to be the next man to fight for the title after a three-fight winning streak that culminated with a submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in June, but after current champion Cain Velasquez announced he would be out for much of 2014 due to shoulder surgery, the Brazilian has had to take on a new opponent in the mean time.
Browne has been in devastating form recently, winning ‘Knockout Of The Night’ in his last three Octagon outings against a string of top flight competition in Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem and most recently Josh Barnett, so he’s certainly earned his chance to contest Werdum for the title shot.
Also announced for UFC On FOX 11 is a female clash between recent bantamweight title challengers Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche.
Tate came off second best again in her rematch with Ronda Rousey, but she put on a gutsy display in an entertaining fight, ensuring that she’ll have retained many of the fans she gained during her stint as a coach on the TUF 18 season.
Carmouche is also coming off a decision loss against Alexis Davis at the ‘UFC: Fight For The Troops 3’ event last November, so a win here is going to be vitally important for both ladies to ensure they remain their status as two of the best fighters the 135lb division has to offer.
Interestingly, the UFC are claiming that neither of these bouts will serve as the evening’s headline bout.
That’s somewhat surprising as given the stakes, Werdum Vs Browne seemed like a solid choice for the main event slot.
The only thing likely to top that would probably be a title fight, so don’t be surprised if it turns out to be flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson’s next defense of the belt that winds up fronting the show, and if that does prove to be the case then it’ll be the fourth time in a row that he’s done so.
