Two more matches, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Nate Marquardt and Raphael Assuncao vs. Manny Gamburyan, were signed today for UFC 128 which takes place March 19th from Newark, New Jersey and is being headlined by a Light Heavyweight Title Bout between Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans.
Akiyama vs. Marquardt had been rumored for a few days now. Akiyama was signed on January 3rd to fight Chael Sonnen at this event but soon there after the story involving Sonnen’s money laundering became public. Sonnen was subsequently suspended from the UFC and a replacement had to be found. Marquardt will be returning to the cage after a disappointing 2010 which saw him go 1-2, losing two chances to secure a title shot against Anderson Silva (first to Sonnen and then to Yushin Okami) and beating Rousimar Palhares in one of the more bizarre episodes of last year. Akiyama, once a highly touted UFC acquisition, has fallen on hard times and is now fighting for survival in the company. All three of his UFC fights have won Fight of the Night honors, but he only won his first one, against Alan Belcher way back at UFC 100 and that was via split decision. Since then he lost to Chris Leben at UFC 116 and Michael Bisping at UFC 120.
The other match signed, Manny Gamburyan vs. Raphael Assuncao, is currently scheduled to take place on the preliminary portion of the card. Gamburyan makes his return to the UFC for the first time since UFC 94 when he lost to Thiago Tavares. After that bout he dropped to Featherweight, moved to the WEC and eventually earned a title shot against current champ Jose Aldo. That was back in September and he lost via vicious 2nd round KO. This will be his first match back since then. Assuncao will be making his UFC debut and had amassed a 3-2 record in the WEC before the merge.
Currently the card for UFC 128 looks like this:
Mauricio Rua vs. Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Nate Marquardt
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub
Preliminary Card
Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
Luiz Cane vs. Karlos Vemola
Manny Gamburyan vs. Raphael Assuncao
