After some time off to enjoy the birth of his son, Belcher is ready to climb back in the saddle and work his way towards a title shot, something he was getting very close to before he had problems with his eye. At one point he was scheduled to face former #1 contender Demian Maia in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event scheduled for September of 2010. They say that things happen for a reason and at just 28-years-old Belcher is preparing to reach his physical prime. In a sport as rough and tough as MMA the time off may have been a blessing in disguise.

“I feel great, stronger than ever and more athletic,” said an excited Belcher in an interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I’ve come a long way over the past three years and I keep getting stronger and stronger. I’ve been eating really well and have changed my lifestyle to become healthier than any other point in my life. I’ve been training with Lyle Henley in Mobile for awhile and he’s got me feeling really strong.”

In Palhares he will face a fighter who has won ten of his fourteen victories by submission including six by heel hook. The Brazilian’s opponents know his leg-attack is coming, but very rarely can stop it from happening.  According to Belcher, when it comes to their fight this weekend at UFC on FOX 3, he is feeling as good as he ever has and knows what needs to be done to avoid those dangerous leg locks that Palhares has in his arsenal.

“I’ve been putting myself in certain situations so that when the fight comes I know what Palhares strengths are and I can avoid them. I’ve been training with some guys who are really good with leg locks and I’m learning how to fight those submissions off. Dean Lister has been a huge help and I’ve been training with a lot of BJJ blackbelts. The main thing is staying out of those situations. I know I can grapple, but I’d prefer to keep the fight standing.”

With the card being on FOX and the event in New Jersey the media attention has been extremely high. So, on top of fighting one of the best submission specialists in the middleweight division, Belcher has had more media obligations than ever before as well as the pressure of fighting in primetime on national television. Just like most other fighters, Belcher is intent on focusing his attention on the task at hand and isn’t worried about any of the outside influences. He also realizes what a win over Palhares can do for him and that is his primary concern.

“I don’t feel any added pressure to be honest with you,” Belcher admitted. “Actually I am grateful for being on such a big card and that Dana White and the UFC believe in me enough to put me in this spot. I feel like it’s a great position, I get to fight in front of more people and being a veteran I know I can handle it. I feel like this fight is coming at just the right time for me. I’m not too sure where a win puts me as far as title contention although a lot of people believe I can hang with anyone in the division. A win here would probably put me in a top spot, but there are a lot of top guys right now so it’s hard for me to say just where I would be. I know that a win isn’t going to put me backwards that’s for sure. Winning is always the right step and while it take me awhile as long as I don’t lose I’m doing well. I don’t plan on losing anytime soon. I’ve had losses, learning experiences and I’ve gone into fights unprepared, but I don’t plan on doing that anymore. I know I will be prepared and that is probably half the battle. I won’t lose because I’m out of shape or I underestimated my opponent. If a guy beats me it’s because he beat me on my best day and he was better than me. Let’s take it one fight at a time.”

Belcher has never been accused of being a boring fighter or doing just enough to get a win. That much is evidenced by all of the bonuses Belcher has won including Fight of the Night against Yoshihiro Akiyama a few years back. His war with Akiyama certainly set the tone for an exciting evening at UFC 100 and in 23 career fights he has only had five fights make it to the judges’ scorecards. Though winning a fifth bonus in his last six fights isn’t something clouding Belcher’s thoughts, he still has an opinion on which of the three options he’d like to win – Knockout, Submission, or Fight of the Night.

“If I had to choose one I would choose whatever one paid me the most,” Belcher joked. “I guess if I really have to pick one I would go with the Submission of the Night because it would be so unbelievable. I think the Knockout of the Night would probably be the most realistic choice. It would also mean that I am sticking to my game plan and keeping the fight standing. It means that I’d be staying out of those dangerous grappling situations and eventually hurt him and earn a knockout or TKO. Hopefully it’ll come true and I can earn another bonus. I really don’t try and go for a bonus at all I just fight and give 110%. I just go out there and do the best that I can, I never give up and when you are facing another fighter who never gives up it’s bound to make for an exciting fight.”

Fans can catch Belcher vs. Palhares as part of the main card this Saturday night. Things start up on FOX at 7:00 PM EST including a headlining tilt between Jim Miller-Nate Diaz.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

UFC

White revealed the match-up Monday morning via Twitter.

Belcher made his triumphant return to the Octagon at UFN 25 after more than a year on the sidelines with an eye injury that nearly ended his career. The 17-6 middleweight has won his last three fights including his opening round beatdown of Jason MacDonald last September.

Palhares (14-3) has also come out with his hand raised the last three times he’s set foot in the Octagon, picking up a pair of his trademark Heel Hook victories and a decision over Dan Miller over the span. Ten of his total wins have been the result of a submission stoppage including five in the UFC.

The main card of UFC on FOX 3 was completed with the clash, now featuring Palhares-Belcher, Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson, Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks, and headliner Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz. Preliminary pairings include Dennis Hallman-Tony Ferguson, Pascal Krauss-John Hathaway, and John Dodson-Darren Uyenoyama.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Shortly after his UFC 113 win over Patrick Cote, Belcher suffered a detached retina while training for a fight with Demian Maia. The injury ultimately resulted in two surgeries and a prognosis involving the possible end of his MMA career.

“I thought I wasn’t gonna fight again, and we weren’t even talking about it with the doctor. I was just trying to get my sight back,” Belcher revealed in an interview with the UFC. “After a while, I started thinking about it a little bit and there definitely was a chance that I wasn’t gonna fight again. Even if you do get good enough to get back in there, do you want to risk doing that again? There are so many different variables, and it was a tough time for me.”

After a lengthy recovery process and a plethora of self-doubt, Belcher originally questioned whether or not he even wanted to fight again before his loved ones stepped in to give him support.

“I had to actually think ‘Do I want to continue to do this? Is it worth it?’ It was one of those times in your life that things get flipped upside down and inside out, and you have to work through it and figure out what’s best. So after a lot of thinking and praying and talking to my wife and my family, my dad and my coaches and friends, we decided that I’m gonna finish what I started, give it my all, take it one fight at a time and go from there.”

However, that’s not to say he wasn’t a bit apprehensive at first when he returned to training.

“The first couple sparring sessions were pretty nerve-wracking,” Belcher admitted. “I was really nervous about reinjuring it, and real cautious about babying (my eye) real bad. I made sure I wore a facemask and that kinda stuff, and it seemed like everything was going towards my eye. But I worked through it. It took a couple weeks, I got that going, and now I don’t notice it at all. I see fine, and I don’t miss anything.”

That sparring, as well as his BJJ, will be put to the test this evening against Jason MacDonald on the main card of UFN 25. Fans can tune in to the event starting at 9:00 PM EST and also watching the streaming prelims on Facebook at 5:30 PM EST.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, Belcher will face Canadian grappler Jason MacDonald on September 17 in New Orleans as part of the UFC’s still-developing “Battle on the Bayou” event.

Belcher, a Gulf Coast resident who will almost certainly receive a hero’s welcome from the crowd, has been out of action for more than a year and last fought Patrick Cote at UFC 113. Months after the event, while preparing for a scheduled bout with Demian Maia, he started losing vision in his right eye and has been sidelined ever since. “The Talent” will enter his match-up with MacDonald having found success in four of his last five fights with the lone exception being an extremely close Split Decision against Yoshishiro Akiyama. He holds past wins over a number of his respected peers including Cote, Denis Kang, and Jorge Santiago.

His upcoming opponent, MacDonald, is no stranger to working his way back from a career-threatening injury after suffering a gruesome broken leg in a bout last May. The 35-year old tap-out artist only recently made his return to the Octagon albeit in victorious fashion with an opening round choke of Ryan Jensen at UFC 129. The performance improved MacDonald’s record to 25-14 and was the nineteenth submission of his career.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Rashad Evans Responds to Claims He’s Unhappy in the UFC (WatchKalibRun.com)

Fedor Emelianenko Trains with “Jacare” and Mousasi (MMAScraps.com)

Former Strikeforce Fighter May Be Headed to Ultimate Fighter (CagePotato.com)

WEC President Speaks about Merger with UFC (HeavyMMA.com)

Alan Belcher Wants Fight with Wanderlei Silva (MMAFighting.com)

Frank Mir Prefers Opponent Other than Lesnar (MMAConvert.com)

Chad Mendes Speaks About WEC 52 Opponent Javier Vazquez (Versus.com)

Tatsuya Kawahiri Shoots Some Hoops…from a Wheelchair (MiddleEasy.com)

What’s Coming Up in December? (FIGHT! Magazine)

“I have tons of people coming out to support me, and it kind of helps me get over the fact that I’m not going to be on the main card… it pisses me off,” said Belcher in a recent conversation with MMAFanhouse.com.

“All the fights on the card are amazing, top guys. With [Paul] Buentello vs. [Stefan] Struve, I love Stefan. He’s a good friend of mine and I’ve known him for a while. No offense, the UFC needs to build him. Buentello’s a tough match for him, but nobody knows who Buentello is anymore. I don’t want to hurt the guy’s feelings, but he shouldn’t be on the main card. Not over me. I’m coming off of the UFC 100 “Fight of the Night”. And they didn’t give me that bonus because they thought I won the fight and the judges stole it from me; They gave it to me because I fight “Fight of the Night”.

“I feel disrespected. I feel like…. I want to talk about it. I want to scream it and be mad about it, but I have to let my fists do the talking. It can’t keep happening. I haven’t been on the undercard in a while, and it’s a great card, but I’m ready to be on the poster, you know what I mean.”

Although not officially announced it has been reported the bout is in the final stages of negotiations. MMAWeekly.com is stating both parties have agreed and expected to finalize the deal shortly.

Belcher is coming off a close decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100. The loss, which many believe was won by Belcher, stopped a two-fight win streak he had going into UFC 100. “The Talent”, is currently 14-6 as a professional, with his latest wins coming over Ed Herman and Denis Kang.

Wilson Gouveia hasn’t fought since UFC 95, where he suffered a TKO loss at the hands of Nate Marquardt. He was supposed to fight James Irvin at UFC 102, until Irvin withdrew due to an injury. Gouveia is currently 12-6, with notable wins over Jason McDonald and Jason Lambert.

UFC 107 has not been officially announced, but is expected to take place Dec. 12th at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

Below is a full list of the expected bouts for UFC 107:

• B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

• Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo

• Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida

• Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago

• Wilson Gouveia vs. Alan Belcher

• Todd Duffee vs. TBA

According to Junkie, a source close to the negotiations said that while the fight isn’t signed bout agreements could be finalized any day now. If signed, Akiyama vs. Belcher would appear on the same card expected to feature Georges St. Pierre defending his welterweight title against Brazilian Thiago Alves.

Also expected to take place at UFC 100 is a middleweight matchup between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson, the rival coaches on the upcoming ninth edition of The Ultimate Fighter. A heavyweight title unification match between UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir could headline the event.

The Korean-born Akiyama was just recently signed by the UFC. The former K-1 HERO’s veteran is a world renowned Judo practitioner. He began his MMA career fighting with K-1 in 2007 and has most recently fought for the DREAM organization.

Akiyama is currently 12-1 with two no contests in his brief career with seven of his victories have coming by submission while five have come by knockout. Only two of his fights have ventured past the first round.

Belcher is coming off an upset victory against Denis Kang at UFC 93. Kang, who once lost to Akiyama, looked impressive in controlling the bout until Belcher was able to pull out the win by securing a guillotine choke with seconds remaining in the second round.

Belcher owns a 14-5 overall record and is 5-3 in the UFC with victories over Kang, Ed Herman, Sean Salmon, Kalib Starnes and Jorge Santiago. He reportedly had been slated to fight Alessio Sakara at UFC 99 in Germany this June.

Sources close to Akiyama said the Korean fighter expressed a strong desire to make his UFC debut in America but eventually would like to help the UFC enter into the Asian market.

Word of the new UFC 99 matchup comes courtesy of a report on MMAWeekly.com.

According to the report, both combatants have verbally agreed to the June 13 fight with bout agreements expected to be signed shortly.

Both Sakara and Belcher are former members of the UFC’s light heavyweight division who have dropped down to the 185 pound weight class in order to become more competitive.

Belcher, a Mississippi native who trains under Rick Roufus, is 14-5 overall in an MMA career that dates back to 2004.

While competing under the UFC banner, he is 5-3 but has won his last two fights inside of the Octagon. Belcher’s two fight win streak began at UFC Fight Night 15 this past September, where he recorded a split decision victory over season three middleweight runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter, Ed Herman.

Belcher’s latest win took place in January at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, where he upset UFC newcomer Denis Kang via guillotine submission choke when Kang tapped at 4:36 of round 2.

Sakara is a former Italian professional boxer who currently trains out of American Top Team in Florida. The Rome native is 13-7 lifetime in MMA and 4-4 lifetime (with one no contest) in the UFC.

The fight vs. Belcher will mark Sakara’s first fight since UFN 15, where he knocked out Joe Vedepo with a head kick at 1:27 of round 1.

UFC 99 will emanate from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany and will be headlined by a 195 pound catchweight fight between former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.

In addition to Franklin vs. Silva and Sakara vs. Belcher, UFC 99 will also reportedly feature matchups between Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders, Caol Uno vs. Spencer Fisher, Cain Velasquez vs. Heath Herring, and Todd Duffee vs. Mustapha al Turk. Paul Taylor and Stefan Struve could also be added to the card as well, in separate bouts.

Belcher told FiveOuncesOfPain.com in an exclusive interview that he will be looking to make a statement against Kang to show the UFC’s middleweight division that he means business.

The 24 year old Biloxi, Mississipi native impressed many back in December of 2006 when he knocked out Jorge Santiago with one of the more brutal head kicks ever seen in the UFC but has been hot and cold since then. Following a decision win over Ed Herman, Belcher expects to look impressive against Kang on his way to legitimizing himself as one of the top dogs at185.

How long he will stay at 185 is up to speculation as Belcher confirmed with FiveOuncesOfpain that he hopes to make the move up to UFC’s stacked light heavyweight division sometime very soon.

Cory Brady: So I heard that you had you first mixed martial arts bout at the age of 14. What was that like?

Alan Belcher: It was a lot different of a game back then than it is now. We were practicing jiu-jitsu and kind of playing around with some of the people that I train with and my trainer, Max Bishop, would put on these NHB shows at a local sports bar. I ended up seeing some of those fights and I ended up wanting to do that pretty bad so I ended up getting my chance when I was fourteen years old. I was a pretty big kid, I was probablyy like 175-180 pounds when I was fourteen so I looked like an adult.

Cory Brady: Were you ridiculously nervous going into that fight? I heard the guy that you ended up fighting was like 30 years old.

Alan Belcher: Oh yeah, absolutely. I was really nervous. It was like a street fight for me so it was all adrenaline. It was a really cool experience, I tried to get all of my friends to come watch and I was showing everyone the tape. I was really just having a good time. I never would have thought back then that I would have made a career out of it. It never even occurred to me that I could make a living at fighting until a few years later.

Cory Brady: So who ended up winning that fight?

Alan Belcher: I won by submission, believe it or not. I got him with a Kimura from side control.

Cory Brady: Tell me a little bit about Remix MMA. It looks like you have something for everyone down there.

Alan Belcher: I’m just trying to build a good program for the local people down there in Biloxi, Mississippi. Our jiu-jitsu coach used to train Anderson Silva and he was one of the original guys from the Chute Boxe camp. We’ve got some really good guy teaching the muay thai and a good wrestling program, we have something for everyone down there. Just getting it all together but it is absolutely the best place on the Gulf Coast as far as MMA gyms go. We have a really good MMA program for children called “Little Ninjas”. Most of the children’s programs that I have seen for kids are kind of supplemental just for them to have a kids program, just to have an extra class or for them to pay the bills and that kind of stuff but we really focus on the kid’s down at Remix MMA. We have a really diverse group of people down there and we really have a buch of teens and younger people down there and we want to keep building on that. We even have a pre-school program that starts at four years old.

Cory Brady: Who are some of the key people that have been helping you prepare for Denis Kang?

Alan Belcher: Duke Roufus has really been helping me out for a while and of course Red Schafer is fighting on the card as well so we’ve been sparring a lot and he has been helping me with my jiu-jitsu. He tries to take me down and I try to keep it on the feet. Back at home I have Rodney Duran, my boxing coach, he is always keeping me in shape and keeping my hands sharp and all of that. He’s always calling me on the phone and keeping me focused, telling me to run and all of that, he’s like my life coach. Pat Barry has been stepping it up as a coach since his UFC debut. He’s cracking the whip on us and making us work hard. he’s always jumping in the rotation and sparring with me and giving me tips. He’s been helping me out a lot as a sparring partner and a coach. I have a good crew up here and I have a good crew in Mississippi so I’m happy.

Cory Brady: What have you been focusing on in the gym since your fight with Ed Herman?

Alan Belcher: I’ve really been focusing on getting stronger and my overall athletic ability. I’ve been spending more than half my time training just my overall performance like speed and agility and all of that kind of stuff. I’m trying to become a monster basically.

Cory Brady: How do you feel you match up with Kang?

Alan Belcher: I think it’s a really good match up. I have the edge on striking and I think that he has the edge on the jiu-jitsu but I think that my takedown defense is going to be a lot better than he’s going to expect. He’ll have to come in my range to grab me and I feel like I can dominate him in the clinch. I have the height and the reach on him so it makes a good clinch for me and those factors will help me on the outside as well. I don’t think he’s going to be able to get me on the ground and if he does he’s not going to be able to stop me. I’m looking for the knockout in this one for sure. I was kind of careful in my last fight but I feel like I have another knockout coming to me. I have the power it’s just a matter of me going in there and letting my hands go. Either way, I have a lot of ways to beat him but I have a feeling that a big one is going to connect.

Cory Brady: Are you hoping that he tries to stand and trade with you?

Alan Belcher: He’s not stupid, he’s a veteran. He’s not going to come in there like a madman. He’s going to try to get me comfortable on my feet and then look for a takedown. You might see him catch me, you might see him drop me and you may see him take me down in the first round but the second and the third round are mine.

Cory Brady: I know you spent some time training it Thailand a bit ago. What was that experience like?

Alan Belcher: It was a great experience. I really go to fine tune a lot of my techniques down there. When you’re training MMA it’s hard to focus on some of the finer details in any specific element so it was really good for that. I’m planning on going back at some point but that trip was a really good experience for me and I learned a lot from it.

Cory Brady: What can people expect to see from Alan Belcher in the future?

Alan Belcher: My goal, is to become the best fighter in MMA and definitely the best striker. I think I’m getting closer at becoming the best striker. I’m looking at that belt though. I’m starting to get the confidence and realizing that it is actually possible for me to become champion so I’m going to start coming after some guys. If the UFC is cool with it I wouldn’t mind going up to 205 and getting a couple fights in there.

Cory Brady: So you’re considering a move up?

Alan Belcher: Oh yeah. I would definitely fight Rich Franklin or Dan Henderson at 205. It would be interesting just to take a break from cutting weight. I want to stay busy and keep fighting a lot and it would make it a lot easier if I didn’t have to worry about cutting weight all the time.

Cory Brady: What do you walk around at typically?

Alan Belcher: When I’m really training I’m usually around 215 but I have to work hard to stay there. Getting down to 210 is a little tougher and then down from there is obviously extremely difficult. I’d like to get a couple fights at light heavyweight before I move up permanently but the goal is to get the middleweight belt and then move up. I definitely want to move up in the future because I want to do this for a long time and I can’t see myself making the cut to middleweight forever.

Kang is most recently coming off a win against Marvin Eastman via first round TKO at Raw Combat: Redemption just a couple weeks back. Kang sports a record of 31-10 professionally but has gone 3-2 in his last five fights.

Alan Belcher fought last at UFC Fight Night 15, recording a controversial split decision victory over Team Quest fighter Ed Herman. Belcher sports a 4-3 record in the UFC since joining the organization in 2006. He carries a record of 13-5 professionally coming into the fight with Kang.

UFC 93 will be the promotion’s first foray into Irish territory. The card’s main event features a light heavyweight matchup between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson as well as former UFC heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman, facing off in a rematch against Mauricio Rua.

Herman (14-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was a finalist for season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” losing a tough, back-and-forth decision to Kendall Grove. He was offered and signed a contract with the UFC regardless, and has had fluctuating results since. His first fight after the show, he was systematically taken down and submitted by a fighter who was offered a spot on the same season but passed, Jason MacDonald.

Herman seemed to finally find his stride as a UFC fighter in 2007 with 3 straight wins against increasingly tougher competition, culminating with handing Joe Doerksen his first knockout loss of his career. In came 2008 and a loss to Demian Maia at UFC 83. Not much to take from that loss, as Maia has been exposing everyone he has faced to possibly the best submission game in the middleweight division, if no the whole UFC. Herman has shown his best attributes are his wrestling and overall ground game with improving stand up. He has also shown he still has a way to go with his takedown and submission defense, as well as overall conditioning.

Belcher (12-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is a fighter from Biloxi, Mississippi who may be slightly guilty of believing the hype of his nickname a little too much. “The Talent” has had an up and down UFC career starting by filling in for the oft-injured David Terrell at UFC 62 against Yushin Okami. Belcher lost a tough unanimous decision against Okami, but demonstrated that he belonged in the big leagues.

He followed with an impressive head-kick knockout of Jorge Santiago at UFC Fight Night 7, showing his impressive stand up skills also pack knockout power. A bit of a schizophrenic fighter, his performances are very erratic. He has excellent Muay Thai skills and decent wrestling to go with them, but his ground game is very rudimentary as he sports a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He may be an occasional victim of his own overconfidence, as demonstrated in his last fight at UFC 83 where he was to face Patrick Cote.

Cote succumbed to a knee injury two weeks before the fight and he was replaced with Jason Day, a first time UFC fighter. Belcher looked visibly relaxed and somewhat sloppy in the early going as Day asserted himself on the ground and then surprised Belcher on the feet with a hard elbow that open the floodgates to an impressive TKO victory over Belcher.

Both fighters come in with big expectations in the UFC. They are also coming off of disappointing losses with a “must-win” mentality and maybe just a little something to prove to themselves as well as everyone else. The oldest adage in our sport applies here, as it is striker versus grappler in this bout. Whoever can control the flow of this fight will win, with Herman wanting to take down Belcher and work his ground and pound while Belcher will try to keep it standing and work for the knockout on his feet with his superior striking.

Who wins the position battle? In my opinion Belcher has just enough take down defense to stave off a rather average single leg takedown that Herman possesses. This should enable him to expose Herman on the feet. Herman does not have a great chin as he has shown time and time again in his losses, and was even rocked a few times in his win over Doerksen. Belcher has very good knockout power in both his hands and feet, and should be able to keep the fight standing long enough to win via TKO.

Herman has very good potential that he has never seemed to be able to reach at Team Quest. I think he needs a change of surroundings with a new striking coach that can get through to him. I look for Belcher to win via TKO in round 2 and possibly give Herman a chance to look for that new camp after another disappointing loss.

The Fight Factory, started by head trainer Stephen Haigh, features both DREAM lightweight Grand Prix competitor Eddie Alvarez and female MMA champion Tara LaRosa. Two of the camp’s up and coming fighters, Zach Makovsky, a former Division I wrestler, and Mike Groves, an aggressive boxer and wrestler, will both be appearing on the undercard in separate fights.

Makovsky has signed on to fight against Andre “Giugeto” Soares of American Top Team in a 140 pound encounter. Soares is 5-1 according to Sherdog.com’s fight finder and is on a four fight win streak. He most recently fought on April 18 for Battle Cage Xtreme in Atlantic City, submitting Josh Spearman with a guillotine choke at 0:19 of round 1.

Prior to the win over Spearman, Soares last fought in September of 2006, submitting Matt McCabe with an armbar at 1:09 of round 1 while competing for the Combat in the Cage promotion.

Makovsky made his professional MMA debut just over a year ago, recording a split decision victory over Leandro Escobar at Extreme Challenge 75 on March 23. He then returned to action this past October on a Combat in the Cage show, where he recorded a unanimous decision victory over Emerson Souza.

Fighting five pounds above his normal competitive weight, Makovsky suffered his first career loss to Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Wilson Reis in a 140 pound catchweight encounter while making his ShoXC debut this past January in Atlantic City. In spite of the loss, he is still regarded as one of the top bantamweight prospects in the country.

Prior to MMA, Makovsky wrestled for four years at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he graduated 18th on the all-time win list with 72 collegiate victories. Makovsky has maintained his ties to Drexel, as he currently serves as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the wrestling team.

Groves, who has a strong local following in Philadelphia, made his pro debut this past October at a Combat in the Cage show, suffering a second round TKO at the hands of Pat McGreal.

He has signed on to fight lightweight fighter Joe Sampieri, the Muay Thai coach for Renzo Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City. Despite his strong striking background, Sampieri is 0-2 in his MMA career according to both Sherdog.com’s Fight Finder and Full Contact Fighter’s database. Both losses took place in the IFL, with Sampieri suffering a unanimous decision loss last April to the promotion’s current lightweight champion, Ryan Schultz. He returned to the IFL ring in August, submitting to a rear naked choke by Jason Palacios at 3:21 of round 1.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first news outlet to report the additions of Matt Makowski vs. Nick Serra and Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins to EliteXC’s undercard for May 31. Both of those fights along with the Groves vs. Sampieri and Makovsky vs. Soares matchups will be broadcast free of charge on ProElite.com. Seven undercard fights in all are scheduled to be streamed.

Two other fighters expected to appear on the undercard in separate matchups include former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro offensive tackle Carlton Haselrig and Team Ground Control fighter James “Binky” Jones.

Photo courtesy of Zack Lynch of MMA Photography.

While no fights have formally been signed for the event, FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that a proposed main event between Cage Rage welterweight champion Paul Daley and Jose Rodriguez is being discussed.

The bulk of the undercard would primarily be comprised of some of the top undiscovered talent from the Northeast corridor of the U.S.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has also learned that promoters are trying to secure bout agreements for a match Jim Bova vs. Wilson Reis and also Aaron Miesner and Zach Makovsky in separate bouts.

Miesner and Makovsky are top prospects that train out of separate fight camps in Philadelphia.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG.