News of the card’s change was confirmed by the UFC. It was also revealed Reza Madadi had withdrawn from a bout against Fabricio Camoes with the organization remaining hopeful a 155er can be found to fill in.

Jimmo has racked up sixteen straight victories since falling in his first MMA fight nearly five years ago. The 30-year old has spent the last few years as part of the MFC roster where he earned the divisional title with success against UFC veterans like Marvin Eastman, Wilson Gouveia, and Rameu Thierry Sokoudjou.

UFC on FX: Miller vs. Guillard is headlined by former lightweight contenders Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard getting it on in the Octagon with other match-ups including Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft, Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts, and Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer.

PHOTO CREDIT – MFC

UFC officials confirmed the light heavyweight battle on their official website.

Jimmo was a contestant on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, but lost in the qualifying round to Antwain Britt by majority decision. Because the bout took place on TUF, it did not count against his professional record, which currently stands at 16-1. After losing the first bout of his career, Jimmo has gone on to rack up one of the longest winning streaks in MMA with sixteen consecutive victories. Along with capturing the MFC light heavyweight title, Jimmo has defeated UFC veterans like Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Wilson Gouveia, and Marvin Eastman. He has been criticized for his performances though as half of his wins of come by way of decision.

1-2 in his last three bouts, Vemola is in a must win situation when he faces Jimmo. After losing to Jon Madsen in his UFC debut, Vemola dropped to 205 for his next bout where he easily dispatched of Seth Petruzelli en route to earning Knockout of the Night honors at UFC 122. The Czech native ran into trouble in his last fight against Ronny Markes though, dropping a unanimous decision to the Brazilian.

UFC on FX 1 is scheduled for January 20 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The night will be headlined by a lightweight showdown between grappler Jim Miller and striker Melvin Guillard.

PHOTO CREDIT – MFC

MFC

“My last couple of opponents were Top 30 or 50 in the world and I maybe took five clean shots in those fights. So if that kind of competition can barely lay a finger on me, I think it shows that I belong in the upper echelon.” Jimmo recently told Five Ounces of Pain in an exclusive interview. “Even though I haven’t had the opportunity to fight the best, if you look at how I handled those guys, I don’t think anyone can criticize that.”

On October 7, Jimmo takes on former PRIDE and UFC fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at MFC 31 in one of his toughest bouts to date. Even though “The African Assassin” hasn’t quite lived up to the hype that surrounded him after he knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona, Jimmo knows that Sokoudjou is no push-over.

“He is very fast and explosive, very dangerous and can knock out anyone in the world, which he’s already proved. I have to watch out for his explosiveness. I can’t beat him there. I have to devise a game plan in order to exploit his weaknesses.”

Jimmo’s bout again Sokoudjou will be his ninth time fighting under the MFC banner and his 17th time fighting in Canada. In fact, he’s never fought professionally outside of his native country, something he’s hoping to change in the near future.

“It’s nice fighting in Canada but right now it’s time for me to expand outside of Canada and put my footprint in other parts of the world.”

In order to put his footprint in other parts of the world, Jimmo may need to leave the MFC. “My ultimate goal is to be UFC champion someday,” said Jimmo. “We talked to (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and he said that if I win this fight, they’ll be looking to sign me. I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch though.”

One thing Jimmo has become known for is his post-fight celebration. After getting his hand raised in victory, Jimmo likes to break out the robot, a move he’s been working on even before he started fighting.

“I started doing the robot when I was like fourteen while watching Much Music and they were break dancing. I always wanted attention when I was a kid so I thought if I learned how to break dance then I’ll get attention. So after my fight I wanted to stand out so I did the robot, almost as a joke. Then people wanted to see it after and I was more than happy to oblige.”

When I asked Ryan if we were going to see the robot on October 7, he was quick to respond with, “You certainly are. I’ve been working on it too and planning it out.”

PHOTO CREDIT – MFC

MFC sent out a press release to announce the signing.

Once thought to be the “next big thing” in the 205 division after knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona in the PRIDE organization, Sokoudjou has failed to find consistency in the sport following a short-lived run in the UFC that saw him post a 1-2 record. Since being released by the company in 2008, the Cameroon native has fought for various organizations, including Strikeforce, DREAM, and Shark Fights against the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Renato Sobral, and Houston Alexander. He’s currently on a three fight win streak.

“The Real Deal” is on a win streak of his own, one that is five times longer than Sokoudjou’s run. During the course of his 15 fight win streak, Jimmo has defeated UFC veterans Marvin Eastman and Wilson Gouveia, along with fighters such as Emanuel Newton and Zak Cummings. Often criticized for his less than spectacular performances, Jimmo will be looking to put on a show against “The African Assassin”

MFC 31 in scheduled for October 7 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

*PHOTO CREDIT – MFC*

Jimmo, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, appeared on the premiere episode of The Ultimate Fighter 8 but unfortunately he failed to gain a spot in the house when he dropped a decision to Antwain Britt. Jimmo is a versatile striker who holds victories over Jeff Lundberg, Craig Zellner and Samir Seif.

There were rumors that Jimmo was going to fight Robert Smith or Chris Fontaine but X Fights decided to stick with the Ontario vs. Maritimes theme choosing journeyman Jason Cecil.

Cecil possesses a mixed martial arts record of 3-5-0. Cecil is brawler who holds victories over the likes of Josh Strickland, Geza Kalman, and Luc Desautels. Cecil has also dropped bouts to notable names including Roger Hollett, Brent Beauparlant, and Martin Desilets.

X Fights: Ontario vs. Maritimes will also feature a light heavyweight bout between undefeated prospects Dan Fowler (2-0) and Scott Fraser (1-0).

In a recent interview with TheFranchiseRadio.net, X Fights promoter Victor Theriault announced that Stephen “The Wonderboy” Thompson would be making his mixed martial arts debut on Nov. 15 at X Fights 2. Thompson is a world class kickboxer who is 51-0 and helped current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre prepare for his Aug. 9 title defense against Jon Fitch.

Update: X Fights has announced that Ryan Jimmo will now meet Chris Fontaine in the main event at Ontario vs. Maritimes. Jimmo’s original opponent, Jason Cecil, was forced to withdraw after he suffered a broken nose at XMMA 5.

While attendance figures are not available, the show was packed and the boisterous crowd was enthusiastic for all the fights. In attendance were several pro fighters including Eddie Alvarez, James “Binky” Jones, Aaron Miesner, and BodogFIGHT women’s champion Tara LaRosa.

This had to have been the best amateur fight card I’ve seen with a lot of good matches. Most of the fights were standup encounters that featured several momentum changes and early finishes.

The show also provided a few unusual moments that you don’t see everyday at an MMA show.

In a moment that is begging for the YouTube Hall of Fame, referee Stephen Haigh, of Fight Factory fame, found himself in a position where he was on the receiving end of an extended assault from a fighter.

While we’ve seen flash knockouts before where the knocked out combatant comes to and attacks the first thing near him (usually the ref) this incident was so strange because the fighter appeared to be almost fully conscious and the attack lasted so long. The actual fight lasted 14 seconds but the post-fight altercation between Haigh and Brian Hartkoph seemingly lasted twice as long.

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