A match-up between Vinny Magalhaes and Marcus Sersa has been announced for Shark Fight 5.5.

The event is scheduled for July 18 at Gamboa’s Outdoor Event Center in Amarillo, Texas.

Believe it or not, “Shark Fight 5.5: Nothing to Lose” is a free admission event for the fans of MMA so if you’re in the area make sure to come on out and support the sport.

Magalhaes was released from the UFC after coming up short in the finals of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter and a subsequent decision loss to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97.

Vinny will also be competing at the UFC Fan Expo this Friday as he faces off with Daniel Valverde in a submission grappling match.

Sursa has put together an MMA record of 3-4 but has nothing to hang his head about as his losses came to the likes of Stefan Struve, Eliot Marshall and Alan Belcher. His most recent trip to the cage saw him stopping Bryan Pardoe by first round TKO in October of 2008.

However, after suffering a second consecutive loss in the UFC to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97 on April 18, Magalhaes will be looking for a new place to fight.

According to the latest print edition of “The Wrestling Observer”, the UFC has decided to release Magalhaes mainly because the company is trying to build new contenders in each weight class. The fighters who don’t have potential according to the UFC will be sent packing.

Magalhaes entered season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter with plenty of hype due to his impressive background in BJJ. He was widely considered one of the favorites to win the light heavyweight tournament. While on the show, he went on to defeat Lance Evans, Jules Bruchez, and Krzysztof Soszynski. In the finals he ran into the undefeated Ryan Bader who got the win with an impressive TKO victory in just a little over two minutes; ending Vinny’s dream to become the The Ultimate Fighter.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com is the first to report that a 205 pound clash between Magalhaes and fellow TUF 8 castmate Eliot Marshall will soon be announced as set to take place at UFC 97 on April 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Magalhaes last fought in the light heavyweight finals for the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter 8 on December 13 against Ryan Bader. Bader took the 205 pound TUF 8 crown after TKO’ing the jiu-jitsu world champion at 2:18 of round 1. The defeat dropped Magalhaes lifetime record as a pro to 2-3.

Marshall also fought at the TUF 8 finale in a non-televised match. Facing fellow castmate Jules Bruchez, Marshall was declared the winner via submission after securing a rear naked choke just one minute and 27 seconds into the fight. The win improved Marshall’s overall MMA record to 6-1.

MMAWeekly.com had reported earlier in the week that Marshall was slated to face Mike Ciesnolevicz at UFC 97. A reason for the change in opponents was not immediately known.

In addition to Magalhaes vs. Marshall, UFC 98 is set to be headlined by Anderson Silva defending his UFC middleweight title vs. Thales Leites. Additionally, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell will return to action against former PRIDE star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Other reported matchups for UFC 97 include Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk, David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman, Brian Stann vs. Krzysztof Soszynski, Luiz Cane vs. Steve Cantwell, Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden, T.J. Grant vs. Ryo Chonan, Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry, Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang, and Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: In regards to your perceived disrespect of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, do you recall how the situation began?

Vinny Magalhaes : Shane Primm was unfamiliar with me and had asked me what my credentials were, I told him about some of my tournament wins, and someone asked if that was more than Nogueira, and I said yes. I’ve never said I was better than Nogueira, my credentials are better, but that doesn’t make me a better fighter than him and I never said I was better than him. I saw Roli’s blog, and he is lying.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: There seems to be some controversy over your use of the word “Basic” when talking about Nogueira’s Jiu Jitsu with Frank Mir, what did you mean by that?

Vinny Magalhaes : First off, I think people are confused by the word “basic” and assume that is an insult. When I said basic I was talking about a style, Roger and Rickson Gracie would be great examples. Basic doesn’t mean bad, and people may be confusing that. I have always looked up to Nogueira, he is a hero of mine and there is no better jiu jitsu in mma.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: The situation seemed to turn into an altercation just before your fight, where you aware there was an issue?

Vinny Magalhaes : What you watched last night, didn’t take place until weeks after my first fight. The translation was terrible also. Nogueira and I were very close for most of the show, we got along very well. People thought they needed to gossip and start trouble, I never once said I have more skill than Nogueira. I answered a question, maybe I shouldn’t have answered.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Have you had a chance to mend your relationship with Nogueira at this point?

Vinny Magalhaes : It’s not that big of a deal to me. I’m not expecting him to run up to me and apoligize, but I would like to talk to him if I get a chance. Hopefully he will see that I did not insult him. I never said any style was better, just different, and better credential’s do not mean you have more skill so that doesn’t mean a thing.

Fiveouncesofpain.com was able to speak exclusivly with the three time BJJ World Champion (Heavy/Super Heavy/Absolute) about the matter.

“I was assured I would still have my job after I returned from the show…” said Magalhaes “ Upon my return I was never placed back on the schedule.”

The reason why he was removed from his teaching schedule remains a mystery to Magalhaes who knew he had to make some changes.

Faced with an uncertain future Magalhaes, selected Denaro Sports Marketing to handle his management.

“ Vinny is a great up and coming talent, who has a very bright future in the sport of MMA” said Jake Hattan with Denaro Sports.

“ I found management that would look out for me…When I went back to the gym I was told that I could still train there and the percentage they wanted from my earnings, when I told them that I already had management I was given two choices…” said the light heavyweight competitor. “ They told me that I could pay them the percentage and also pay my management, or I could break my contract with my management. I could not do that.”

Magalhaes stated he has nothing but respect for his former team, and remains very close with many of his former training partners, but with a desire to continue teaching and a management contract already in place he is making his move to PRO-AM Mixed Martial Arts training center, a new state of the art 6500 sq. foot training facility where he will once again teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

First, the Fitch rumors:

“I was never offered a fight (with) Jon Fitch ever,” Parisyan said. “Right now, if I want a title shot, I can get a title shot right now — seven months down the line. But I said, ‘That’s too much of a delay, and I’ll get a lot of ring rust.‘

“I don’t want to wait for that long, so I’ll get a fight in between for a more guaranteed win. Jon Fitch? I still think I can beat Jon Fitch. I think I have more tools to beat Jon Fitch. I have tremendous respect for him, but I still think I can beat him… but I need an easier fight than Jon Fitch so I can basically have a high percentage of beating (the opponent) and getting a title shot.“

On when he might fight again next:

“I’m hearing rumors of April 1 at The Palms (Las Vegas),” Parisyan said. “Maybe either Thiago Alves or Marcus Davis — one of those guys. But like I said, I’ve never really dodged a fight at all. I’ll fight anyone. I’ll fight Fedor (Emelianenko) if I have to. Let’s put it that way.“

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

I taped the show earlier this week in Los Angeles and I had a blast doing it. The crew at Inside MMA were super nice and they made the whole experience a very pleasant one. I just wanted to thank them publicly.

Joining me on the panel is Amir Perets, who has a background as a member of the Israeli special forces and now does anti-terrorism training, and Karo Parisyan.

If you’re a Karo fan, then you will enjoy the show. He was extremely outspoken and had us laughing quite a few times during the taping. He was very outspoken in his thoughts about how Randy Couture would do in a fight vs. Fedor Emelianenko, his thoughts on women’s MMA, and whether he turned down a chance to fight Jon Fitch.