Fisher out of UFC on VERSUS 1, Elkins to face Denver’s Ludwig
By John Livingston | February 28, 2010
Just shy of two weeks after UFC matchmaker Joe Silva had to scramble to find a new opponent for John Howard with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson being forced to withdraw from his match, this week he was once again scrambling to find game opponent’s for a couple of fighters on the highly anticipated UFC on VERSUS 1 card.
Spencer Fisher has been forced out of his scheduled bout with Denver’s Duane “Bang” Ludwig (19-10 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a back injury, meaning another vacant spot in another fight that many fans were very excited to see. Ludwig will now reportedly be matched up with another UFC newcomer in Darren Elkins (10-1, 0-0) on March 21 at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo.
Elkins is currently riding a two fight win streak with the most recent victory coming over UFC veteran Gideon Ray via unanimous decision last November. His two wins come after his first and only loss in his professional career, which came by way of a 13 second TKO.
He will provide an intriguing challenge to Ludwig who is in need of a win inside the octagon. After a four year absence from the UFC organization, Ludwig returned at UFC 108 where he was submitted in the first round by Jim Miller. The 10-year professional is just 6-6 since June 2006.
Also dropping out of the same fight card was Rob Kimmons (22-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with an undisclosed injury. Kimmons was slated to fight Mike Pierce (10-3, 1-1) in an under-card bout but instead will face another UFC newcomer, Julio Paulino (17-3, 0-0).
Paulino currently has seven straight wins with the Alaskan Fighting Championships and recently defended his middle-weight title by defeating UFC veteran Rob Yundt. This bout is slated to be a welterweight contest.
Pierce’s last fight ended in a unanimous decision loss to UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 107.
UFC on VERSUS 1 NOTE: STILL ANOTHER BIG FIGHT TO COME
Since John Howard’s fight with Anthony Johnson was called off due to Johnson’s injury, Howard’s fight has been demoted to the preliminary card, which will not be televised. It is expected that the UFC will name a new fight to complete the main televised portion of the card rather than promote a preliminary fight to the main card. An announcement is expected to come soon.
Stay tuned to CSD’s continued coverage of this event for updates when the card is finalized.
With the changes, UFC on Versus 1 now includes:
MAIN CARD
Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo
PRELIMINARY CARD
James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara
Darren Elkins vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig*
Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida
Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
Julio Paulino vs. Mike Pierce*
Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer
* - Not officially announced
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