The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale - Fight Card Updates

[Keithlewis]

They've been battling it out for months on social media, but on April 16 at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy will settle their score for real in the Octagon.

UFC President Dana White announced today that Bisping, who was recovering from a detached retina, was medically cleared for the bout, which will headline a card which also features the Ultimate Fighter Nations final.

In addition to Bisping-Kennedy and the TUF Nations finals at welterweight and middleweight, coaches Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke will meet at 170 pounds, and in preliminary card action, lightweights KJ Noons and Sam Stout square off in a strikers' duel, and Toronto's Mark Bocek takes on Evan Dunham. Plus, TUF 18's Tim Gorman makes his UFC debut against Mitch Gagnon.

www.ufc.com


Bouts already announced for the TUF Nations Finale include Canadian coach Patrick Cote vs. Aussie coach Kyle Noke, Sam Stout vs. KJ Noons, Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim Gorman, and Evan Dunham vs. Mark Bocek, as well as the welterweight and middleweight finals for the reality series.

[Keithlewis]

Baszler vs. Kaufman set for April 16 in Quebec City


Respected women's MMA veteran and TUF 18 cast member Shayna "The Queen of Spades" Baszler will make her UFC debut on April 16 in Quebec City when she squares off with number five ranked Sarah Kaufman on FOX Sports 1. Kaufman is coming off a no contest with Jessica Eye at UFC 166 last October, while Baszler has healed up from an injury-induced layoff and is raring to go to step into the Octagon for the first time this April.

[Keithlewis]

On April 16 in Quebec City, rising bantamweight star Dustin Kimura will tackle lanky veteran George Roop.


The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale
April 16, 2014
Québec City, Quebec, Canada


Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy
Patrick Cote vs. Kyle Noke
Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim Gorman
K.J. Noons vs. Sam Stout
Mark Bocek vs. Evan Dunham
Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah Kaufman
Steve Bosse vs. Ryan Jimmo
Dustin Kimura vs. George Roop

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

For a second time, injury has delayed the UFC debut of veteran women's bantamweight Shayna Baszler. Baszler has been forced to withdraw from her scheduled rematch against Sarah Kaufman after sustaining an undisclosed injury two weeks out from this month's TUF Nations Finale. The search for a short-notice replacement opponent for Kaufman is currently underway.


TUF Nations Finale - Fight Card:

Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy
Patrick Cote vs. Kyle Noke
TBA vs. TBA (TUF Nations middleweight final)
TBA vs. TBA (TUF Nations welterweight final)
Dustin Poirier vs. Akira Corassani
Sarah Kaufman vs. TBA
Sam Stout vs. K.J. Noons
Evan Dunham vs. Mark Bocek
Ryan Jimmo vs. Sean O'Connell
Dustin Kimura vs. George Roop
Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim Gorman

[Keithlewis]

With WMMA veteran Shayna Baszler forced out of her UFC debut against Sarah Kaufman on April 16 due to injury, Amanda Nunes will move from her April 19 date against Alexis Dufresne in Orlando to meet the former Strikeforce champion in Quebec City on the TUF Nations Finale card. The new matchup pits two of the best bantamweights in the world against each other, with Canada's Kaufman currently ranked fifth and Brazil's Nunes ranked eighth. Dufresne will be rescheduled to fight on a later date.

[Keithlewis]

Maybe this one will stick around for Sarah Kaufman – and it’s a rematch. The Canadian on Tuesday night got her third opponent for next week’s TUF Nations Finale in the form of Leslie Smith (6-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who will meet Kaufman (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) next week in Quebec. Kaufman and Smith, who will be making her UFC debut first met in a “Fight of the Night” performance won by Kaufman at Invicta FC 5 a year ago. UFC officials announced the new matchup on Tuesday night after Amanda Nunes (9-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) fell off the fight with Kaufman with a broken hand. Nunes had been a late replacement for Shayna Baszler, who also fell off with an injury.

http://mmajunkie.com/2014/04/leslie-smi ... ns-finale/



TUF Nations Finale - Fight Card:


Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy
Patrick Cote vs. Kyle Noke
TBA vs. TBA – “TUF Nations” middleweight-tournament final
TBA vs. TBA – “TUF Nations” welterweight-tournament final
Akira Corassani vs. Dustin Poirier
K.J. Noons vs. Sam Stout
Sarah Kaufman vs. Leslie Smith
Mark Bocek vs. TBA
Ryan Jimmo vs. Sean O’Connell
Dustin Kimura vs. George Roop
Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim Gorman

[Keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia returned on Wednesday night, with the final episode of the season and last middleweight semifinal elimination fight. Sheldon Westcott of St. Albert, Alb. secured his berth in the final with an impressive submission victory over the last Australian standing, Vik Grujic, to make it an all-Canadian finale.

Westcott will now face Toronto’s Elias Theodorou in the middleweight match-up, while Montrealer Olivier Aubin-Mercier will meet Chad Laprise of London, Ont. for the welterweight crown. Both The Ultimate Fighter winners will receive a lucrative six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and fight for the honour of being the first-ever Canadian Ultimate Fighter.

Four other cast members will also be making their return on the Finale card. Aussie teammates Richard Walsh of Sydney and Chris Indich of Perth, WA will square off in a welterweight bout, while middleweight veteran Vik Grujic of Melbourne will meet Montreal’s Nordine Taleb. The full fight card is available below. Meanwhile, cast member Kajan Johnson of Montreal will make his UFC debut in a lightweight fight against Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang at UFC 174 on June 14 in Vancouver.



UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Kennedy
Colisée Pepsi
Quebec City, Canada
Saturday, April 16, 2014

Bantamweight Bout 3 Rounds
Tim Gorman vs Mitch Gagnon

Welterweight Bout 3 Rounds
Chris Indich vs Richard Walsh

Middleweight Bout 3 Rounds
Vik Grujic vs Nordine Taleb

Lightweight Bout 3 Rounds
Mike de la Torre vs Mark Bocek

Bantamweight Bout 3 Rounds
Dustin Kimura vs George Roop

Light Heavyweight Bout 3 Rounds
Sean O’Connell vs Ryan Jimmo

Women's Bantamweight Bout 3 Rounds
Leslie Smith vs Sarah Kaufman

Lightweight Bout 3 Rounds
KJ Noons vs Sam Stout

Featherweight Bout 3 Rounds
Akira Corassani vs Dustin Poirier

Welterweight Final 3 Rounds
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs Chad Laprise

Middleweight Final 3 Rounds
Elias Theodorou vs Sheldon Westcott

Welterweight Bout 3 Rounds
Kyle Noke vs Patrick Cote

Middleweight Bout 5 Rounds
Tim Kennedy vs Michael Bisping