Bisping vs Kang, Kim vs Hardy added to UFC 105
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:13 am
British standout Michael Bisping will return to the Octagon on Nov. 14, when he collides with Pride Fighting Championships veteran Denis Kang in one of the UFC 105 featured bouts at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. The promotion made the middleweight matchup official on Tuesday.
Bisping, the light heavyweight winner on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, has not competed since he suffered a brutal knockout loss at the hands of two-time Olympian Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in July. The defeat, his first as a middleweight, snapped a three-fight winning streak for Bipsing, a 30-year-old Liverpool, England, native. Victories over Chris Leben and Matt Hamill anchor his resume, which includes 15 finishes.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old Kang has posted three wins in four fights. A former Spirit Martial Challenge heavyweight titleholder and Pride welterweight grand prix finalist, he last appeared at UFC 97 in April, when he earned a unanimous decision against Xavier Foupa-Pokam. From April 4, 2003 to Nov. 5, 2006, Kang enjoyed a 23-match unbeaten streak that included wins against UFC veterans Mark Weir and Akihiro Gono, plus a 15-second knockout of former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Twenty seven of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s 43 career victories have come by KO, technical knockout or submission.
In addition to the Bisping-Kang showdown, world-ranked welterweight Dan Hardy will lock horns with the unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim in a pivotal 170-pound tilt.
An emerging star, Hardy will carry a six-fight winning streak into the bout. The 27-year-old defeated Marcus Davis by split decision at UFC 99 in June but has not competed since. Based out of Team Rough House, the one-time Cage Warriors welterweight titleholder counts victories against Gono, UFC veteran Chad Reiner and former International Fight League mainstay Rory Markham among his 22 conquests. Hardy has not been finished in more than four years.
Kim, meanwhile, outpointed fast-rising Canadian T.J. Grant in a preliminary bout at UFC 100. The decorated 27-year-old Korean judoka cut his teeth inside the Japan-based Deep promotion, arriving in the UFC in 2008 with victories against Jason Tan and Matt Brown. Kim suffered a split decision loss to Karo Parisyan at UFC 94 in January, though the result of the match was later changed to a no contest after Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers. Half of Kim’s 12 career wins have come by KO or TKO.
Other bouts rumored for the UFC 105 show include lightweight matchups pairing Aaron Riley with Ross Pearson and Terry Etim with Shannon Gugerty. A main event has not yet been announced.
WAR Kang and Kim!!!
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