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Former Pride FC lightweight champion and Japanese fighting deity Takanori Gomi (31-5) could jump right into the 155-pound title hunt when he makes his Octagon debut against perennial lightweight contender Kenny Florian (12-4) at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31 in North Carolina.

ESPN's "MMA Live" tweets the bout is expected to serve as the night's main event.

Gomi recently signed a multi-fight deal to compete for the UFC after fighting exclusively for Japanese promotions.

In his heyday, the "Fireball Kid" was considered perhaps the best lightweight fighter on the planet. He has struggled recently, however, losing two of his last four matches to competition that is far from elite.

Nonetheless, Gomi is a fantastic and exciting addition to the talent-rich 155-pound class, which is currently dominated by division champion, B.J. Penn. Gomi and Penn actually went toe-to-toe at "Rumble on the Rock 4" back in 2003, with "The Prodigy" coming away with a convincing submission (rear naked choke) victory.

A rematch is a tantalizing prospect -- though don't expect "KenFlo" to ever let such a scenario materialize.

Star-divide

Florian has twice been to the mountaintop in the lightweight division -- and twice came away empty. To his credit, the Boston native always seems to come back stronger in his next fight, as evidenced by his second round destruction of the venerable Clay Guida back at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

Quickly after the win, Florian expressed his desire to fight "top guys" every 3-4 months. A March 31 contest would still give him enough room to prepare for a 155-pound superfight when the UFC debuts in Boston on August 28 of this year.

In addition, BJ Penn has begun contemplating an eventual return to the welterweight division should he get past Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Unless of course Gomi wins, which would all but guarantee he hangs around for a rematch.

If not, it will be interesting to see if and when "The Prodigy" sets sail -- and if that vacancy finally gives Florian the chance to become champion.

UFC® RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 15 YEARS AS FLORIAN FACES GOMI AT UFC® FIGHT NIGHT™

TWO LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERSTARS FACE OFF ON SPIKE TV’S UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON MARCH 31st

LAS VEGAS – Home to two of the first five Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) events, Charlotte, North Carolina will once again host the premier organization in mixed martial arts on Wednesday, March 31st, as the UFC returns to Charlotte for the first time in nearly 15 years with a spectacular card at the Bojangles Coliseum featuring the lightweight showdown between two-time title challenger Kenny Florian and Japanese superstar and former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi. This bout will headline the latest edition of Spike TV’s hit UFC® Fight Night™ series, which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

“The UFC has a great history with Charlotte, which hosted UFC 3 and UFC 5, and while the sport has changed immensely since then, one thing hasn’t changed and that’s the loyalty and enthusiasm of the fans here,” said UFC President Dana White. “We’re happy to be coming back here, and we brought one of the most highly-anticipated lightweight fights to headline this event. UFC fans know Kenny Florian as a top contender who can do it all in the Octagon, and in Takanori Gomi he’s facing a guy who has dominated in Japan for years and is now looking to do the same thing in the UFC. This is going to be a fight to remember.”

Tickets for this event will go on sale Saturday, February 6 at 10 a.m. ET and are $250, $155, $100, $75, $50 and $35 (plus applicable service charges). Tickets will be available through all Ticketmaster outlets including the Bojangles Coliseum box office, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, http://www.bojanglescoliseum.com or via Phonecharge at 1-800-745-3000.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, February 4 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, February 5 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.

Winner of seven of his last eight bouts, two-time world title challenger Kenny Florian (fighting out of Brookline, Mass., professional record 14-4) was in top form last December when he submitted fellow contender Clay Guida at UFC 107. The Westwood, Massachusetts native has earned finishes in nine of his 10 UFC wins, and he knows that a submission or knockout of the world-renowned Gomi will propel him right back into the title mix.

For years, the name of Takanori Gomi (fighting out of Tokyo, Japan, 31-5, 1 NC) has been prominently mentioned when the subject of the best fighters in the world, pound for pound, was discussed. And rightfully so, as the knockout artist is a former PRIDE and SHOOTO champion who owns victories over the likes of Jens Pulver, Rumina Sato, and Ralph Gracie. Now making his long-awaited UFC debut on March 31st, “The Fireball Kid” plans on making an immediate impact in the Octagon by defeating one of the division’s top contenders.

Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter® premieres at 10:00pm ET/PT directly following the UFC Fight Night event.

The remaining bouts will be announced in the near future.

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

As much as I would like to Gomi win it isn't going to happen...............................