BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson in new castle voor interim title

[Jani]

Joe Stevenson and B.J. Penn are set to do battle at UFC 80 in New Castle, England for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title as confirmed by Stevenson on Friday.

MMAWeekly spoke to the former “Ultimate Fighter” season 2 winner who said the bout was originally talked about as a part of UFC 79 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas, but now the fight has been moved to main event status for the U.K. show taking place in January.

The winner will take home the interim UFC lightweight title while current champion Sean Sherk awaits his final verdict from the California State Athletic Commission after his positive steroid test stemming from his July 7 fight with Hermes Franca.

Sherk’s suspension is currently set to run for one year, which would keep him out of action until July 2008, but the appeal set for Nov. 13 could result in a reduction or elimination of the suspension depending on the outcome of the hearing.

Penn and Stevenson have long been considered the top contenders for the lightweight title and the bout will be five rounds just as any regular championship bout.

UFC 80 will also feature a heavyweight rematch between Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum.

word een gaaf event !!!
wel raar van sean sherk dat ze er nog niet helemaal uit zijn

[Justinian]

Vet, ik denk dat ik er weer naar toe ga!

[Justinian]

UFC 80 will kick-off the New Year at the 11,000-seat Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England, on January 19 or 26, 2008, according to a FightNetwork.com report. Welterweights Marcus Davis and Jess Liaudin are in negotiations to scrap on the nine-fight UK card. Both fighters appeared in recent European UFC events, winning their respective matches. Davis stopped Jason Tan (knockout) at UFC 72: “Victory” in Belfast, Ireland, back in June, as well as Paul Taylor (submission) at UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion” last month. The “Joker” submitted Dennis Siver (armbar) at UFC 70: “Nations Collide” in April and beat down Anthony Torres at UFC 75 via first round technical knockout.

British fighter Terry Etim is also rumored to be on the card against Octagon newcomer Per Eklund. Of course, the most popular UFC fighter to come out of England, Michael Bisping, will more than likely not be in action that evening. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season three light heavyweight winner is headlining UFC 78: “Validation” against Rashad Evans next month on November 17 in Newark, N.J.

There’s no indication at this time whether or not the event will be broadcast on SpikeTV via tape delay or offered as a pay-per-view (PPV) event. Stay tuned for more details about UFC 80.

http://mmamania.com/2007/10/17/ufc-80-newcastle-england-likely-destination-in-january-2008/

[Biiyen]

Jammer voor BJ Penn maar dit gaat hij niet meer trekken. Die Stevenson vind ik echt een uitvinding.