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NEW YORK - Two of the UFC welterweight division's rising stars, Mike "Quick" Swick (10-2) and Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman (20-4), will square off in the Octagon on Spike TV's "UFC Fight Night" on January 23. Both gained national prominence as standout fighters on "The Ultimate Fighter" in their respective seasons. SWICK Swick's five straight victories over top UFC contenders such as David Loiseau and Joe Riggs put the Houston, Texas, native among the top contenders in the middleweight division. However, his road to a title fight was derailed after a hard-fought loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 69 in April. Swick now will drop down to 170 pounds and begin a quest for the welterweight crown against the dangerous and well-rounded fighter Burkman. BURKMAN Fighting out of Salt Lake City, Burkman has won an impressive five out of seven bouts since appearing on "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2005, falling only to two of the division's elite, Karo Parisyan and Jon Fitch. A victory over Swick in the nationally televised main event would set Burkman back on course for a chance at the division crown. CO-FEATURE In the co-feature, Quebec's hard-hitting middleweight Patrick "The Predator" Cote (11-4), takes on Team Militech product Drew McFedries (5-2) fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa. Cote, a finalist on Season 4 of "The Ultimate Fighter," is coming off the biggest win of his career against Kendall Grove in August at UFC 74. His opponent is the power-punching McFedries, who was last seen on Spike TV in June, when he knocked out Jordan Radev in the first round. |