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| Written by Doug Jeffrey | |
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LAS VEGAS — Gabriel Gonzaga and Jurge Gurgel are two of the fighters who have been added to the UFC 86 card next week here at Mandalay Bay. The main card for UFC 86: JACKSON vs. GRIFFIN features opposing coaches from The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin. Jackson holds the light-heavyweight title. The event is live on July 5, 2008. FIGHTER NEWS McCully Justin “The Insane One” McCully (8-3-2), 6’ 2” and 240 lbs., fights out of Huntington Beach, Calif. After his dominant three-round victory over Antoni Hardonk in April of 2007, bright things were forecast for heavyweight McCully. Then injuries sidelined the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt for much of the year. Now healthy and eager to assault the heavyweight division, “The Insane One” returns to the Octagon against Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga. Gonzaga Gonzaga is 8-3-0 and 6’ 1” 240 lbs. Gabriel Gonzaga’s rise up the heavyweight ranks was nothing short of spectacular with wins over Kevin Jordan, Fabiano Scherner, Carmelo Marrero and Mirko Cro Cop. Losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum have slowed the Brazilian’s progress, but after an intense training camp in his adopted home of Ludlow, he is ready to once again regain his spot in the UFC title picture. Miller Cole Miller (13-3-0) 6’ 1” 155 lbs., fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla., notched impressive wins over Andy Wang and Leonard Garcia after his stay on The Ultimate Fighter 5, furthering his reputation as one of the lightweight division’s top up-and-comers. Though the Georgia native hit a bump in the road in a hard fought January loss to Jeremy Stephens, this Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt is more focused than ever heading into his match-up with Jorge Gurgel. Gurgel Gurgel is 16-3-0 and 5’ 9” and 155 lbs. Winner of three of his five UFC fights, Jorge Gurgel’s energetic style has made him a fan favorite around the world. It wasn’t until his hard-fought decision win over John Halverson at UFC 82 in March that fans got to see the real “JG,” as he used all his talents to earn his most impressive victory yet in the Octagon. The Cincinnati fighter will look to build on his success against Miller. Siver Dennis Siver (11-5-0) 5’ 7” 155 lbs., fighting out of Mannheim, Germany, has been gathering more and more fans with each bout after a knockout win over Naoyuki Kotani and a memorable war with Gray Maynard in his last two UFC outings. While this hard-charging 28-year old will be pushed to the limit once again when he takes on Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, which is precisely the type of fight the four year mixed martial arts veteran lives for. Guillard Guillard is 39-8-3, and he has seen its share of ups and downs. With a renewed focus on his ground game, the still developing lightweight prospect is eager to show not only his knockout power, but his ability to win a fight wherever it may go. A recent winner over Eric Regan in March, “The Young Assassin” is chomping at the bit to get back in the Octagon and back in the UFC win column. Buchholz Justin Buchholz (8-2-0) 6 and 155 lbs., fighting out of Sacramento, Calif., hasn’t had any opponents hear the final bell ring. The aggressive Alaskan native has no intentions of letting Corey Hill become the first. A well-rounded battler who now trains with WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber in Sacramento, Buchholz is looking to not only finish off his foe, but to get his first Octagon win under his belt and begin on his road to the UFC lightweight title. Hill At 6 foot 4, Hill (2-0-0) is a scary match-up for everyone at 155 pounds. Add in an ever-developing fight game and the West Virginia native is on the fast track to big things in the coming years. Just ask Joe Veres, who Hill stopped in his UFC debut in January. The popular member of The Ultimate Fighter’s fifth season cast hopes to keep his unbeaten string unbroken when he faces off against Buchholz. — Courtesy of the UFC PR Department |