In his final fight before a scheduled one-year jailing, War Machine (11-3) takes on fellow UFC veteran John Alessio (28-13) in the co-main-event of "Tachi Palace Fights 5: Stars and Strikes."
A source close to the fighter today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Brad Blackburn (15-11-1), who originally was slated to fight Alessio, was forced off the card with an undisclosed injury.
TPF 5 takes place July 9 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.
The event, which features a Rob McCullough (17-6) vs. Isaac DeJesus (9-1) 160-pound catchweight headliner, airs via online pay-per-view for $9.99.
War Machine, a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 6" previously known as Jon Koppenhaver before a legal name change, was arrested on May 30 outside Thruster's Lounge in San Diego under suspiscion of assault with a deadly weapon. (See a video report on his arrest.) War Machine, who's been arrested previously on various charges, recently Tweeted that he'll spend a year in the San Diego County Jail because of the incident.
Despite his legal troubles, War Machine enters the bout with six wins in his past seven fights (all of which have come via stoppage). Most recently, he topped former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Zach Light (6-9) at a May BAMMA show in England.
Alessio, meanwhile, enters the co-headliner with four consecutive wins, including a third-round knockout of fellow ex-UFC fighter Luigi Fioravanti in October and recent first-round submission victories over Matt Delanoit and Chris Clements.
Blackburn was slated to fight for the first time since a 3-2 run in the UFC.
A host of other notables appear on the TPF 5 card, which features three title fights. Matchups include TPF welterweight champ David Mitchell (10-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (18-6), bantamweight title-holder Cole Escovedo (16-4) vs. Michael McDonald (9-1), and Gabe Ruediger (16-5) vs. Lenny Lavato (8-0) for the vacant lightweight strap.
(source: mma junkie)
No comments:
Post a Comment