MMA Gospel

Brian Ebersole’s (top) wrestling and experience will be his biggest assets against James Head at UFC 149. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC drops anchor Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with a loaded card that could shake the foundations of the very venue. With the 135lbs. champion “The Dominator” Dominick Cruz (19-1) on the sidelines with an injury, an interim belt has been forged and will be contested between former WEC Featherweight Champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (26-5) and Brazilian phenom Renan Barao (28-1). Long-time UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo (17-7) will face the Strikeforce and Bellator veteran “The Savage” Shawn Jordan (13-3) in his second UFC bout. Former Bellator, CFC, and AFC middleweight king “Shango” Hector Lombard (31-2) finally makes his promotional debut against the reborn “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (15-4). IFL veteran, knockout artist and Ontario’s own ”The Menace” Chris Clements (11-4) went through a list of replacements but finally found a stable name against TUF 7 veteran Matt Riddle (6-3) to open the UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao PPV card. “Bad Boy” Brian Ebersole (50-14) elects for a fast return after a victory at UFC on FX 4 in June as he fills the gap and faces off against James Head (8-2) as the second fight of the night. Continue reading »