ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® CONFIRMS REMAINING BOUTS FOR UFC® FIGHT NIGHT™ IN NASHVILLE

-- Ultimate Fighting Championship

For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2009

RYAN BADER vs. CARMELO MARRERO
TYSON GRIFFIN vs. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS
COLE MILLER vs. JUNIE BROWNING
GLEISON TIBAU vs. JEREMY STEPHENS
RICARDO ALMEIDA vs. MATT HORWICH
BROCK LARSON vs. JESSE SANDERS
TIM CREDEUR vs. NICK CATONE
JORGE RIVERA vs. NISSEN OSTERNECK
ROB KIMMONS vs. JOE VEDEPO
TIM McKENZIE vs. AARON SIMPSON
RYAN JENSEN vs. STEVE STEINBEISS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009

LIVE FROM SOMMET CENTER IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is proud to confirm the remaining bouts for its first-ever event in Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan Bader, Carmelo Marrero, Tyson Griffin, Rafael dos Anjos, Cole Miller, Junie Browning, Gleison Tibau, Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Almeida, Matt Horwich, Brock Larson, Jesse Sanders, Tim Credeur, Nick Catone, Jorge Rivera, Nissen Osterneck, Rob Kimmons, Joe Vedepo, Tim McKenzie, Aaron Simpson, Ryan Jensen and Steve Steinbeiss complement a stellar main event between former WEC® welterweight champion Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night™ Live on Spike TV Wednesday, April 1 at 9:00p.m. ET/PT from the Sommet Center.

Tickets are still available at the Sommet Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, and by telephone at 615-770-2040. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, sommetcenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

After winning Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter®, Ryan Bader will make his true UFC debut. The 25-year-old Bader (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) attended Arizona State University where he was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 wrestler. He is coming off an impressive first-round TKO over Vinny Magalhaes in December 2008 to be crowned The Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division. However, his next big test in the Octagon™ comes against Carmelo Marrero (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.), who made a big splash in his Octagon debut in October 2006 at UFC 64 by winning a split decision over the dangerous Cheick Kongo. Following a drop to light heavyweight, he won his last fight against Steve Steinbeiss in a WEC matchup last November, and looks to continue his winning ways against Bader.

The last time Tyson Griffin (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) stepped into the Octagon, it was a three-round epic with Sean Sherk that earned fight of the night honors at UFC 90. But now the 24-year-old lightweight fighter who already has five UFC wins in his career will take on the slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Rafael Dos Anjos (fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), who carries an 11-3 career mark into the Octagon.

When thinking about submission victories over high-level grapplers, Cole Miller (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) should come to mind. The Augusta, Georgia native’s triangle win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel in his last fight is indicative of how the 24-year-old is becoming a force in the lightweight division. Another 155-pound fighter making a name for himself in the division is Ultimate Fighter Season 8 alumnus Junie Browning (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). The Lexington, Kentucky native already has an impressive arm bar victory against Dave Kaplan in his UFC debut on his professional resume.

Coming off a submission victory against Rich Clementi, Gleison Tibau (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) realizes the UFC lightweight division is incredibly stacked with top-tier fighters. That’s what makes the Brazilian’s match with Jeremy Stephens (fighting out of Des Moines, Iowa) so crucial. The 22-year-old Stephens has already compiled a 16-4 professional mixed martial arts record with three UFC wins.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the fight between middleweights Ricardo Almeida (fighting out of Hamilton, N.J.) and Matt Horwich (fighting out of Gresham, Ore.) hits the ground. Almeida, a four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion in Brazil, has two submission victories in the UFC but will have his hands full if he gets into Horwich’s slick rubber guard. A veteran of 35 professional MMA fights, the 30-year-old Horwich will look to get win No. 25 against Almeida.

A veteran of the UFC and the WEC, 31-year-old welterweight Brock Larson (fighting out of Brainerd, Minn.) has faced some big names in the sport of MMA. With a 25-2 record and coming off two straight WEC wins, Larson makes the jump back to the UFC and takes on Jesse Sanders (fighting out of Oskaloosa, Iowa). The 28-year-old former professional boxer and Golden Gloves champion will make his UFC debut against the seasoned Larson.

Coming off two straight TKO victories in the UFC, Lafayette, Louisiana native Tim Credeur (fighting out of Breaux Bridge, La.) is starting to turn heads in the middleweight division. Credeur will need to bring it again when he faces undefeated Englewood, N.J. born fighter Nick Catone (fighting out of Brick, N.J.). The former Rider University wrestler submitted Derek Downey in his UFC debut in February and now will have another big test when he touches gloves with Credeur.

It’s always an exciting matchup when UFC veteran Jorge Rivera (fighting out of Milford, Mass.) steps into the Octagon. The 37-year-old has earned UFC wins over Kendall Grove, David Loiseau, Edwin Dewees and Dennis Hallman, but he will have to be prepared to take on UFC middleweight newcomer Nissen Osterneck (fighting out of Maui, Hawaii). The 28-year-old Myrtle Beach, South Carolina native will make his UFC debut against the MMA veteran.

A third degree black belt in American jiu-jitsu, Kansas City, Kansas born fighter Rob Kimmons (fighting out of Liberty, Mo.) already has three UFC bouts on his resume and will look to get his 22nd professional win when he faces 26-year-old Joe Vedepo (fighting out of Iowa City, Iowa). It will be a matchup between two well-rounded middleweights looking to ascend up the division.

A veteran of the WEC, Santa Clara, California born fighter Tim McKenzie (fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) is looking to ride the wave from his last WEC match, which ended in a submission victory. The 26-year-old with the 12-5 mark will now face his former training partner Aaron Simpson (fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.). It was and impressive WEC debut for Simpson, who earned an 18-second knock out against David Avellan last November. Now the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler from Arizona State University will make his UFC debut against the tough middleweight.

A veteran of three UFC fights, 31-year-old Ryan Jensen (fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) will look for his first UFC victory when he faces middleweight Steve Steinbeiss (fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.). The 27-year-old kickboxing specialist will look for his first UFC win when he squares off with Jensen.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Bell ExpressVU, Viewers Choice, SaskTel Max™ and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting, UFC, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

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