Bader-Marrero, Simpson-McKenzie Added To UFC Fight Night 18
Ryan Bader
Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero and Aaron Simpson vs. Tim McKenzie have been added to the expected lineup for UFC Fight Night 18 on April 1st in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Five Ounces of Pain.
Bader (8-0), a two-time wrestling All-American at Arizon State University, compiled a 7-0 record in various promotions before capturing The Ultimate Fighter 8 light heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Vinicius Magalhaes. Marrero (10-2) is a three-fight UFC veteran, defeating Cheick Kongo in his promotional debut in late-2006 before dropping back-to-back fights to Gabriel Gonzaga and Wilson Gouveia that temporarily forced him out of the UFC. Marrero earned his return trip to the octagon by going 4-0 since his departure, most-recently defeating Steve Steinbeiss via split decision at a November WEC event.
An up-and-coming middleweight, Simpson (4-0) debuted in the WEC in November with an 18-second knockout of David Avellan and will now debut in the UFC after the WEC cut the 185-pound division at the end of 2008. McKenzie (12-5) is also a WEC veteran, having fought on and off in the promotion since 2003, most-recently earning a third-round submission of Jeremy Lang last June.
Efrain Escudero vs. Jeremy Stephens, Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller, and Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich are also slated to take place at UFC Fight Night 18.
Tags: Aaron Simpson, Carmelo Marrero, Ryan Bader, tim mckenzie
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Marrero sounds like a dangerous first “real UFC” fight for Bader. They really threw these two TUF winners right into the fire, a lot more so than giving Forrest and Bisping Elvis Sinosic. Shaping up to be a great card.
i agree….tossing them in the cage with a few decent competitors…nice to see…
“Gouveia last fought in the WEC, the UFC’s sister promotion, in November, topping Steve Steinbeiss via split decision.”
i think u mean marrero
There’s actually multiple things Kris needs to look at in this article, I sent him a private message about it already.
Fixed, thanks. Was in too much of a hurry this morning and missed a few errors but I think I caught them all now.
isnt marrero primarily a wrestler i mean isnt that how he beat kongo wit the lay and pray? bader by tko early in the 2nd. marrero is pretty much baders sinosic. i mean u couldnt have bader vs sinosic cuz elvis would look like a baby standin next to bader so they found a bigger guy to b baders gatekeeper enter carmelo
Yeah, Marrero wrestled at a junior college and was a national tournament qualifier I believe, but the wrestling edge still has to go to Bader.
Yeah, junior college vs D1… edge goes to D1.
tough first opponents i like it bader-marrero and escudero-lil heathen……i think they both can pull off the win and will
And yet, I hope Bader loses 4 straight and falls off the face of the MMA planet….
why the bader hate
almost every one dimensional wrestler thats gone thru TUF has ended up nasty. koscheck rashad matt hammil gray maynard there all sick fighters now so if u hate bader for the one dimension part all im gonna say is just wait
totally agree huerta, its not like bader LNP vinny for three rounds he KO’d him in the first….bader will be a force in the ufc eventually mark my words win or lose at fight night 18 bader will get better and better
Bader is the most impressive out of all the TUF winners. The guy is a beast. I can see him fighting for and possibly winning the LHW belt eventually. He already has the striking power and his wrestling is awesome, all he needs now is some bjj training and he will dominate the LHW division.
I disagree Merraro is good but 1 of the most boring fighters ive ever seen im suprised they brought him back.Bader will tko this foo if not ud.
I have seen bader wrestle for many years. He was always a champ on the mat. To see him kicking butt in MMA is awesome. I think he will be a great challenger for many fights to come. He has always been a beast, not a man to be messed with for sure