Now that season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter" has begun filming, head coach Tito Ortiz confirmed the assistant coaching staff he has invited to help train his team. Ortiz selected Rob McCullough, Saul Soliz, and Cleber Luciano as his three main assistant coaches. Additionally, in a move consistent with his focus on proper fighter management, Ortiz reserved a spot for a fourth assistant dubbed his "PR coach."
Chicago-based Bellator Fighting Championships recently announced the signing of lightweight competitor Ferrid "The Hurricane" Kheder, an Olympic-level judoka who began competing in MMA in 2006. Boasting an impressive 16-5 record, with all losses coming by way of decision, this French-born fighter is looking to make a splash in the 155 pound tournament set to being April 8. MMA Spot's Joe Gullo recently sat down with Kheder to talk about his judo background, his transition to MMA and his thoughts on his new promotion.
A heavyweight tilt between Cheick Kongo (14-6-1) and Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello (27-11) has been added to the March 21 "UFC on Versus" card. With each fighter coming off a loss, the outcome of this bout could potentially lead to the loser being cut from the organization.
"WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson" is in the books and will go down as another successful event for one of the world's foremost mixed martial arts organizations. The event drew 10,027 attendees to Sacramento, California's ARCO Arena for a live gate of $550,000. Additionally, reports indicate that 640,000 fans watched the fights live on the Versus network, marking a 94% increase over the previous event.
March is shaping up to be a busy month for mixed martial arts' premier organization as the UFC looks to hold three events within ten days time. Following "UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones" on March 21 and "UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy" on March 27, an "Ultimate Fight Night" event is rumored to take place on March 31 as the lead in to the premiere of the eleventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show.
