UFC 135 Fight Card: Josh Koscheck In For Deigo Sanchez, Faces Matt Hughes

The rumored welterweight bout between Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes at UFC 135 has been confirmed. Hughes officially accepted the fight late Tuesday night. UFC President Dana White announced the news via Twitter.

Koscheck agreed to take the fight on late notice after Diego Sanchez withdrew from the card with a broken hand. The two fighters have a history against one another, as "Kos" publicly called out Hughes two years ago, though the fight never materialized.

Koscheck has been out of action since a one-sided December loss against UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre. The 33-year-old "The Ultimate Fighter 1" veteran suffered a broken orbital bone in his bid for the title, and just recently received permission to resume training. Before the announcement, plans were in place for Koscheck to return to the middleweight division at UFC 139.

Hughes makes his first trip back to the Octagon after suffering a 21 second defeat at the hands of B.J. Penn last November. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the 37-year-old, with victories over Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie, and Ricardo Almeida. A two-time welterweight champion, Hughes holds the record for most wins inside the UFC (18) and has received seven UFC post-fight bonuses over his 14-year mixed martial arts career.

UFC 135 is headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jon "Bones" Jones. The event is scheduled for September 24th at Denver, Colorado's Pepsi Center.

Less than an hour after Diego Sanchez pulled out of his scheduled co-main event at UFC 135 against Matt Hughes (45-8), the UFC may have already found a replacement. Former welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (15-5) sent out this pair of tweets late Monday afternoon.

Koscheck was priming for a move to middleweight on the main card of UFC 139, however those plans may have been put on hold with Monday's announcement. MMA Nation will continue to update you on the situation as it develops.

With just three weeks left before the big event, UFC 135 has lost its co-headliner. Diego Sanchez withdrew his name from the card's featured welterweight bout against Matt Hughes after breaking his hand in training camp. UFC President Dana White announced the news Monday afternoon via Twitter.

No replacement opponent has been announced at this time, though with less than a month to prepare the promotion's options are limited. Recently recovered welterweight contender Jon Fitch has been the most notable of rumored fill-ins.

The announcement is a tough break for Sanchez, who was hoping to push into contendership by extending his current win streak to three straight. Since bouncing back from a two-fight slump, the 29-year-old Greg Jackson-product has earned hard-fought decision victories over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, both of which earned 'Fight of the Night' bonuses.

A featherweight contest between Eddie Yagin (15-4-1) and Junior Assuncao (12-4) has been announced for the undercard of UFC 135. Verbal agreements are reportedly in place with an official announcement to come shortly. MMAWeekly.com first reported the news.

A former Tachi Palace beltholder, Yagin enters the UFC on the heels of a submission victory over former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto at the co-headlining bout of August's ‘TPF 10' event. The 32-year-old Alliance MMA standout trains alongside Octagon veterans Phil Davis and Brandon Vera, as well as UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Meanwhile, Assuncao makes his return to the UFC after a four-year layoff that saw him roll off seven victories in eight appearances, including six straight since late 2008. A longtime lightweight, the 30-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt will make his featherweight debut at the September event.

UFC 135 is headlined by bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jon "Bones" Jones for light heavyweight championship. The event is slated for September 24th at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

For the second time in four months, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto has been scratched from a UFC event due to injuries sustained in training camp. Announced Thursday, both Yamamoto and his expected opponent at UFC 135, Damacio Page, have withdrawn from the September 24th bout.

The extent of the injuries remain undisclosed at this point. The pair's scheduled bout was tabbed as the featured attraction of the card's Facebook preliminaries.

A former superstar in Japan, "Kid" has experienced a disappointing career turn throughout the past two years. A loser of three of his last four bouts -- including a decision loss in his UFC debut against Demetrious Johnson -- the 34-year-old southpaw was previously slated to face Chris Cariaso at May's UFC 130 event, before pulling out due to injuries.

After incurring consecutive losses for the first time since 2006, Page was scheduled to make his second UFC appearance since the WEC merger at the September card. He last fought in March, losing his promotional debut to Brian Bowles via first round guillotine choke.

Two former ‘The Ultimate Fighter' cast members have been tapped by the network that gave them their big break. UFC officials announced Tuesday that a pair of UFC 135 undercard contests -- Tony Ferguson (11-2) vs. Aaron Riley (30-12-1) and Nick Ring (12-0) vs. Tim Boetsch (13-4) -- have been promoted to the event's televised Spike prelims special, per MMAJunkie.com.

After claiming the ‘TUF 13' crown with a string of four blistering knockouts -- capped by a first-round demolishing of Ramsey Nijem that earned ‘Knockout of the Night' honors -- Ferguson appears primed to take the UFC lightweight division by storm. The 27-year-old known as "El Cucuy" has won four consecutive professional bouts -- all by knockout -- and seven of his last eight.

A veteran of the UFC from as far back as 2002, Riley has alternated victory and defeat in his current run under the promotion, racking up a 3-2 record over five contests. Always known as a busy man, the 30-year-old has already amassed 43 fights to his credit and was last seen claiming a unanimous decision over Joe Brammer at UFC 114.

An undefeated prospect out of Canada, Ring rose to prominence with his run in ‘TUF 11,' where he defeated eventual champion Court McGee early in the show's bracket before bowing out due to a severe knee injury. After an extended period of rehabilitation, the 32-year-old compiled a two-fight win streak inside the UFC, including a third-round submission over James Head at UFC 131.

Boetsch is a seven-time UFC veteran that, like Riley, has alternated victory and defeat throughout his two runs in the promotion. Affectionately nicknamed "Barbarian," the 30-year-old last fought at UFC 130, defeating Kendall Grove in his middleweight debut.

UFC 135 is scheduled for September 24th at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Headlining the event is a light heavyweight championship bout between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

The updated UFC 135 fight card:

Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson
Welterweight: Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez
Heavyweight: Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton
Lightweight: Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt

Preliminary Card (broadcast on Spike TV):
Lightweight: Anthony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley
Middleweight: Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch

Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page
Light Heavyweight: James Te Huna vs. Ricardo Romero
Bantamweight: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Cole Escovedo

Manny Gamburyan (11-6) has been scratched from a scheduled featherweight bout against top-10 featherweight Diego Nunes (16-2) at UFC 135 after suffering a shoulder injury in training camp. The 30-year-old Armenian-born fighter announced the news Monday afternoon via Twitter.

"I'm off from the UFC 135 card, I hurt my shoulder and MRI is not looking good," he wrote. "I just wanna say sorry to all my friends and fans. I'll be back!"

No replacement opponent has been named by UFC officials. Gamburyan was last seen at UFC On Versus 4, where he lost to Tyson Griffin via unanimous decision.

The announcement is unfortunate for the former WEC contender, who has felt the heavy brunt of injuries since entering into public eye with his run on the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Gamburyan was forced to submit in the show's finale against Nate Diaz due to a gruesome shoulder injury incurred after a missed takedown attempt. Likewise, "The Anvil" was scheduled to face Raphael Assunção at UFC 128 earlier this year, but was scratched after suffering a back injury.

UFC 135 will be held September 24th at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It is headlined by a bout for the UFC light heavyweight championship between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) issued an official announcement for its upcoming return trip to the "Mile High City" on Sat., Sept. 24, 2011.

UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage" will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., featuring an exciting 205-pound showdown between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former division kingpin, Quinton Jackson. The bout will mark the first-ever title defense for "Bones," a 23-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) phenom, since wresting the belt away from Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 earlier this year.

UFC President Dana White feels that a win over Jackson will get Jones one step closer to earning top "pound for pound" fighter recognition status ... just not all the way:

"Many people think that Jon Jones should be considered one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, but I wouldn't make that claim too fast. The 205-pound division is and always has been the most stacked division in MMA. Rampage Jackson has been one of the top five light heavyweights in the world since 2003. A win over Rampage Jackson will definitely put Jon Jones on the right track for becoming the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world."

In the co-featured fight of the night, former welterweight champion and MMA legend Matt Hughes will look to rebound from a vicious first round knockout loss to B.J. Penn in his most recent outing when he takes on eccentric The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner, Diego Sanchez. 

A heavyweight showdown -- Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton -- and a lightweight attraction -- Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi -- were also highlighted in the promotion's recent announcement.

UFC 135 tickets, which are priced at $400, $300, $225, $150, $100, $75 and $50, will go on sale on Friday, July 22, 2011, at 10 a.m. MT. According to the press release, UFC 135 tickets will be available at the Pepsi Center Box Office or online at www.TicketHorse.com.

For the latest UFC 135 news, notes and fight card updates be sure to check out our comprehensive event archive right here.

It turns out "The Fireball Kid" will get a chance to face another Diaz. According to the Ultimate Fighting Championship website, Japanese lightweight Takanori Gomi will face off against the younger, smaller brother to Nick Diaz: Nate Diaz. Here's the announcement on UFC.com:

September's big UFC 135 card in Denver just got bigger with the addition of a lightweight clash between former PRIDE champ Takanori Gomi and Nate Diaz, who is returning to the 155-pound weight class after a stint at welterweight.

"Verbal agreements are in for an explosive lightweight matchup, as the "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi takes on Nate Diaz at UFC 135," said UFC President Dana White. "Gomi had an amazing battle with Nick Diaz in PRIDE and is looking for some payback against his brother."

This fight represents Nate Diaz's return to lightweight. Diaz began his UFC career at 155lbs, but in March of 2010 at UFC 111, Diaz moved up to welterweight after losing two consecutive fights at lightweight. Diaz returns to lightweight for this bout after suffering consecutive defeats to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125 and Rory MacDonald at UFC 129.

The UFC 135 fight card as of the time of this writing:

Quinton Jackson vs. Jon Jones
Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes
Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton
Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page

The "Rumble in the Rockies" just got bigger.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced that Travis Browne and Rob Broughton will collide in a heavyweight match up at an upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event that is scheduled for the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 24, 2011.

"Hapa" and "The Bear" have verbally agreed to touch gloves at UFC 135, which features a main event between 205-pound champion Jon Jones and former division kingpin, Quinton Jackson. 

Browne will look to build off his sensational "Knockout of the Night" performance against Stefan Struve at UFC 130, while Broughton will be eager to string together back-to-back wins inside the Octagon after his submission win over Vinicius Kappke de Queiroz in his promotional debut at UFC 120.

Stay tuned to SBNation MMA for more UFC 135 fight card updates and announcements.

UFC tweetedtoday that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will make his first title defense against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 in Denver. The event is expected to take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on September 24, 2011. 

The 23 year old Jones (13-1, 7-1 UFC) won the 205 pound UFC title, historically the promotion's most prestigious, by beating MMA legend Mauricio Rua at UFC 128. Jones, 6'4" with an incredible 84" wing span, represents a new breed of athleticism in the UFC. His sole loss was by disqualification against Matt Hamill in a fight he utterly dominated. 

Jackson (32-8, 7-2 UFC), a former UFC champion and star of Japan's Pride Fighting Championship, lost the title to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in 2008. Since then, he's gone 4-1, with the one loss being to Rashad Evans at UFC 114 in one of the biggest UFC PPV's in history. 

After a summer filled with disappointing due to marquee fighters and marquee fights falling through, the UFC is setting itself for a strong fall with Jones vs. Jackson at UFC 135 and Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz at UFC 137.

According to the UFC, verbal agreements have been reached by heavyweights Mark Hunt and Ben Rothwell to face one another. That bout will take place at UFC 135 in September at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. This is thus far the only heavyweight fight on the card that is to be headlined by Quinton Jackson vs. Jon Jones. Here is the official announcement from the UFC website:

Fresh from his KO of the Night performance against Chris Tuchscherer in February, Mark Hunt returns to the Octagon to face Ben Rothwell at UFC 135 this September.

"Verbal agreements are in for a battle between heavyweights as devastating striker Mark ‘The Super Samoan’ Hunt faces the 6’ 4" powerhouse Ben Rothwell on September 24 in Denver, Colorado," said UFC President Dana White.

The UFC 135 fight card is as follows thus far:

Quinton Jackson vs. Jon Jones
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page
Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell.

According to UFC.com, the UFC has reached a verbal agreement between 'Kid' Yamamoto and Damacio Page to fight at UFC 135 in September. The event would be held in Denver, Colorado at the Pepsi Center. Here is the official announcement:

Dana White confirmed today that Damacio Page and 'Kid' Norifumi Yamamoto have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 135 in September. Expect fireworks - "These are two of the most aggressive sluggers in the always-exciting bantamweight division," said White.

Damacio Page enters this bout on a two-fight losing streak. He was defeated by Demetrious Johnson at WEC 52 in November of 2010 and more recently lost a rematch to former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles at UFC Live 3 in March of 2011.

Yamamoto enters this contest having dropped three of his last four, most recently to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 126 in February of 2011. His last win came in May of 2010 against Federico Lopez.