Veteran fighter Jeremy (Gumby) Horn has stepped in to take on Nate (The Great) Marquardt in February after Marquardt’s originally scheduled opponent Thales Leites pulled out with a broken hand.
The middleweight fight was confirmed on UFC.com and will be one of the main card fights for UFC 81: Breaking Point, taking place in Las Vegas on Feb. 2.
A veteran of more than 10 years in the sport, Horn (79-16-5, 6-4 in the UFC) last fought in the Octagon in May 2006 in a win over Chael Sonnen. Horn, 32, has lost two of his three fights in other organizations since. His career wins in the UFC include one against Chuck Liddell in 1999, a loss The Iceman later avenged in August 2005.
The 28-year-old Marquardt (25-7-2, 4-1 in the UFC) is coming off his first loss in the Octagon in a fight against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 73. He earned the title shot in part by starting off his UFC career with four straight wins, including the first two against Canadiansc
UFC 81 will be headlined by the interim heavyweight title bout between Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and will also feature former WWE star Brock Lesnar’s UFC debut against Frank Mir.
NOTES: According to reports, welterweight contender Jon Fitch has signed a three-fight extension with the UFC. The welterweight contender, who beat Diego Sanchez in September, will take on Akihiro Gono at UFC 82 on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio. ... Houston Alexander has reportedly signed on for a fight against James Irvin in March, when the UFC is expected to return to London, England. British fighter Michael Bisping is also rumoured to be making his debut at middleweight on the March 8 card
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