MMA veteran Josh "Bring the Pain" Haynes (Las Vegas), who has competed for a dozen professional mixed martial arts organizations, including the UFC, will compete at 185-lb. against Leopoldo Serao (San Francisco) at the International Fight League  event at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, February 29. Haynes replaces popular IFL star Benji Radach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), who suffered a neck injury in training and will be out of action indefinitely.

Haynes, who has competed on the pro MMA circuit since 2002, is perhaps best known for his time on "The Ultimate Fighter 3" television program in 2006, in which he advanced to the finals. On Feb. 29, he will compete for his camp, Xtreme Couture, against World Class Fight Center's Serao.

"It's a fantastic opportunity. I've wanted to fight for the IFL for a little while," said Haynes. "Ever since I left the UFC it's been something I've wanted to do, and I think the matchup is fantastic. I love the opportunity to represent my gym. I've got a great camp and I think this guy is going to be unpleasantly surprised."

The Xtreme Couture-World Class Fight Center matchup also features bouts between Lew Polley and Alexandre Ferreira, as well as Rafael Dias and Santino Defranco.

Also on the card, Team Quest, coached by Matt Lindland, faces Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den, with title fights between lightweight champ Ryan Schultz and John Gunderson, heavyweight title holder Roy Nelson taking on Fabiano Scherner, and middleweight belt holder Matt Horwich facing Miletich fighter Ryan McGivern.

Source: www.ifl.tv