Final Card for UFC 94 Confirmed

It’s one of the most anticipated fights in years; and now the Ultimate Fighting Championship have confirms the remainder of the fight card for UFC 94: St Pierre vs Penn 2, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to be the first fighter in history to hold two UFC championships at the same time when he faces Georges St Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship; but the two champions aren’t the only ones with something to lose.

When Thiago Silva meets Lyoto Machida, both fighters will put their undefeated records and top-contender statuses on the line. Machida outlasted former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in his last bout and has posted five UFC wins in his career. The two-time Brazilian Karate champion is known for his unorthodox style and counter-striking, and he’ll need all of those skills against the devastating offense of Thiago Silva. The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with has put away every UFC opponent.

Las Vegas, Nevada’s Stephan Bonnar will always be remembered for the phenomenal fight he had with Forrest Griffin in the original finale of The Ultimate Fighter, but more recently the 31-year-old is on a two-fight win streak. Bonnar will need his all of his Octagon experience when he fights the undefeated Jon Jones. The 21-year-old Jones is a former junior college national wrestling champion.

If a fighter wants to know where he stands in the welterweight division, he should face perennial contender Karo Parisyan. The 26-year-old dropped his last fight to No. 1 welterweight contender Thiago Alves. Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim will have to be at his best if he wants to defeat the UFC veteran. Like Parisyan, Kim has a strong judo background and the 27-year-old is coming off consecutive wins in his first two UFC matches against Jason Tan and Matt Brown.

Any match that includes Clay Guida is sure to be a high-energy fight, and Guida will need all that energy against 23-year-old Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner Nate Diaz. Guida has won his last two fights. The 27-year-old looks to stop Diaz, who is riding a five-fight win streak with victories against Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino in his last two fights.

With an extensive list of top-tier fighters, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has seen only two competitors start their UFC careers by going 8-0 – one is UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie, the second is Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Jon Fitch. Looking to rebound from a loss to St-Pierre, the former Purdue wrestler will stare across the Octagon this time at MMA veteran Akihiro Gono. The 34-year-old dropped a split decision to Dan Hardy last time out.

Fighting on the same card as his cousin Karo Parisyan, Manvel Gamburyan looks to rebound from his loss against Rob Emerson in his last match. A judo expert like his cousin, the 27-year-old will be up against Thiago Tavares. The 24-year-old Brazilian thrilled fight fans in 2008 with his wars against Matt Wiman and Kurt Pellegrino, and he’s looking to kick off 2009 with a big win.

After going the distance but losing to Fitch, 31-year-old Chris Wilson defeated Steve Bruno by decision and now “The Professor” turns his attention to John Howard, who makes his UFC debut.

In heavyweight action, Christian Wellisch looks to return to the form that saw him win two of his last three UFC fights. To improve on his record, Wellisch will have to defeat 24-year-old Jake O'Brien, who holds a 2007 win over Heath Herring and is ready to make his move on the top ten in 2009.

Making your professional debut can be tough for many fighters, but making it in the Octagon is on a completely different level – and that is exactly what Dan Cramer will be doing. Cramer will enter the pro ranks officially when he takes on Season 6 contestant and Hackensack, N.J. native Matt Arroyo, who is seen as one of the top young ground fighters in the sport.