· Joey Beltran To Face Rolles Gracie At UFC 109

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 02/02 at 11:42 PM

Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran recently scored a technical knockout victory over former UFC star Houston Alexander, and has earned a chance to compete in the nation's premier mixed martial arts organization as he steps in to face Rolles Gracie at "UFC 109: Relentless" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to an announcement from Beltran, he has signed a four fight deal with the UFC.

With nine of his wins coming by knockout and one by submission, Beltran (10-3) is hoping to make some waves in the already crowded and highly competitive light heavyweight division of the UFC. He is currently 6-1 in his last seven fights with notable victories over UFC veterans Alexander (9-6), Sherman Pendergarst (11-16) and Wes Combs (14-4). The news of Beltran's upcoming opponent was first reported by his sponsor, Triumph United, and has subsequently been confirmed.

Gracie, also making his UFC debut, trains with the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and Greg Jackson camps and currently holds a record of 3-0 with all three of his victories coming by submission in the first round. Rolles comes from the legendary Gracie family, the pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and is the son of Rolls Gracie, the nephew of BJJ founder Hélio Gracie.

Gracie’s original opponent Mustapha Al Turk was forced to withdraw from the bout, reportedly due to visa issues.

UFC 109 takes place on February 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada with the card headlined by a bout of two mixed martial arts legends, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, and co-headlined by a middleweight bout between potential title contenders Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen.