· Kampmann Pulls Out Of Fight With Saunders, Ellenberger Steps In
Less than eight weeks from his upcoming bout at UFC 111 with Martin Kampmann, welterweight fighter Ben Saunders is having to prepare for a new opponent. Kampmann has been forced to withdraw due to injury and Jake Ellenberger has agreed to replace him. UFC 111 is scheduled to take place March 27, from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and will air live on pay-per-view.
Saunders (8-1-2) is coming off of a spectacular TKO win over Marcus Davis at UFC 106 in November. He became the first fighter to stop Davis in his career. Saunders has won eight of his last nine fights after starting his career with two consecutive draws. Of his eight wins, only one has come by decision and the single loss was to Mike Swick, a former top contender in the division.
His opponent, Jake Ellenberger (22-5) is entering the Octagon for the third time in his career with a 1-1 UFC record. He made his debut in September against former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. Although he lost a close split decision in that bout, many were impressed by Ellenberger's performance on the night. He followed the loss with a TKO win over Mike Pyle at UFC 108 in January.
The confirmed fight card for UFC 111 is as follows:
- Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy
- Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin
- Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger
- Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
- Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
- Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
- Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
- Kurt Pelligrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
- Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
- Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
- Matt Riddle vs. Ricardo Funch
