Friday night fights

As the UFC is set to make its debut on FX this Friday in Nashville, there’s great news for fans in Canada.

Not only will the main card air on Sportsnet ONE starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, but the entire preliminary card will also be broadcast on Sportsnet ONE at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.

The first fight of the night will feature Canadian bantamweight Nick Denis making his UFC debut against Joseph Sandoval. The show is headlined by a lightweight bout between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller.

All fighters made weight on Thursday, with Guillard having to remove his trunks for a second attempt after initially weighing in at 156.5 pounds. In the only heavyweight bout on the card, Patrick Barry was 242 pounds, while Christian Morecraft weighed a heftier 256.

On Wednesday, six fighters featured on the main card participated in workouts for the media. Here are some of their quotes:

Melvin Guillard

"I am ready for this fight with (Jim) Miller. He’s a top guy, maybe the No. 3 or No. 4 in the division, and if I perform like I can do, I think it will be hard for people to say that I didn’t deserve a UFC title shot. I won’t be reckless, but you will see what I can do on FX Friday night. You will see the Young Assassin!”

“What happened (to me) last time (first-round loss against Joe Lauzon) was a mistake. I rushed in so hard and fast I was stunned with a jab and from there I lost the fight. It was kinda dumb, but I am young enough to learn as long as realize the mistake."

Jim Miller

“I’m only 28, but the thing about me is I always think I need to make things happen right now. I’ve only lost one fight in eight, but I made mistakes in that loss to Ben Henderson and I made mistakes in the wins before that, and I am in a hurry to correct those ... Some people say I am more consistent than Melvin in the Octagon, but Melvin is very dangerous on the feet and with someone like that, one mistake is all it takes. I will watch out for his power, but I will be taking this fight to him right from get-go."

"He doesn’t like fighting when you crowd him, but he’s a very quick puncher and will always be very dangerous on the counter. He’s a top lightweight with a lot of weapons, but I think I can beat him go on to challenge for the belt in 2012."

Josh Neer

"Right now, I am in the middle of the pack and I want to get ahead. The only way to do that is to win this fight (against Duane Ludwig), to win big and win exciting and that’s what I came here to do. I’m ready for a war."

"I want to climb that ladder and get right into the thick of the most talented division in the UFC. The only way to stand out in this division is to be impressive and where better to impress than on cable TV."

Duane Ludwig

“This fight is going to be a good, old-fashioned street fight right out of the 1930s, when they used to fight for food in the mean streets of New York."

“I’m excited to be fighting now as the official fastest KO (scorer) in UFC history. It was a long-time coming -- six years -- since I stopped Jonathan Goulet in six seconds in Las Vegas. The Nevada timekeeper wrote it down as 11 seconds and for years I’ve had to hear other fighters get credit for being fastest KO when everyone knew I really held the record ... I was very happy when Dana White tweeted on Christmas Eve that, as far as the UFC was concerned, I held the record for fastest KO ever in the Octagon. The commissions may not keep a record book, but the UFC does and that’s what’s important, that the UFC and the UFC fans recognize what happened."

Patrick Barry

“(My opponent Christian Morecraft) is 6 feet, 6 inches, and I am about 5 feet, 10 inches, but everyone is taller than me so this isn’t any real big deal to me. I am coming off two losses but losses in great fights. I am here to win -- but I won’t fight any other way than bomb, bomb, bombs away."

"Whether I am 0-2 in my last two or if I was 40-0, I would fight the same. I punch and kick full power with every shot until the other guy falls or I fall. It’s what I do, it is what I am."

Christian Morecraft

“Being on FX is great for me at this stage of my career. There will be a lot of people watching this and I am on the main card, which means more attention on this fight. That brings added pressure for some people, but for me that’s added excitement and added fun.

"Pat Barry is a good striker who goes looking for you, but then so am I. This will be a great fight for however long it lasts."