LAS VEGAS — The UFC on Friday announced the addition of veteran Rich Clementi vs. the less experienced but unbeaten Anthony Johnson in a welterweight bout to round out the fight card for UFC 76: Knockout.
The main feature of UFC 76 has former light heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell stepping into the Octagon for the first time since his losing his belt to Quentin (Rampage) Jackson in May. Liddell takes on (The Dean of Mean) Keith Jardine, who is also coming off a loss at UFC 71 to then newcomer Houston Alexander.
Other headlining matches include Mauricio Rua facing Forrest Griffin and Jon Fitch meeting up with Diego Sanchez. Also on the card are matchups between Lyoto Machida and Kazuhiro Nakamura, Tyson Griffin versus Thiago Tavares, Diego Saraiva taking on Jeremy Stephens, Michihiro Omigawa squaring off against Matt Wiman, and current Maximum Fighting Championship heavyweight title-holder Scott Junk making his UFC debut against Christian Wellisch.
The event will take place live from The Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 22.
Release notes on the undercard:
Lyoto Machida (10-0-0), six-foot-1/ 205 lbs., fighting out of Belem, Brazil is the son of karate master Yoshizo Machida. The unbeaten Lyoto Machida has been involved in martial arts since he began studying karate at the age of three. He would later learn both sumo wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu, with the natural next step in this progression being mixed martial arts. Machida made his MMA debut in 2003, and has since built one of the most impressive resumes in mixed martial arts over the course of his three year pro career, with victories over Rich Franklin, BJ Penn and Stephan Bonnar. But beneath his obvious talent is the desire to be the best and to make those around him proud. The native of Salvador continues writing the latest chapter in his career against Japanese veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura. Hiroshima’s Kazuhiro “Kaz” Nakamura (11-6-0) 5’10/205 lbs., makes his long-awaited UFC debut after fighting his entire career for the PRIDE organization. Owner of wins over Murilo Bustamante, Kevin Randleman, and Igor Vovchanchyn, this protégé of Judo legend and 1992 Olympic gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida has also locked horns with Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, making him one of the most battle-tested veterans at the elite level of the game. He will be in for a tough challenge with the unbeaten Machida, who is 2-0 in the Octagon, with wins over Sam Hoger and David Heath.
Tyson Griffin (9-1-0) 5’6”/155 lbs., fighting out of Las Vegas, is a hard-charging lightweight contender who followed up his Octagon debut win over David Lee in 2006 with two Fight of the Year-worthy wars with Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida this year. In both fights, the California native showed that he not only belonged on the big stage, but that he can excel here and do so in exciting style – a deadly combination that will keep him around for a long time in the UFC Octagon. Griffin takes on the proud native of Florianopolis, Brazil, 22-year old Thiago Tavares (16-0-0). The 5’7”/155 lb. Brazilian was first exposed to mixed martial arts while watching the UFC exploits of the legendary Royce Gracie on television. Aiming to emulate the success of his countryman, Tavares, one of the brightest Brazilian prospects in years has earned Black Belts in Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, and showed flashes of brilliance in his UFC debut in April against Naoyuki Kotani. Even after his comfortable three round decision win, he admitted to first time in the Octagon jitters. That was certainly not the case in June, when Tavares dominated respected veteran Jason Black before submitting him in the second round. He will put his perfect record on the line against Griffin in what promises to be a classic battle.
Diego “The Octopus” Saraiva (9-5-1) 5’6”/ 155 lbs., is a native of Fortaleza, Brazil who now makes his home in Atlanta, Georgia. Saraiva finds himself with his back against the wall for his upcoming fight after two hard-fought battles have left him with a 0-2 UFC record. Beyond the numbers is the fact that in his bouts with Dustin Hazelett and Jorge Gurgel, Saraiva has left fans on their feet as he fought his heart out and showed a varied array of impressive skills. This Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt wants this win against Jeremy Stephens in the worst way, and “The Octopus” will undoubtedly bring his “A” game to get the job done and get his first Octagon victory against Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (13-2-0) 5’9”/155 lbs. Few knew who Jeremy Stephens was before his UFC debut against Din Thomas in May. Then after his gutsy performance against the veteran before being submitted in the second round, everyone found out what the hardcore fans already knew – that the 21-year old “Lil’ Heathen” was a fighter to watch at 155 pounds. A freestyle fighter known for his heavy hands and his heart, Stephens has been fighting practically all his life, and this graduate of the School of Hard Knocks comes to the Octagon with an aggressive style and take no prisoners attitude. Since then, he’s put together 13 wins in 15 pro fights and the hard-nosed Iowan returns to the Octagon to take on ground ace Saraiva. He doesn’t plan on leaving without his hand being raised.
Christian “The Hungarian Nightmare” Wellisch (8-2-0) 6’3”/237 lbs., is a native of Hungary now making his home in Sacramento, California. The multi-faceted heavyweight Wellisch is ready to make his move in the crowded UFC heavyweight division. Standing at an imposing 6 foot 3, the 32-year old Wellisch fell short in his Octagon debut last year against Cheick Kongo. With the UFC jitters out of the way, he rebounded with an impressive three round win in an exciting scrap with Australia’s Anthony Perosh at UFC 66. The “Hungarian Nightmare’s” ground game and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the victory make him a serious threat against Scott Junk. Told that he was too small for pro football, Hawaii’s Scott Junk instead turned his attention to the martial art of Kempo. In 2005, the logical next step for the 6’1”/265 pounder was the world of MMA. Since then, Junk has impressed fight fans with his aggressive style and heart, attributes which have led him to six wins in seven pro fights, with only one of those victories going the three round distance. He now gets his shot in the mixed martial arts’ Super Bowl, as he takes on Wellisch.
“Handsome” Matt Wiman (7-3-0) 5’10”/155 lbs., fighting out of Tulsa, Okla. is a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter® 5. Wiman doesn’t have time to get to know his opponents in the Octagon when the bell rings. He’s there to fight, and this old-school attitude has led the well-rounded Tulsa Top Team member to seven wins in mixed martial arts, including a June stoppage of Brian Geraghty in Las Vegas, and has made him a welcome addition to the UFC’s lightweight roster. Wiman will now face one of his toughest tests to date when he takes on Michihiro Omigawa in what promises to be an exciting lightweight battle. Michihiro “Micci” Omigawa (4-4-0) 5’6”/155 lbs., fighting out of Tokyo, Japan is a decorated judoka on the international level and a protégé of Olympic Gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. Ibaraki lightweight Omigawa turned to mixed martial arts in 2005, and after a shaky start, the 31-year old PRIDE veteran rebounded and has won his last three fights, with the last two victories coming by way of TKO, including an April stoppage of veteran Naoki Matsushita. Following this recent success, “Micci” is looking forward to his UFC debut, saying “the UFC for me is like the Olympic Games,” and the talented battler from the Land of The Rising Sun is eager to make a big impression on the United States crowd by turning back a stern challenge from Wiman.
Rich “No Love” Clementi (35-12-1) 5’9”/170 lbs., fighting out of Slidell, LA., is a seasoned veteran of 48 mixed martial arts bouts. Clementi’s career had been epitomized by near-misses and close losses just when it appeared that he was on the verge of breaking through to the top ten. While this well-rounded battler from Louisiana was talented enough to compete on the UFC level, the breaks just weren’t going his way in losses to Yves Edwards, Din Thomas, and Shonie Carter. His luck changed in January though, when he put on one of his most impressive performances in breaking down and then submitting tough Ross Pointon. Now Clementi is coming off of a three round unanimous decision loss to Roan Carneiro at UFC Fight Night® in April, but has been given another opportunity to move himself further up the welterweight ranks with a win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Fighting out of Los Angeles, Johnson (4-0-0) 6’2”/170 lbs., will be a force to reckon with come fight time. At UFC Fight Night in June, Johnson rumbled his way through Chad Reiner when he knocked him out at 13 seconds of the first round. He looks to improve upon his untarnished record as he takes on “No Love” in front of his home crowd.
