Lightweight and welterweight contenders in action on UFC 104 main card

By Thomas Gerbasi

Some of the best lightweights and welterweights in the UFC will return to the Octagon on October 24th to compete in pivotal bouts that will be featured on the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 104: Machida vs Shogun card at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Opening the pay-per-view portion of the event - which is headlined by the light heavyweight championship bout between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, and the heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Ben Rothwell – is a welterweight clash between dynamic young gun Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson and Japanese judoka Yoshiyuki ‘Zenko’ Yoshida.

In lightweight action, former world title challenger Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson will look to build on his win over Nate Diaz when he takes on veteran Spencer ‘The King’ Fisher, who is coming off a big win of his own over Caol Uno in June. Also competing in the 155-pound weight class on the UFC 104 main card will be Brazil’s Gleison Tibau, who takes on always tough Josh ‘The Dentist’ Neer.

But that’s not all, as fans at STAPLES Center on October 24th will be treated to a full slate of intriguing preliminary bouts, including a clash of middleweight contenders Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami and Chael Sonnen, and a heavyweight war between hard-hitting strikers Antoni Hardonk and Pat Barry.

Also stepping into the Octagon on the UFC 104 card will be The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner Ryan Bader, who battles submission ace Eric ‘Red’ Schafer, Bader’s season eight castmate Kyle Kingsbury, who returns against Razak Al Hassan, middleweight veterans Jorge ‘El Conquistador’ Rivera and Rob ‘The Rosedale Reaper’ Kimmons, and UFC newcomer Chase Gormley, who will make his debut against Stefan ‘Skyscraper’ Struve.

Tickets for UFC 104 are on sale now.