UFC Fight Night 23 Official with 11 Bouts

UFC "Fight for the troops 2" is officially on, as 11 bouts have been ratified for the event.

The promotion made the show's final bout official on Thursday afternoon, announcing that Will Campuzano will take on Chris Cariaso in a bantamweight showdown. The event, which goes down Jan. 22 at Ford Hood near Killeen, Texas, will serve as a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and will be headlined by a lightweight clash between Evan Dunham and Melvin Guillard. Also scheduled for the event is a pair of heavyweight contests featuring Tim Hague-Matt Mitrione and Patrick Barry-Joey Beltran.

Campuzano is a three-time WEC veteran who made his UFC debut at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finale, losing by triangle choke to Nick Pace. Though the bout was supposed to be the firs bantamweight contest in the history of the promotion, Pace missed weight by three pounds, causing the bout to be changed to a 138-pound catch-weight contest.

Before losing to Pace, Campuzano went 1-2 in the little blue cage of the WEC, dropping bouts to Damacio Page and former champ Eddie Wineland. The 24-year-old's lone victory in the promotion came at the expense of Coty Wheeler at WEC 46 in a “Fight of the Night” performance.

A Strikeforce veteran who made his WEC debut in June, Cariaso earned a unanimous decision over Rafael Rebello at WEC 49. Cariaso's sophomore effort for the promotion resulted in defeat, however, as he was submitted with a rear-naked choke by Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado in the first round of their clash at WEC 53. His fight against Campuzano at Fight Night 23 will mark Cariaso's UFC debut.

Thursday, January 06, 2011
by Mike Whitman (mwhitman@sherdog.com)