UFC Fight Night 23 / UFC Fight for the Troops Preview & Predictions

Pro Fighting Fans is the home of UFC fans across the world and we now bring you the best place to find the latest UFC Fight Night previews & predictions. Along with the main UFC events on Pay Per View, the UFC features up-and-coming fighters several times each year on UFC Fight Night televised live and for free on SpikeTV.

The next Fight Night event for UFC will be UFC Fight for the Troops, aka UFC Fight Night 23 (UFN 23), held on January 22, 2011, live on Spike TV from Killeen, Texas, and our UFN 23 preview is now posted below for UFC fans across the globe to enjoy.

For more UFC events to be held in 2011 and lists of which Mixed Martial Artists are schedule to fight, be sure to check out the future UFC fight cards.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves

Pennsylvania-native Charlie Brenneman (11-2) will try and rebound from a loss in his most recent action when he meets Brazilian Amilcar Alves (11-2) in a UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 preliminary card bout in the welterweight division.

Brenneman, 29, is a PA-native who fights out of the New Jersey-based AMA Fight Club. He turned pro in 2007 and won ten of his first eleven professional bouts while fighting for Extreme Challenge, Ring of Combat, Sho XC and other mid-level promotions. Since arriving in the UFC in early 2010, Brenneman defeated Jason High at UFC Fight Night 21 in March and lost to Johny Hendricks at UFC 117 in August.

Alves is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist who fights out of the Nova Uniao camp. He turned pro in 2006 and won eleven of his first twelve official fights fighting exclusively in Brazil for promotions like Shoot Brazil, Planet Fight, and Rio MMA Challenge. He lost in his UFC 118 debut this past August via straight armbar submission against Mike Pierce.

Prediction – Brenneman decision

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Waylon Lowe vs. Williamy Freire

American Top Team-trained Waylon Lowe (9-3) will look for his second consecutive octagon victory when he meets UFC newcomer and Shooto Champion Williamy Freire (17-3) in a UFC: Fight for Troops 2 preliminary card bout in the lightweight division.

Lowe, 30, is a Tennessee-born mixed martial artist who after a collegiate wrestling career, transitioned into mixed martial arts. The American Top Team-trained fighter made his pro debut in May 2006 and went on to split his first four bouts before gaining momentum and winning six straight for organizations like Bellator and King of the Cage. He joined the UFC this past May at UFC 114 and lost via TKO against Melvin Guillard, however he rebounded with a split decision victory over Steve Lopez at UFC 119 this past September.

Freire, 23, is a Brazilian-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Nova Uniao team. He made his professional debut in March 2005 and won six of his first nine official bouts fighting for a variety of organizations in his homeland. Beginning in September 2007, Freire began an 11-fight winning streak fighting mostly for Shooto, where he claimed their Welterweight Championship. He defended his title in May from Tokyo with a split decision victory over Yusuke Endo before signing with the UFC.

Prediction – Freire submission

Jung Chan-Sung vs. Rani Yahya

Fan-favorite “The Korean Zombie” Jung Chan-Sung (10-3) will look to get back in the winner’s circle in his UFC debut when he takes on longtime WEC veteran Rani Yahya (15-6) at the UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 event in a featherweight bout on the preliminary card.

Chan-Sung, 23, is a South Korean-native who fights out of the Korean Top Team in his homeland. The fast-paced mixed martial artist made his MMA professional debut in 2007 and won his first eight bouts fighting all over his native country as well as Japan. He joined the World Victory Road’s Sengoku in March 2009 and won two of his three bouts before leaving for the WEC. Although he earned fight of night honors, “The Korean Zombie” lost both of his WEC bouts, first to Leonard Garcia at WEC 48 this past April and then to George Roop at WEC 51 in September.

Yahya, 26, is a Brazilian-native who now fights out of the San Diego-based The Arena gym. He turned pro in 2002 and won eleven of his first thirteen bouts fighting in notable organizations like K-1, Mars, and GCM. He joined the WEC in 2007 and won four of his first five in the organization including victories over Yoshiro Maeda, Eddie Wineland, and John Hosman. Yahya has lost back-to-back bouts following his fast start dropping bouts against Joseph Benavidez at WEC 45 and then to Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 48 this past April.

Prediction – Jung Chan-Sung decision

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DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon

The Ultimate Fighter 9 welterweight runner-up DaMarques Johnson (11-8) will meet “The Joker”, Mike Guymon (12-4-1), in a UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 preliminary card bout in the 170-pound division.

Johnson, 28, is a Utah-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Elite Performance gym. He came into the TUF 9 competition with fifteen career bouts under his belt competing mostly in Utah for organizations like Throwdown Showdown and Jeremy Horn’s Elite Fight Night. Johnson came into the UFC through TUF 9 making it to the finale where he lost to James Wilks in the June 2009 final. He rebounded in his next two bouts with a Submission of the Night victory over Edgar Garcia at UFC 107 last December and then a Knockout of the Night victory over Brad Blackburn at UFC 112 this past April. After missing weight in his most recent bout, Johnson was knocked out against Matt Riddle at UFC on Versus 2 this past August.

Guymon, 36, is a California-based mixed martial artist who fights out of his own Jokers MMA gym. He turned pro in 1999 and won eleven of his first fourteen fighting mostly for King of the Cage. He didn’t join the UFC until early in 2010 losing to Rory MacDonald in his UFC Fight Night 20 debut in January. He rebounded this past May with a unanimous decision victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 113 but dropped his most recent fight at UFC 121 in October via submission against Daniel “Ninja” Roberts.

Prediction – Guymon decision

Cody McKenzie vs. Yves Edwards

An interesting lightweight scrap between TUF 12 competitor Cody McKenzie (12-0) and MMA journeyman Yves Edwards (39-16-1) will be featured on the UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 preliminary card.

McKenzie, 23, is an Alaska-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of Fancy Pants Team in Washington. After turning pro in 2007, McKenzie went on to win his first eleven bouts fighting all over the great Northwest as well as Canada. He won a spot on TUF 12 with a guillotine choke submission victory over Amir Khillah. McKenzie made a name on the show despite losing in the quarterfinal round by the more experienced Nam Phan. He did recover and earned his eleventh straight guillotine choke submission victory against Aaron Wilkinson at the December finale.

Edwards, 34, is a Bahamas-born mixed martial artist who has relocated to Texas and fights out of American Top Team. Edwards’ pro career dates back to his debut in 1997, and after earning a respectable 18-5-1 mark, he signed with the UFC in 2001. He would fight ten times over the next five and a half years before being released following a UFC 61 loss to Joe Stevenson. After stints with Bodog Fight, Elite XC, Bellator, Moosin, Strikeforce, and Shine Fights, Edwards rejoined the UFC this fall. He earned a unanimous decision victory in his return bout this September at UFC Fight Night 22 against John Gunderson.

Prediction – Edwards TKO

Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman

Two former The Ultimate Fighter 5 participants will go at it as Cole Miller (17-4) meets Matt Wiman (12-5) in a UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 main card bout in the lightweight division.

Miller, 26, is a Georgia-born mixed martial artist who now trains out of the American Top Team in Florida. He made his pro debut in 2005 and won eleven of his first thirteen bouts fighting for organizations like Full Throttle, Shooto, Absolute Fighting Championships and other organizations before earning a spot on TUF 5. After being chosen to fight for Jens Pulver’s team, Miller made it to the quarterfinal round before bowing out to Joe Lauzon. He won his first two official UFC bouts, but lost two of his next four inside the octagon. He rebounded and has begun to rise once again in the lightweight division with back-to-back wins over Dan Lauzon at UFC 108 in January and Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 22 in September. Miller has been awarded submission on the night bonuses three times and knockout of the night bonus once during his eight-bout UFC career.

Wiman, 27, is a Denver, Colorado-born mixed martial artist who made his professional debut over six years ago. He won six of his first eight bouts while fighting mostly throughout Oklahoma. He was given a fight at UFC 60 in May of 2006 against Spencer Fisher, however lost via devastating flying knee KO. He was thought of enough to be given another chance to prove himself with the company, however this time it was through TUF. He was chosen by BJ Penn, and after winning a preliminary fight, was handed a decision loss by runner-up Manny Gamburyan. He earned a win in his finale bout and his first four official fights before dropping bouts to Jim Miller and Sam Stout in 2008-09. Since his two fight losing streak, Wiman has bounced back with back-to-back wins over Shane Nelson at UFC 107 last December and Mac Danzig at UFC 115 in June 2010. He has won fight of the night three times over the course of his career.

Prediction – Miller decision

Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran

Former professional kickboxer Pat “HD” Barry (5-2) will try to get back on track after suffering his second organizational loss in his most recent action when he meets Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran (12-4) in a UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 heavyweight bout positioned on the main card.

Barry, 31, is a Louisiana-native who now fights out of Roufasport in Wisconsin. “HD” fought over twenty-five times as a professional kickboxer before turning to MMA in 2008. He won his first three bouts for the Combat USA organization and then signed with the UFC the same year as his pro debut. He won two of his first three by defeating Dan Evensen and Antoni Hardonk, earning both knockout of the night and fight of the night for the latter, before dropping his most recent fight. Barry was submitted at UFC 115 this June against one of his idols in Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic.

Beltran, 29, is a California-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Blackline Fight Group. He made his pro debut in 2007 and won ten of his first thirteen while fighting for Strikeforce, Bellator, King of the Cage, and other promotions. After winning the 5150 Heavyweight Title by knocking out Houston Alexander last January, Beltran was given a chance inside the octagon. He debuted in February with a TKO victory over Rolles Gracie and followed that with a decision victory over Tim Hague at UFC 113. In his most recent action this past September, Beltran was out-scored on the judge’s cards by Matt Mitrione at UFC 119.

Prediction – Barry TKO

Mark Hominick vs. George Roop

WEC transplant Mark Hominick (19-8) will make his featherweight debut at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 against the versatile George Roop (11-6-1) in a main card bout in the 145-pound division.

Hominick, 28, is an Ontario, Canada native who fights out of the Xtreme Couture gym. He made his professional debut in 2002 and won nine of his first thirteen fighting mostly in his home country for the TKO promotion. He earned a chance to fight in the UFC and won his first two bouts submitting Yves Edwards at UFC 58 and then winning a decision over Jorge Gurgel at Ultimate Fight Night 5. He moved into the WEC but lost both of his bouts before a win in the Affliction promotion earned him a return ticket back into the WEC. He returned with impressive results stringing three consecutive victories together defeating Bryan Caraway at UFC 46, Yves Jabouin at WEC 49, and Leonard Garcia at WEC 51 this past September.

Roop, 29, is an Arizona native who fights out of the Las Vegas-based Team Tompkins. He debuted in 2006 and won eight of his first eleven professional bouts fighting the majority of his bouts for the Arizona-based Rage in the Cage organization. He earned a spot on the TUF 8 roster fighting for Team Mir losing in the semifinal round to Phillipe Nover. He was brought into the UFC anyway, but lost two of his first three bouts in the octagon eventually losing his spot on the roster. He won once as a featherweight for Rage in the Cage before returning to the WEC as a bantamweight. He lost to Eddie Wineland in his only fight as a 135-pounder at WEC 46 but then earned fight of the night draw against Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 in March. He upset Chan Sung Jung via head kick KO at WEC 51 in September 2010.

Prediction – Hominick decision

Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague

The Ultimate Fighter 10 veteran Matt Mitrione (3-0) will welcome Canadian Tim Hague (12-4) back into the UFC at Fight for the Troops 2 in the co-main event in the heavyweight division.

Mitrione, 32, is an Illinois-born former NFL defensive lineman who made the transition into mixed martial arts in 2009. Mitrione made it onto TUF 10 without any professional bouts; however he caught on quickly making it to the quarterfinal round of the tournament style show. Mitrione continued his development at the December 2009 finale when he knocked out Marcus Jones in the 2 nd round of their heavyweight bout. In May of this past year, Mitrione defeated Kimbo Slice at UFC 113 by TKO, and four months later defeated Joey Beltran in a fight of the night performance at UFC 119.

Hague, 27, is an Alberta, Canada native who made his professional debut over four years ago in his home country. Hague won nine of his first ten bouts fighting for notable organizations like King of the Cage, HCF, and Raw Combat. He debuted in the UFC in May 2009 with a surprising submission victory over Pat Barry, however consecutive losses against Todd Duffee, Chris Tuchscherer, and Joey Beltran cost him his position on the roster. Hague produced victories over Zak Jensen and Travis Wiuff in back-to-back Aggression MMA bouts to earn his way back into the octagon.

Prediction – Mitrione submission

Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham

A rejuvenated Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (25-8-2, NC) was expected to face perennial lightweight contender Kenny Florian, however when Florian went down with an injury, Evan Dunham (11-1) stepped up. Guillard and Dunham will meet in the UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 main event for a spot as a legitimate lightweight contender.

Guillard, 27, is a Louisiana-native who now trains out of New Mexico at Jackson’s Submission Fighting. He made his pro debut in 2002 and won sixteen of his first twenty-three bouts fighting in several small and mid-level southern promotions. He was a participant on TUF 2 but a loss to Josh Burkman ended his chances as the winner. Guillard did return at the finale to defeat Marcus Davis, and then went on to win two of his next three to remain relevant within the organization. After losses against Joe Stevenson and Rich Clementi, Guillard had to pick up a victory outside of the octagon before returning. Since his return in July 2008, Guillard has won five of his last six including victories in his last three. “The Young Assassin” defeated Ronnys Torres, Waylon Lowe, and Jeremy Stephens at UFC 119 this past September to climb into the lightweight picture.

Dunham, 29, is an Oregon-born mixed martial artist who has relocated to Las Vegas where he has trained at both Throwdown Training Center and Xtreme Couture. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt debuted in 2007 and won his first seven (five submissions) in many organizations throughout the western United States. He came into the UFC in February 2009 at UFC 95 and produced victories in his first four octagon bouts. Victories over Per Eklund, Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero, and Tyson Griffin were followed by a tight split decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 119 this past September.

Prediction – Dunham submission

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer

Past UFC Fight Night Previews & Projections:

• UFC Fight Night 22 Predictions: Marquardt vs Palhares
• UFC Fight Night 21 Predictions: Florian vs Gomi
• UFC Fight Night 20 Predictions: Maynard vs Diaz
• UFC Fight Night 19 Predictions: Diaz vs Guillard
• UFC Fight Night 18 Predictions: Kampmann vs Condit
• UFC Fight Night 17 Preview: Lauzon vs Stephens
• More UFC predictions & fight previews from ProFighting-fans.com
• More MMA news articles from ProFighting-fans.com