UFC Fight Night 24 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 Night 24, aka UFN 24, held on March 26, 2011, live on Spike TV from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington and our UFN 24 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.

Michael McDonald vs. Edwin Figueroa

Former WEC competitor Michael McDonald (11-1) will make his octagon debut when he meets another UFC rookie in Edwin Figueroa (7-0) at UFC Fight Night 24 in a preliminary card bout contested in the bantamweight division.

McDonald is a kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist who fights out of Modesto, California at Oakdale MMA. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, McDonald made his MMA debut in 2007 and won ten of eleven while fighting for Gladiator Challenge, PFC, and Tachi Palace Fights. After winning the Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight title, he came into the WEC and won his WEC 52 debut with an armbar submission victory over Clint Godfrey last November.

Figueroa is a four-year mixed martial arts veteran who has fought in a variety of mid-level promotions. He had stints for Art of War, XFC, King of Kombat, Season’s Beating’s, and SWC organizations. All seven of his fights have ended with his hand raised, and all seven have ended in Figueroa stopping his opponent early. His most recent fight came last August at King of Kombat 9 with a TKO victory over Johnny Bedford.

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Waylon Lowe vs. Nik Lentz

An intriguing match-up featuring two fast rising lightweights will take place on the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night 24 event when Waylon Lowe (10-3) meets Nik Lentz (20-3-2). Lowe is coming into this pivotal fight with the strength of back-to-back victories inside the octagon; Lentz has done him one better, coming in with three consecutive victories.

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 and a unanimous decision victory over Willamy Freire at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 this January.

Lentz, 26, is a Texas-born professional who moved to Minnesota as a youngster and became a Division I-caliber wrestler at the University of Minnesota. “The Carny” now trains at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, but spent almost his first four years as a pro competing throughout Minnesota and other parts of the Northern United States for organizations like XKK, EFX, and Xtreme Fighting Organization. After a six-fight winning streak, he was signed to a multi-fight UFC contract in 2009, where he has been solid up to this point. He has not lost in four octagon bouts, and has won his last three, all by way of decision victories. After controlling Rob Emerson in March at UFC Fight Night 21, he defeated Andre Winner at UFC 118 in August for his third victory under the bright lights of the UFC. In his most recent action, Lentz stole a split decision victory away from Tyson Griffin at UFC 123 last November.

Prediction – Lentz decision

Mario Miranda vs. Aaron Simpson

Once a promising contender, Aaron Simpson (7-2) now looks to be fighting for his roster position with the UFC when he meets Brazilian Mario Miranda (12-2), who also is coming into this UFC Fight Night 24 preliminary card middleweight bout off of a loss in his most recent fight.

Miranda, 32, is a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-native who now trains in the United States at AMC Pankration in Seattle, WA. The BJJ and Greco-Roman wrestling specialist made his pro debut in 2006 and won his first eleven bouts while fighting for organizations like Icon Sport, Sport Fight, and Alliance Fights. He lost his UFC Fight Night 21 debut via 1 st round TKO against Gerald Harris, but recovered and earned a 2 nd round TKO victory over David Loiseau at UFC 115 in June to even up his record inside the octagon. He suffered a second loss inside the octagon in his most recent action last summer at UFC 118 when he came out on the wrong end of a decision against Demian Maia.

Simpson, 36, is a Colorado-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of his own gym in Phoenix, Arizona. The former wrestler and coach turned pro in 2007 and went undefeated after three bouts before entering the WEC ranks. He only had the opportunity to fight in the WEC one time before they consolidated their heavier weight classes into the UFC. He began his UFC career with some success after claiming three straight victories defeating Tim McKenzie, Ed Herman, and Tom Lawlor. He was making a serious climb in the divisional ranks before dropping his TUF 11 finale bout this past summer against Chris Leben and then losing again this past November at UFC 123 against Mark Munoz.

Prediction – Simpson decision

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Johny Hendricks vs. TJ Waldenburger

Hard hitting Johny Hendricks (9-1) will try and get back on track after suffering his first career loss in his most recent fight, as he takes on TJ Waldenburger (13-5) in a UFC Fight Night 24 preliminary card bout in the welterweight division.

Hendricks, 27, is a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion from Oklahoma State University who has made a successful transition into mixed martial arts. His professional career began in late-2007 as he easily won his first three bouts while fighting on the local circuit in Oklahoma for organizations like Masters of the Cage and HD Net Fights. He was brought into the WEC in October 2008 and won back to back bouts before making the move into the UFC ranks. Since making the octagon his fighting home, Hendricks won his first four octagon bouts defeating Amir Sadollah, Ricardo Funch, TJ Grant, and Charlie Brenneman. He suffered his first career loss in his most recent fight this past December when he dropped a decision against Rick Story at the TUF 12 finale.

Waldenburger, 22, is a five-year professional who fights and trains out of the Texas-based Grappler’s Lair. He has met some well-known competition early in his career, converting victories over Brian Foster, Pete Spratt, Shannon Ritch, and Pat Healy as well as dropping bouts against Spratt, Josh Neer, and Ricardo Funch along the way. Waldenburger has appeared with organizations like HD Net Fights, Shark Fights, and Masters of the Cage. He is currently on a four fight winning streak, including a decision victory over David Mitchell at UFC Fight Night 22 this past September in his octagon debut.

Prediction – Hendricks TKO

Sean McCorkle vs. Christian Morecraft

Trash-talking Sean McCorkle (10-1) will try and get back on solid ground after suffering his first career loss when he takes on Christian Morecraft (6-1) in a UFC Fight Night 24 preliminary card bout contested in the heavyweight division.

McCorkle, 34, is an Indiana-born heavyweight who fights out of the C 4 MMA gym in Indianapolis. He turned pro in December 2005 and went on to win his first nine bouts fighting mostly for the Legends of Fighting organization, however also fought for King of the Cage and Battle Ground organizations. He was invited to fight at UFC 115 in Indianapolis and didn’t disappoint defeating Mark Hunt via technical submission this September. McCorkle impressed enough in his UFC debut so much that he earned a co-main event slot at UFC 124, however suffered his first career loss via TKO against Stefan Struve.

Morecraft is a Massachusetts-based fighter who trains out of Cape Cod Fighting Alliance. The 6’8” 260-lb. giant debuted in April 2008 and won his first three fights while competing in the Reality Fighting organization. His last three bouts came while in the Cage Fighting Xtreme promotion, including two fights in 2010. Morecraft came into his UFC 117 debut last August riding high with confidence; however after losing to Stefan Struve via KO, his confidence took a temporary hit.

Prediction – McCorkle submission

John Hathaway vs. Kris McCray

Welterweight prospect John Hathaway (14-1) will try and forget suffering his first loss of his career when he meets former TUF 11 competitor Kris McCray (5-2) in a UFC Fight Night 24 preliminary card bout. McCray is likely in a do or die situation with the UFC after losing his only two octagon bouts so far in his career.

Hathaway, 22, is an English-born well-rounded fighter who trains out of the London Shootfighters camp. He turned pro in 2006 and won his first ten while fighting in well-known British promotions such as ZT Fight Night, Cage Rage-Contenders, and Full Contact Fight Night. He came into the UFC in January 2009 and won via TKO over Thomas Egan at UFC 93. That win was followed with victories over Rick Story at UFC 99, Paul Taylor at UFC 105 and Diego Sanchez at UFC 114 this May. His fourteen fight winning streak was stopped at UFC 120 this past October when he was dominated by Mike Pyle in a unanimous decision loss.

McCray, 29, is a Washington D.C.-based fighter who fights out of Team Gold Medal Grappling near the nation’s capitol. The two-year professional appeared for two different organizations before joining the TUF 11 cast; he fought four times in the Virginia-based Ultimate Warrior Challenge and once for the Maryland-based Ballroom Battleground promotion. During The Ultimate Fighter, McCray was defeated although he was re-entered through the wild card spot and made the most of it. He was overpowered and dismantled by Court McGee at the June finale losing via 2 nd round rear naked choke submission and then was submitted by Carlos Eduardo Rocha in November at UFC 122.

Prediction – Hathaway decision

Facebook Broadcast UFN 24 Fight Predictions:

Jon Madsen vs. Mike Russow

An intriguing heavyweight bout will take place at UFC Fight Night 24 on the preliminary card as undefeated TUF 10 competitor Jon Madsen (7-0) takes on once-beaten Mike Russow (13-1, NC).

Madsen, 30, is a South Dakota-native who splits his training between Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad and Brock Lesnar’s Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. He made his pro debut in 2008 and won his first three bouts while fighting in small-time promotions. He then earned a position on the cast of TUF 10 and made it into the quarterfinal round before losing to runner-up Brendan Schaub. He did earn a win in his official debut by defeating Justin Wren by split decision at the TUF 10 finale. Four months later, he defeated Mustapha Al-Turk at UFC 112 and then Karlos Vemola at UFC 116 in July, both by unanimous decision. Madsen made it 4-for-4 inside the octagon at UFC 121 this past October with a TKO finish of Gilbert Yvel.

Russow, 33, made his professional debut in April 1998 and appeared early in his career for organizations like XFO, PRIDE, Yarennoka, and Adrenaline. He won eleven of thirteen bouts with notable victories over Roman Zentsov and Jason Guida. He debuted at UFC 102 with a unanimous decision victory over Justin McCully and then made it 2-for-2 under the UFC banner with a UFC 114 KO of Todd Duffee last May. His last loss came in February 2007 at PRIDE 33 when he was submitted by Sergei Kharitonov.

Prediction – Russow TKO

Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier

Alex Caceres (4-2), a.k.a. “Bruce Leeroy”, will make his official UFC debut when he meets former WEC competitor Mackens Semerzier (5-3) in a UFC Fight Night 24 preliminary card bout contested in the featherweight division.

Caceres, 22, is a Florida-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Young Tigers Foundation in Miami. He made his professional MMA debut in December 2008 and would win his first three bouts before losing back to back fights, both by submission. Caceres got back on track before entering into the TUF 12 house, where he made it into the quarterfinals before bowing out against Michael Johnson. He was supposed to fight Nam Phan at the TUF 12 finale; however an injury forced him off of the card.

Semerzier, 30, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt who fights out of Virginia Beach-based Team Menace. Semerzier debuted in 2008 and won his first five bouts including his WEC 43 debut defeating Wagnney Fabiano. Following his first five victories, Semerzier has hit a rough patch in his career losing his last three bouts, all in the WEC. He lost to Deividas Taurosevicius (WEC 46), Javier Vazquez (WEC 50), and Cub Swanson at WEC 52 this past November.

Spike TV Televised UFN 24 Fight Predictions:

Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (10-3) will make his octagon debut after suffering back-to-back losses in the WEC when he meets fellow WEC veteran Leonard Garcia (15-6-1) in a rematch of their Fight of Night WEC 48 performance. This featherweight bout will be on the UFC Fight Night 24 main card on Spike TV.

Jung, 24, is a Korean Top Team fighter who has been competing as a professional since 2007. He won ten of his first eleven bouts while fighting for Japanese promotions like Pancrase, DEEP, and Sengoku. Jung came into the WEC with a reputation as an action packed fighter and didn’t disappoint. He has lost back-to-back bouts coming into his UFC debut losing at WEC 48 to Garcia and at WEC 51 to George Roop this past September. Jung may need a victory to remain employed by the UFC.

Garcia, 31, is a Texas-born mixed martial artist who fights out of Jackson’s Submission Fighting in New Mexico. Garcia, a BJJ brown belt, debuted in 1999 and won nine of his first ten while fighting for organizations like Ring of Fire, WEC, and Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation. He earned an opportunity inside the UFC, but won only once in three bouts before dropping down a weight class and transitioning back into the WEC. He tasted early success and won three of his first four for the WEC losing only to Mike Brown for the organization’s featherweight title in 2008. Garcia returned to the UFC this past December at the TUF 12 finale and won a controversial split decision over Nam Phan for his second win in four UFC fights.

Prediction – Jung decision

Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson

Former The Ultimate Fighter competitors will battle it out in the octagon at UFC Fight Night 24 when TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (4-2) meets TUF 9’s DaMarques Johnson (12-8) on the Spike TV main card. Both welterweights are coming in off of wins in their last appearances, and both have won three of their last four overall.

Sadollah, 30, is a New York-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of Las Vegas at the Throwdown Training Center. After winning all three of his amateur bouts, Sadollah earned a spot on TUF 7 and cruised through the competition by defeating CB Dollaway at the June 2008 finale. He lost his next bout at UFC 101 via TKO against Johny Hendricks, but rebounded with back-to-back victories over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn to get back on track. After losing to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 114 last May, Sadollah rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over German Peter Sobotta at UFC 122 in November.

Johnson, 28, is a Utah-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Elite Performance gym in Salt Lake City. He came into the TUF 9 competition with fifteen career bouts under his belt competing mostly in the Utah area for organizations like Throwdown Showdown and Jeremy Horn’s Elite Fight Night. After losing in the TUF 9 finale to James Wilks, 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 but rebounded again to claim victory against Mike Guymon at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 in January.

Prediction – Sadollah decision

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (8-3) will fight for the first time in 16 months when he meets former # 1 welterweight contender Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (23-8, NC) in a UFC Fight Night 24 co-main event.

Hardy, 28, is a black belt in Tae Kwon-do who has earned a reputation for being a hard-hitting knockout artist over the last few years. The Team Rough House fighter debuted in 2004 and won nineteen of his first twenty-six bouts fighting for CWFC, GCM, 2H2H, and King of the Cage organizations. He won eight of nine from September 2006 to May 2008 and earned a chance to fight on the world’s biggest stage. He won an October 2008 UFC 89 debut against Akihiro Gono and then followed up with victories over Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and Mike Swick to become the number one contender for the welterweight championship. He earned a title-fight at UFC 111 last March, however lost via unanimous decision against George St. Pierre and then made it back to back losses this past October at UFC 120 when he was knocked out by Carlos Condit.

Johnson, 27, is a Georgia-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of San Jose, CA at the Universal Strength Headquarters. Johnson debuted in 2006 and carried a 3-0 record with him when making his debut at UFC Fight Night “Stephens vs. Fisher”. He split his first four bouts inside the octagon before defeating Kevin Burns, Luigi Fioravanti, and Yoshiyuki Yoshida in consecutive bouts. “Rumble” was rising fast in the 170-pound division before suffering a submission loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 106 in November 2009. Injuries have kept him on the shelf since that last appearance.

Prediction – Hardy submission

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis

Classic Brazilian striker Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4) was to face Tito Ortiz in the UFC Fight Night 24 main event, however an injury forced Ortiz off the card and allowed surging prospect Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (8-0) the opportunity to put his undefeated record on the line in a 205-pound contest.

Nogueira, 34, is a Brazil-native who trains out of Team Nogueira and the Black House. He turned professional in 2001 and began fighting with bouts for DEEP and Hook-n-Shoot before finding a home with PRIDE. He won his first seven inside the PRIDE ring before losing against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Sokoudjou. Nogueira came into the UFC in November 2009 riding a five-fight winning streak, and ran that winning streak to seven straight with victories over Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz after his first two in the octagon. He suffered his first defeat in over 3 ½ years at UFC 119 when Ryan Bader handed him a unanimous decision loss.

Davis, 26, is a Pennsylvania-born former wrestler out of Penn State University. Now training mixed martial arts between Alliance MMA/Team Lloyd Irvin/ and American Kickboxing Academy, Davis turned pro in 2008 and secured four victories within a year of his debut. He debuted inside the octagon at UFC 109 last February and earned a unanimous decision victory over former United States Marine Brian Stann. He followed that victory with wins over Alexander Gustafsson and Rodney Wallace at UFC 112 and UFC 117 respectively. He earned his fourth straight UFC win at UFC 123 in November where he submitted Tim Boetsch.

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

Past UFC Fight Night Previews & Projections:

• UFC Fight Night 23 Predictions: Dunham vs Guillard
• 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