UFC makes its first historic appearance in Atlanta with yet another stacked fight card on September 6th with former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell leading the main event to take on TUF Season 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans.

After losing his title to Quinton Jackson and then following a loss to Keith Jardine, Liddell bounced back to win a deserving decision against a much anticipated fight with Wanderlei Silva. Evans on the other hand has racked up 6 wins in the UFC against Brad Imes, Sam Hoger, Stephan Bonnar, Jason Lambert, Sean Salmon and most recently Michael Bisping.

Added to the fight card are exciting match-ups between Matt Hamill vs. Rich Franklin; Yoshiyuki Hoshida vs. Karo Parisyan; Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Henderson; and Nate Marquardt vs. Martin Kampmann.

Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (6-1-0) 6’1”/205 lbs., fighting out of Utica, NY, is one of the top prospects in mixed martial arts’ most high-profile division. Light heavyweight Hamill has proven that being deaf isn’t a handicap, but instead, a mere obstacle to be overcome on the way to bigger and better things. This was never more evident than in his April 2nd win over Tim Boetsch, in which he took out his highly-regarded foe with strikes in the second round. A three-time Division III National and two-time World champion wrestler, Hamill first made his mark in the UFC on season three of The Ultimate Fighter show. He has since shown off his improving mixed martial arts game, defeating Boetsch, Seth Petruzelli and Rex Holman, while only losing a highly controversial decision to Michael Bisping in September of 2007. Now against former middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin, Hamill hopes to not only win but to continue to be an inspiration to others. When Franklin (25-3-0) 6’1”/205 lbs., a self-described ‘”adrenaline junkie,” is in the Octagon, it’s like nothing else in terms of a rush, and it makes all the pain and sacrifice of training worth it. It’s the best explanation yet for why someone would want to compete as a professional fighter. That mentality took Franklin from the classrooms of his native Cincinnati to the top levels of the middleweight division. Even after losing his crown to Anderson Silva in October of 2006, Franklin (who stopped Travis Lutter in two rounds at UFC 83 this past April) still sees more challenges for himself in the light heavyweight division. His first test will be “The Hammer.”

Yoshiyuki Hoshida (10-2-0) 5’11”/170 lbs., fighting out of Tokyo, Japan, is owner of a fourth-degree black belt in judo and numerous titles in the art. The 34-year old Yoshida has made a smooth transition to the world of MMA. Since his debut in 2005, he has won 10 of 12 pro fights, including nine in a row over the last two years. Though he was a relative unknown here in the United States when he entered the Octagon for the first time against The Ultimate Fighter season 7 Jon Koppenhaver in May, less than a minute later, a packed MGM Grand in Las Vegas knew who he was after his submission win. He would love to add more fans to his bandwagon by beating North Hollywood’s own, Karo “The Heat” Parisyan. A veteran of 11 UFC bouts, Parisyan (26-5-0) 5’10”/170 lbs., has been in with the best of the welterweights over the years, including Georges St-Pierre, Matt Serra, Diego Sanchez, and Thiago Alves. But now at 25, Parisyan is taking his career more seriously than ever before, and he begins his assault on the top of the 170 lb. division against Yoshida in what may be the greatest clash of judo black belts ever seen in the UFC.

Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares (17-1-0) 5’8”/185 lbs., fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 28-year old Palhares entered the UFC’s Octagon earlier this year with a well deserved reputation as one of the premier submission artists in the game, having won his previous four bouts via first round tap outs. Palhares tore through his UFC debut in one round in May, barely breaking a sweat in the process as he submitted seasoned veteran Ivan Salaverry in just over two minutes. Now this decorated Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt looks to continue his jaw-dropping assault on the middleweights and add an 18th win to his stellar record when he takes on former PRIDE two-division champion Dan Henderson. A native of Temecula, California, Henderson (22-7-0) 6’1”/185 lbs., turned to mixed martial arts in 1997 after a stellar Greco-Roman wrestling career that saw him represent the United States in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Henderson made his pro debut with two fights in one night on June 15, 1997, stopping Crezio de Souza in the first round and Eric Smith in just 30 seconds. From there, the Henderson train just kept on rolling, and he has been competing at the elite level in mixed martial arts longer than most of his peers have been fighting. He has the resume to prove it, with wins over Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He isn’t resting on his laurels, and after hard-fought battles against Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva, he would like nothing better than to get back in the title mix and put a UFC championship belt around his waist.

Nate “The Great” Marquardt (29-8-2) 6’0”/185 lbs., fighting out of Denver, Colo., is a class act and one fighter you will never hear a bad word about. That type of class is a great attribute to have in an era where it’s sorely lacking, but when you’re a fighter in a business where the squeaky wheel is often the one that gets oiled, it can be a problem. It’s been a particular issue with Marquardt, whose talent in the sport is matched by his previous accomplishments, which include recognition as a seven-time King of Pancrase while competing in Japan. Despite a nine year career spanning 39 fights, Nate Marquardt is showing no signs of wear as he takes on the best the middleweight division has to offer. He’s continued his run of success in the UFC, finally getting some overdue praise for his wins over Jeremy Horn, Ivan Salaverry, Joe Doerksen, Crafton Wallace, and Dean Lister, with his only losses coming to Anderson Silva and Thales Leites. He continues on his road back to a title shot when he takes on Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann. Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., Kampmann (13-1-0) 6’0”/185 lbs., came to the UFC in 2006 with a reputation as a fierce standup fighter, something reflected by his ownership of the Danish Thai Boxing championship. In his first Octagon bout against Crafton Wallace, Kampmann displayed his all-around MMA game as he quickly took Wallace down and submitted him in the first round with a rear naked choke. A stunning demonstration of his striking ability would soon follow though, as Kampmann showed what he could do while standing as he put on a Muay Thai clinic as he pounded out an impressive decision win over Thales Leites at The Ultimate Fighter 4 finale. Unfortunately, after a submission of Drew McFedries at UFC 68 in March of 2007, a knee injury put the native of Denmark on the shelf. After a year away, he returned with a submission win over Jorge Rivera, and he hopes to keep his unbeaten UFC record intact against Marquardt.

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