5 Fights Booked for UFC 123

In a showdown between surging middleweights, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 qualifier Gerald Harris will meet newcomer Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves at UFC 123 “Rampage vs. Machida” on Nov. 20 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Five matchups are now official for the event, which will air live on pay-per-view.

Harris will carry a 10-fight winning streak into the match. The 30-year-old Tulsa, Okla., native last appeared at UFC 116 in July, when he knocked out Dave Branch with a brutal third-round slam. The performance earned him a $75,000 check for “Knockout of the Night.” Harris, a former Shark Fights middleweight champion, has finished seven consecutive opponents, five of them inside one round. An International Fight League veteran, he wrestled collegiately at Cleveland State University, where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier.

Anchored at the famed Chute Boxe Academy, Goncalves will enter his Octagon debut on a seven-fight tear. He stopped Wendres Carlos da Silva on first-round punches under the Arena Gold Fights banner two months ago in Brazil. Goncalves has secured 21 of his 25 career wins by knockout or technical knockout and sports 23 first-round finishes on his resume, including 12-, 15-, 42- and 52-second victories. In 29 professional appearances, he has gone the distance only once.

Meanwhile, the talented but troubled Karo Parisyan will collide with Dennis Hallman in his first UFC appearance in nearly two years.

Parisyan has not competed inside the Octagon since January 2009, when his decision win over Dong Hyun Kim was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following a positive test for banned painkillers. A protégé of Gokor Chivichyan and “Judo” Gene LeBell, the 28-year-old holds a black belt in judo and has delivered more than half (10) of his 19 career wins by submission. The Armenian-born Parisyan last appeared in July, when he coaxed a tapout from Ben Mortimer with a second-round rear-naked choke at an Impact FC show in Australia. Victories over current Maximum Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder Antonio McKee, reigning Strikeforce welterweight kingpin Nick Diaz and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra anchor his resume.

Hallman has recorded six wins in seven fights. The 34-year-old Yelm, Wash., native owns a pair of victories over UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes, having submitted him twice in less than half a minute. Hallman last fought in August, when he notched a unanimous decision against American Top Team’s Ben Saunders. He owns a 2-4 mark inside the UFC.

A light heavyweight showdown between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida will headline UFC 123, along with the rubber match between Hughes and former two-division titleholder B.J. Penn.

UFC 123: Machida vs. Rampage
Saturday, Nov. 20
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, Mich.

Quinton Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes
Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves
Aaron Simpson vs. Mark Munoz
Karo Parisyan vs. Dennis Hallman
* George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon
* Rory MacDonald vs. Matt Brown
* Tyson Griffin vs. Nik Lentz
* Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch
* Edson Barboza vs. Darren Elkins
* Paul Kelly vs. Gabe Ruediger

* Not Official