Markham-Bears Inked for TFC 18 on May 27
Brian Knapp May 6, 2011
UFC, Bellator Fighting Championships and International Fight League
veteran Rory
Markham will collide with Rudy Bears in
a welterweight duel at Titan Fighting Championship 18 on May 27 at
Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The promotion on Friday added
the matchup to the event, which will air live on HDNet.
A Pat Miletich protégé, Markham (Pictured; file photo) will carry a two-fight losing streak into his promotional debut. The 29-year-old Chicago native last appeared at UFC 111 in March 2010, when he succumbed to first-round punches from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Markham entered the bout seven pounds overweight and was subsequently released by the UFC. Wins over Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative Mike Pyle, UFC alum Brad Blackburn and Strikeforce veteran Pat Healy anchor his resume. In 22 professional outings, Markham has never gone the distance. He has 10 first-round finishes to his credit.
Bears, 32, made an inauspicious return to the Titan promotion in January, when a guillotine choke from 2009 Dream welterweight grand prix finalist Jason High rendered him unconscious less than a minute into the first round. The Independence, Mo., native has delivered 10 of his 12 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Bears has alternated between wins and losses in each of his last five fights.
TFC 18 will also feature a middleweight battle between UFC castaway Drew McFedries and Strikeforce veteran Darryl Cobb, along with the promotional debut of former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.
“Rory versus Rudy has the chance to be a tremendous standup battle between two fighters who don’t know how to have a boring fight,” Titan CEO Joe Kelly said in a release. “Combine those two with the presence of Jens, Drew and Darryl, and you have a pretty impressive collection of strikers that will be represented.”
A Pat Miletich protégé, Markham (Pictured; file photo) will carry a two-fight losing streak into his promotional debut. The 29-year-old Chicago native last appeared at UFC 111 in March 2010, when he succumbed to first-round punches from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Markham entered the bout seven pounds overweight and was subsequently released by the UFC. Wins over Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative Mike Pyle, UFC alum Brad Blackburn and Strikeforce veteran Pat Healy anchor his resume. In 22 professional outings, Markham has never gone the distance. He has 10 first-round finishes to his credit.
Bears, 32, made an inauspicious return to the Titan promotion in January, when a guillotine choke from 2009 Dream welterweight grand prix finalist Jason High rendered him unconscious less than a minute into the first round. The Independence, Mo., native has delivered 10 of his 12 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Bears has alternated between wins and losses in each of his last five fights.
TFC 18 will also feature a middleweight battle between UFC castaway Drew McFedries and Strikeforce veteran Darryl Cobb, along with the promotional debut of former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.
“Rory versus Rudy has the chance to be a tremendous standup battle between two fighters who don’t know how to have a boring fight,” Titan CEO Joe Kelly said in a release. “Combine those two with the presence of Jens, Drew and Darryl, and you have a pretty impressive collection of strikers that will be represented.”
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