Zuffa Fills ‘Marquardt vs. Okami’ Injury Voids

The UFC has made official a revised 11-fight lineup for UFC 122 “Marquardt vs. Okami,” as journeymen Vladimir Matyushenko and Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (pictured left) will meet in a light heavyweight clash and undefeated welterweight Pascal Krauss will square off with fellow Octagon newcomer Mark Scanlon.

Matyushenko and Krauss were originally scheduled to square off against Jason Brilz and Kenny Robertson, respectively, but injuries forced the two fighters from the show. The event takes place at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany on Nov. 13 and will be broadcast in the United States on Spike TV via same-day tape delay. The main event will feature a pivotal middleweight duel between former title challenger Nate Marquardt and the world-ranked Yushin Okami.

Matyushenko made his professional debut back in 1997, winning his first seven fights. The Belarusian fought Tito Ortiz at UFC 33 in 2001 for the light heavyweight championship, losing via unanimous decision. Much of the latter half of his career was spent in the now-defunct International Fight League, where he became the promotion’s 205-pound champ in 2007. Since rejoining the UFC, “The Janitor” has gone 2-1, losing to prospect Jon Jones at UFC Live 2 in August.

Ferreira is also a seasoned pro. The Chute Boxe Academy representative debuted in the old International Vale Tudo Championship promotion, losing to Tim Catalfo via disqualification (eye gouging). The Brazilian has fought all around the world, but UFC 122 will mark his first fight both within the promotion and on German soil. He is riding a seven-fight winning streak heading into his contest with Matyushenko and holds victories over Branden Lee Hinkle and Fabio Maldonado in that span.

Krauss will hold a home-field advantage in his upcoming matchup, as the undefeated German holds six of his nine career victories in his homeland. “Panzer” has finished every opponent he has faced, ending nearly all of the contests by submission. UFC 122 will be his promotional debut. Scanlon is another UFC newcomer who also sports an unbeaten record. Like Krauss, he has put away each of his opponents. In fact, only one of his foes has made it out of the first round.

UFC 122 “Marquardt vs. Okami”
Saturday, Nov. 13
Konig Pilsener Arena
Oberhausen, Germany

Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami
Alessio Sakara vs. Jorge Rivera
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexandre Ferreira
Rob Kimmons vs. Kyle Noke
Karlos Vemola vs. Seth Petruzelli
Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak
Kris McCray vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Pascal Krauss vs. Mark Scanlon