Quarterly Rankings
In a late change to this weekend's UFC 109: "Relentless" event, a heavyweight bout between UFC newcomers Joey Beltran and Rolles Gracie has now been booked for the un-aired preliminary portion of the card after Gracie's originally announced opponent Mostapha Al Turk was forced to withdraw from the event due to visa issues.
News of the change was first reported by Beltran's sponsor, Triumph United.
Beltran (10-3), who revealed that he signed a four-fight contract with the UFC, is 6-1 in his last seven bouts, most recently scoring a second round TKO win over former UFC light-heavyweight Houston Alexander at a 5150 Combat League event on Jan. 16. His only loss over that seven-fight stretch came in his previous bout against Tony Lopez in October.
Since making his professional MMA debut in February 2007, Beltran has competed for other notable promotions such as King of the Cage, Strikeforce, Total Combat and Bellator. He has finished all of his 10 career wins including nine via TKO, and holds other notable career victories over the likes of Wes Combs and Sherman Pendergarst.
Gracie has put together an undefeated 3-0 record since turning pro in September 2007, with all of his wins coming by submission. He made a successful MMA debut under the now-defunct IFL banner by submitting Sam Holloway and then picked up two more submission wins for the Art of War promotion in China in 2009.
Gracie is physically the largest in the history of the legendary Gracie family, standing at 6' 4" and weighing nearly 250 pounds. He is a second-degree black belt and is the grandson of Carlos Gracie Sr., the founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The fast approaching UFC 109 takes place this Saturday, on Feb. 6, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV and the event's main card airs live on PPV. Headlining the event is a light-heavyweight bout between former champions Mark Coleman and Randy Couture.
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