Hey everyone, UFC 128 is this Saturday. And not one, not two, but THREE of the fighters train at Easton! Nate Marquardt, Brendan Schaub and Eliot Marshall will all be competing in the Octagon this weekend!

Rua vs. Jones

Headlining UFC 128 is the Light Heavyweight Championship match between Shogun Rua (19-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Jon Jones (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Jones enters the matchup on the strength of a three-fight win streak that includes stoppage wins over Bader, Vladimir Matyushenko and Brandon Vera. Rua will be defending his title for the first time since winning it in May of last year.

Main Card

Also on the main card are two of our fighters: Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub! Nate Marquardt (30-10-2 MMA, 9-4 UFC) will be competing against Dan Miller (14-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a middleweight bout. Originally, Marquardt was slated to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama, but the recent crisis in Japan forced him to, understandably, pull out.

Brendan Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will be fighting MMA veteran Mirko”CroCop” Filipović (27-8-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in what promises to be an exciting heavyweight bout. This will be CroCop’s first time back in the ring since his KO loss to Frank Mir at UFC 119. Schaub is excited to be fighting his former idol, but won’t let that slow him down. He’s been training hard, and plans to win decisively.

Prelims

And on the preliminary card, Easton fighter Eliot Marshall (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will be matched up against Luiz Cane (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC). Marshall was given short notice for this fight; he’s replacing an injured Karlos Vemola. But a shortened prep time isn’t going to stop him. This is why he trains every day. Marshall is at the top of his game, and is looking to give Cane his third straight loss.

So make sure you watch UFC 128 and support our fellow Easton BJJ fighters! They’ve been training hard, and are confident in their victories. Good luck guys, and keep your hands up and your chin down!