Have you ever wondered if the answer for dealing with “The Juggernaut” was to put him up against “The Sponge?” No, it’s not a comic book battle, but a match-up slated for the UFC’s Jan. 4th debut in Singapore pitting Top 5 welterweight Jake Ellenberger and former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine against each other.
MMA Junkie reported earlier tonight that both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, and are waiting for Zuffa’s final confirmation.
Jake Ellenberger vs Tarec Saffiedine pencilled in for the UFC’s Singapore debut
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger (29-7) first burst onto the UFC’s 170 lbs. scene in September of 2009, losing his promotional debut by split decision in a war with Carlos Condit. He then went on a tear, winning his next 6 fights, the most notable being a 53 second dismantling of another former Strikeforce champion, Jake Shields. After a TKO loss to dangerous Dane Martin Kampmann in June of 2012, the Reign MMA product has gone 2-1, gathering wins over Nate Marquardt and Jay Hieron before suffering a decision loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 8. With his sights set on rebounding from the defeat, will Ellenberger be able to get back on the winning track and score a decisive victory over Saffiedine?
Belgium’s Tarec “The Sponge” Saffiedine (14-3) may very well be the last Strikeforce fighter to make his UFC debut. The final welterweight champion of Zuffa’s most recent merged acquisition got his most notable win with a unanimous decision victory over Nate Marquardt on the promotions final card at the start of this year. Prior to that, the Team Quest-trained grappler had used his pressure tactics to gain victories over Scott Smith, Tyler Stinson, and Roger Bowling as he built his way up to his current 4 fight winning streak. Will Strikeforce’s last champion be able to continue building on his success in his new home with a victory over the ever-dangerous Ellenberger?
UFC Fight Night 34 goes down on Jan. 4th in at an as-yet undetermined venue in the south Asian city state of Singapore. No other bouts have been announced as of this time. Stay tuned to MMASucka.com for more on this and other upcoming events.
