UFC 105 Main Card : Randy Couture Vs. Brandon Vera

A 10-bout lineup, including a five-fight main card, today was officially announced for November's UFC 105 event.


The Nov. 14 event takes place at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, and airs via same-day delay on Spike TV in North America.


Randy Couture meets Brandon Vera in the night's main event, and Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang, Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick, and bouts with "The Ultimate Fighter 9" winners James Wilks and Ross Pearson are also part of the televised main card.


The Swick vs. Hardy bout is a late addition to the card. Swick filled in for an injured Dong Hyun Kim earlier this week, and the bout could now determine a No. 1 contender to fight current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in early 2010.


The headliner for "UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera" was also somewhat of a late booking. Initially, Michael Bisping was expected to get his title shot at the event, but those plans flamed out when he suffered a knockout loss to Dan Henderson in July. (Additionally, champ Anderson Silva is now out until early 2010 for what UFC president Dana White said will be minor elbow surgery). Then, a potential Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva bout was scrapped when Silva, too, went under the knife.


While UFC newcomer Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was briefly considered for the headliner slot, UFC officials announced a couple weeks ago that Couture and Vera would instead take the spot and fight at light heavyweight.


Also worth noting is that a planned preliminary-card bout between "TUF 9" runner-up DaMarques Johnson and Peter Sobotta has been scrapped. A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Sobotta was forced off the card due to military commitments. (And Johnson will be shifted to a later card.)


The full and official UFC 105 lineup now includes:


MAIN CARD


Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera
Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick
Matt Brown vs. James Wilks
Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

PRELIMINARY CARD
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty
John Hathaway vs. Paul Taylor
Nick Osipczak vs. Matthew Riddle
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman
Roli Delgado vs. Andre Winner
For the latest on UFC 105, including breakdowns of each matchup, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.