10 Fights Signed for UFC 112

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson will lock horns with Brad Blackburn in a preliminary welterweight match at UFC 112 “Invincible” on April 10 at the Ferrari World Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ten bouts are now official for the event, which will serve as the UFC’s debut in the Middle East.

Johnson has dropped two of his last three fights but submitted Edgar Garcia with a first-round triangle choke at UFC 107 in December. A Jeremy Horn protégé, the 27-year-old Utah native has secured nine of his 10 wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Only two of his 17 career fights have reached the judges.

An International Fight League veteran, Blackburn holds notable wins over current Strikeforce contender Jay Hieron, former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Delson Heleno and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Ryo Chonan -- the last man to score a legitimate victory against a certain UFC middleweight champion. The 32-year-old Blackburn, a Los Angeles native who trains out of Olympia, Wash., has not been finished in nearly four years. His unanimous decision loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah at UFC Fight Night 20 in January snapped a four-fight winning streak.

Two title bouts will headline UFC 112, as middleweight king Anderson Silva collides with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia and lightweight titleholder B.J. Penn answers the bell against the once-beaten Frankie Edgar. In addition, future hall of famer Matt Hughes will meet Renzo Gracie in a featured welterweight tilt. Gracie, who turned 43 this week, has never competed in the UFC.