UFC Fighter Eric Schafer Headlines Saturday’s Gladiators Fighting Event

Light heavyweight Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer (7-3-2), currently under contract to the UFC for another three fights, has received permission to compete outside the organization, and he’ll headline Saturday’s Gladiators Fighting event with Ryan Antle (7-6).

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) could not reach Schafer for comment this week, but a story from wicombatsports.com confirms that the fighter is still under contract with the UFC.

Saturday’s event, Gladiators Fighting 49, features a total of 22 amateur and pro bouts and takes place at the State Fair Park in Schafer’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisc.

Schafer made his UFC debut at UFC 62 and defeated Rob MacDonald with a first-round submission via arm-triangle choke. However, he then suffered back-to-back TKO losses to Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt hasn’t fought since UFC 77 this past October.

In between the two losses, Schafer was scheduled to fight Sean Salmon at UFC 71, but he ultimately had to pull out of the bout with a broken rib. Schafer had earned a contract extension with the UFC prior to the fight.

Schafer’s opponent on Saturday, Antle, has fought throughout the Midwest during his four-year career. He posted a five-fight win streak before back-to-back losses in his most recent two fights.

Many UFC fighters, especially young non-contenders, often receive permission from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to compete in other organizations after a couple losses. Current UFC fighters such as Patrick Cote, Terry Martin, Jeremy Stephens and Marvin Eastman have all returned to the UFC after fighting in some of these smaller shows.