Sakara-Weidman Official; 11 Fights Greenlit for UFC Live 3

Alessio Sakara (left) returns to action on March 3 | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

The UFC announced the bout on Wednesday, raising the official number of fights on the bill to 11. Only a bantamweight duel between former World Extreme Cagefighting title challenger Takeya Mizugaki and promotional newcomer Reuben Duran has yet to be ratified by the UFC.

The event -- which will be headlined by a welterweight duel between Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann -- goes down March 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Also scheduled is a 185-pound showdown pitting standout wrestlers C.B. Dollaway and Mark Munoz against one another.

Weidman holds a perfect professional record and has competed exclusively for New Jersey’s Ring of Combat during his short career. The former Hofstra University wrestler made his pro debut in 2009, rattling off three straight finishes en route to capturing the ROC middleweight title. Prior to signing his new, four-fight deal with the UFC, the 26-year-old earned a unanimous decision victory over Valdir Arraujo at ROC 33 in December.

A winner of three straight bouts inside the Octagon, Sakara has battled through injuries and illness to find himself on a roll with the UFC. He kicked off his recent streak with a “Knockout of the Night” performance over Joe Vedepo in 2008 and followed that victory with a split decision over Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites nearly a year later. “Legionarius” last stepped into the cage in March 2010, breaking James Irvin’s orbital bone and earning a first-round TKO.