Headlined by a welterweight title clash between longtime UFC champion Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz, UFC 137 goes down Oct. 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Siver (Pictured; file photo) has won eight of his last nine bouts and rides a four-fight winning streak heading into his showdown with Stout. The German striking specialist began his run in June 2010, outpointing Spencer Fisher before submitting Andre Winner five months later. The 32-year-old kicked off 2011 with a victory over George Sotiropoulos in February and most recently outpointed Matt Wiman on July 2 at UFC 132.
Like Siver, Stout is best known for his striking ability. The Canadian has walked away victorious in four of his last five outings, his lone loss in that span coming to Jeremy Stephens by split decision. Most recently, Stout delivered an early “Knockout of the Year” candidate at UFC 131, as he knocked Yves Edwards cold in the first round of their June 11 contest.
Formerly a bright prospect at heavyweight, Vera made the cut to 205 pounds in 2008 after suffering back-to-back losses. After falling to Randy Couture and Jon Jones in 2009 and 2010, respectively, Vera suffered what appeared to be his third consecutive defeat in January at UFC 125 against Thiago Silva. However, although Silva dominated the fight, the Brazilian was later found guilty of falsifying his urine sample, and the decision was changed to a no-contest.
Marshall is in his second run with the UFC. After being released from the promotion last year following a loss to Vladimir Matyushenko, the American won three straight bouts outside the Octagon. When Karlos Vemola withdrew from his UFC 128 contest with Luiz Cane due to injury, “The Fire” received a second shot with the world’s biggest promotion as a short-notice replacement. Cane easily dispatched Marshall in their March bout, earning a first-round TKO.
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