Vaughan Lee added to UFC Fight Night Berlin

Alcantara vs Lee announced for UFC Fight Night 41

by Ben Heather @benheather

Vaughan Lee is set to return to action on May 31st as the UFC returns to Germany and he will meet Iuri Alcantara, the number 7 ranked bantamweight in Berlin.

Lee (14-9-1 MMA 3-3 UFC) comes in to this fight after his best performance in the Octagon in March at the TUF China Finale where he picked apart Nam Phan for three rounds and showed off his incredible striking skills. Vaughan Lee has been very inconsistent in the Octagon, alternating between losses and wins but will be looking to string together wins for the first time in the UFC.

If he does pull it off it should catapult Lee in to the rankings especially if he does it in the fashion which he did against Nam Phan however, Alcantara is certainly a step up from Phan. I don't think Lee will be phased though having already fought both TJ Dillashaw and Raphael Assuncao within the past two years. Although those fights didn't go the way Vaughan would have liked, he will have improved as a result of them and I believe this helped him put on the performance he did last time out.

Alcantara (29-5-1 MMA 4-2-1 UFC) comes in to the fight having defeated Wilson Reis back in February, this was the first time we had seen Alcantara back in the Octagon after his battle with Urijah Faber. The fight in Berlin will see Alcantara fight in Europe for the first time having only fought in North and South America previously. Could this play a factor in the fight only time will tell.

UFC Fight Night 41 is headlined by a middleweight clash between Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi. Also on the main card are a couple more middleweight match ups as Francis Carmont takes on CB Dollaway and England's own Luke Barnatt battles Sean Strickland.

UFC Berlin Adds Krzysztof Jotko vs Magnus Cedenblad

UFC Berlin Adds Krzysztof Jotko vs Magnus Cedenblad
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Polish Middleweight Krzysztof Jotko will put his undefeated record on the line against Swede Magnus Cedenblad at UFC Berlin.

UFC Fight Night 41 takes place May 31 at O2 World Berlin in Germany and features a middleweight bout headliner Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Mark Munoz (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). The entire card will stream on UFC Fight Pass, and is the second of the series of cards scheduled for Europe.

Following an impressive series of victories for local promotion MMA Attack, Krzysztof Jotko (14-0) signed for the UFC in late 2013, making his debut with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Bruno Santos at Decembers UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia.

One of the most highly regarded prospects in Europe, The 24-year old now trains at Canada's renowned Tristar Gym alongside some of  best fighters in the world including Georges St. Pierre, Rory McDonald, and Francis Carmont, who has a win over Jotko's opponent, Cedenblad. A pro since 2010, Jotko has 6 finishes on record - 4 wins by TKO, 2 wins by submission.

A product of Sweden's Allstar Training Center, which is home to fellow Scandinavian standouts Alexander Gustafsson, and Nico Musoko, Magnus Cedenblad (11-4) fights for the UFC for the third time in his career. 1-1 under the promotion since making his debut for the promotion, 31-year old, Cedenblad was defeated by Francis Carmont in his debut, before bouncing back with an impressive submission victory over Jared Hamman at UFC 164.

A series of injuries has seen Cedenblad only fight once in 2013 pulling out of a fight with Rafal Natal at the start of the year, as well as a bout with Alessio Sakara at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester. Cedenblad has taken 10 of 11 victories inside the distance with 6 TKOs and 4 submissions.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Berlin

Luke Barnatt Meets Fellow Undefeated Middleweight Sean Strickland in Berlin

Luke Barnatt Meets Fellow Undefeated Middleweight Sean Strickland in Berlin
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Undefeated middleweight prospects Luke Barnatt and Sean Strickland will square off at UFC Fight Night 41 when the UFC touches down in Berlin for the first time in May.

UFC Fight Night 41 takes place May 31 at O2 World Berlin in Germany and features a middleweight bout headliner Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Mark Munoz (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). The entire card will stream on UFC Fight Pass, and is the second of the series of cards scheduled for Europe.

Making a quick turnaround to return to the octagon in just 12 weeks, UK fan favourite Luke Barnatt fights for the 4th time under the UFC banner in May having recently defeated Mat Nilsson by first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 37 in London earlier this month. Prior to his victory over Nilsson, the former Ultimate Fighter season 17 contestant, defeated Colin Hart by unanimous decision at The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 Finale for his UFC official debut, and Andrew Craig by second round submission at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester last October.

Speaking ahead of the bout, Barnatt who has finished 6 of his 8 victories inside the distance said:

"May 31st, Berlin, Germany, two undefeated middleweights go to war. When I get the knockout and end this young man's dream, at least he can take warmth in the fact he has a stamp on his passport and can enjoy the beautiful city of Berlin. I'm ready."

Making his UFC debut on less than 2 weeks notice as a late replacement for injured Tor Troeng at UFC 171, California native Sean Strickland stepped in to pick up a submission victory over Bubba McDaniels in the first round to take his overall record to 14-0.

A long term King of the Cage vet, 23-year old Stickland has picked up 11 stoppage victories in 14 outings since making his professional debut in 2008 at just 17 years old

With the addition of Barnatt vs Strickland, UFC Fight Night 41 card now includes: 
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Munoz
Luke Barnatt vs. Sean Strickland
Pawel Pawlak vs. Peter Sobotta
Drew Dober vs. Nick Hein

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Berlin