Friday, February 20, 2009

UFC vets set for Cincinnati ICF show

The young Intimidation Cage Fighting organization is coming to Cincinnati with a lineup full of former UFC fighters.

"ICF: Breakout," which takes place April 11 at U.S. Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati, is headlined by former UFC competitor and "The Ultimate Fighter 4" cast member Shonie Carter (46-18-7) vs. undefeated Cincinnati fighter Victor O'Donnell (5-0).

Fellow UFC vets Dan Christison, Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz, Luke Zachrich and Jeff Cox are also booked for the event.

Carter, who went 3-3 during five different stints with the UFC, is 7-2 since his last fight with the organization (a unanimous-decision loss to Marcus Davis in December 2006). "Mr. International" now faces O'Donnell, who's 5-0 as a pro following a 4-0 mark as an amateur. The bout will take place at a catch-weight of 175 pounds.

In the night's heavyweight co-main-event attraction, Christison (13-6), a cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 2" who's 5-0 since late 2007, meets Cruz (4-2), a jiu-jitsu ace who scored a first-round TKO victory over Frank Mir during a 2-2 stretch in the UFC.

Also in action is "The Ultimate Fighter 7" cast member (and former MMAjunkie.com "TUF" blogger) Zachrich (8-1), who looks for his sixth straight win when he takes on fellow middleweight Jonathan Hines (0-0).

In a lightweight match-up, Cox (10-6), who's fought with the UFC, EliteXC, King of the Cage and Adrenaline MMA, takes on Cincinnati fighter Chad Hinton (4-0), who's undefeated since turning pro last year.

The show is scheduled to feature a total of seven amateur fights and eight pro bouts.

The ICF event is another major one for Ohio, whose athletic commission regulated more MMA shows in 2008 than any other state. It also marks the first Ohio show for the ICF, which to date, has held six events in Kentucky at Turfway Park.

U.S. Bank Arena hasn't hosted a major MMA event since UFC 77, an October 2007 event headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin II. The event drew 16,054 fans for a $2.5 million gate.

"We are thrilled to be hosting 'ICF: Breakout,'" stated U.S. Bank Arena Vice President and General Manager Kristin Ropp. "The Tri-State region, particularly Cincinnati, has proven to be a strong hotbed of MMA fans. We were honored to host UFC 77 and feel that ICF will pick up right where the UFC left off."

Tickets for "ICF: Breakout," which range from $38 to $78, are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

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