UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian


UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was broadcast live in the United States and Canada on Spike TV as a lead-in to the debut of The Ultimate Fighter 6.

Background

The main event was originally expected to be a rematch between The Ultimate Fighter 1 contestants Chris Leben and Mike Swick. Leben, however, chose to decline the fight offer. Swick was to be featured on the main card in a match against Canadian fighter Jonathan Goulet, who confirmed the bout on July 18 to The Fight Network. Reports indicate that veteran UFC fighter Chris Lytle was also considered for the bout. However, Swick pulled out of the bout on September 2, 2007 due to a rib injury. Goulet faced Dustin Hazelett instead.
The card was rescheduled to feature a lightweight main event bout between Din Thomas and Spencer Fisher. However, on August 7, Fisher announced via his MySpace page that he was withdrawing from the event due to a staph infection in his knee. Former title challenger Kenny Florian replaced Fisher in the main event.
Chris Leben remained on the fight card; he appeared in a middleweight match with Terry Martin. Nate Quarry, the first cast member of The Ultimate Fighter reality series to challenge for a UFC championship, also returned to the UFC after nearly a two-year layoff following his match against Rich Franklin at UFC 56.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $40,000 bonuses.
  • Fight of the Night: Cole Miller vs. Leonard Garcia
  • Knockout of the Night: Chris Leben
  • '''Submission of the Night: Dustin Hazelett'''