Next Ultimate Fight Night set for April

By Steve Sievert

April is shaping up to be the busiest month in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

In addition to UFC 69 on April 7 and UFC 70 on April 21 in Houston and the United Kingdom, respectively, the promotion has announced an April date for the next installment in its Ultimate Fight Night series.

UFN 9 will take place April 5 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas on Spike TV.

Two fighters from the second season of The Ultimate Fighter will headline the show, when Joe Stevenson (31-7) faces Melvin Guillard (39-6-3) in a lightweight battle.

The main event is the only fight with an official green light from the UFC, but other mixed martial artists rumored to be on the card include Frank Mir and Antoni Hardonk in a heavyweight tilt, plus Kenny Florian and Wilson Gouveia in separate bouts.

Shifting the Vegas-based UFN shows to the Palms has been in the works for some time, with the resort's Pearl arena now serving as the permanent Sin City home to the UFC's popular Spike series.