Salaverry could fight at UFC 71

By Sam Caplan

During my CBS Sportsline interview with Dana White I asked him if any other fighters acquired in the WFA deal in addition to Heath Herring, Quinton Jackson, Marvin Eastman, and Ryoto Machida would be making their way to the UFC. White indicated it was a possibility but didn't have any names to offer me at the time. However, Ivan Salaverry could be the next in the line of WFA fighters who appear in the UFC.

Salaverry's return to the UFC has been rumored for quite some time but now MMAWeekly.com not lists him for the UFC 71 card in their "Rumors" section.

If the rumors are true, this would mark Salaverry's second tour of duty in the UFC. He was fired close to a year and a half ago after a disaster of a match against Nathan Marquardt during a UFC Fight Night card in which the two refused to engage for almost the entire match. Marquardt was spared but Salaverry wasn't as lucky.

Salaverry's opponent could be Terry Martin, who knocked out Jorge Rivera at UFC 67. I'm also told that Josh Burkman will likely fight Karo Parisyan. And according to White in my interview with him, it looks like the co-main event for UFC 71 could be Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans, although neither match has been officially signed. UFCJunkie.com previously announced bouts on the card between Eric Schafer vs. Sean Salmon and Kalib Starnes vs. Chris Leben.

(Source)