For the second time in as many appearances, Rousimar Palhares (13-3) will fight inside his home country. According to UFC officials, the sculpted Brazilian middleweight has been scheduled to take on "The Master Of Disaster", Mike Massenzio (13-5), at UFC 142.
Palhares, a Brazilian Jiu-Jistu blackbelt nicknamed "Toquinho", aims his third win of the year after collecting decisive victories over Dan Miller and Dave Branch. The 31-year-old submission ace recently earned a silver medal for his performance at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships.
Across the cage, Massenzio enters the fray after a short-lived run in the light heavyweight division. The New Jersey native most recently halted a three-fight UFC losing streak with a win over Steve Cantwell at UFC 136.
UFC 142 takes place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's HSBC Arena on January 14th. A featherweight bout between Brazilian champion Jose Aldo and American challenger Chad Mendes is the night's main event.
UFC 142 fight card:
Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Middleweight: Anthony Johnson vs. Vitor Belfort
Lightweight: Terry Etim vs. Edson Barboza
Middleweight: Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio
Lightweight: Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout
Welterweight: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Erick Silva
Light Heavyweight: Stanislav Nedkov vs. Fabio Maldonado