Heralded lightweight prospects John Cholish (7-1) and Mitch Clarke (9-0) will make their promotional debut at UFC 140, according to reports from MMAWeekly.com. Sources indicate that the matchup has been mutually agreed upon by both sides, but is still awaiting official confirmation.
A former wrestling standout at Cornell University, Cholish is a unique deviation from the fighter typecast. The 27-year-old works as a fulltime stockbroker in New York City by day, while training with iconic Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Renzo Gracie by night. He has won seven straight bouts since 2008, including a submission victory over ‘The Ultimate Fighter 11' veteran Marc Stevens in his February Strikeforce debut.
He will make his Octagon debut against Clarke, a former winner of Edmonton's ‘Fighter of the Year' award. The Saskatchewan-born Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has won all nine of his professional bouts, finishing six by submission. He last saw action at April's Evolution Fighting card, defeating Eddie Rincon via unanimous decision.
UFC 140 is scheduled for December 10th at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. No headlining bout has been announced.