Jardine and Leben back in action as UFC 71 card is completed

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By Thomas Gerbasi

Light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine and middleweight up and comer Chris Leben return to the Octagon on Saturday, May 26th when they battle Houston Alexander and Kalib Starnes, respectively, in bouts underneath the long-awaited showdown between Chuck Liddell and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at UFC 71.

The 31-year old Jardine (12-3-1) has been on a hot streak since losing a controversial three round decision to Stephan Bonnar in April of 2006, decisioning tough Wilson Gouveia last June and then stopping Forrest Griffin in the first round at UFC 66. In Alexander (6-1), ‘The Dean of Mean’ will be taking on a wrestling and Muay Thai expert who knows that a win at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas later this month will instantly put him on the world mixed martial arts map.

Leben (16-3), began his UFC career with five consecutive wins but has hit hard times with losses to current middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Jason MacDonald sandwiched around a knockout win over Jorge Santiago. ‘The Crippler’ looks to get back on track against the talented Starnes (9-2-1), who is 1-1 in the Octagon since his stint on season three of The Ultimate Fighter.

The UFC 71 undercard has also been officially determined, with a number of intriguing bouts on tap.

In light heavyweight matchups, former heavyweight Carmelo Marrero makes his 205-pound debut against American Top Team’s Wilson Gouveia, who is currently riding a two fight winning streak; Chute Boxe’s Thiago Silva makes his UFC debut against hard-hitting James Irvin in what should be a standup war; and submission ace Eric Schafer takes on former Division I wrestler Sean Salmon in a battle for ground supremacy. Rounding out the card is a lightweight clash between veteran contender Din Thomas and hungry Octagon newcomer Jeremy Stephens.

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