Local fighter Nick (The Promise) Ring ready for action on UFC 149 undercard

CALGARY - Nick (The Promise) Ring says he doesn't mind being on the preliminary card at the first UFC event in his hometown.

"It's nice," said the 33-year-old middleweight. "I can get it over with and just go watch the rest of the fights."

Ring will be one of six Canadians fighting on the preliminary card Saturday at UFC 149 in Calgary when he takes on Court McGee.

"Where you are on the card does not make any difference on what the fight is going to be," said Ring, the most experienced Canadian on the card with three UFC fights already under his belt. "The fight's going to go down exactly the same way no matter where you place the fight."

Ring previously won a decision against McGee during the 11th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," but he had to bow out of the reality show after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

"I had to pull out of the whole competition," he said. "Court went back into the competition and he was able to win the entire show."

With a 12-1 record overall as a professional fighter (2-1 at the UFC ranks), Ring believes he has what it takes to beat McGee (13-2).

"I'm ready to go do this again," he said. "We've got slightly different skill sets. I guess you could say that I'm more of a kickboxer with jiu-jitsu and Court is more of a wrestler with boxing. He does not give up at all. He gets stronger as the fight gets on. I’ve got a lot of well-rounded skills as well. I'm just ready to get going; ready to rock and roll."

Urijah Faber and Renan Barao will fight in the main event for the interim UFC bantamweight title in an event that has seen many changes due to a multitude of injuries.

When it was announced in May, the UFC 149 main event featured Jose Aldo taking on Erik Koch for the featherweight title, with Mauricio Rua battling Thiago Silva in another featured bout. After Aldo and Silva went down with leg and back injuries respectively, the busted card had to be rebuilt.

Chris Clements, the only Canadian in the main draw, thought it would be a natural fit for Calgary native Ring to move up in the card when injuries started to take a toll.

"It's shocking to me actually," said the native of London, Ont., who was originally slated to fight on the undercard.

While Clements' match with American Matthew Riddle is the only fight in prime time, Canada is well represented in the early bouts.

The event will start with Edmonton’s Mitch Clarke taking on Finnish fighter Anton Kuivanen in a lightweight bout followed by a featherweight clash between Antonio Carvalho of Oshawa, Ont., and Texan Daniel Pineda.

Bantamweight Mitch Gagnon of Sudbury, Ont., will then fight Bryan Caraway before Edmonton’s Ryan Jimmo faces Anthony Perosh in a light-heavyweight bout.

"We are quite different styles," said Jimmo, who originally hails from Halifax. "I'm more of a striker. He's more of a grappler. It’s a good matchup for me. I believe I'm a better athlete than him."

Making his UFC debut, Jimmo will attempt to knock out his Australian opponent.

"I don't want this to go the distance," he said.

Winnipeg's Roland Delorme will take on Francisco Rivera in a bantamweight bout before Ring and McGee close the preliminaries.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2012