Bloody Elbow can exclusively confirm with word directly from the UWC that Mid-Atlantic rising star Antwain "The Juggernaut" Britt will lock horns with Team Renzo Gracie and IFL standout Jamal "The Suit" Patterson in a light heavyweight fight as the co-main event on UWC 5: Man O' War on February 21st at the Patriot Center on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax, VA.

Patterson is a black belt in jiu-jitsu under the legendary Renzo Gracie and holds notable wins over Matt Horwich and Chris Baten. Folks who kept up with the New York Pitbulls during their run with Renzo will remember Patterson for his fantastic jiu-jitsu as well as considerable athleticism. Britt is a very heavy-handed striker with very good wrestling skills out of Hybrid Academy in Vriginia Beach, VA. He has notable wins over Wayne Cole and Terry Cohens.

This fight is not only a fantastic clash of styles, but important for the up-and-comers of the light heavyweight division. Both fighters want to assert themselves as serious contenders in this division and need a credible challenger to take the next step. Given how significant each of them are as challengers, the winner of this fight stands to gain prestige as a serious mover and shaker in the light heavyweight prospect ranks. In short, to move to the next stage in their careers they need a win as meaningful as this to jump into the mix. The match-up is great and the stakes are high.

Disclosure: I am an employee of UWC, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. However, this show will be streamed live over the Internet at Sherdog.com for free. I encourage everyone to watch as the UFC event will have ended and the fights on UWC 5 will help determine the future stars of MMA.

Press release announcing the fight after the jump.

Washington, DC - East coast regional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) powerhouse the UWC - Ultimate Warrior Challenge announced today the signing of a fight between The Ultimate Fighter veteran Antwain "The Juggernaut" Britt and Jamal "The Suit" Patterson. The light heavyweight bout (205lbs) will be the Co-Main Event for UWC 5: MAN "O" WAR, which will be held February 21st, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, VA.

"The UWC has two major priorities: finding the next young stars of tomorrow and bringing world-class match-ups to the mid atlantic region and east coast," said UWC CEO S. Marcello Foran. "D.C. fans already know Antwain Britt is talented and Jamal Patterson is one of the best submission fighters on the East coast, so we're looking forward to a really competitive contest. We believe this fight means something for the light heavyweight division, and is guaranteed to be action packed. D.C. area fans can expect to see two of the fastest rising stars in the Light Heavyweight division go at it on February 21^st."

Antwain "The Juggernaut" Britt (8-0), a returning UWC veteran, fights out of Hybrid Academy of Martial Arts in Virginia Beach, VA. He was featured on the most recent season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter. He has won all of his fights by Technical Knock Out and has a reputation as having incredible athleticism and knockout power as well as being one of the rising stars of the Light Heavyweight division.

Jamal "The Suit" Patterson (4-2), a jiu-jitsu black belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie, fights out of the Gracie Academy in New York, New York. A former football player at Colgate University and All American wrestler out of Blair Academy, Patterson is an accomplished but young veteran who was a light heavyweight standout in the International Fighting League (IFL). He has won all of his fights by submission, including two over UFC fighter and former IFL Middleweight Champion Matt Horwich. Featured in the New York Times, Patterson is known as "The Suit" due to his day job with an orthodontics firm.

"This fight is what the UWC is all about -- building the champions of tomorrow. Both of these guys are great up and comers in MMA, but each needs a good win to keep their careers moving in the right direction. Britt has been itching for a step up in competition and Patterson wants to solidify his name with a win against a rising star like Britt. The match has everything a fan could ask for: significance, great athleticism and skill " said Foran. "I can't wait to see if Patterson’s jiu-jitsu technique will be able to overcome the vicious knock-out power of 'The Juggernaut.' The fans do not want to miss this fight February 21st."

Britt vs Patterson will be the co-headlining fight on the card, along with Mike "The Hulk" Easton vs Chase Beebe for the first ever UWC bantamweight world championship. Easton (6-1), a two time UWC veteran fighting out of Maryland’s Team Lloyd Irvin along with UFC star Brandon "The Truth" Vera, will take on Beebe (11-3), a former WEC bantamweight champion fighting out of HIT Squad under Marc Fiore, Robbie Lawler, and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

UWC: MAN "O" WAR" will be held Saturday February 21, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. Tickets for the event are available via Ticketmaster and the show will be streamed live over the Internet on Sherdog.com. For more information, visit "http://www.uwcmma.com" www.uwcmma.com.

The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) is the greater Washington, DC area's leader in providing fans with the best, most competitive and highest quality professional mixed martial arts (MMA) events. In addition to featuring elite fighters from the top MMA teams across the country, UWC also showcases and builds the careers of the many top pro fighters from the leading Virginia, DC and Maryland teams and gyms by giving them an opportunity and platform to challenge the very best in their highly competitive hometown area. UWC’s fighters and events will serve as the catalyst for turning the Washington region into a powerful and highly-regarded MMA east coast destination. For more, please visit www.uwcmma.com.