Elvis Sinosic Returns To the Octagon for UFC 110 Rematch With Chris Haseman

Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate.

Perhaps it was Elvis Sinosic's noble defense of MMA against unfounded accusations from Australian journalists, or perhaps it was the multi-page thread on the Underground forums dedicated to bringing him back, or perhaps it was just the need for recognizable local talent in the UFC's Australian debut.  No matter what the impetus was, Elvis "The King of Rock 'n Rumble" Sinosic (8-11-2, 1-6 UFC) is returning for UFC 110 in in Sydney on February 21st in a light-heavyweight rematch with seasoned Australian veteran Chris "The Hammer" Haseman (20-16, 0-1 UFC), according to the Brisbane Times:

The show will be held at Acer Arena at Sydney Olympic Park on February 21. Former Brisbane Broncos wrestling coach Chris Haseman, a mixed martial arts fighter with a 20-16 record, will have a rematch with Elvis Sinosic on the card, while the headline fight will be announced at an official launch in a fortnight.

Sinosic may not posses the most impressive record, with his last MMA win coming some three years ago, and his last UFC win being a submission of Jeremy Horn way back in 2001, but his popularity amongst long-time UFC fans and Australians MMA fans in general is undisputable.  Although his respectable submission skills haven't gotten him far, Sinosic's heart can't be denied, as he displayed when he came within inches of submitting Michael Bisping at UFC 70 before succumbing to the Brit's punches for a TKO loss.  Now with a chance to fight in the Octagon in front of his home-country fans for the first time, Sinosic will probably have just one more chance to show that his heart can get him a win as well.

Fellow Aussie Chris Haseman's name should be familar to most hardcore MMA fans and FightFinder database junkies, as he's faced a literal who's who of MMA superstars over a career that goes all the way back to 1996.  Among Haseman's notable past opponents are: Fedor Emelianenko, Evan Tanner, Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamente, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Jeremy Horn, Matt Hughes, Akihiro Gono, and Mike Van Arsdale.  Unfortunately, like Sinosic, almost all of those fights ended in losses for Haseman and now at age 40 and in the twilight of his MMA career, Haseman will look to go out with a bang with a second chance in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.  Haseman's lone UFC fight was a decision loss to the late Evan Tanner at UFC 38 in 2002, and he's only fought four times since.

This will be a rematch for the two Aussies, as Sinosic and Haseman first met at Caged Combat, an early Australian MMA event that took place back in 1997.  Haseman used the controversial chin-in-the-eye technique to submit Sinosic in the first round, although that move is now illegal under the Unified Rules.  Nonetheless, Haseman certainly has other skills in his arsenal with which to end the fight, mostly stemming from his wrestling and submission grappling background.  Although the ground game is Sinosic's specialty as well,  in the 12 years since their last fight, both Sinosic and Haseman have likely become very different fighters.