Ross Pearson wasn’t going to lose this one. Sure, “The Real Deal” had already earned a UFC contract by defeating Andre Winner for The Ultimate Fighter 9 title and he was quickly joining Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy as the faces of British MMA, but this fight at the MEN Arena in Manchester on November 14, 2009 was different.
Bisping and Hardy were on the card, beating Denis Kang and Mike Swick, respectively, but headlining the UFC 105 event was Pearson’s fighting hero, Randy Couture. THAT was important for Pearson, who talked of making sure he found a poster for “The Natural” to sign on fight week.