Cody McKenzie vs. Bart Palaszewski coming to UFC 130 in May

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Seven-fight Zuffa veteran Bart Palaszewski will make his UFC debut in May, as the UFC announced on Sunday that he will meet Ultimate Fighter 12 veteran Cody McKenzie at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

Palaszewski went 4-3 through two stints in the WEC, ending his time in the UFC's former sister organization with a split decision loss to Kamal Shalorus. That loss snapped a four fight winning streak, including three straight in the WEC.

McKenzie, who was defeated by Nam Phan during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, picked up his 12th consecutive career win in his UFC debut over fellow TUF 12 alum Aaron Wilkinson. However, McKenzie was defeated by Yves Edwards in his last bout at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 in January.

UFC 130 takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 28, headlined by the Lightweight Championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Penick's Analysis: This should be a very entertaining fight on this undercard. Palaszewski should be coming into the UFC on a five fight win streak, as the loss to Shalorus was a razor thin decision that he had a very real case for winning. McKenzie is a bit of a one-trick-pony with his signature guillotine, though he looked pretty good against Edwards early before losing that fight. That said, he's sure to make for an exciting opponent for Palaszewski, and this should be a great preliminary card fight.

Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards  Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund