Eliot Marshall steps up for Vemola, meets Luiz Cane at UFC 128

“The Ultimate Fighter” season-eight semi-finalist Eliot Marshall will be returning to the octagon come this March, taking on arguably one of his toughest challenges in his mixed martial arts career.

The light heavyweight submission specialist eventually made his way to the octagon after a successful stint on the TUF series, where he was defeated by eventual show winner Ryan Bader. After rattling off a 3-0 run in the 205-pound division, Marshall was abruptly released from the promotion following a lackluster decision loss at the hands of perennial top-10 fighter, Vladimir Matyushenko.

Now, Eliot will make the best of this second-chance as he steps up for an injured Karlos Vemola and takes on Brazilian slugger Luiz Cane.

<a href="http://mmajunkie.com/news/22578/eliot-marshall-returns-steps-in-to-meet-luiz-cane-at-ufc-128.mma”>MMAJunkie.com first reported the validity of the match, which takes place on March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for “UFC 128: Jones vs. Rua”.

Vemola inevitably bowed out of the bout when he fell prey to an infection in his mouth that would eventually require surgery. Now, Marshall, who has rattled off a three-fight win streak since his release from the UFC last March, will meet with former contender Luiz Cane.

Cane is looking for footing within the UFC as well. After compiling an impressive three-fight win streak inside the octagon (which included a knockout victory over former PRIDE star Thierry Sokoudjou) he has since fallen on hard times. The 29-year-old striking ace has since become a victim of his own success, succumbing to knockout losses at the hands of top-10 fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and most recently Cyrille Diabate.

Both Eliot and Cane will likely be fighting for their jobs come this March.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? How do you think Marshall will fare against Cane on short notice? Sound off in the comment section below.