Swick feeling fit at 170 for UFC bout

Mike Swick will be fighting Wednesday at a lighter weight than he has since 1999, but he doesn’t feel he has sacrificed any of his power.

“I actually feel stronger,” Swick said Monday as he prepares for his Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with Josh Burkman at the Palms. “I am more explosive and I certainly feel faster. The diet is really helping me.”

Swick had been a rising contender in the 185-pound class, but suffered a loss by decision to Yushin Okami in April, prompting his decision to drop down into the 170-pound division.

“I have known for awhile from my training partners that I should be at 170,” he said. “There are bigger guys than me (in my camp) that get down to 170. I just don’t like to cut weight.”

This time around, he says he has had little trouble with the cut to 170 and should be ready for today’s weigh-in.

The bout will headline the Fight Night card, which will air tape-delayed on Spike TV (Cable 29), beginning at 9 p.m.

• LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE DEFENSE — As was expected, it appears newly crowned UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn will have a short turnaround for his first title defense.

Penn submitted Las Vegan Joe Stevenson in the second round of the main event of UFC 80 in Newcastle, England, on Saturday to become just the second fighter in the organization’s history to win a title in two different weight classes.

UFC president Dana White then confirmed during the postfight news conference that Penn will meet former champion Sean Sherk in May.

That event is not yet announced, but it is likely to be held May 24 in Las Vegas.

Sherk was the champion until he was stripped of his title in December following a positive steroid test.

The test came after Sherk’s last title defense, a victory over Hermes Franca in California in July. Sherk continues to profess his innocence, claiming he does not know how the test came up positive.

The California State Athletic Commission did reduce Sherk’s suspension from a year to six months after an appeal hearing last month, but White still chose to strip the champion of his belt, setting up Penn’s victory over Stevenson for the vacant title.

• ARLOVSKI TO RETURN — With the UFC unable to work out a contract extension with former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, it appears he will honor the final fight on his contract by stepping back into the octagon on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.

Arlovski has just one fight remaining on his deal and that fight must come before April 15. An opponent has not yet been officially confirmed.

• STARS COMING OUT — Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are both scheduled to be in town for the premiere of “Rambo” on Thursday and plan on attending the Fight Night card at the Palms on Wednesday.

• TUFF-N-UFF — Tuff-N-Uff Productions will co-host a card with Bodog Fight at the Las Vegas Sports Center on Feb. 1.

Bodog Fight welterweight champion Nick Thompson will defend his title against John Troyer to highlight the card, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

The event also will feature a four-man welterweight tournament and two women’s matches.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or (702) 224-5509.