The Toronto Globe and Mail has a lengthy feature on the forthcoming Alan Belcher/Denis Kang matchup that’ll take place at UFC 93. Kang fights out of Vancouver BC (where MMA is *still* illegal ironically enough) and gets a lot of coverage in the Canadian media:

Alan (The Talent) Belcher was excited when he heard Canadian middleweight Denis Kang was finally joining the UFC.

“Denis Kang, I mean he was really good before I could spell MMA, basically,” said the 24-year-old Belcher. “He was one of the guys I looked up to. I even kind of patterned the shorts that I wear after the boxing shorts that he started wearing in Pride [Fighting Championships].”

That respect didn’t stop Belcher from immediately requesting a fight with Kang, however.

“I heard that he was coming to the UFC and I had Duke (trainer Duke Roufus) call the matchmaker and see if I could get a hold of him first before he got settled in. I think that’s a good time to fight some of the guys, their first time in the UFC.

“So I got a call from (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and I didn’t hesitate at all. I said ‘yeah, I’ll do it.”‘

File this one under ‘Be careful what you wish for.’

Belcher gets to face off against Kang — a dangerous, experienced mixed martial arts fighter with a deep bag of tricks — next Saturday at UFC 93 in Dublin on the undercard of the light-heavyweight showdown between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.

Kang gets ready for UFC debut @ Toronto Globe and Mail