Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman added to UFC 181

Eddie "Truck" Gordon works a full-time job, raises his two sons and is a professional MMA fighter. Newsday tells the story of how this Freeport resident went from a 300-pound former college football player to the winner of Season 19 of the UFC's "Ultimate Fighter." (Credit: Newsday / Jeffrey Basinger, Mario Gonzalez, Mark La Monica)

By MARK LA MONICAmark.lamonica@newsday.comSeptember 23, 2014

Eddie Gordon will get his wish.

After winning the middleweight division on Season 19 of "The Ultimate Fighter" with a first-round knockout of Dhiego Lima, the Freeport-based Gordon began a social media campaign to get on the UFC 181 card.

It worked.

Gordon and Josh Samman have agreed verbally to fight each other in a middleweight bout Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.

Gordon (8-1, 1-0 UFC) will be the second Long Island fighter -- and second "TUF" winner -- to compete at UFC 181. Levittown's Gian Villante will fight Corey Anderson, who won the light heavyweight division on "TUF 19." Gordon's Serra-Longo teammate and middleweight champion Chris Weidman was scheduled to defend his title that night as well but pulled out of the bout against Vitor Belfort on Monday with a fractured hand.

Samman (10-3, 1-0) last fought on April 13, 2013, beating Kevin Casey by second-round knockout on the undercard of the Ultimate Finale 17.

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