John Alessio did not get the kind of break he had hoped for when he fought Pete Spratt on June 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Alessio -- looking to get back on track after his disqualification loss to Brock Larson at WEC 33 in March -- broke a bone in his right forearm when he blocked a kick from Spratt at Banner Promotions: Night of Combat. The Duncan, British Columbia, native was able to secure a fight-ending rear naked choke in the second round despite the injury.

Alessio has since undergone successful surgery in which a steel plate was inserted in order to help his broken bone heal. He remains optimistic he will recover quickly and return to training at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas.

"I had a plate put in to fuse my broken ulna back together. It'll stay in my forearm forever," Alessio said. "The doctor said I should be back to training in about four weeks."

Alessio said he knew his arm had snapped when he felt the broken bones grinding together but never considered quitting. He admitted holding the fight-ending choke took a lot of resolve and some teeth grinding, but he knew Spratt would tap out if he held on long enough.

"I tell you, it hurt like hell. I knew I had to hold on and finish him or I'd be in trouble," Alessio said. "I would have had to finish the fight with one arm."

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‘BLACK MAMBA' ADDED TO DREAM 5 ROSTER

Add Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill to the growing list of fighters competing at Dream 5 on Monday, July 21 at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan. Gill's trainer, Bill Mahood, confirmed the striker's inclusion on the card. No opponent has been named.

The fight will be Gill's first since the 6-foot British Columbia prison guard dropped a unanimous decision to Tatsuya Kawajiri in the opening round of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix back in March.

Last-minute bout announcements have become common practice for the Dream promotion. Gill's Revolution Fight Team teammate, Denis Kang, was given less than three weeks notice for each of his two fights inside the Japanese organization. Informed in May that he would be on the Dream 5 card, Kang remains in the dark regarding who he will face next month.

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HEAVYWEIGHT HOLANDA

Do not expect lightweight Fabio Holanda to compete in mixed martial arts any time soon. Holanda -- whose Achilles' heel has been conditioning -- seems more likely to compete as a welterweight or middleweight.

Upon returning to Canada after he vacationed in his homeland of Brazil, Holanda found himself classified as a heavyweight at 215 pounds. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist plans to get his feet wet with some grappling tournaments before moving back to MMA.

"I'm competing in the Grappler's Quest tournament in New Jersey in a couple of weeks at 180 pounds," Holanda said. "Right now, I don't want to rush to cut the weight. I have to be 180 next week. I'm training a lot, but I want to get my weight down. Once I get my weight down, then I'm going to start thinking about fighting again."

Holanda (5-5) has not competed in MMA since he struck Shaun Krysa into submission at a Maximum Fighting Championship show in June 2007. He hopes to return to his fighting weight by the end of the year and could return to action with the TKO promotion. Though Holanda is currently contracted to the MFC, Mark Pavelich, president of the promotion, said recently that he would need to push his record back above .500 before being booked for another fight.

Prior to his victory against Krysa, Holanda threw in the towel after two rounds in a title fight against TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout. While he's a natural lightweight, Holanda has competed at 170 pounds in the past and does not rule out a return to the welterweight class in the future.

"I'll be back for sure," he said. "I plan to fight at least once this year. I think it will probably be with TKO, but I don't know yet."

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LOISEAU SCORES QUICK KO AT ‘RESURRECTION'

UFC veteran David "The Crow" Loiseau knocked out Andrew Buckland in just 20 seconds at Legacy Fighting Championship/Raw Combat: Resurrection on June 20 at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Loiseau (17-8) has now won back-to-back fights.

The finish was the second-fastest of Loiseau's career. The 28-year-old striker knocked out Chris Fontaine in 13 seconds at TKO 16 in May 2004.

In other action, Dan Hornbuckle captured the Raw Combat welterweight championship with a first-round submission. Hornbuckle (16-2) locked in a rear naked choke 3:58 into round one and has now won 14 of his past 15 fights. Khatib (8-3), meanwhile, saw his two-fight winning streak come to an end, as he submitted for just the second time in his career.

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VALIMAKI VICTORIOUS

UFC veteran Victor Valimaki made a successful return on June 20, as he submitted Chester Post with a first-round rear naked choke at King of the Cage: Moment de Verite at the Pierre Charbonneau Centre in Montreal.

The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Valimaki (10-5), who had not competed since he submitted to strikes from Roger Hollett at a Maximum Fighting Championship event in August.

In other action, Tim Hague defended the King of the Cage Canadian heavyweight championship, as he knocked out Jeff Lundburg in the first round. Hague (7-1) has rattled off two straight wins since his split decision loss to Miodrag Petkovic at a Hardcore Championship Fighting event in February. Lundburg (0-3), meanwhile, remains winless in three fights as a professional.

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CANADIAN CALENDAR

• July 19 - King of the Cage: Ex-Calibur, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
• July 25 - Maximum Fighting Championship 17: Hostile Territory, River Cree Resort and Casino, Enoch, Alberta
• July 26 - Freedom Fight: Title Quest, Robert Guertin Arena, Gatineau, Quebec

Canadian Correspondent Mike Russell can be reached via e-mail at gfn@thefightnetwork.com.