UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 19, 2011, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

This event was expected to take place in Abu Dhabi, the promotion's first return to the United Arab Emirates since UFC 112. However, the organization scrapped the idea after a suitable location for the event could not be finalized in time, since the temporary venue that hosted UFC 112 had been dismantled.

A bout between Tito Ortiz and Antônio Rogério Nogueira, was linked to this event, but was moved to headline UFC Fight Night 24.

A bout between Brendan Schaub and Frank Mir was expected for this event. However, Schaub ended up fighting Mirko Filipović.

A bout between Chael Sonnen and Yoshihiro Akiyama was briefly reported but Sonnen plead guilty to federal charges of money laundering and had his contract placed on hold by the UFC.Nate Marquardt was then signed to compete against Akiyama. However, on March 12, it was announced that Yoshihiro Akiyama had to pull out of his fight with Nate Marquardt due to the tragedy in Japan. Dana White then announced via Twitter that Dan Miller would be stepping up from the prelimary fights to replace Akiyama on the main card. Miller's original opponent Nick Catone instead faced UFC newcomer Costantinos Philippou in a 195 pound catchweight bout.

Dana White (born July 28, 1969) is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.

Born in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969, White grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ware, Massachusetts and Levant, Maine. White is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Boston and Maine. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not finish; however, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city youth.

White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank bought the UFC, with White installed as its president. White currently owns about 9% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.

Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɑs ˈrʏtən]; born February 24, 1965) is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist, Karate and Taekwondo blackbelt, and kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak (21 wins, 1 draw). He is currently the star of Punk Payback on Fuel TV and co-host of Inside MMA on HDNet.

As a fighter, one of his favorite tactics was the liver shot (both punch and kick), and he popularized its use in MMA. Rutten is known for his charisma and has capitalized on his celebrity since retiring from fighting in 1999. He has worked as a color commentator in several MMA organizations, including Pride, and has appeared in numerous television shows, movies, and video games. He also coaches MMA and has authored several instructional materials.

Rutten was born in Tilburg, Netherlands and developed from the age of 6 a skin disease, named eczema, and severe asthma. Because of the skin disease he always had to wear long sleeves, turtle necks and gloves to protect him from showing his skin, his asthma made him very skinny and because of all this he was bullied on a daily basis as a kid. Rutten found refuge in climbing trees at a forrest behind his house, when bullies would chase him, he would climb in a tree and could swing from tree top to tree top, which made it impossible for bullies to follow pursued.

Urijah Christopher Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC 36 on November 5, 2008. As of November 2011, Faber is ranked the #2 bantamweight in the world by Sherdog.

Faber is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under Fabio "Pateta" Prado, who, under Carlson Gracie Jr., is a 5th degree black belt.

Faber was born on May 14, 1979, in Isla Vista, California, to Theo and Suzanne Faber, and grew up in Lincoln. He is of Dutch descent on his fathers side and Italian descent on his mothers side.^{[citation needed]} He went to Glen Edwards Middle School for Jr. High and Lincoln High School for high school. He has two siblings, an older brother named Ryan and a younger sister named Michaella. His sister almost died after a Thanksgiving 2011 car accident. Faber graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelors degree in human development.

Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist from Niagara Falls, New York, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to then undefeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. As of November 2011, Evans is currently ranked as the #3 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog and Yahoo! Sports.

Wrestling out of Niagra Wheatfield High School, Evans twice made it to the state finals tournament of New York by winning his weight class for his county, in which he received All-State honors both times. In 1997 he placed 4th in the state at 145 pounds. In 1998 he placed 4th in the state at 171 pounds. In 1999 he entered the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships for the 165 pound weight class in which he finished in 4th place. Competing once again at this tournament in 2000, he was the champion of the 165 pound weight class.