2008 could have been a banner year for MMA veteran Thomas Denny. After bouncing around different local promotions for most of his career, he signed a contract with EliteXC, and much to many pundits surprise, was booked against Nick Diaz in a high-profile fight in Diaz's hometown of Stockton, Calif., on the second EliteXC on CBS telecast in July.

Despite losing to Diaz via second-round TKO, Denny showed a ton of heart, and appeared to have found a home with the upstart promotion. But it was not to be, as EliteXC folded three months later, and "The Wildman" was once again a free agent.

He landed another big fight against returning legend, Pat Miletich, in December, but Denny would end up getting knocked out in the second round. He recently told FanHouse that the knockout could not have come at a worse time in his life.

"I actually left my wife and moved to the gym one week before the Miletich fight after 13 years of marriage," Denny said via e-mail.

"[I] have had a bad last couple years. I was pretending my life was okay, and it really wasn't fair to my fans or the people in the MMA community. I was fighting just to fight, hence the 1-3-0 record in 2008."

After taking the first part of 2009 off, Denny (26-18) looks to get back on the winning track when he faces former UFC fighter, Brandon Wolff, on August 15 at a local show in Ontario, Calif. Wolff (7-4) last fought at UFC 98 in May, losing via guillotine submission to Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

Denny said that a win over a notable name in the welterweight division could help ease the pain from a difficult past year.

"I have maybe a handful of fights left in me. So, I just want to go out there and give the fans what they pay to see.

" ... I am refocused and ready to bring the old 'Wildman' back out."

The old 'Wildman' has fought the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Joe Stevenson and Yves Edwards, but before he hangs up his gloves for good, Denny is hoping to avenge the most notable loss on his 44-fight resume.

"I really would like that rematch with Diaz someday," he said.