Brandon Thatch vs. John Howard Added To UFC 189
Looking to rebound from a disappointing submission loss to late replacement welterweight Benson Henderson in the main event of February’s UFC Fight Night 60, Brandon Thatch will meet veteran John Howard at July 11’s stacked UFC 189 pay-per-view (PPV).
The fight was confirmed by UFC Tonight this evening:
It’s official; Brandon Thatch vs. John Howard has been booked for UFC 189 in Las Vegas.
— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) April 2, 2015
Formerly hyped prospect Thatch came into his pressure-filled bout with former lightweight champion Henderson with two dominant wins over Paulo Thiago and Justin Edwards, but then spent just over 15 months recuperating from various nagging injuries.
He’ll face what could be deemed a rebound opponent in Howard, a tough and wily competitor who has now dropped three straight. “Doomsday” was last seen losing a first round TKO to former middleweight Lorenz Larkin at UFC Fight Night 59. Before that he lost consecutive decisions to Brian Ebersole and Ryan LaFlare.
The fight joins the recently announced Gunnar Nelson vs. John Hathaway bout to make UFC 189 a sort of showcase for up-and-coming welterweight talents.
Set to go down from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, UFC 189 of course features the heated grudge match between longtime champion Jose Aldo and loudmouth challenger Conor McGregor, and Robbie Lawler will defend his welterweight title for the first time against Rory MacDonald in the co-main event.
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