Two featherweight match-ups have been added to bolster the depth of UFC 157, including one featuring a pair of former No. 1 contenders.
Fresh off his win at last week’s UFC on FX 6 event, Chad Mendes didn’t wait long for his next assignment. He’s agreed to take on Manvel Gamburayn at the Feb. 23 show, which takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Mendes (13-1) was the more recent of the two to face champ Jose Aldo. He was KO’d with one second left in the first round of their January bout. Since then, he’s rebounded with first-round knockout wins over Cody McKenzie and Yaotzin Meza.
Gamburyan (12-7) lasted longer than Mendes against Aldo, making it 92 seconds into the second round before suffering a knockout loss in Sept. 2010. Afterward, Gamburyan dropped two more fights, falling into a three-bout losing skid before getting back into the win column with a decision over Michihiro Omigawa in August.
Meanwhile, Dennis Bermudez and Matt Grice will be attempting to keep their positive momentum rolling when they square off earlier in the night.
Bermudez (9-3) has captured two straight, with wins over Pablo Garza and Tommy Hayden. Grice (15-4) recently captured his first win at featherweight by beating Leonard Garcia.
Both bouts will be supporting acts for the first-ever UFC women’s main event featuring bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey attempting to defend the belt against Liz Carmouche.