Fans who have already bought tickets to The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale card on Dec. 15 in Las Vegas just had a fireworks show added to the festivities.
It comes in the form of a lightweight bout between bangers Jamie Varner and Melvin Guillard. UFC.com reported on the bout on Thursday.
It’s been an action-packed year for Varner (20-7-1, 2 no-contests), who returned to the UFC on short notice in May and scored a sensational upset TKO win over previously unbeaten Edson Barboza. Varner then came up just short in a thriller against Joe Lauzon at UFC on FOX 4 in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. Varner tapped out in the third round of a bout that is sure to finish high on most Fight of the Year lists.
Guillard (30-11-2, 1 no-contest), meanwhile, is no stranger to the Octagon, as his meeting with the former WEC lightweight champ will mark his 19th UFC bout. A notoriously streaky fighter, Guillard is coming off a memorable sprint of a fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 150. In that one, Guillard nearly knocked out Cerrone right away, only to have Cerrone regain his bearings and finish Guillard with a head kick in just 1:16.
Win or lose, these guys rarely go the distance: 24 of their combined 30 Zuffa fights have ended via finish (14 of 18 for Guillard; 10 of 12 for Varner).