A pair of intriguing lighter-weight fights have been added to the UFC’s Super Bowl weekend extravaganza.
In a flyweight bout, Joseph Benavidez will tangle with Ian McCall. At lightweight, Evan Dunham will square off with Gleison Tibau. The company announced the fights on Thursday.
Both Benavidez (19-3) and McCall (15-3-1) are looking for a rebound after losses to current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. McCall fought Johnson twice in 2012, the first a disputed draw in the semifinals of the flyweight title tourney, the second a unanimous decision won by Johnson on June 8. Benavidez, meanwhile, dropped a split decision to Johnson at UFC 152 in Toronto in the fight which determined the UFC’s first 125-pound champ. The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for the Team Alpha Male fighter.
Tibau, meanwhile, is an American Top Team fighter and a UFC mainstay since 2006. Tibau (26-8) has fought 17 times in the company, and while he’s had his share of wins and losses, he’s developed decent momentum over the past two years, with four wins in his past five fights.
Dunham, an Xtreme Couture fighter, was at one point 11-0, but he’s dropped three of his past five fights. His last two bouts, a win over Nik Lentz and a loss to T.J. Grant, earned Fight of the Night honors on their respective cards.
UFC 156 will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 2 and features a main event of featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs. former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.