The UFC just added a lot of pop to its latest Montreal fight card.
On Thursday, the company announced two new fights for UFC 186. The four new competitors have 37 knockout wins among them. MMAJunkie.com first reported the news of the two fight announcements.
#UFC186 adds unbeaten @ThomasalmeidaCB facing @TigerJabouin and @AbelTrujillo1 facing @JohnMakdessiMMA. Story: http://t.co/hIwgIpRIsw
— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2015
Montreal native John Makdessi and Abel Trujillo will face off in a lightweight contest. Makdessi (12-3) has eight professional knockout wins, though he has not fought in over a year. His last bout was a decision loss to Alan Patrick, though many observers were surprised by that outcome.
Trujillo (12-6) owns five knockouts and trains with the well-known Blackzilians team in Florida. In his last contest, he was submitted by Tony Ferguson. He had won two straight—both by knockout—prior to that loss.
In a bantamweight contest, promising prospect Thomas Almeida tangles with Montrealer Yves Jabouin. In his UFC debut last November, the 23-year-old Brazilian bested veteran Tim Gorman by decision. Almeida is now 17-0 overall, with 13 of those wins coming by knockout.
Jabouin (20-9) has 11 knockouts to his name and trains alongside luminaries like Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald in Montreal’s famed TriStar Gym.
I also like Thomas Almeida vs. Yves Jabouin. Good step up from Almeida. These bantamweight prospects are moving along
— Jason Coles (@MMASun) February 5, 2015
UFC 186 comes at an interesting time for MMA in Canada. In December, the UFC announced it had struck a new broadcast television deal for its events. It will now work with TSN and RDS after leaving Rogers Sportsnet, its longtime television home north of the border.
And it appears there could be plenty of combat fireworks on on April 25, when UFC 186 is scheduled to go down at Montreal’s Bell Centre. The main event is scheduled to feature a bantamweight title rematch between champion T.J. Dillashaw and challenger Renan Barao. In the co-main event, popular welterweight and TriStar mainstay MacDonald will take on another knockout artist in Hector Lombard.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson also is scheduled to make his UFC return at the event, facing unabashed brawler Fabio Maldonado.
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