Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Dustin Poirier vs. Rani Yahya in the Works for UFC 131

A featherweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Rani Yahya is in the works for UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Poirier (9-1, 1-0 UFC) recently played spoiler in his UFC debut, defeating former number-one contender Josh Grispi by unanimous decision at UFC 125. The fight also marked Poirier's debut at featherweight, after spending the first nine fights of his career at lightweight.

Yahya (16-6, 1-0 UFC) also made a successful UFC debut in his last bout, defeating former featherweight champion Mike Brown by unanimous decision at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2. The win snapped a two-fight skid for Yahya, who came to the UFC with a 4-4 mark in the WEC as a bantamweight.

Poirier last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision) Josh Grispi - UFC 125: Resolution (01/01/2011)
Win (TKO - Punches) Zach Micklewright - WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki (11/11/2010)
Loss (Unanimous Decision) Danny Castillo - WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez (08/18/2010)

Yahya last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision) Mike Brown - UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 (01/22/2011)
Loss (Unanimous Decision) Takeya Mizugaki - WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber (04/24/2010)
Loss (TKO - Punches) Joseph Benavidez - WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff (12/19/2009)

Props: Heavy.com

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes in the Works for UFC 131

Former lightweight contender Kenny Florian revealed that he will make his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes at UFC 131.

Florian (14-5, 11-4 UFC) recently came up short in his third bid for a lightweight title shot, dropping a unanimous decision to Gray Maynard at UFC 118. The Ultimate Fighter 1 finalist had expressed a desire to immediately face the best that the featherweight division has to offer.

Nunes (16-1, 1-0 UFC) certainly fits that bill. After a 4-1 mark in the WEC, Nunes made a successful UFC debut at UFC 125, defeating former featherweight champion Mike Brown by split decision.

Florian last three fights:
Loss (Unanimous Decision) Gray Maynard - UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 (08/28/2010)
Win (Submission - Rear-Naked Choke) Takanori Gomi - UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi (03/31/2010)
Win (Submission - Rear-Naked Choke) Clay Guida - UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez (12/12/2009)

Nunes last three fights:
Win (Split Decision) Mike Brown - UFC 125: Resolution (01/01/2011)
Win (Unanimous Decision) Tyler Toner - WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan (09/30/2010)
Win (Split Decision) Raphael Assuncao - WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus (06/20/2010)

Props: MMA Live