Two light heavyweights looking to snap out of two-fight losing skids have been booked for a November meeting.
That's when Ryan Bader (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Jason Brilz (18-4-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will meet at UFC 139, officials today announced.
UFC 139 takes place Nov. 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The night's main card, including an expected heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and top contender Junior Dos Santos, airs on pay-per-view.
It's not clear if Bader vs. Brilz will be part of the broadcast. However, as MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) first reported earlier today, the event will get a "UFC Prelims" special on Spike TV. Bader, who won "The Ultimate Fighter 8," certainly is a possibility for the broadcast.
Bader, who was within arm's reach of a title shot following a 12-0 start to his career, now finds himself in a must-win situation following submission losses to now-champ Jon Jones at UFC 126 and former titleholder Tito Ortiz at UFC 132. The two-time Division I All-American wrestler had picked up wins over notables Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira before the recent skid.
Brilz, meanwhile, made his UFC debut in 2008 and won three of his first four fights. In fact, the four-year NCAA Division II wrestler's only defeat came via close split decision to Eliot Marshall. But in his two most recent bouts, he's suffered additional losses to Nogueira (via controversial split decision), and – following a yearlong layoff due to injuries – Vladimir Matyushenko (20-second knockout) back in April at UFC 129.
