Ian Loveland is currently ranked 23rd in the world at bantamweight according to the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Jabouin is currently unranked. That's kind of weird, since Loveland hasn't actually ever won a fight at bantamweight, but whatever. Loveland has only fought once at BW and this is Jabouin's first fight there. This bantamweight UFC 134 fight will take place on the preliminary card, which will be streamed live on Facebook. The Facebook stream begins at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Jabouin: 32 years old | 5'6" | 68" reach
Loveland: 27 years old | 5'8" | 70" reach
What have these two done recently?
Jabouin: L - Pablo Garza (SUB) | W - Brandon Visher (UD) | L - Mark Hominick (TKO)
Loveland: L - Joseph Benavidez (UD) | W- Tyler Toner (UD) | W - Xavier Desrochers (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Yves "Tiger" Jabouin is a Canadian fighter that has always been known for his vicious standup. He was brought into the WEC in late 2009 and dropped a close split decision to fellow UFC 134 fighter Raphael Assuncao. He apparently impressed enough people to be given a shot at fellow Canadian striker Mark Hominick at WEC 49, and what a fight it was. The first round was a great display of striking from both, but the second round was just insane. Hominick dropped Yves with a body shot. Yves got up and crumpled Hominick with a punch immediately after. Jabouin went into for the kill, but was immediately swept and pounded out by Hominick. Folks, I implore you to go watch this fight if you haven't already. After one more WEC win, he was brought into the UFC and lost to a crazy flying triangle at UFC 129 after initially dominating. He's now decided to go down to 135 to see if he can stay in the UFC.
Ian "The Barn Owl" Loveland is your typical Team Quest fighter - he started out as a grinding wrestler and got submitted a few times, then was able to even out his game and has turned into a solid fighter. He managed to win six fights in a row, which earned him a late-replacement spot on the TUF 13 Finale against Tyler Toner. He dominated Toner bell-to-bell, picking up unanimous decision victory in which one judge gave him a 30-26. After that win, he decided he would be most competitive at bantamweight and made the drop to face top 135er Joseph Benavidez. Despite a distinct size advantage, Loveland dropped a unanimous decision to him. He now looks to find his groove and pick up his first BW win against Jabouin.
Why should you care?
Do you like the mythical force of nature referred to as "stand and bang"? Well you've come to the right place. These two are going to duke it out on the feet until one guy falls down. Loveland is a wrestler, but he won't be able to turn down the chance to chuck knuckles. And just for the record, "chuck knuckles" is a really, really lame term.
