A pair of new matchups has been added to April's UFC 159 event as Phil Davis (10-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets Vinny Magalhaes (10-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a light heavyweight affair, while Cheick Kongo (18-7-2 MMA, 11-5-1 UFC) faces Roy Nelson (18-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a heavyweight contest.
UFC officials announced the two bouts on Tuesday's new edition of "UFC Tonight."
UFC 159, which features a title fight between light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and "The Ultimate Fighter 17" fellow head coach Chael Sonnen, takes place April 27 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view, and while UFC officials did not reveal where the new matchups would appear on the evening's lineup, both appear worthy of main-card consideration.
The Davis vs. Magalhaes matchup was booked after both fighters openly lobbied for the matchup. Magalhaes started the talk on Twitter, and "Mr. Wonderful" was quick to accept the challenge.
Davis looks to build on the success of a second-round submission win over Wagner Prado in a rematch of the pair's August 2012 meeting that ended in a no contest after the Brazilian couldn't continue after an accidental eyepoke.
Meanwhile, Magalhaes currently boasts a six-fight win streak that includes a September 2012 win over Igor Pokrajac at UFC 152. That bout represented Magalhaes' first win in the octagon after a 2008 run on "The Ultimate Fighter 8" ended with two official UFC losses.
Kongo fights for the first time since a July win over Shawn Jordan at UFC 149. While the fight proved a lackluster affair, it did allow the French striker to rebound from a surprising UFC 144 loss to Mark Hunt. With the result, Kongo is 4-1-1 in his past six fights.
Meanwhile, Nelson looks to build on the strength of back-to-back first-round knockouts of Matt Mitrione and Dave Herman. While "Big Country" had struggled through a 1-3 run that left some wondering if he might consider a move to light heavyweight, Nelson has now reversed courses and is 3-1 in his past four outings.
http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/01/davis-vs-magalhaes-kongo-vs-nelson-added-to-ufc-159Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy Added to UFC 159 in New JerseyThe fantasy matchmaking created by bringing Strikeforce lightweights into the UFC continued on Tuesday night when the company announced a battle between Jim Miller and Pat Healy at UFC 159.
Healy was twice removed from a Strikeforce title fight against Gilbert Melendez when his opponent pulled out due to injury. The Team Quest fighter voiced his belief that Melendez faked the injuries in order to avoid fighting him and moving into the UFC as champion.
Currently, Healy is riding incredible momentum after picking up six straight wins under the Strikeforce banner. A scrap with Miller is a quality matchup for a fighter who didn't have a guaranteed job heading into the promotion's final card.
Miller is a New Jersey native who is fighting in his home state for the fourth time since joining the UFC. Currently, the jiu-jitsu expert has won nine of his last 11 bouts and is fresh off of a UFC 155 victory over Joe Lauzon in 2012's fight of the year.
UFC 159 takes place on Saturday, April 27 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The card is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and loud-mouthed challenger Chael Sonnen.
Other fights for that card which were also announced on Tuesday include a heavyweight matchup between Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson, as well as a light heavyweight fight between Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes (mmajunkie.com).
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1507773-jim-miller-vs-pat-healy-added-to-ufc-159-in-new-jersey
