Stephan Bonnar (12-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC), finalist in the original season of "The Ultimate Fighter," returns to where it all began.
Well, kind of.
While he'll compete at a different venue that the night of his legendary April 2005 battle with Forrest Griffin, Bonnar will fight Igor Pokrajac (22-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in Las Vegas on a live finale of "The Ultimate Fighter." This time, it's the soon-to-debut 12th season.
News of the intended matchup was first reported on Friday by "MMA Live's" Jon Anik. MMAjunkie.com has since confirmed that verbal agreements are in place, though contracts have yet to be distributed.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale has not yet been officially announced by the organization but is expected to take place Dec. 4 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The main card airs live on Spike TV.
Bonnar returns to the cage on the strength of a much-needed win over Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 116. The "Fight of the Night" effort saw a gritty Bonnar at his finest, and the positive result snapped a three-fight losing streak for the "TUF 1" veteran.
The fight is Bonnar's first appearance on a "TUF" finals card since his runner-up finish on the original season. That card was contested at Las Vegas' Cox Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Pokrajac also recently delivered in a must-win situation by submitting James Irvin at August's UFC on Versus 2 event.
The 31-year-old Croatian was granted a rare third shot at a first UFC win after losing to James Te Huna and Vladimir Matyushenko in his first two octagon appearances.
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/20538/stephan ... finale.mma