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UFC lightweights Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner each suffered decisive and disappointing losses in their last bouts, but one of them will bounce back on Dec. 15. The UFC announced on Thursday that the two will square off on The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale event in Las Vegas.
Guillard suffered a knockout loss against former training partner Donald Cerrone at UFC 150 in Denver, a loss that came shortly after he nearly scored a knockout win of his own in the first round. The loss was his third in his last four bouts, a poor stretch after posting five straight wins in the previous five.
For Varner, he returned to the UFC with an upset win over Edson Barboza earlier this year, then took on Joe Lauzon at UFC on Fox 4 in August. The fight was a "Fight of the Year" candidate, with Varner well on his way to a victory before Lauzon snatched a come-from-behind submission win in the third and final round.
In addition to that fight, the UFC announced that TUF: Live contestants Mike Rio and John Cofer will square off on the card.
Penick's Analysis: This is a fight where both fighters are likely to keep their spot regardless of consecutive losses, and that's because it should be a fantastic matchup. Varner's past history with Cerrone from the WEC makes him an appealing option for Guillard, and the exciting fights both fighters are capable of putting together make this just an excellent matchup for FX.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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