Two welterweight bouts have been added to the UFC 178 fight card, as Patrick Cote takes on Stephen Thompson and Brian Ebersole returns to the Octagon against John Howard.
UFC officials announced the two match-ups on Monday morning.
Cote (20-8) returned to the UFC in mid 2012 when he lost a very close decision to Cung Le at UFC 148. He rebounded from that loss winning three in a row, most recently a decision victory against fellow TUF Nations coach Kyle Noke in April.
Thompson (9-1) is also riding a three-fight winning streak, with two of those victories being vicious stoppages. Most recently the kickboxer defeated Robert Whittaker via first round TKO at UFC 170 in February. The finish earned “Wonderboy” a $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.
Ebersole (50–16–1, 1NC) arguably has some of the most experience inside the Octagon, however after riding an eleven-fight winning streak, he has since lost two in a row. Both losses came via decision — most recently Ebersole came up short against Rick Story at UFC 167 last November.
Howard (22-9) was dropped from the UFC roster after losing three in a row back in 2011, but made his return after going 6-1 on the regional scene. Since his return he has gone 2-1 with victories against Uriah Hall and Siyar Bahadurzada in his return to welterweight, however most recently he lost a decision to the undefeated Ryan LaFlare.
UFC 178 goes down on September 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson square off for the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Check out the most up-to-date UFC 178 fight card below.
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero
Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Amanda Nunes vs. Cat Zingano
Brian Ebersole vs. John Howard
Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson
