UFC 181 gets a big fight, both figuratively and literally, in the form of two top heavyweights Travis Browne and Brendan Schaub. It joins title fights Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort and Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez on the card.
UFC officials confirmed the news on Tuesday.
Browne (16-2-1) was on the cusp of a title shot before losing to Fabricio Werdum by decision in the main even of UFC on FOX 11 in Orlando. 7-2-1 since joining the UFC 2010, Browne was riding a 3-fight win streak before heading into the #1 contender fight with Werdum. The three wins included knockout victories over Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett and Gabriel Gonzaga. All three of those wins would earn him ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors. He was the favorite heading into the main event fight with Werdum, but would be outstruck throughout five rounds after knocking down the Brazilian in round 1. He suffered a broken hand and rib at some point in the very first round.
Schaub (10-4) was a finalist on season 10 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. He would lose to Roy Nelson in the finals by knockout in round 1. In his latest outing he dropped a rather uneventful split decision to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 174 in Vancouver. Heading into the fight he was riding a 2-fight win streak, with wins over Matt Mitrione and Lavar Johnson. He outwrestled Johnson en route to a dominant decision victory, and choked Matt Mitrione out cold in Toronto at UFC 165.
The bouts placement on the card is unknown at this time, but expect it to be contested on the main card.
UFC 181 is set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on December 6. It will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort.
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