The most controversial fighter in mixed martial arts may finally compete inside the Octagon, as world-travelled Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel is set to make his UFC debut against rising heavyweight star Junior “Cigano” dos Santos at UFC 108 on January 2nd in Las Vegas.
Yvel, a 13-year veteran of MMA who holds a ridiculous 31 victories by way of knockout, is most famous for his bad boy antics over the years, which has included three disqualification losses for biting, eye gouging and knocking out a referee after an unfavourable ruling.
At 36-13-1, 1 NC and with all of his victories coming by stoppage – most via brutal first-round knockouts – Yvel has been one of the most feared fighters in MMA for many years and his highlight reel features a series of vicious fight-ending kicks and punches.
However, Yvel’s controversial behaviour had prevented him from receiving a fighter’s licence in the United States until this January when he submitted to strikes against Josh Barnett at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning.”
Yvel rebounded with a devastating knockout over former UFC and PRIDE star Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo in late June and will look to validate his oft-criticised career when he debuts in the UFC.
Dos Santos (9-1-0) rose to instant stardom in the UFC with his shocking stoppage of top challenger Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum at UFC 90 and went on to defeat Stefan Struve in just 54 seconds at UFC 95.
However, it was his most recent bout, a third-round victory over 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix Champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, that placed dos Santos among the top contenders in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Like Yvel, dos Santos has won all of his fights by stoppage, but he will be giving up a tremendous amount of experience to the battle-tested veteran and will need to be wary of Yvel’s “hurricane-like” strikes.
The likelihood that a fight between Yvel and dos Santos goes the distance hovers somewhere around “not a chance” and it is all but assured that a first-round highlight-reel knockout will end things in dramatic fashion.
Whether Yvel can make the most of his golden opportunity remains to be seen, but he is still an incredibly dangerous opponent for anyone in the heavyweight division and could end dos Santos’s climb up the ranks with a single punch or kick.
For dos Santos, a win over the feared Yvel would add another top name to his growing résumé and could potentially put him in line for a title (or interim title) shot.
Fans should avoid blinking their eyes at all costs during the fight or they will likely miss an incredible knockout to kick off 2010 in style.
UFC 108 takes place on January 2, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.