A pair of lightweight bouts have been added to the upcoming UFC 142 card on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout faces Thiago Tavares, while Terry Etim clashes with Edson Barboza. Both bouts were officially announced earlier today.
Stout and Tavares are both coming off of knockout wins in their most recent bouts at UFC 131 and 134, respectively. Etim returned from a lengthy injury hiatus and destroyed Edward “Falo” Faaloloto at UFC 138, while Barboza remains unbeaten at 9-0 and has won all three of his bouts in the Octagon.
Stout (17-6-1) picked up one of his bigger wins to date when he knocked out veteran Yves “Thugjitsu Master” Edwards in June, but has been on the sidelines while mourning the passing of brother-in-law and long-time trainer Shawn Tompkins. The talented striker has finished ten of his opponents to date and has won four of his last five fights. A victory in January could place Stout on a short list of title contenders in the ever-changing lightweight division.
Tavares (16-4-1) has struggled at times in the UFC, but he has lost just once in his last five Octagon appearances. The jiu-jitsu specialist earned just the second TKO win of his career in August when he stopped Spencer “The King” Fisher and holds 11 wins by tapout. While Tavares’s chin has failed him in recent bouts with Matt Wiman and Shane Roller, his ground game poses a threat to most others in the lightweight ranks and he will look for a big win in his home country next year.
Etim (15-3-0) will make a quick return to action after his swift victory this past weekend. Sidelined for over a year and a half following an April 2010 loss to Rafael dos Anjos, Etim stepped back into the cage at UFC 138 and needed just 17 seconds to submit Faaloloto with a guillotine choke. All but one of his wins have come by stoppage, with 12 submissions to his credit, and the loss to dos Anjos was the first and only time that he had been stopped. As one of England’s top prospects, Etim will now look to hand Barboza his first defeat.
Barboza (9-0-0) is renowned for his devastating leg kicks and varied striking arsenal. Six of his first seven fights ended in knockout wins, and Barboza’s success has extended to the UFC with three big victories. This year, Barboza has earned decisions over fellow strikers Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson, and he will take another step up in competition to face Etim. Barboza’s submission defence may be put to the test, but he should hold a decided striking and power advantage over his British foe.
UFC 142 takes place on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event features a UFC Featherweight Championship bout between current champion José “Scarface” Aldo and undefeated challenger Chad “Money” Mendes.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)