Two Bouts Added To The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale On Dec. 15

(Photo by Eric Jamison via Associated Press)

With less than two months until the event, The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale fight card is quickly filling up with the recent addition of two new bouts.

First, in featherweight bout that carries a lot of potential, “The Ultimate Fighter” season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins returns to the octagon against Dustin Poirier. And secondly, in flyweight action, Tim Elliott looks for his first UFC win against the always-tough Jared Papazian.

UFC officials confirmed both bouts for the Dec. 15 fight card over the weekend.

Brookins (13-5) is in need of a victory after being submitted by Charles Oliveira last June. The defeat dropped Brookins’ overall UFC record to 2-2 and moved him to 1-2 in the UFC since dropping to the featherweight division. The strength of the 27-year-old lays in the grappling department, but Brookins showed in his win over Vagner Rocha two fights ago that he carries knockout power in his hands as well.

Poirier (12-2) had his surge up the featherweight ladder brought to an abrupt halt by Chan Sung Jung at UFC on FUEL TV 3 in May when he was on the wrong end of a brutal beating at the hands of the Korean. At 23-years old, Poirier is one of the brightest prospects in the world at 145-pounds and has only lost once in five UFC appearances. “The Diamond” has never suffered back-to-back loses and is out to avoid that happening for the first time against Brookins.

Elliott (8-3-1) may have lost his UFC debut to John Dodson earlier this year, however he had his moments in the fight and proved capable of hanging with the best in the world at 125-pounds. The 25-year-old possesses an unorthodox fighting style that confuses a lot of his opponents and allows him to utilize fight-ending techniques. Of his eight career wins, Elliott has finished seven of those opponents.

Papazian (14-8, 1 NC) makes his flyweight debut at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale after fighting his entire career in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions. “The Jackhammer” looked promising in his UFC debut last January, losing a close decision to Mike Easton. In his encore UFC appearance, Dustin Pague quickly submitted the 24-year-old. Currently holding a 0-2 record in the UFC, Papazian gets another shot to at his first UFC win in a brand new weight class.

The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale goes down Dec. 15 from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. A heavyweight bout between “TUF 16″ coaches Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin is expected to headline the event.

The get the latest on The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale, click here. For up-to-date versions of all upcoming fight cards, head over to the rumors section.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.