Up-to-the-minute news about UFC 158, taking place Saturday, March 16 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. All bouts listed below have been verbally agreed to by both fighters.
An injury has forced bantamweight Jonny Eduardo out of his planned bout next weekend against Yves Jabouin. No replacement bout will be made.
Bantamweight Bout Added to 158
updated February 21
Bantamweights George Roop and Reuben Duran will fight March 16th at UFC 158 in Montreal.
Marquardt to Make His UFC Return in Montreal
updated February 19
Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate "The Great" Marquardt will return to the Octagon to face #6-ranked UFC welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158 March 16 in Montreal. Marquardt replaces Johny Hendricks, who was tapped to fight Carlos Condit when Rory MacDonald was forced out of that bout at the same event.
In other Montreal fight news, Mitch Gagnon is out due to injury and TJ Dillashaw is now stepping in take on Issei Tamura in that bantamweight bout.
Hendricks in for Injured MacDonald vs. Condit
updated February 18
UFC 158's welterweight tournament will continue -- with a slight reshuffling of the participants -- as Rory MacDonald has been injured and forced out of his anticipated rematch with Carlos Condit.
Stepping up to face Condit in Montreal will be heavy-hitting Johny Hendricks, who had originally been pitted against fellow slugger Jake Ellenberger. A new opponent for Ellenberger will be announced shortly.
Toronto Fighter Out of Montreal Bout
updated February 6
Toronto's Sean Pierson has been forced out of his UFC 158 bout; stepping in to the welterweight battle with Rick Story in his place is 20-2 Strikeforce transplant Quinn Mulhern
TUF's 'Freakshow' Meets 'The Martian' in Montreal
updated January 22
Two 2012 Ultimate Fighter finalists will collide as TUF Smashes’ Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher has verbally agreed to take on TUF 16's Mike "The Martian" Ricci at UFC 158 March 16 in Ricci's hometown of Montreal.
Pierson, Carvalho, Gagnon Get Home-Turf Bouts
updated January 21
Verbal agreements are in for three more bouts at UFC 158 featuring the best Canadian fighters.
Rick "The Horror" Story and Toronto’s Sean "The Punisher" Pierson will join the five other welterweight bouts at UFC 158.
Canada's best featherweight, Antonio Carvalho, will meet fellow top contender Darren Elkins; at bantamweight, Sudbury, Ontario's Mitch Gagnon will take on Japan's Issei Tamura
Canada Card Stacked with Strikers
updated January 7
After loading up on welterweight match-ups, UFC 158 has begun to spread its fight card wings by adding three fights in other weight classes.
Coming off of three straight wins, middleweight Chris Camozzi has verbally agreed to face Calgary's 13-1 Nick "The Promise" Ring
Kickboxers Daron "The Detroit Superstar" Cruickshank and Montreal’s own John "The Bull" Makdessi will clash in what promises to be a lightweight firefight.
Plus in 135-pound action, Yves Jabouin -- another product of Montreal -- goes head-to-head against fellow striker Johnny Eduardo.
Verbal agreements are in for all three bouts.
Dan Miller to Welcome Mein to the UFC
updated January 4
UFC 158 has added a fifth welterweight bout to its powerhouse roster of 170-pounders as Canadian Jordan "Young Gun" Mein has verbally agreed to make his UFC debut against 11-time UFC veteran Dan Miller, a New Jersey native known for his toughness.
Mein, a 23-year-old Albertan, comes in with a record of 24-8 including victories over veterans Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Joe Riggs, Marius Zaromskis, Josh Burkman and Forrest Petz.
Cote Joins Welterweight All-Stars at UFC 158
updated December 21
Shortly after the announcement of the UFC 158 rematch between Alessio Sakara and Patrick "The Predator" Côté, Sakara was forced to withdraw from the bout for health reasons.
Perhaps inspired by the welterweight lineup on the rest of the card, Cote then announced that he would be moving to 170 pounds. Montrealer Cote has verbally agreed to make his divisional debut at that event against "Vicious" Bobby Voelker.
GSP vs. Diaz Heads Up WW Tripleheader on Mar. 16 in Montreal
updated December 15
Fresh off unifying the welterweight title in November following an 18-month absence due to injury, UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre returns to Montreal’s Bell Centre on March 16, 2013 to face former STRIKEFORCE® champion Nick Diaz. St-Pierre (23-2) has scored 10 consecutive victories in his dominant reign atop the 170-pound division but no other opponent has motivated him as much as the fiery and unpredictable Diaz.
In addition to St-Pierre-Diaz, four more of the UFC®’s top-10 welterweights will clash at the Bell Centre while one fighter gets a shot at redemption following a controversial disqualification loss at the same venue just four months removed.
With his recent dominating win over legend BJ Penn, Rory MacDonald (14-1) looks to avenge his only career loss against former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit (28-6). The pair met at UFC® 115 in a bout that saw Condit come from behind and register a third-round TKO win with mere seconds remaining.
Not to be overshadowed, title-hungry Johny Hendricks (14-1), coming off his recent Montreal knockout win over welterweight Martin Kampmann, will be looking to cement his place as number one contender as he meets the always-dangerous Jake Ellenberger (28-6).
Adding to the evening action will be middleweight Alessio Sakara (19-10, 1 NC), who gets a shot at revenge against hometown favorite Patrick Côté (19-8). The pair met at UFC® 154 in Montreal in a bout that saw Sakara suffer a disqualification loss for landing multiple strikes to the back of Côté’s head.