Andre Gusmao vs. Antonio Mendes at UFC 93 (Dublin, Ireland)
From: MMAJunkie.com
A light heavyweight fight between Andre Gusmao (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Antonio Mendes (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been added to UFC 93, an event that takes place Jan. 17 at The 02 in Dublin, Ireland.
The match-up was first reported in the Oct. 13 edition of Wrestling Observer.
The 205-pound match-up complements the night’s main event between light heavyweights Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin, as well as a co-main event of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Mark Coleman.
Gusmao, a former IFL fighter who turned pro in 2006, made his octagon debut earlier this year at UFC 87. Facing late replacement and underdog Jon Jones, Gusmao suffered the first loss of his career: a unanimous-decision defeat.
Mendes, meanwhile, will also look to rebound from a loss in his UFC debut. After stringing together an 11-fight win streak fighting throughout Europe, Mendes debuted at UFC 84 and suffered a first-round submission loss (via strikes) to top 205-pound contender Thiago Silva.
UFC 93 will air on pay per view. The Gusmao-Mendes fight will likely end up on the night’s un-aired preliminary card.
Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Ivan Serati vs. TBA
Andre Gusmao vs. Antonio Mendes
Abdul Mohamed vs. TBA