TUF 16 Finale gets Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier, Tim Elliott vs. Jared Papazian
by MMAjunkie.com Staff
A featherweight matchup of Jonathan Brookins (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs. Dustin Poirier (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and a flyweight contest of Tim Elliott (8-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jared Papazian (14-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) are the latest two additions to The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.
UFC officials recently announced the new matchups.
Verbal agreements are in for both contests, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly. It has not been revealed where the bouts will be scheduled on the evening's fight card.
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale takes place Dec. 15 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and features a five-round main event heavyweight bout between the season's two coaches, Shane Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Roy Nelson (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC). In addition, the TUF 16 Finale will include the welterweight finals of this season's show, which currently airs on Friday nights on FX.
"The Ultimate Fighter 12 winner" Brookins fights for the first time since a June loss to Charles Oliveira. The 27-year-old, who won his "TUF" title while competing as a lightweight, is just 1-2 in his stint as a 145-pounder and is likely in need of a statement victory if he hopes to remain a contender in the UFC's featherweight division.
Meanwhile, Poirier fights for the first time since his "Fight of the Year" candidate submission loss to Chan Sung Jung at UFC on FUEL TV 2. Prior to the loss, Poirier had been riding a five-fight win streak and was earning real consideration as a title contender. Also a former lightweight, Poirier is 4-1 as a featherweight and the Tim Credeur protege recently made the move to American Top Team.
Elliott makes his second trip to the octagon and is still in search of his first UFC win. The Kansas native made his promotional debut in May and lost a unanimous decision to John Dodson. At 25 years old, Elliott is currently best known for a December 2011 knockout of MMA legend Jens Pulver.
Elliott now meets Papazian, who had been jawing with fellow lightweight Ulysses Gomez on Twitter but will take this matchup, instead. The 24-year-old gets a rare third chance at a first UFC win after dropping his first two contests in the organization to Dustin Pague and Mike Easton. Prior to his current skid, Papazian had been 8-1 in his previous nine appearances on the regional circuit.
Click to expand...