The UFC on Friday announced a trio of fights for December’s UFC on FOX 26 card in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Having just announced the main event of Robbie Lawler vs. Rafael dos Anjos (which UFC President Dana White claimed would be a title eliminator at Friday’s UFC 217 press conference in Toronto), the three bouts help shape the final Canadian card of the year.
First up, the return of former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. After reports circulated last month regarding the return of Aldo in December against Ricardo Lamas, the UFC has decided to make it official. The pair will square off on the main card of UFC Winnipeg, and for Lamas (18-5), it’s a chance to avenge his UFC 169 loss to the ex-champ. Since that 2014 fight, Lamas has gone 5-2, and will roll into UFC on FOX 26 on a two fight win streak. In both those bouts, against Jason Knight and Charles Oliveira, Lamas picked up finishes.
Aldo (26–3) has fought just four times since that night, going 2-2 over that stretch, with a number of other fights falling through due to injury. He most recently lost his UFC featherweight title for the second time, this time to Max Holloway. Prior to that, he had defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 to gain an interim featherweight title (later promoted to the full title) after losing his belt to Conor McGregor at UFC 194.
Also added to the UFC Winnipeg card, “Platinum” Mike Perry will take on Santiago Ponzinibbio. Argentina’s Ponzinibbio (25–3) is coming off a controversial finish over Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 113, while Perry (11–1) knocked out short-notice replacement Alex Reyes at UFC Fight Night 116 last month.
The third fight added to the UFC on Fox 26 card Friday features Canadian Jordan Mein (29–12) taking on Brazil’s Erick Silva. Just twenty-eight years old, Mein is a veteran of over forty fights, but has lost three straight. He briefly retired at the start of 2015, but returned to action late last year, losing to Emil Weber Meek at UFC 206 in Toronto. In his last outing, he dropped a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad at UFC 213. Silva (19–8 (1)), meanwhile, is 1-3 in his last four.
