Originally scheduled to face each other in August, the welterweight battle fans have been waiting for will land in Las Vegas on January 31, as Muay Thai wrecking machine Thiago "Pitbull" Alves continues his comeback against Canada's Jordan Mein on the UFC 183 card headlined by Anderson Silva's return against Nick Diaz.
A member of the UFC roster since 2005 who challenged Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight crown in 2009, Alves has been hampered by injuries over the last few years, but in April he made a triumphant return with a Fight of the Night winning performance against Seth Baczynski. And though he was forced out of a UFC Fight Night bout against Mein in August due to injury, Alberta's "Young Gun" did show up in Tulsa, blasting out veteran Mike Pyle in just 72 seconds to pick up his second consecutive win and a Performance of the Night bonus. Expect more fireworks from both strikers when they meet in Vegas in January.
