UFC 86 Fight Card Update

The UFC has upped the ante with their UFC 86 event today, adding two big match ups to the main fight card and one bout to the preliminary card.

In a match up that has co-main event written all over it, Patrick "The Predator" Cote will square off against dangerous Jiu-Jitsu master, Ricardo Almeida in a middleweight bout. This highly competitive fight could easily be "fight of the night". Cote is on a recent come back tear knocking out his last two opponents, Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries, in the first round via punches.

Patrick, who’s ground skills are somewhat overlooked due to his striking capabilities, will definitely be tested versus the "Big Dog" who’s ground game is impeccable. Almeida made waves with his recent return to the octagon after a four year hiatus, destroying Rob Yundt with a guillotine that took just a little over a minute. With his precision jiu-jitsu and top notch cardio, the rest of the division has surely taken notice.

Almeida knows that a win over the revitalized Cote will bring him one step closer to a shot at the title and one step closer to championship gold. He talked about his upcoming match with the Canadian in today’s UFC.com article.

“Because he lost to (Travis) Lutter so quickly people don’t give him enough credit on the ground,” said Almeida. “I believe his ground skills are little underrated. He is coming off two very impressive knockout wins and is on a fast track to the top of the middleweight division. If I can beat him it should bring me much closer to fighting for the title then where I am now.”

Another intriguing match up pits one of the UFC’s top wrestlers against one of the divisions toughest brawlers. Josh Koscheck returns to face Chris "Lights Out" Lytle in what should be a highly explosive welterweight match up. Koscheck looked very impressive in his last fight with Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82. He defeated the rangy Hazelett with kicks and punches early in the second round.

The extremely experienced Chris "Lights Out" Lytle who has 45 pro bouts under his belt, recently tore through Kyle Bradley at UFC 81. It took a mere 33 seconds for Chris to disburse of Bradley via strikes in the first round. Koscheck vs Lytle has a lot of potential and could prove to be one of the best fights of the night.

Last but not least, highly respected jiu-jitsu artist, Jorge Gurgel, will take on "Ultimate Fighter 5" contestant, Cole Miller. Both fighters have a lot of respect for one another so don’t look for any bad blood here. While Jorge is usually a very exciting fighter, he has lacked the ability to finish with his last 5 fights going to the cards. He is coming off of a win over John Halverson at UFC 82 that extended his record to 12-3.

While Cole Miller might lack the physique of some of the stronger fighters, he makes up for it with his tenacious style and tons of heart. At 13-3 this kid has a bright future ahead of him and knows how to finish fights. He will be looking to get back on the winning track in his fight with Gurgel after losing his last bout to Jeremy Stephan’s via TKO at Fight Night 12.

All of these fights will be leading up to the main event which features a showdown between two of the funniest personalities in the sport, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin. Currently coaches on this years season of "The Ultimate Fighter", Jackson and Griffin who were friends have somewhat distanced themselves from one another and look to settle the score come July 5. The event takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

For the full UFC 86 fight card as well as fight cards for other televised and online events visit the MMA Events page.

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