Manny Gamburyan (top) will try to get back on track at UFC 135. | Photo: Dave Mandel
Sept. 24’s UFC 135 bill continues to grow, as verbal agreements are in place for a featherweight clash pitting Manny Gamburyan against Diego Nunes and a bantamweight tilt matching Cole Escovedo versus Takeya Mizugaki.
Gamburyan, 11-6, will look to steer clear of the chopping block and snap a two-fight losing streak to highly-regarded opponents Jose Aldo and Tyson Griffin. His scheduled foe, the 16-2 Nunes, last saw action in a close defeat at the hands of Kenny Florian at UFC 131.
Escovedo (17-7) will search for his first UFC win against his tough Japanese opponent, as “The Apache Kid” dropped his Octagon debut to Renan “Barao” at UFC 130. Fresh off an uninspired loss to Brian Bowles at UFC 132, Mizugaki (14-6-2) will try to regain the form that gained praise following his title showdown with Miguel Torres at WEC 40. The Shooting Gym Hakkei product fell short that evening, but exceeded the expectations of many against the heavily-favored veteran.
UFC 135 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title bout as 205-pound champion Jon Jones will do battle with No. 1 contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, himself a former UFC ace.