A featherweight fight between former top contender Josh Grispi and George Roop
has been slotted for The UFC's Season 13 finale of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Sources close to the bout confirmed the booking with MMA Fighting on Monday. MMA Mania first reported the matchup on Sunday.
Grispi (14-2, 0-1 UFC) had been in line for a featherweight title shot against champion Jose Aldo at UFC 125 last month. But when Aldo had to pull out with an injury, Grispi instead took a fight with Dustin Poirier to stay busy.
But he was dominated by Poirier, losing 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards, falling back into the featherweight pack in the process. Instead, Mark Hominick will get the next crack at Aldo's belt after his win over Roop at the UFC's "Fight for the Troops" show at Fort Hood, Texas, last month.
Before the loss to Poirier, which came in his UFC debut, Grispi had a 10-fight winning streak, including a 4-0 mark in the WEC before that promotion's merger with the UFC. He had eight straight first-round stoppage victories, including a submission win over Hominick in his WEC debut and a 33-second win over former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver at WEC 41.
Roop (11-7-1, 1-3 UFC) is looking to rebound after the lost to Hominick, which came by TKO quickly into the first round. He was coming off back-to-back strong outings to close his WEC career – a split draw against Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 and a stunning head-kick knockout of "The Korean Zombie," Chan Sung Jung, at WEC 51.
Roop, a cast member of Season 8 of "The Ultimate Fighter" as a lightweight, has fought at 155, 145 and 135 pounds in his career. But before his fight with Hominick, Roop told MMA Fighting he plans on sticking at featherweight. He dropped to 135 pounds to fight current bantamweight contender Eddie Wineland at WEC 46, losing a unanimous decision.
"I'm permanently at 145," Roop told MMA Fighting last month. "I will never cut to 135 pounds ever again in my entire life. It's something very, very, very, very hard for me to do. It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. 145 pounds is a pretty easy cut for me. I feel like at 145 pounds I'm ... stronger, bigger – like I'm going to be able to do very well and dominate the division."
The TUF 13 Finale is expected to take place at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas on June 4. Along with the Season 13 welterweight championship bout and fights between other contestants on the show, which is currently taping in Las Vegas, the card is expected to feature a main event lightweight contenders fight between Clay Guida and final WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
has been slotted for The UFC's Season 13 finale of "The Ultimate Fighter." Sources close to the bout confirmed the booking with MMA Fighting on Monday. MMA Mania first reported the matchup on Sunday.
Grispi (14-2, 0-1 UFC) had been in line for a featherweight title shot against champion Jose Aldo at UFC 125 last month. But when Aldo had to pull out with an injury, Grispi instead took a fight with Dustin Poirier to stay busy.
But he was dominated by Poirier, losing 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards, falling back into the featherweight pack in the process. Instead, Mark Hominick will get the next crack at Aldo's belt after his win over Roop at the UFC's "Fight for the Troops" show at Fort Hood, Texas, last month.
Before the loss to Poirier, which came in his UFC debut, Grispi had a 10-fight winning streak, including a 4-0 mark in the WEC before that promotion's merger with the UFC. He had eight straight first-round stoppage victories, including a submission win over Hominick in his WEC debut and a 33-second win over former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver at WEC 41.
Roop (11-7-1, 1-3 UFC) is looking to rebound after the lost to Hominick, which came by TKO quickly into the first round. He was coming off back-to-back strong outings to close his WEC career – a split draw against Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 and a stunning head-kick knockout of "The Korean Zombie," Chan Sung Jung, at WEC 51.
Roop, a cast member of Season 8 of "The Ultimate Fighter" as a lightweight, has fought at 155, 145 and 135 pounds in his career. But before his fight with Hominick, Roop told MMA Fighting he plans on sticking at featherweight. He dropped to 135 pounds to fight current bantamweight contender Eddie Wineland at WEC 46, losing a unanimous decision.
"I'm permanently at 145," Roop told MMA Fighting last month. "I will never cut to 135 pounds ever again in my entire life. It's something very, very, very, very hard for me to do. It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. 145 pounds is a pretty easy cut for me. I feel like at 145 pounds I'm ... stronger, bigger – like I'm going to be able to do very well and dominate the division."
The TUF 13 Finale is expected to take place at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas on June 4. Along with the Season 13 welterweight championship bout and fights between other contestants on the show, which is currently taping in Las Vegas, the card is expected to feature a main event lightweight contenders fight between Clay Guida and final WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
Get the latest gear
