On the heels of the news that Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves will be facing Jon Fitch at the Fedex forum in Memphis, Tenn. on December 12, several other key bouts have been added to UFC 107. The most notable contest is a bout between Kenny Florian and Clay Guida. The additions also feature the return of Paul ‘The Headhunter’ Buentello to the Octagon, where he will face the undefeated Todd Duffee.

Already official for the event were the main event and a feature bout. Headling the card is B.J. Penn (14-5-1) who will put his lightweight title on the line against Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez (21-2). Penn is coming off of an impressive title defense over Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in August, in which he submitted the would-be challenger in the fourth round. Sanchez is undefeated since dropping from 170 lbs to 155 lbs and has won decisions over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida.

Also made official, after being rumored for some time, is Frank Mir’s first bout since his UFC 100 loss to Brock Lesnar. Mir (12-4) will be looking to jump right back into the title picture if he can pick up a win over French striker Cheick Kongo (14-5-1). Kongo is 7-3 in his ten previous UFC bouts, most recently losing to Cain Velasquez at UFC 99 in June.

As for the bouts recently named, the big news that broke thursday, indicates that two recent welterweight title contenders will square off in a rematch. Thiago Alves (16-6) was originally set to face Paulo Thiago but an injury to Ricardo Almeida forced a shake up in the division. With Almeida out, Jon Fitch was left without a fight for UFC 106. Instead of trying to find Fitch a comparable fight on short notice, UFC officials decided to pull Paulo Thiago and insert Fitch at 107. Fitch (19-3), holds a prior victory over Alves from 2006 and is looking to get get back in line for a title shot if he can defeat him again. Alves on the other hand is undoubtedly happy to get the opportunity to avenge one of his three UFC losses.

As stated earlier, Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida and Kenny Florian will both be looking to make their first steps towards a comeback to the top of the lightweight division after both taking losses in their previous bouts. Florian (11-4) lost to Penn via submission; while Guida (25-10) took Diego Sanchez to the wire, ending up on the wrong side of a split decision. A win would put either man back towards the top of the highly competitive lightweight division, while a second loss in row could drop the loser behind several fighters positioning themselves for a run at the 155 pound gold.

In a heavyweight showdown, Paul Buentello (27-10) returns to the Octagon, for the first time in over three years, to take on the man that holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history, Todd Duffee. Duffee (5-0), made an impact in his recent UFC debut, dispatching Tim Hague in just 0:07 seconds at UFC 102. The winner of the bout could certainly take a big leap forward in the ever-expanding UFC heavyweight division.

Grappling stud Rousimar ‘Toquinho’ Palhares is finally ready to make his return to the cage after sitting on the sidelines since January with an injury. Palhares is 9-2 in his career and 2-1 in his brief UFC tenure. However, with wins over legends Jeremy Horn and Ivan Salaverry, with his only loss coming by decision to Dan Henderson, ‘Toquinho’ is undoubtedly looking to make up whatever ground he has lost in the middleweight division. Standing in his way will be newcomer Lucio Linhares. Linhares (13-4) made a name for himself fighting for M-1, where he went 7-2 wining all seven fights by KO or submission.

Also in the middleweight division, Alan ‘The Talent’ Belcher will take on Wilson Gouveia in a bout to remain in the top half of that division. Belcher (14-6) is coming off a loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama in which he showed very well, but ended up on the wrong side of the judges scorecards. After having had an up-and-down stay in the UFC, going 5-4, Belcher desperately needs to string together a few wins in order to reach his goal of eventually contending for the title in the division. Gouveia (12-6), on the other hand, has not fought since his February loss to Nate Marquardt. Gouveia is still looking for some consistent success as well, having struggled when stepping up in competition in both the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.

Other bouts on the december 12 card include:

Matt Wiman will battle Shane Nelson in a lightweight showdown between TUF veterans. Wiman (10-5) has lost two straight in the UFC, but is highly regarded for his exciting approach; while Nelson (12-4) is coming off a loss in a return bout against Aaron Riley, after a controversial call stopped their first meeting.

Johny Hendricks, the man that spoiled the return of Amir Sadollah at UFC 101, will take his unbeaten 6-0 record to Memphis to take on Ricardo Funch. Funch (7-0) will be making his UFC debut.

"The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK" welterweight finalist Demarques Johnson (9-7) will step in against Edgar Garcia (7-1). Johnson lost in the finale of the show to James Wilks. Garcia lost his UFC debut to Brad Blackburn at the same event back in June.

Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant rounds out the additions to the card. Burns (7-3) is coming off back-to-back losses to Anthony Johnson and Chris Lytle; while Grant (14-3) hopes to bounce back from loss to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 100. Grant made a name for himself with a victory over pride veteran Ryo Chonan in his UFC debut.

MMA Spot