If Ilir Latifi is smart, he’ll break out the hurl in order to get Conor McGregor’s baying fans on side.
UFC 196, formerly UFC 197, is headlined by a lightweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and McGregor and the card has just received a stellar light heavyweight bout.
It was announced on Friday morning that Ilir Latifi is set to take on Gian Villante on the March 5th card with the shot at a top 10 ranked opponent likely next up for the winner.
Irish fight fans will remember Ilir Latifi from UFC Fight Night 46, in July 2014, as the Swedish fighter came to the Dublin weigh-ins with a hurley in hand, instantly winning over the home crowd.
‘The Sledgehammer’ is on a two-fight winning streak, beating both Hans Stringer and Sean O’Connell by first round knockout in his last two outings.
New York’s Gian Villante is coming off a first round KO himself, after finishing Anthony Perosh in November.
We don’t know who’s going to win this but we’d be flabbergasted if it went the distance.
The lineup so far for UFC 196 is as follows:
Rafael dos Anjos (C) vs. Conor McGregor – for lightweight title
Holly Holm (C) vs. Miesha Tate – for women’s bantamweight title
Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor
Erick Silva vs. Nordine Taleb
Darren Elkins vs. Chas Skelly
Jim Miller vs. Diego Sanchez
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Vitor Miranda
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Ilir Latifi vs. Gian Villante
