TJ Waldburger Vs. Mike Pyle Added To UFC 170
A welterweight bout between TJ Waldburger and Mike Pyle has been added to UFC 170.
UFC officials announced the match Tuesday night.
Pyle (25-9-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was on a four-fight win streak before being knocked out by Matt Brown 29 seconds into the first round at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in August. Waldburger (16-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was also knocked out in the first round in his bout with Adlan Amagov at UFC 166 in October. Waldburger was taken away in a stretcher after the match for precautionary reasons.
Prior to his loss to Brown, 38-year-old Pyle claimed a split decision victory over Rick Story at UFC 160 in May. He defeated James Head by first-round TKO at The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale in December 2012. Of Pyle’s 25 wins, 16 have been by submission.
Waldburger was also victorious at the TUF 16 finale, defeating Nick Cantone by technical submission in the second round. He lost to Brian Ebersole by unanimous decision at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida in June 2012. The 25-year-old has won 13 of his fights by submission, and has earned Submission of the Night twice.
UFC 170 will take place February 22 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Daniel Cormier will make his light heavyweight debut against former champion Rashad Evans in the main event. Cormier confirmed his plans to drop to 205 pounds in October, and said that he wanted to move to the light heavyweight division so he could compete for the championship. The former Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix champion said he didn’t want to face teammate and current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia, both of whom suffered split decision losses in their last fights, meet in a welterweight bout that is expected to serve as the co-main event. Rafael dos Anjos will face Rustam Khabilov in a lightweight match.
[Pictured: Mike Pyle]
