Highly-touted Brazilian prospect, John Lineker, signed with the UFC several months ago, but he now has a debut date and opponent, as the UFC tweeted today that he’ll face off with TUF 14 contestant, Louis Gaudinot, in a flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey on May 5th:
Fight card news: Verbals are in for a 125-pound showdown May 5 at
@UFConFOX 3 between@LouGaudinotUFC and@johnlineker
Lineker, who’s riding a 13-fight winning streak, might be familiar to Bloody Elbow readers since he was the #5 ranked bantamweight fighter on our 2011 World Scouting Report. Although he’s competed at bantamweight for his entire career on the Brazilian regional scene, Lineker made it clear when he signed with the UFC that he wanted to cut down to 125 lbs. and compete in the newly created flyweight division. Known for his relentless and aggressive striking game, and although his constant offensive barrage should please fans unfamiliar with the young Brazilian, our own Leland Roling noted in the scouting report that he may need to shore up his defense a bit:
Lineker’s defense is, how should I put this delicately, reliant on his chin. He constantly pushes forward, guns ablaze and firing, and that leaves his chin wide open for counter punches.
Fortunately for Lineker, his opponent isn’t exactly known to pack dynamite in his hands. Gaudinot is a native of Yonkers, and as such, should have some decent local fan support in Jersey, especially as a member of Team Tiger Schulman, which has produced several quality prospects in the New York City-metro area, including former Bellator champ, Lyman Good. Although Gaudinot couldn’t make it past the quarterfinal round on TUF, after a submission loss to Dustin Pague, that fight still earned both him and Pague a $25,000 bonus for “Fight of the Season”. Perhaps for that reason, Gaudinot got a shot on the season finale card against Johnny Bedford, but it was clear that even though both men weighed in at 135 lbs., Bedford dwarved Gaudinot come fight time and thrashed him through three rounds before finishing via TKO in the third. Clearly hoping to avoid that size disadvantage again, Gaudinot will get another shot in the UFC’s newest division.
John Lineker (19-5)
W Iliarde dos Santos (split decision) – Jungle Fight 32
W Francisco Figueredo (TKO) – Jungle Fight 30
W Luis Carlos Neves (KO) – Jungle Fight 28
Louis Gaudinot (5-2)
L Johnny Bedford (TKO) – TUF 14 Finale
W Jessie Riggleman (submission) – ROC 31
W Tuan Pham (KO) – ROC 28
Check out the current UFC on Fox 3 card after the jump…
-Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz
-Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
-John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
-Anthony Ferguson vs. Dennis Hallman
-Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
-John Lineker vs. Louis Gaudinot
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