UFC 154 is rapidly filling up and the card is nearing completion with a little over 2 months to go. The latest preliminary card fight was announced yesterday, as bantamweights Ivan Menjivar and Azamat Gashimov square off in Montreal. UFC Canada confirmed the news through their Twitter account.
Menjivar (24-9 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a veteran of the sport, and believe it or not, he was Georges St. Pierre’s first MMA opponent back in 2002. He was on a good run at bantamweight, beating Charlie Valencia, Nick Pace, and John Albert all within a year. His chance at a title shot was at an all-time high until Mike Easton outpointed him in a largely ho-hum decision at UFC 148. The El Salvador native fights and trains out of Montreal, so he’ll have the crowd behind him for this one.
Gashimov (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will hopefully finally make his debut this time around after pulling out of a fight against Alex Soto due to injury earlier this May. The Russian has fought professionally since 2007, all exclusively in Russia and Ukraine, finishing all but one of his wins whilst getting knocked out in his only loss. He’s currently trained by Greg Jackson and now looks to make an impressive first showing in the UFC.
SBN coverage of UFC 154: GSP vs. Condit