The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale will be filled mostly with fighters from the show as well as coaches Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, but the preliminary card will see some non-TUF 16 guys competing. One of those fights is a bantamweight matchup between TUF Brazil competitor Hugo Viana and Reuben Duran. MMA Interviews has the scoop:
Reuben Duran will make his comeback fight after a long lay off at the Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale going down Dec. 15 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. His opponent is TUF Brazil vet Hugo”Wolverine” Viana, who will be trying to remain undefeated. MMAinterviews learned from sources close to the fighters that bout agreements have been signed and sent.
Viana (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was a semifinalist on TUF Brazil, losing to eventual featherweight champion Rony Jason. He defeated John Teixeira at UFC 147 at a 150 lbs catchweight when Teixeira missed weight. He’s never finished a professional MMA fight, with all of his wins by unanimous or split decision.
Duran (8-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) hasn’t fought since June 2011, a submission win over Francisco Rivera at the TUF 11 Finale. He dropped his debut against Takeya Mizugaki at UFC on Versus 3 in March of the same year. His career has had multiple setbacks due to injury, including a torn ACL that is the primary reason he’s been out of commission for over a year.
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale takes place on December 15th, and is headlined by a coaches fight between Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson.