A bantamweight rematch between former WEC champion Brian Bowles and Damacio Page is reportedly in the works for “UFC on Versus 3” this March.
MMAjunkie.com first reported that verbal agreements were in place and that the rematch is currently in the works.
In their first meeting, Page was submitted by Bowles at the 3:30 mark of the opening frame. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Page, who had defeated Scott Jorgensen in his previous fight at WEC 32, which was his debut with the promotion. Since the loss to the former champion, Page strung together another decent streak, defeating Marcos Galvao and Will Campuzano by knockout and submission, respectively, but recently lost to Demetrious Johnson via submission at WEC 52.
Meanwhile, Bowles has taken a much different path since Page and he fought back at WEC 35. Following the win, Bowles submitted Will Ribeiro by guillotine choke, earning the 7-0 bantamweight a shot at the seemingly untouchable Miguel Torres. Bowles shocked the longtime champion with a brutal knockout stoppage to earn the title, though his time at the top was short lived. He lost the belt in his very next outing, throwing in the towel in between the second and third round of his bout with Dominick Cruz.
The bantamweight tilt, which is most certainly a match up to determine a future contender, is not the only bout that is currently in the works for the March 3 card, as a middleweight tilt between Rouismar Palhares and Alexandre Ferreira has been confirmed by Tatame.com.
Palhares last fought in the main event of “UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares” last September, losing to the former top contender via technical knockout after Marquardt avoided a leg lock. Prior to the loss, the Brazilian submission specialist defeat Tomasz Drwal and Lucio Linhares by heel hook submission, while defeating Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision to string together a three-fight winning streak.
Like his upcoming opponent, Ferreira is also looking to get back on the right track after losing in his last appearance inside the cage. At “UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami” in Germany, Ferreira lost to Vladimir Matyushenko via technical knockout in the first round. The loss snapped an impressive seven-fight winning streak. All seven of the wins came via submission.
“UFC on Versus 3” is likely to take place in Louisville, Kentucky on March 3, with the KFC Yum! Center and Freedom Hall each in the running to serve as the venue. The main event of the card, which will air live on Versus, is expected to be a welterweight bout between Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez, while a middleweight tilt between C.B. Dolloway and Mark Munoz is likely for the co-main event.
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