John Howard vs. Ryan LaFlare targeted for UFC's Abu Dhabi show
John Howard has been undefeated since returning to the UFC, and Ryan LaFlare is unbeaten in his young career. Now, the two welterweights will meet at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi, FOX Sports has learned.
A source close to the fight confirmed that the bout has been agreed to for the April 11 show that is to be held at Yas Island and headlined by a heavyweight match pitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Roy Nelson.
Howard (22-8) has topped a pair of strikers in his first two matchups back in the promotion, defeating both Uriah Hall and more recently Siyar Bahadurzada in his return to the welterweight class. That most recent match took place at December’s UFC 168.
Howard had been 4-3 in his first UFC run, which lasted just over two years ending with a loss to Matt Brown in June 2011.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old LaFlare is still making an early impression on UFC followers, and has been impressive in his three-fight UFC tenure, defeating Court McGee, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Ben Alloway. His victories over McGee and Ponzinibbio came in a one-month spanning, improving his record to 10-0 overall.
The event will be the UFC’s first time back in Abu Dhabi since UFC 112 in April 2010, when Anderson Silva topped Demian Maia in the main event.
