Thiago Alves, Jordan Mein meet in pivotal welterweight matchup in Tulsa on Aug. 23
The summer just landed another red-hot welterweight matchup.
Thiago Alves will meet Jordan Mein in a pivotal scrap at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 23 in Tulsa, Okla., sources told FOX Sports. UFC officials confirmed the bout. The main card from the BOK Center will air live on FOX Sports 1.
Alves (20-9) returned to the UFC in April at FOX UFC Saturday after more than two years away to beat Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night performance. The former welterweight No. 1 contender has been saddled by injuries, but is trying to work his way back into the 170-pound elite. The Brazilian, who trains out of American Top Team, is still only 30 years old.
Beating Mein (28-9) would help him get there, but it won't be an easy task. Mein, just 24, has won four of his last five fights with the only loss coming to top contender Matt Brown. Mein is coming off a split decision win over Hernani Perpetuo on the same FOX UFC Saturday card that Alves fought on.
Neither Alves nor Mein are currently in the UFC welterweight rankings, but a victory in Tulsa would put them on the inside track to a top-15 spot.
A main event for the UFC Fight event in August has not been announced yet. It's the first time the UFC will travel to Oklahoma in almost five years. That show, headlined by Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard, drew 10,000 people in Oklahoma City.
