Thiago Alves vs. John Howard In The Works For UFC 124

Alves gets one more shot at making welterweight

Former welterweight top contender Thiago Alves is set to face off against John Howard at UFC 124 this December.

MMAjunkie.com reported the news last night.

Rumors circulated earlier this week that Alves would potentially meet Mike Pierce for his next bout. The rumor came about after Pierce called out Alves on MMAjunkie.com Radio. Today, Alves told them that he was willing to campaign for the bout to take place. However, the UFC did not seem interested in the match up and Howard got the green light.

Howard, who was on an seven-fight winning streak heading into his “UFC on Versus 2” bout against Jake Ellenberger earlier this summer, lost to Ellenberger via technical knockout due to a doctor stoppage. Prior to the loss, Howard won four straight inside the Octagon, including two vicious knockouts over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts.

Meanwhile, Alves returned to the cage at UFC 117 for the first time since his UFC 100 loss to Georges St. Pierre. Alves faced off against Jon Fitch in a rematch to determine who would be getting the next title shot at the 170-pound mark after Josh Koscheck. The Brazilian was dominated for three rounds, losing a unanimous decision in the evening’s co-main event.

The welterweight tilt is the second bout to be rumored for UFC 124, which is set for December 11 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The other rumored bout is a welterweight championship showdown between title-holder St. Pierre and top contender Koscheck.