Thiago Alves vs Jordan Mein Re-Booked For January’s UFC 183

A previously scheduled welterweight match with fireworks written all over it is now back on for January’s UFC 183 pay-per-view (PPV) event from Las Vegas, Nevada, as returning former title challenger Thiago Alves will face off with streaking No. 13 contender Jordan Mein.

The two 170-pound sluggers were supposed to square off at August 23’s UFC Fight Night 49 from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but a hand injury to Alves forced Brandon Thatch to step in. A toe injury then forced Thatch out of the fight, and Mike Pyle stepped in to face Mein, suffering a devastating 72-second knockout at the hands of “Young Gun.”

Earlier this year, Alves returned to the octagon after over two years off due to injuries, defeating Seth Baczynski in UFC on FOX 11’s “Fight of the Night” back in April. He’s struggled mightily to stay healthy, but can undoubtedly give most welterweights a run for their money if fighting near his full capacity.

Meanwhile, Mein has been on a tear since debuting for the promotion in early 2013, earning a huge win over Dan Miller (who will return to action at UFC Fight Night 58) in his first fight at UFC 158.

He then met up with a surging Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7. Mein had “The Immortal” in a ton of trouble from some body shots, but ultimately succumbed to a series of brutal elbows from the No. 5-ranked Brown. Mein has since rebounded with a decision victory over Hernani Perpetuo and the TKO of Pyle.

UFC 183 features the highly anticipated return of former longtime UFC champ Anderson Silva, who will face off with returning bad boy Nick Diaz in the middleweight main event.

Silva vs. Diaz has been hyped as potentially one of the best striking match-ups in UFC history, but Mein vs. Alves could definitely steal the show. Who is your early pick to come out on top?

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