Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov Set For UFC Dublin

Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov Set For UFC Dublin
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Cody Donovan will meet Nikita Krylov at UFC Dublin in a potential loser goes home match up.

UFC Dublin takes place July 19th at the The O2 Arena. Tickets for will go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 6th June and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ie and www.theo2.ie

Fighting for the 4th time in his UFC Career, Cody Donovan (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will be faced with the prospect of needing a win to save his UFC career when he takes on Nikita Krylov in Dublin in July.

A product of Grudge Training Center, and a Brazilian Jui Jitsu black belt under Nate Marquart, Donovan began his UFC career with a knockout victory over Nick Penner at UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson as a last minute replacement for injured Eddie Mendez. Taking the bout on just 9 days notice, Donovan was able to despatch of Penner in the first round in an entertaining bout which earned Fight of the Night honors.

Following his victory over Penner, Donovan faced Ovince St. Preux on August 17, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26, to whom he lost by first round TKO. In his most recent outing the 33 year old from Iowa, who has previous competed in Bellator, lost to Gian Villante, again by TKO to extending his losing streak to 2, making it vital he picks up a win in his next bout. 

At Just 22-years old former heavyweight Nikita Krylov (16-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), is one the youngest fighters on the UFC roster. A native of Ukraine, Krylov has not been short of leaving lasting memories - good and bad, since making his UFC debut in 2013.

Joining the UFC on the back of a 15-2 record, with 2 career losses coming to Vladimir Mishchenko, Krylov made his UFC debut at heavyweight against Australia's Soa Palelei, in a bout which Kingdom MMA staff named the worst fight of 2013 with both men gassing badly, and Krylov eventually losing by TKO in the 3rd round.

Krylov returned in January, in the opening bout of UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson, to face Walter Harris, who he defeated with a highlight reel, 25-second headkick TKO. Following the bout Krylov told journalists he would be dropping to Light-heavyweight.

Krylov made his 205lb debut against Ovince St. Preux - a common opponent to Donovan, at UFC 171 however he was unsuccessful in his new weight division losing by Von Flue Choke in first round.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Dublin

Gian Villante Replaces Robert Drysdale, Meets Cody Donavan at UFC 167

Gian Villante Replaces Robert Drysdale, Meets Cody Donavan at UFC 167
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Cody Donavan has a new opponent at UFC 167 in Gian Villante after his Original opponent, Robert Drysdale was denied a licence to fight by The Nevada State Athletic Department when an out of competition drug test revealed an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio.

UFC 167 takes place Nov. 16 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Donovan and Villante expect to be the opening bout of the evening.

Following a successful UFC debut where he Knocked out Nick Penner, Donovan (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) enters his bout with Villante looking to rebound from his most recent loss to Ovince St. Preux at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen. A BJJ Blackbelt under Nate Marquardt, Donovan has only gone the distance once in 8 victories, picking up 4 knockouts and 3 submissions along the way.

Meanwhile, Villante (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) takes the fight on short notice seeking his first UFC win.

A former Ring of Combat champion, the 28-year-old New Yorker fought five times under the Strikeforce banner and earned a three-fight winning streak for the promotion with victories over Derrick Mehmen, Trevor Smith and Keith Berry, before joining The UFC. Villante met Ovince St. Preux in his UFC debut in a bout that ended with an "OSP" eye poke just 33 seconds into the final round, resulting in a bizarre finish, and a technical decision loss for the injured Villante.

With the replacement opponent in place, the UFC 167 lineup is again complete. The fight card includes:

MAIN CARD 
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks - For The UFC Welterweight Title
Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald
Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley
Ali Bagautinov vs. Tim Elliott

PRELIMINARY CARD 
Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham
Ed Herman vs. Thales Leites
Brian Ebersole vs. Rick Story
Edwin Figueroa vs. Erik Perez

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Jason High vs. Anthony Lapsley
Vaughan Lee vs. Sergio Pettis
Cody Donovan vs. Gian Villante

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for more on UFC 167