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UFC 162 Heavy on 185ers, Adds Mark Munoz vs. Tim Boetsch and Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie

Following Bout of Depression, Mark Munoz is Back: “Adversity is the Dust that Polishes the Diamond”

UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby went into overdrive on Thursday with numerous fight announcements hitting the streets. The marquee fight of the day was Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman’s UFC 162 headlining bout, but they didn’t stop there with the July 6 fight card slated for Las Vegas.

UFC officials late in the day on Wednesday added two high-profile middleweight bouts to the card. Top 10 middleweights Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch square off in one bout, while Strikeforce imports Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie meet in the other.

Munoz (12-3) had been rocketing towards a title shot, winning four consecutive bouts, before Weidman derailed him in the UFC on Fuel TV 4 main event last summer. He has since been on the sidelines dealing with injuries.

Munoz will jump right back in the fire, however, when he faces Boetsch (15-6), who was on a four-fight streak of his own before suffering a TKO stoppage at the hands of Constantinos Philippou at UFC 155.

Both men are hungry to get back on track, and put their names back in the mix for a title shot.

Kennedy (15-4) and Gracie (6-1) enter their fight coming off of victories, but both have yet to prove themselves in the Octagon. After failing to take the Strikeforce belt from Luke Rockhold, Kennedy submitted Trevor Smith at the final Strikeforce event back in January. Gracie is riding back-to-back wins, also having fought at Strikeforce’s swan song, defeating Anthony Smith by submission.

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