John Maguire Drops to Lightweight for UFC 161 Bout with Mitch Clarke
Mitch Clarke and John Maguire are set to meet at UFC 161 on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
UFC officials announced the bout Tuesday afternoon.
The bout signifies Maguire’s move to lightweight. The Brit started his professional career at middleweight, but found his way to welterweight by the time he made his UFC debut.
Maguire (18-5) is 2-2 in the Octagon, coming off of back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. After losing to John Hathaway and Matt Riddle, he finds himself in desperate need of a win. Its roster bloated, the UFC is currently in an aggressive mode of releasing fighters, and three consecutive losses would likely put Maguire on the outs.
Clarke (9-2), fighting on his home turf in Canada, is in a similar situation. He racked up nine straight wins to earn his shot in the Octagon, but has lost both of his UFC bouts.
The home field advantage doesn't necessarily play to his favor, though, as his losses to John Cholish and Anton Kuivanen took place in Toronto and Calgary, respectively.
Interim UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barão puts his belt on the line against Eddie Wineland in the UFC 161 main event.
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