Kingsbury will carry a three-fight winning streak into the bout. The 29-year-old Sunnyvale, Calif., native last appeared at UFC 126 in February, when he smashed through Ricardo Romero in 21 seconds at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Kingsbury, who competed on Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” sports seven first-round finishes on his resume. He played college football at Arizona State University before pursuing a career in MMA.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt with potent standup skills, Maldonado has rattled off 11 consecutive victories. The 31-year-old Brazilian made his promotional debut at UFC 120 in October, when he stopped James McSweeney on third-round punches at the O2 Arena in London. Maldonado has secured 12 of his 18 career victories by knockout or technical knockout and owns a pair of TKO wins against current UFC middleweight Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves.
Meanwhile, King of the Cage veteran Reuben Duran will collide with WEC import Francisco Rivera in a preliminary bantamweight battle.
Duran made his first Octagon appearance at UFC Live 3 in March, when he dropped a split decision to former WEC bantamweight title contender Takeya Mizugaki at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. A potent finisher, the 27-year-old Ontario, Calif., native has delivered six of his seven professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
The once-beaten Rivera finds himself on the rebound for the first time, having succumbed to a first-round head kick and punches from Erik Koch at WEC 52 in November. The 29-year-old Californian has defeated three of his opponents in less than a minute.
A lightweight showdown pairing Clay Guida with former WEC champion Anthony Pettis will headline “The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale, along with a lightweight battle pitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins against Jeremy Stephens.
Clay
Guida vs. Anthony
Pettis
Jonathan
Brookins vs. Jeremy
Stephens
Kyle
Kingsbury vs. Fabio
Maldonado
Ed
Herman vs. Tim
Credeur
Josh
Grispi vs. George
Roop
Scott
Jorgensen vs. Ken Stone
Reuben
Duran vs. Francisco
Rivera