George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera Added to UFC 166 Fight Card in Houston

The UFC has added a bantamweight bout between George Roop and Francisco Rivera to the UFC 166 fight card slated for Oct. 19 in Houston.

Roop (14-9-1) has been on a tumultuous ride during his UFC tenure, managing a 3-3 record in the Octagon. He has, however, won his last two bouts.

After losing back-to-back bouts to Hatsu Hioki and Cub Swanson, Roop rebounded with victories over Reuben Duran and former WEC champion Brian Bowles.

The win over Bowles certainly boosted Roop’s stock in the bantamweight division, immediately re-establishing him as a legitimate threat to any title contender.

Rivera (9-2, 1 NC) has been nothing short of impressive during his three-fight stint in the Octagon. He won a decision over Alex Soto in his UFC debut, knocked out Roland Delorme, and TKO’d Edwin Figueroa.

The win over Delorme, however, was for naught, as Rivera tested positive for a banned substance after the bout. The result was subsequently ruled a no contest.

On the heels of the victory over Figueroa at UFC 156 in February, Rivera now gets the opportunity to continue redeeming himself with the fight against Roop at UFC 166.

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez puts his belt on the line in the night’s main event in the third bout of a trilogy with former champion Junior dos Santos.