Two fights, including Thiago Alves' return, added to UFC Fight Night 126 in Austin

Longtime UFC welterweight standout Thiago Alves begged to get a fight after Hurricane Irma nixed his highly anticipated meeting against Mike Perry.

Alves (22-11 MMA, 14-8 UFC) got his wish and was ready to go, but a last-minute injury scrapped his return earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 124.

Alves will now meet promising newcomer Curtis Millender (14-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 126, which takes place Feb. 18 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The UFC recently made official a duo of bouts for the fight card, which also includes featherweights Humberto Bandenay (14-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Steven Peterson (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

UFC Fight Night 126 airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the full fight card and bout order haven’t been finalized.

Alves hopes to build on a win this past April over longtime veteran Patrick Cote, which snapped a two-fight skid. Millender got the call to sign with the UFC after his second consecutive head-kick knockout in a fight against Nick Barnes at LFA 30 earlier this month. He’s currently on a six-fight winning streak on the regional circuit.

Bandenay makes his UFC return after an impressive debut this past August at UFC Fight Night 114, where he knocked out Martin Bravo in 24 seconds with a knee. He was forced out of a follow-up at UFC Fight Night 121. LFA veteran Peterson arrives in the octagon after an unsuccessful turn at a Dana White’s Contender Series event, where he dropped a split decision to Benito Lopez. He rebounded this past month with a second-round TKO win over Dustin Winter at LFA 28.

The latest UFC Fight Night 126 card includes:

• Donald Cerrone vs. Yancy Medeiros
• Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura
• Francisco Trinaldo vs. James Vick
• Jessica Aguilar vs. Livia Renata Souza
• Sage Northcutt vs. Thibault Gouti
• Diego Ferreira vs. Jared Gordon
• Brian Camozzi vs. Geoffrey Neal
• Joby Sanchez vs. Roberto Sanchez
• Sarah Moras vs. Lucie Pudilova
• Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno
• Humberto Bandenay vs. Steven Peterson
• Thiago Alves vs. Curtis Millender

For more on UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.