?(Photo:UFC.com)

MMAJunkie has reported a rumoured match between Kendall Grove and Jorge Rivera at UFC 80, as the UFC returns to England for a third time.? Details of the fight were originally posted on the Extreme Couture web site yesterday.

Grove is coming off a recent loss to Patrick Cote at UFC 74 and will be looking to get back to winning ways.?? “Da Spyder” was on a three fight win streak in the UFC, with an impressive performance against Ed Herman to win the TUF 3 middleweight competition.? He followed his TUF success with octagon victories over Chris Price and Alan Belcher(who recently put in an impressive showing against Kalib Starnes @ UFC 77).

Rivera is a UFC veteran who has been hit and miss in his MMA career, with wins over Travis Lutter, David Loiseau, Mark Weir and Dennis Hallman (who has 2 wins over Matt Hughes from back in the day).? His notable losses have been to Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Chris Leben and his most recent UFC match against Terry Martin at UFC 67.

So both fighters are coming off UFC losses.? The power and experience advantage will go to Rivera, while the youth and reach advantage will go to Grove.? Given the depth of experience and the powerful striking that Rivera has shown in the past, this is far from a dream match for Grove, who could lose a lot of credibility with back to back losses.

That said, I like Grove and what he brings to the octagon.? He is a dynamic striker and at 6′ 6” and 185 pounds, he presents a unique challenge to any opponent he faces.? I think it is pretty obvious that in this match, Grove will want to strike from the outside to setup?takedowns and then work his submission game to wrap those long limbs around some part of Rivera to get a tapout.? If he is stuck on his feet, Grove will need to clinch and work some solid Muay Thai knees and elbows to contain “El Conquistador” and reduce the chance of him getting off his power shots.

I’m already interested in this match-up, so lets hope that each fighter stays healthy and the deals get signed.? This will be a nice addition to the fight card.? The UFC 80 event has not yet been confirmed, but is expected to take place in mid to late January.? Already rumoured to be fighting on the card is a solid lightweight match between Sam Stout and Terry Etim.