Gilbert Yvel to face Ben Rothwell at UFC 115

*Please visit FiveKnuckles.com for more mixed martial arts media*

Gilbert Yvel is now expected to face Ben Rothwell when the UFC comes to Vancouver for the first time at UFC 115.

Yvel had initially been expected to face Pat Barry at the event, but that bout was scrapped in favor of a match-up between Mirko Cro Cop and Barry instead. Now, it appears that Yvel and Rothwell have agreed to face-off against each other.

For both Yvel and Rothwell, this fight will have extra urgency, as each are coming off of a loss in their UFC debuts. Given the recent spate of UFC roster cuts for fighters who fall short, failing to secure a victory at UFC 115 is likely to spell trouble for either of them.

Yvel (36-14-1 1 NC), has had a very busy and sometimes controversial MMA career. Three of his losses have come by way of DQ, for biting, eye-gouging, and most infamously, punching and kicking a referee. Still, Yvel remains a very dangerous striker, with 31 of his career wins coming by way of knockout or TKO, and it has been more than five years since his last DQ. Yvel lost to rising contender Junior dos Santos by way of first-round TKO at UFC 108 in his first UFC appearance.

Rothwell (30-7) had gone 14-1 in his last 15 matches prior to joining the UFC, with his only loss during that stretch coming at the hands of former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. He had initially been expected to face Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 110 in Australia, but was forced to withdraw from that bout due to illness. Rothwell last fought at UFC 104, where he lost via second-round TKO to Cain Velasquez.