Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight bruiser Ilir Latifi has been paired off against the resurgent Sean O'Connell for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 81: "Dillashaw vs. Cruz" mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which airs live on FOX Sports 1 on Sun., Jan. 17, 2016, from inside TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Latifi (10-4, 1 NC) was able to bounce back from a technical knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz by obliterating Hans Stringer last July in Glasgow, Scotland. "The Sledgehammer" is now 3-2 in his Octagon career after a short-notice defeat to Gegard Mousasi in early 2013.
O'Connell (17-6) got off to a dreadful start by coughing up consecutive losses to Ryan Jimmo and Gian Villante.