MMA Odds and Ends for Monday: Louis Smolka vs. Matheus Nicolau set for UFC 219

UFC officials announced that Louis Smolka will take on Matheus Nicolau at UFC 219 on Dec. 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Smolka (11-4) heads into this matchup on a three-fight skid, suffering losses to Tim Elliott, Ray Borg and Brandon Moreno. Pror to that losing streak, the Hawaiian had won five of his first six UFC bouts. Nicolau (12-1-1) was slated to face Yuta Sasaki at UFC Fight Night 100 however the Braziian fighter tested positive for anastrozole and was suspended for a year. The 24-year-old’s suspension is officially up on Oct. 13.

UFC veteran and TUF Nations Coach Kyle Noke planning a comeback

Former UFC welterweight Kyle Noke is returning to MMA following 10 month retirement from the sport. The 37-year-old announced the news on his Instagram account.

 

My last few fights I lost that fire, I was just in there because I didn’t know anything else…… now that I’ve had time to rest and heal, time away from the gruelling training sessions and constant grind, I miss it now more than ever. I will fight again. I have that fire ? again.

A post shared by Kyle Noke (@kylenoke) on Sep 28, 2017 at 4:23pm PDT

Noke (22-10-1) is on a three-fight losing streak and hasn’t won a fight since November 2015. The Australian fighter last competed at UFC Fight Night 101 where he lost a decision to Omari Akhmedov.