Pinoy fighter Mark Eddiva booked for UFC Fight Night 55

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Mark Eddiva will attempt to put himself back on the winning track when he squares off with Mike De La Torre on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 55 on November 8.

Eddiva (6-1), a 2010 Asian Games gold medalist in Wushu Sanshou, made his first Octagon appearance in March when he picked up a unanimous decision triumph over Jumabieke Tuerxun.

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His three-round tussle against Tuerxun was the first time that he had to go the distance after five stoppages, four of which came in the first round.

However, Eddiva’s second UFC outing earned him his first career defeat as he bowed down to Edimilson “Kevin” Souza via second-round technical knockout on the preliminary card of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 season finale.

Despite the disappointing setback to Souza, the 28-year-old Eddiva shared the “Fight of the Night” award with his opponent for their effort to put a thrilling contest and brought home a $50,000-bonus in his pocket.

On the opposite end, De La Torre (12-4, 1 NC) made his UFC debut this past April at The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia season finale, where he yielded to Mark Bocek by split decision.

De La Torre also dropped his previous match at UFC on FOX 12 in July as he was forced to tap by Brian Ortega in the first round with a rear-naked choke, but the outcome was overturned to a no contest after Ortega tested positive for using the anabolic steroid known as “drostanolone.”

For his bout with Eddiva, the six-foot Mexican-American fighter known by the monicker “El Cucuy” will be competing in the featherweight division for the first time, which has a weight limit of 145 pounds.

UFC Fight Night 55, which takes place at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, is headlined by a scheduled five-round middleweight clash between former Strikeforce 185-pound kingpin Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping. – Rappler.com