Two fighters coming off losses and both in the early stages of their respective welterweight careers, will do battle at UFC 166. Ariel Helwani reported the news earlier today that UFC veteran and former Strikeforce welterweight champion, Nate Marquardt would do battle against former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard.

For Marquardt, a knockout loss marked his last fight in the Octagon at UFC 158 back in March of this year, against Jake Ellenberger. This will be just his fourth fight at welterweight as Marquardt currently holds a 1-2 record in the division and since his return under to fighting under the ZUFFA banner since being released — although he was brought back under contract before he can book a fight with a promotion outside the ZUFFA umbrella.

His opponent, Hector Lombard, a unanimous decision loss to Yushin Okami was his last outing. Lombard, seemed sluggish and hesitant to engage in that bout and allowed Okami to dominate the fight wherever it took place. Similar to Marquardt’s welterweight record, Lombard is 1-2 in the UFC, his lone win coming against Rousimar Palhares last December. This will also mark Lombard’s welterweight debut.

This fight will be a must-win for both fighters. Although it doesn’t mean that their jobs will be on the chopping block, it will mean a step down in the level of competition in the future.

UFC 166 takes place on October 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The main event will feature the third installment in a heavyweight trilogy as Cain Velasquez defends his belt against foe, Junior dos Santos.

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