Phillipe Nover vs Kyle Bradley UFC 98 fight possible

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 lightweight finalist, Phillipe Nover (5-1-1), will return to the Octagon for an encore performance against Kyle Bradley (13-6) at UFC 98 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23, according to AroundTheOctagon.com.

Nover -- who drew lofty (and perhaps unfair) comparisons to UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva while on the show -- will be out to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Efrain Escudero in TUF 8 Finale just last month.

It was a disappointing defeat for the Filipino balut-eating nurse from Brooklyn, N.Y., who finished all three of his opponents while on the show in short order. He ran through Joe Duarte, David Kaplan and George Roop to earn his spot in the finals.

However, Nover just had no answers for the outstanding wrestling skills of Escudero. He'll likely be out to prove that he is indeed the real deal ... and he'll get to do it against a fighter who is winless (0-2) inside the Octagon.

Bradley has been stopped twice in his first two performances for the promotion. Joe Lauzon most recently pounded him out with strikes in their lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 15 in September 2008. He had "J-Lau" hurt early in the bout, but could not put him away. He eventually paid the price for his inability to finish the scrappy veteran.

In his inaugural performance, Bradley took a fight against Chris Lytle at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" on short notice in a division above his normal weight class. It didn't go too well. "Lights Out" had Bradley so punch drunk that when the referee, Yves Lavigne, stopped the fight Bradley continued on and was defending Lavigne from full guard.

The Team Voodoo knockout specialist will have to be on the giving end of the punishment against Nover, otherwise he may have a hard time convincing company officials that he is a UFC caliber fighter.

UFC 98 features the final round of the mini heavyweight tournament between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir in the main event of the evening. The rest of the card is shaping up nicely, showcasing the grudge match between welterweight enemies and former champions, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, as well as an important lightweight clash between Sean Sherk and Frank Edgar.

To check out the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors click here.