Fabio Maldonado says he's fighting Gian Villante at March UFC event in Brazil

The UFC is reportedly heading back to Brazil for a late March event that already has a light heavyweight bout between Fabio Maldonado and Gian Villante lined up. Maldonado confirmed his upcoming bout on his Facebook page, although the UFC has neither confirmed the fight nor the event itself.

Maldonado (20-6) is known for his boxing, amazing chin, and heavy use of body shots. After suffering 3 straight losses (culminating in a massive beating taken against Glover Teixeira), Maldonado was able to get back on the winning course with consecutive wins over Roger Hollett and Joey Beltran.

Villante (11-4) was brought over from Strikeforce after going 3-2 in the now defunct organization. One of his losses was a heavyweight bout against the legendary Chad Griggs. His UFC debut against Ovince St. Preux ended in a rare technical decision loss after he suffered an eye poke in the 3rd round. The 28-year-old recorded his first UFC win last November by decking Cody Donovan in the 2nd round.

The rumored location of this March 23rd card is Natal, Brazil, which contrary to popular belief, is not named after middleweight Rafael Natal. Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne could be the potential headliner, with Werdum already stating that he expects his fight with Browne to be in March.

More from Bloody Elbow

Follow @BloodyElbow Follow @SBNation

• Luke Rockhold: Motivated and ready to use his legit-su to defeat Costa Philippou
• Nate Diaz denies ducking Nurmagomedov, says 'Dana White and UFC are full of sh**'
• Dana White: Nate Diaz doesn't want to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, Diaz denies
• Dana White: Nate Diaz doesn't want to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov
• UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann fight card