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Irish UFC star Cathal Pendred will fight Augusto Montano in Mexico City on Saturday, 13 June. Emily Harney/INPHO
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'I'll relish this' - Cathal Pendred is heading to Mexico for his next UFC bout

The Dubliner will look to extend his undefeated streak to 12 bouts.

CATHAL PENDRED WILL return to action on Saturday, 13 June, at UFC 188 in Mexico City.

The promotion announced last night that Pendred (16-2-1 record) will go in search of a fourth consecutive UFC win when he takes on hometown favourite Augusto Montano in a welterweight bout.

The event, which will take place at the Mexico City Arena in the Mexican capital, is to be headlined by a unification bout between current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and interim title-holder Fabrício Werdum.

Pendred is 3-0 in the UFC since making his debut in his native Dublin last July. The 27-year-old has also picked up wins in Stockholm and — most recently — Boston, where he was born.

“I’ve had a couple of fights where I’ve been the hometown guy, so I’m looking forward to experiencing the other side of that,” Pendred told The42 this morning.

“I’ll relish this. It’s in his hometown but that doesn’t bother me at all. It’s something I’m actually excited about. Winning in Mexico is never going to be easy but it’s something I’m very confident about doing.”

A 30-year-old fighter with a 15-1 record, Montano has had just one UFC fight to date but looked impressive as he disposed of Chris Heatherly via a first-round TKO back in November.

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Montano has taken all 15 of his career wins inside the distance — 10 by (T)KO, five by submission — with his only loss coming via decision against Sam Alvey, who’s currently on a run of two successive first-round KO wins in the UFC.

On paper it looks like a difficult proposition for Pendred, but after some below-par performances since he joined the UFC, the SBG man is confident that this fight will offer him the chance to show how good he can be.

Pendred said: “He (Montano) is a pretty well-rounded fighter and he comes at his opponents from the get-go. But I think it’s the type of fight that will bring the best out of me and you’ll see the Cathal Pendred of old.

“He has got a very impressive record. He’ll be a good notch on my belt. He’s a tough challenge but I’m very excited about this fight.”

So it’s Ireland versus Mexico on 13 June. It might not lay the 21-year-old ghost of Luis Garcia’s two goals in Orlando to rest, but a Pendred victory would be sweet nevertheless.

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