UFC 189 adds Thatch vs. Mein, Nelson vs. Hathaway to its lineup

Two intriguing welterweight bouts are set for the big UFC 189 pay-per-view in Las Vegas this July.

While UFC 189 build-up has understandably been all about Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, the actual undercard is starting to fill up with some very quality matchups. UFC officials confirmed that Icelandic welterweight prospect Gunnar Nelson will hit North American territory for the first time in his career as he goes up against England's John Hathaway. Meanwhile, while not yet confirmed by the UFC, MMA Oddsbreaker's Adam Martin reports that fellow welterweights Jordan Mein and Brandon Thatch have also been slotted for this card.

Thatch (11-2) is coming off a difficult 4th round submission loss to Ben Henderson and his trusty toothpick in the UFC Fight Night main event in Broomfield on February 14th. At the time of the stoppage, Thatch was ahead on the scorecards by split decision but he was overmatched on the ground by Henderson, who took the bout on two weeks notice, and the lethal striker was forced to submit to a rear-naked choke. Mein (29-10) looked fantastic against Thiago Alves at UFC 183, putting the Brazilian in all sorts of trouble in the 1st round. But things changed in the 2nd when Mein was crushed with a perfectly placed body kick, resulting in a stunning TKO loss. The 25-year-old was scheduled to face Thatch last August before Thatch grotesquely suffered a compound fracture on one of his toes.

Nelson (13-1-1) headlined his first UFC show last fall in Stockholm against American veteran Rick Story. The BJJ black belt and submission specialist found it hard to take Story down and his striking wasn't up to par with "The Horror", who nearly put him away in the 4th round with a big knockdown. Nelson ultimately lost by split decision although it's hard to envision how anyone thought he actually won. Hathaway (17-2) had his own headlining spot vs. Dong Hyun Kim at the TUF China Finale in Macau, but he ended up on the wrong end of a dramatic spinning back elbow KO that had him unconscious before he hit the floor.

UFC 189 is on July 11th and features two title fights - Aldo vs. McGregor for the featherweight title, plus Robbie Lawler's first welterweight defense against Rory MacDonald, a rematch of a non-title bout won by Lawler in 2013.