Willie Gates wants a fight and he knows just who he wants it to be against.

On Wednesday night, Gates took to Twitter to challenge fellow UFC flyweight Paddy Holohan to a fight at UFC 197 in March.

“Can someone tell [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby [and] [UFC President] Dana White to make this fight happen for me at UFC 197,” Gates wrote alongside an image of Holohan.

Gates (12-6), former Tachi Palace Fights veteran, was last seen suffering a third round TKO to Dustin Ortiz at UFC Fight Night 73 after taking the fight on just 27 days notice.

Prior to this setback, the man known as “Whoop Ass” earned  decision win over fellow TPC veteran Darrell Montague at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. He currently holds nine career stoppage wins, including five by way of (T)KO.

Holohan (12-2-1), an SBG Ireland product, will also be looking to get back into the win column after suffering a second round submission loss to Louis Smolka in the main event of UFC Fight Night 76.

This setback not only snapped his two fight win streak, but also marked his first career stoppage loss. “The Hooligan” previsouly earned back-to-back decision over Vaughan Lee and Shane Howell. The Irishman also holds nine career stoppage win including, with eight ending by way of submission.

UFC 197 is currently scheduled to take place March 7 in Las Vegas. A lightweight title fight between reigning champion Rafael dos Anjos vs. featherweight champion Conor McGregor will serve as the main event. A women’s bantamweight title fight between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate will also take place on the carx

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.