Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia II targeted for "UFC Fight Night 24"

Rounds 4,5, and 6 are now taking shape as “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Nam Phan will square off again with Leonard Garcia, in what should turn out to be another instant classic in the newly minted featherweight class inside the UFC.

The two bangers originally met last December at “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale”, after Nam competed on the show as a lightweight, making it to the semi-finals where he lost a close split-decision to eventual finalist Michael Johnson.

The cause for the immediate rematch is due in part to the controversy sorrounding their original encounter, where it appeared that Phan had walked away with an obvious decision win after controlling most of the action throughout the fifteen-minute affair with superior striking skills, hurting Garcia on several occasions, however in the end the Greg Jackson product left the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas with a gifted split-decision win.

MMAWeekly.com first reported the rematch with sources close to both fighters, who have implicated that the two featherweights will meet at “UFC Fight Night 24″ which is expected to take place on March 26 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Wa. Former champion Tito Ortiz is scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a light heavyweight match, serving as the main-event of the evening, and the card in of itself is anticipated to serve as a lead in for the next season of TUF, which features a field of welterweights.

Controversy aside, the original encounter between Phan and Garcia produced fireworks, and ultimately left both with an additional $30k in their pockets as the two were the featured “Fight of the Night”–and through the generosity of UFC President Dana White, who believed Nam clearly won, bestowed the fighter with his winning purse despite the head scratching loss.

It’s interesting to note that Leonard has been featured in a split-decision in four of his last six bouts (one a split-draw against George Roop).

Though Nam will be an early favorite heading into the bout, make no mistake about Garcia’s striking skills. The heavy-handed fighter worked his way through the ranks of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, knocking out Hiroyuki Takaya (the current DREAM 139-pound champion) and Jens Pulver (former UFC lightweight champion) en route to a title shot in a stacked weight class, albeit losing against then champ Mike Brown. Despite alternating wins and losses in his last seven bouts, Garcia has consistently fought against some of the best in the world.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the newest featherweight match up? Will Garcia exact revenge and remove any controversy, or will Nam’s superior boxing technique be too much for him to handle? Sound off in the comment section below.