It didn’t take long for UFC on FOX 9 to get a new main event.
Minutes after TJ Grant withdrew from the December 14th show citing lingering concussion symptoms, UFC officials announced that former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson will serve as the first test for newly minted UFC lightweight titleholder Anthony Pettis. The new fight was first mentioned on Fox Sports 1’s “Fox Sports Live” show.
Thomson (20-5, 1 NC) is most remembered for his neck and neck trilogy against longtime Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. At 34 years old, “The Punk” made a booming return to the UFC this April, becoming the first man to knock out Nate Diaz with a brutal second-round head kick.
Pettis (17-2), of course, triumphed once again over WEC rival Benson Henderson in his most recent appearance, submitting the record-tying champion with a slick first-round armbar to steal away Henderson’s belt at UFC 164.
UFC on FOX 9 takes place December 14, 2013 at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. A bantamweight co-feature pitting Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald is thus far the only other confirmed bout for the card.