(Dude. Don’t even get me started about mustard water. / Props: hypeordie)
After knocking out Christian Morecraft at UFC on FX 1 last month, Pat Barry has booked his next fight. The heavyweight kickboxer will face Lavar Johnson on the main card of UFC on FOX 3, May 5th in New Jersey, which will officially be headlined by a five-round lightweight contest between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.
Lavar Johnson scored the Knockout of the Night during last weekend’s UFC on FOX 2 card, by smashing Joey Beltran in the first round of their preliminary card meeting. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak that Johnson had carried over from his stint in Strikeforce. His upcoming scrap with Barry seems like a way for the UFC to guarantee some much-needed excitement for their next FOX broadcast. As for Barry, it’s an opportunity to bump his UFC record over .500 and secure back-to-back victories for the first time in his UFC career.
In other May booking news…
The UFC has confirmed that their third FX card will take place May 15th in Fairfax, Virginia, and will feature a light-heavyweight rematch between Brandon Vera and Thiago Silva. Their first meeting in January 2011 was originally a unanimous decision win for Silva, until he popped positive for a urine adulterant and the fight was changed to a no-contest; Silva later admitted to using prohibited “injections” to treat a back injury he had suffered before the fight. This will be Silva’s first match since coming back from a one-year suspension, while Vera scored a follow-up decision win over Eliot Marshall in October.
UFC on FX 3 will also host a middleweight match between Tom Lawlor and Jason MacDonald.