One of the best welterweights in the UFC is making his return Memorial Day Weekend.
Dong Hyun Kim, a top 10 170-pounder, will take on Josh Burkman at UFC 187 on May 23, the UFC announced Tuesday.
Kim (19-3-1, 1 NC) hasn’t fought since last August when he lost by first-round knockout to Tyron Woodley in Macao. Before that, “Stun Gun” had won four straight, including two by spectacular TKO. Kim, 33, is a judo black belt who has remodeled his game over the years and become a devastating knockout artist. His only career losses have come against Carlos Condit, Demian Maia and Woodley.
Burkman (27-10, 1 NC) made his return to the UFC at UFC 182 on Jan. 3 against Hector Lombard. Burkman, 34, lost that fight by unanimous decision, but the result was overturned into a no-contest when Lombard failed a post-fight test for performance-enhancing drugs. Burkman, the former World Series of Fighting welterweight champion, had won four of five in that organization before re-signing with the UFC. He first competed for the promotion from 2005 to 2008.
UFC 187 is headlined by a UFC light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and Anthony Johnson. The co-main event is a middleweight title bout between champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. Donald Cerrone will also meet Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title eliminator.