A lightweight tilt with ‘Fight of the Night’ potential has been added to the UFC’s Memorial Day weekend fight card.
Announced Sunday, undefeated striker Edson Barboza has agreed to meet revitalized brawler Evan Dunham at UFC 146, scheduled for May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White confirmed the bout via Twitter.
The holiday card is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight title scrap between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. Jason “Mayhem” Miller returns to the cage against C.B. Dollaway in the night’s only other confirmed match-up.
Barboza (10-0) rides into the contest on a wave of momentum from his ridiculous third-round spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim that earned both ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors at UFC 142. The impressive 26-year-old is now 4-0 in his short UFC career, with wins over Ross Pearson, Anthony Njokuani, and Mike Lullo, along with four ‘Fight Night’ bonuses to his credit.
Dunham (13-2), meanwhile, appears to have turned the corner after his run to title contention was halted by consecutive losses to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard. Known as 3-D, the 30-year-old has since recovered with brutal victories over Shamar Bailey and Nik Lentz, the latter of which earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors when Lentz was unable to continue due to what looked to be a broken orbital bone.